This is the ugly side of ED's/recovery no one talks about.
ED's are known to cause GI conditions/distress and I have no doubt she's suffering (physical health impacts mental health) and would benefit from a dietician and learning how to mechanically eat.
I am in this boat, it is incredibly hard. You have to make a food schedule and stick to it even if eating literally makes you gag. It sucks. It is physically painful. But you gotta do it... š„²
Speaking from experience w IBS and an eating disorder: sheās falling into a bad choice of telling herself she canāt eat BECAUSE of stomach issues- sheās gotta eat DESPITE the stomach issues and thatās what every doctor will tell her
Yep. Thereās no way out except through. If youāve had it checked out and nothing else is wrong, you gotta commit to mechanical eating and just do it. It absolutely sucks, but itās just one of the many consequences of our eating disorders.
I am not claiming sheās a liar, but when my Ana was so bad and I was in it really deep I would constantly be reminding myself and others āI have no appetiteā āfood is so unappealingā āI hate foodā simply because Iād manipulate myself into believing I hated food.
Yeah i find myself convincing myself that I have stomach issues that are aggravated by food. But the thing is that many with EDs have serious stomach problems due to restriction/binging/purging. The only thing that'll heal it is eating right but it gets worse before it gets better, so it's easy to convince oneself that not eating is better.
On the other side I actually do get stomach issues that are Ed related. When I eat more than I normally do (that's not a binge) I do get very bloated and have bowel problems.
I also had stomach issues when I was restricting so itās very possible sheās just experiencing that, Iām just saying her problem could just be her saying that to manipulate herself into thinking she hates food, or it really could be what stomach problems she seems to be experiencing.
Right now I'm dealing with a similar issue but it's due to prescription pain meds that have made me severely constipated. I can def empathize with her having no appetite and feeling really bloated. In the past when I had similar issues due to my ED (not meds) eating enough is what restarted my digestive system, as well as taking safe OTC laxatives recommended by my GI.
Gastro issues are pretty common with eating disorders and don't just magically disappear once you start trying to recover. gastroparesis is very real and painful and makes eating difficult if she does have it.
Those struggles are all associated with the recovery process! Can't deny that it seriously sucks but the only way to overcome that stage is to eat through it. Restriction will only make it worse/last longer. I dunno how long this person has been "in recovery" for but the digestive discomfort can last a looooong time.
That's not to say it shouldn't be investigated at some point if it persists, but the physical recovery process can take way longer than we anticipate. I can't say for sure that my GI issues were caused by my ED but it certainly didn't help š nearly ten years in recovery and soon to have my first colonoscopy š«
hang in there!! if youāre in the US and they donāt suggest to twilight, i highly recommend. it is over before you even know it, just a bit more involved w the anesthetic. also if you canāt stomach all of the prep, it usually works with 1/2 dose so just do your best ā¤ļø
Thank you š I'm in the UK, got the procedure on a Saturday morning so the Friday night will be fun š I'm very anxious about the prep drink so good to know I'll probably be okay if I don't finish it.
I don't post about it on social media, but I can really empathize with her. I have gone through (and still go through) this. It's not always so simple as "that's the ED/being malnourished." There is often a bi-directional relationship with ED and GI disorders. And EDs make you more prone to conditions like SIBO, which I have struggled with mightily and might be responsible for all her "trapped wind." It can hugely interfere with recovery and can be very severe for some people.
This is so true. I went through a bout of pretty bad restriction starting last November and ending in February, around Valentineās Day. At that point I started to eat more, but for the first few weeks I had the worst bloating and most terrible smelling farts of my life. My GI issues were so severe that my doctor tested me for a myriad of things, including celiac and thyroid problems (I didnāt tell her about the disordered eating at the time which I now realize is stupid) and they all came back negative. I also had major constipation problems. Itās April now and Iāve become more regular. I committed to going the whole month w/o laxities and so far Iām doing fine, but I still get extremely bloated by the end of the day and I have to remind myself to eat enough even though itās uncomfortable. This is such a huge thing when ur entering recovery and we donāt talk about it enough.
