Expert: Joanne - 1/12/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hey Holly,

I'm 17 years old and I've been going through some tough times. I went through dieting, over exercising, not eating what so ever for months, major depression, i was physically abused when i was younger and last year i was raped. I was anorexia and now bulimic and i have been since grade 3 and now I'm in grade 12.

Now I've been noticing some really strange things in the last 8 months probably just adding up as the days go back. Well some of the things that's been significantly noticeable to me are; extreme chest pains (especially when I'm exercising.. but I'm also asthmatic?!), I've been having constant headaches and getting the flu-ishly sick, my muscles are very sore (they always crack.. a few months ago, i broke my arm in 3 different places by just falling), i haven't got my menstrual periods in about 5 months, I'm always tried and taking naps for about 6-7 hours, EXTREMELY BAD Stomach pains (most of the time I'm constipated and sometimes get diarrhea)[ My digestive system is awful and hurting me so much.. half the time I'm in tears!], my teeth are getting sensitive and starting to hurt, and very dry skin. ... and tonight i was coughing up a tiny bit of blood at dance class.

Everyone seems to think that I'm about the happiest person ever, popular, involved with pretty much everything and all sports, so people don't understand what I'm going threw and i couldn't tell anyone.

I went threw counseling and it helped for a month and i just got more depressed because i started gaining weight and without being busy i didn't know what to do with myself.

I don't know what to do.. I'm always nervous.. i just want to shake it off.. and pretend i have nothing wrong with me. A lot of my people around me notice and tell me i look really good but it sucks because it's telling me that I'm doing a great job! But anyway, i kind of want to know what i have... do you think you could tell me.. what i have or what i may have?...  

Thanks! :)..
xxx :)

ANSWER: Ariel

Please get to your Dr and ask for help soon!  These all sound as though they could be complications of the eating disorder, and you have to remember than eating disorders can cause so many health problems, some fatal!!!  You need to get these all checked out before they possibly become life-threatening, or become long term health problems.

Chest pains should never be ignored!  Get these checked now!  Even if it is your asthma, you should get its control checked.  Did you previously experience any pain when exercising, before your health began to suffer?

Breaking your arm so easily!  Did you get a bone density scan done at the time?  If not, I think you should talk to your Dr about this.  Anorexia can weaken your bones, and you risk developing osteoporosis.

I could go on and on telling you what damage you could be doing to all body parts, but rather than me sitting here and telling you all these possibilities, I really want you to go to your Dr and get this all checked so that you know exactly what is causing all these problems, and hopefully get some help for the eating disorder!

Please think about telling someone - you need to try and get this sorted soon!

Holly

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hey Holly,

Yeah, well I've seen a councilor in the passed and it felt good and than i started gaining weight and i hated that my lose jeans became tight and i was just super angry with myself for actually going to see the councilor. But one of the teachers noticed that i hated being around people, going out, doing my homework, not up to my energetic self and always in super baggy clothes.. she knew i needed help.. and i told her i didn't want help. I said I'd come to her if i absolutely needed help and i did!..

I know chest pains should never be ignored but i do it all the time. I just hold my chest for pressure and than not work as i did before. It's not my asthma i know that. It's my heart but i told my friend that and shes like tell someone. i was like no i don't like to make a big deal about things. Theses pains have been lasting for about a year and a half now but that's it. But i haven't ate correctly since i was little.

I actually have had a m.r.i on my shoulder because it's shifted half away down my back. I have tensionides (I'm not sure how to spell it) which is somewhat pain at times but i haven't got a bone density scan. They said it because i don't' drink milk or anything with dairy products.

I know i have a major digestive system problems because i could go days without going to the bathroom or i have go to the bathroom and it takes forever because it's so painful. My stomach has been killing me.. like so much i can't wait or anything.. i curl up in a little ball.. it's like CRAMPS X billion! with out the period.. ahh .. its stupid.

I'll get it sorted out in a bit. I'm just getting more stressed out because one of my best friends dad has passed away today... and allll day i was crying and snapping at people. It was awful! This was making me not even wanna eat anything. I know my eating disorder is bad but still i can't help my self in theses types of situations.

I'll let you know once i get help. I don't want to go to my doctor because I'm nervous of what he's going to say. And i don't want to tell my mom because she'll be like yeah it's your fault that you barely eat one meal. And ahh i can't.. it just makes me sooooo much more stressed out. What's another way for sorting things out?.. I'm not ready to be going into a hospital about this. I've seen so many health videos on this and it's so sad what they do. And i don't think i could put my self threw it. My body will probably shut it self down.
 
Thankssss!,
talk to you soon!,
---- ARIEL ....

Answer
Ariel, I would love for you to keep in touch to let me know of your progress.

Not everyone that gets help for eating disorders is put into hospital.  The vast majority of cases are actually treated in out-patient programmes.  Many people that do end up in hospital for an eating disorder, without actually voluntarily entering a programme, are only hospitalised when their condition is critical and they will die unless someone takes control and makes them eat.

I think that you should really think about telling your Dr, or going back to that teacher.  It is unlikely that you will be judged, or they will be surprised.  Eating disorders are a lot more common than people think, its just you only here about people that are severely ill, not about the people that are hiding the problems more, so your Dr is probably treating a number of patients with eating disorders to varying degrees - some he will know about, others that he doesn't know about.  It is reckoned that 1 in 10 people have an eating disorder!

Your bone problems due to lack of dairy - definitely is a big risk factor in osteoporosis.  A lack of periods and low calcium intake definitely put you at risk, so it may be worth being honest with your Dr in order to get a bone density scan so that if you are beginning to develop these kinds of problems, they can be treated now!

Holly