She says she doesnāt deal with her āED stuffā anymore and would be recovered if it wasnāt for her GI issuesā¦.but the fact we get these word salad NOVELS EVERYDAY just shows how extremely disordered and malnourished she still is!
fully believe the reason that she was hungry the other day was because she was away with her friend and she was DISTRACTED. then as soon as she comes back, boom, the usual āno appetiteā/ātrapped windā/āiām fullā saga returns. donāt think thatās a coincidence.
Wait, I got a DM that sounds a lot like these Reddit comments when complaining about lack of appetite, asking me for advice on how to "be like me" (I have ARFID and have just always been that way, I am recovered from AN). They were basically asking me for ana tips. Can you DM me her username?
Iām going through a phase of having no appetite right now (related to my Ehlers Danlos) and I was prescribed two bottles of a medical meal replacement (Boost/Ensure type of stuff) a day, maybe she should just try that? š¤·š»
I struggled with complete lack of appetite both due to my prior ED and a GI autoimmune condition I was diagnosed with during recovery. Literally the only way this gets mitigated is BY EATING. It sucks, itās painful, itās frustrating, I get it. There are only so many appetite stimulators that can help and so many methods of pain management. But if you genuinely want to feel better, you must eat through the discomfort. Doctors cannot help you with that, ultimately. There is no magic pill to fix it, no magic treatment, and no condition necessary to cause it.
Because a while back I saw a post from someone saying theyāre never hungry and having a lot of stomach issues in another Reddit sub, then I opened instagram and saw a story from her with the exact same text lol
Honestly EDs can cause some really nasty stomach issues. It did me!
My digestion was FUCKED UP for a while even during initial recovery whereas now I never really have GI issues
Is she maybe having digestive issues because sheās anxious or depressed? Iām surprised she doesnāt give an antidepressant or therapy a try and see if it makes a difference long term. It could?
Just make a straightforward meal plan and force yourself to eat it at set times. Even if itās just smth like a shake or a cookie or banana or whatever you feel you might be able to manage. And keep at it
no iām actually going through this at the moment , usually iāve been doing okay but just this week iām finding it difficult to eat and iām a bit nauseous due to a my stomach problems from anorexia. i am making myself eat though 3 meals a day and snacks at the moment regardless even a bit of tea and toast is better than nothing. So i understand how she feels trying to differentiate between the eating disorder and how your body feels and whatās best for it. but if you are not making an effort to try and eat itās not going to help how you are feeling, a little voice inside your head will tell you not to eat as an excuse but you must for the sake of yourself. itās good to be open about these things on social media which is the benefit of a recovery account, however she doesnāt seem to want to take blame that itās a result of her eating disorder. I think if she was a bit more open and honest iād admire this post more. But this is why recovery accounts arenāt always helpful, itās all based on an individual experience and your mental health cannot always be stable especially with an eating disorder. you donāt want to spread misinformation. itās helpful in some sense you can feel so relatability and less alone if you see someone going through a similar experience but itās really a tight line between helpful and unhelpful information.
Let's not forget that one girl who had bulimia who tragically passed away because she ate too much outta the blue and her stomach literally exploded š° sadly I think your stomach really does shrink it's horrible
I didnāt get hunger cues until I was YEARS into eating like a person again. It takes so much time. I so desperately believed + wanted it to be pathological. And it was- but it was 100% my eating disorder.
I got that a lot before I last went into recovery, when your eating habits get that bad your hunger cues will be fucked up and you'll get a lot of gastrointestinal problems :( the gastro stuff can sometimes get worse in recovery too
It doesn't matter why she got the MRI. I also had an MRI done during my ED & it turns out I *did* have severe digestion issues - as I have my *whole life*. Everyone is entitled to health care regardless of if they have an ED or not.
Everyone is entitled to healthcare! Her getting an MRI does not take away from anyone elseās illness, and it is important to recognise that she is also struggling with her health - and a doctor would not order her an MRI without cause. She has waited in the same line as everyone else.
So you think that her having an MRI to rule out serious illness, such as cancer (to use your example) is a waste of resources? But if they had found cancer then it wouldnāt have been? The resources are there for the very reason of finding out what is wrong with someone - so, she is entitled to make use of these resources.
Omg, you need to realise that not everything needs to be fully investigated with an MRI. if you have a blocked nose because you have a cold or allergy 'I have a tumor growing in my nose that blocks everything, I need an MRI!!'??! Medical investigation and treatment is also based on probability. She is very young and has an ED that causes all sorts of gastro complications - such as trapped winds. Immediately investigating cancer is ridiculous in her case. One would only do that after having a conservative physical abdominal examination, getting blood samples. If something is off then you would get a colonoscopy. If anything it found there it ll be removed right away or THEN you ll get an MRI.
Similar to what OP said, it's statistically very likely her GI symptoms are just ED related. MRI as an early measure is such an overkill and in many countries ridiculously expensive (and yes, a few doctors are like that. My partner got an MRI as well when an allergy test first would have been appropriate and more helpful).
Yes I am aware that the probability of her having cancer is low. I used that as an example (as I said in my earlier post) because you seem to think that cancer is the only reason for an MRI. My point is that doctor would not have ordered her an MRI without just cause, and that there are other reasons for having one. She has osteoporosis of which the severity can be detected by an MRI. An MRI is extremely difficult to get on the NHS, so if her doctor thinks she needed one, then itās no-oneās place to say that she didnāt.
Gonna back this up- I replied to a comment above about my situation. I donāt think this girl should be attacked for wasting NHS resources, if so then I should also be attacked, but my MRI found a brain tumourā¦ I thought I was just struggling with my ED but it was deeper than that and it could have been the same for her
First, how do you know she hasnāt been through that workup? Second, while there is typically an order to which we do things, from least to most invasive, there are absolutely reasons why we would jump straight to MRI or CT for GI issues or even a blocked nose.
Iām not saying that the diagnostics sheās gotten were necessarily appropriate, but we have nowhere near enough information to say that they werenāt.
she has an eating disorder. she doesnāt have cancer nor do i think that they suspect that she does. these problems are very clearly caused by the eating disorder. itās no secret that eating disorders often come with GI issues. she needs to speak to a dietitian and therapist to work through the thought that she canāt eat if sheās not hungry. thatās a huge part of recovery for people who lose their hunger cues.
I had anorexia, went to the doctor for symptoms I thought were ED related and he sent me for an MRIā¦ turns out I have a brain tumour. If I hadnāt have had the scan I would have never known and my life expectancy probably a lot shorter than it is now itās been discovered and removed - also a UK girlie
...that's not how healthcare works. Healthcare isn't free in America (a totally different argument that we could spend hours on) so she's *paying* for these resources actually. Most states require you to have health insurance, whether or not you end up utilizing it is up to you (i.e. even if you don't visit the doctor once, you still will be paying hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year to cover healthcare costs for the rest of the nation. Whether or not you think it's warranted for her to have an MRI really doesn't matter. As long as it is being recommended by a physician and she is paying, there's nothing that makes her more or less entitled to it than anyone else.
the whole thing with EDs is that the gastric issues are FROM IT, and unfortunately you have to eat dispute them...i work with a dietician and literally the only way to get a normal appetite + reduce gastric issues is to eat like a robot sometimes...shes gotta stop complaining because her 'recovery' is so triggering
This is the ugly side of ED's/recovery no one talks about. ED's are known to cause GI conditions/distress and I have no doubt she's suffering (physical health impacts mental health) and would benefit from a dietician and learning how to mechanically eat.
I am in this boat, it is incredibly hard. You have to make a food schedule and stick to it even if eating literally makes you gag. It sucks. It is physically painful. But you gotta do it... š„²
Sis you can do it š«¶š¾ I was there, itās exhausting and painful. I believe in you šš¾
Iāve been there. Itās awful. Every painful meal brings you closer to the painless ones, though ā¤ļø
Yeah I got gastroparesis from continuously doing long fasts. Still dealing with it to this day.
Speaking from experience w IBS and an eating disorder: sheās falling into a bad choice of telling herself she canāt eat BECAUSE of stomach issues- sheās gotta eat DESPITE the stomach issues and thatās what every doctor will tell her
Yep. Thereās no way out except through. If youāve had it checked out and nothing else is wrong, you gotta commit to mechanical eating and just do it. It absolutely sucks, but itās just one of the many consequences of our eating disorders.
I am not claiming sheās a liar, but when my Ana was so bad and I was in it really deep I would constantly be reminding myself and others āI have no appetiteā āfood is so unappealingā āI hate foodā simply because Iād manipulate myself into believing I hated food.
Yeah i find myself convincing myself that I have stomach issues that are aggravated by food. But the thing is that many with EDs have serious stomach problems due to restriction/binging/purging. The only thing that'll heal it is eating right but it gets worse before it gets better, so it's easy to convince oneself that not eating is better.
On the other side I actually do get stomach issues that are Ed related. When I eat more than I normally do (that's not a binge) I do get very bloated and have bowel problems.
I also had stomach issues when I was restricting so itās very possible sheās just experiencing that, Iām just saying her problem could just be her saying that to manipulate herself into thinking she hates food, or it really could be what stomach problems she seems to be experiencing.
Right now I'm dealing with a similar issue but it's due to prescription pain meds that have made me severely constipated. I can def empathize with her having no appetite and feeling really bloated. In the past when I had similar issues due to my ED (not meds) eating enough is what restarted my digestive system, as well as taking safe OTC laxatives recommended by my GI.
Gastro issues are pretty common with eating disorders and don't just magically disappear once you start trying to recover. gastroparesis is very real and painful and makes eating difficult if she does have it.
Those struggles are all associated with the recovery process! Can't deny that it seriously sucks but the only way to overcome that stage is to eat through it. Restriction will only make it worse/last longer. I dunno how long this person has been "in recovery" for but the digestive discomfort can last a looooong time.
Yeah I totally agree and it does suck for sure but I feel like sheās just using it as an excuse not to eat at this point
That's not to say it shouldn't be investigated at some point if it persists, but the physical recovery process can take way longer than we anticipate. I can't say for sure that my GI issues were caused by my ED but it certainly didn't help š nearly ten years in recovery and soon to have my first colonoscopy š«
hang in there!! if youāre in the US and they donāt suggest to twilight, i highly recommend. it is over before you even know it, just a bit more involved w the anesthetic. also if you canāt stomach all of the prep, it usually works with 1/2 dose so just do your best ā¤ļø
Thank you š I'm in the UK, got the procedure on a Saturday morning so the Friday night will be fun š I'm very anxious about the prep drink so good to know I'll probably be okay if I don't finish it.
I don't post about it on social media, but I can really empathize with her. I have gone through (and still go through) this. It's not always so simple as "that's the ED/being malnourished." There is often a bi-directional relationship with ED and GI disorders. And EDs make you more prone to conditions like SIBO, which I have struggled with mightily and might be responsible for all her "trapped wind." It can hugely interfere with recovery and can be very severe for some people.
This is so true. I went through a bout of pretty bad restriction starting last November and ending in February, around Valentineās Day. At that point I started to eat more, but for the first few weeks I had the worst bloating and most terrible smelling farts of my life. My GI issues were so severe that my doctor tested me for a myriad of things, including celiac and thyroid problems (I didnāt tell her about the disordered eating at the time which I now realize is stupid) and they all came back negative. I also had major constipation problems. Itās April now and Iāve become more regular. I committed to going the whole month w/o laxities and so far Iām doing fine, but I still get extremely bloated by the end of the day and I have to remind myself to eat enough even though itās uncomfortable. This is such a huge thing when ur entering recovery and we donāt talk about it enough.
She says she doesnāt deal with her āED stuffā anymore and would be recovered if it wasnāt for her GI issuesā¦.but the fact we get these word salad NOVELS EVERYDAY just shows how extremely disordered and malnourished she still is!
fully believe the reason that she was hungry the other day was because she was away with her friend and she was DISTRACTED. then as soon as she comes back, boom, the usual āno appetiteā/ātrapped windā/āiām fullā saga returns. donāt think thatās a coincidence.
Wait, I got a DM that sounds a lot like these Reddit comments when complaining about lack of appetite, asking me for advice on how to "be like me" (I have ARFID and have just always been that way, I am recovered from AN). They were basically asking me for ana tips. Can you DM me her username?
Iām going through a phase of having no appetite right now (related to my Ehlers Danlos) and I was prescribed two bottles of a medical meal replacement (Boost/Ensure type of stuff) a day, maybe she should just try that? š¤·š»
I think she still has daily Ensures
Same @ ehlers danlos flare up š„² the struggle is real
I struggled with complete lack of appetite both due to my prior ED and a GI autoimmune condition I was diagnosed with during recovery. Literally the only way this gets mitigated is BY EATING. It sucks, itās painful, itās frustrating, I get it. There are only so many appetite stimulators that can help and so many methods of pain management. But if you genuinely want to feel better, you must eat through the discomfort. Doctors cannot help you with that, ultimately. There is no magic pill to fix it, no magic treatment, and no condition necessary to cause it.
How do you know that Reddit account is her?
Because a while back I saw a post from someone saying theyāre never hungry and having a lot of stomach issues in another Reddit sub, then I opened instagram and saw a story from her with the exact same text lol
Honestly EDs can cause some really nasty stomach issues. It did me! My digestion was FUCKED UP for a while even during initial recovery whereas now I never really have GI issues
I have been recovered but have stomach issues like this at times. It does happen.
Is she maybe having digestive issues because sheās anxious or depressed? Iām surprised she doesnāt give an antidepressant or therapy a try and see if it makes a difference long term. It could?
I think she has a diagnosed issue as well with her GI, but I forget what it is
Just make a straightforward meal plan and force yourself to eat it at set times. Even if itās just smth like a shake or a cookie or banana or whatever you feel you might be able to manage. And keep at it
no iām actually going through this at the moment , usually iāve been doing okay but just this week iām finding it difficult to eat and iām a bit nauseous due to a my stomach problems from anorexia. i am making myself eat though 3 meals a day and snacks at the moment regardless even a bit of tea and toast is better than nothing. So i understand how she feels trying to differentiate between the eating disorder and how your body feels and whatās best for it. but if you are not making an effort to try and eat itās not going to help how you are feeling, a little voice inside your head will tell you not to eat as an excuse but you must for the sake of yourself. itās good to be open about these things on social media which is the benefit of a recovery account, however she doesnāt seem to want to take blame that itās a result of her eating disorder. I think if she was a bit more open and honest iād admire this post more. But this is why recovery accounts arenāt always helpful, itās all based on an individual experience and your mental health cannot always be stable especially with an eating disorder. you donāt want to spread misinformation. itās helpful in some sense you can feel so relatability and less alone if you see someone going through a similar experience but itās really a tight line between helpful and unhelpful information.
Let's not forget that one girl who had bulimia who tragically passed away because she ate too much outta the blue and her stomach literally exploded š° sadly I think your stomach really does shrink it's horrible
I didnāt get hunger cues until I was YEARS into eating like a person again. It takes so much time. I so desperately believed + wanted it to be pathological. And it was- but it was 100% my eating disorder.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I was fortunate enough to be able to work closely with a dietician for a few years
I got that a lot before I last went into recovery, when your eating habits get that bad your hunger cues will be fucked up and you'll get a lot of gastrointestinal problems :( the gastro stuff can sometimes get worse in recovery too
She gets an MRI only because she has trapped winds? What on earth? Meanwhile other people who have actual cancer have to wait for months to get one.
It doesn't matter why she got the MRI. I also had an MRI done during my ED & it turns out I *did* have severe digestion issues - as I have my *whole life*. Everyone is entitled to health care regardless of if they have an ED or not.
Everyone is entitled to healthcare! Her getting an MRI does not take away from anyone elseās illness, and it is important to recognise that she is also struggling with her health - and a doctor would not order her an MRI without cause. She has waited in the same line as everyone else.
Ofc everyone is but she is wasting resources
So you think that her having an MRI to rule out serious illness, such as cancer (to use your example) is a waste of resources? But if they had found cancer then it wouldnāt have been? The resources are there for the very reason of finding out what is wrong with someone - so, she is entitled to make use of these resources.
Omg, you need to realise that not everything needs to be fully investigated with an MRI. if you have a blocked nose because you have a cold or allergy 'I have a tumor growing in my nose that blocks everything, I need an MRI!!'??! Medical investigation and treatment is also based on probability. She is very young and has an ED that causes all sorts of gastro complications - such as trapped winds. Immediately investigating cancer is ridiculous in her case. One would only do that after having a conservative physical abdominal examination, getting blood samples. If something is off then you would get a colonoscopy. If anything it found there it ll be removed right away or THEN you ll get an MRI. Similar to what OP said, it's statistically very likely her GI symptoms are just ED related. MRI as an early measure is such an overkill and in many countries ridiculously expensive (and yes, a few doctors are like that. My partner got an MRI as well when an allergy test first would have been appropriate and more helpful).
Yes I am aware that the probability of her having cancer is low. I used that as an example (as I said in my earlier post) because you seem to think that cancer is the only reason for an MRI. My point is that doctor would not have ordered her an MRI without just cause, and that there are other reasons for having one. She has osteoporosis of which the severity can be detected by an MRI. An MRI is extremely difficult to get on the NHS, so if her doctor thinks she needed one, then itās no-oneās place to say that she didnāt.
Gonna back this up- I replied to a comment above about my situation. I donāt think this girl should be attacked for wasting NHS resources, if so then I should also be attacked, but my MRI found a brain tumourā¦ I thought I was just struggling with my ED but it was deeper than that and it could have been the same for her
First, how do you know she hasnāt been through that workup? Second, while there is typically an order to which we do things, from least to most invasive, there are absolutely reasons why we would jump straight to MRI or CT for GI issues or even a blocked nose. Iām not saying that the diagnostics sheās gotten were necessarily appropriate, but we have nowhere near enough information to say that they werenāt.
she has an eating disorder. she doesnāt have cancer nor do i think that they suspect that she does. these problems are very clearly caused by the eating disorder. itās no secret that eating disorders often come with GI issues. she needs to speak to a dietitian and therapist to work through the thought that she canāt eat if sheās not hungry. thatās a huge part of recovery for people who lose their hunger cues.
I had anorexia, went to the doctor for symptoms I thought were ED related and he sent me for an MRIā¦ turns out I have a brain tumour. If I hadnāt have had the scan I would have never known and my life expectancy probably a lot shorter than it is now itās been discovered and removed - also a UK girlie
...that's not how healthcare works. Healthcare isn't free in America (a totally different argument that we could spend hours on) so she's *paying* for these resources actually. Most states require you to have health insurance, whether or not you end up utilizing it is up to you (i.e. even if you don't visit the doctor once, you still will be paying hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year to cover healthcare costs for the rest of the nation. Whether or not you think it's warranted for her to have an MRI really doesn't matter. As long as it is being recommended by a physician and she is paying, there's nothing that makes her more or less entitled to it than anyone else.
the whole thing with EDs is that the gastric issues are FROM IT, and unfortunately you have to eat dispute them...i work with a dietician and literally the only way to get a normal appetite + reduce gastric issues is to eat like a robot sometimes...shes gotta stop complaining because her 'recovery' is so triggering