You are here:
Anorexia/Eating Disorders/Full recovery
Advertisement
Question
Ok, so it IS possible to recover from an eating disorder, but can the body fully recover?
It depends on your age, severity, and duration of the disorder. Of course, the younger you are the better chance your body has to bounce back completely. Your body can be an amazing, resilient piece of work. The duration of my eating disorder was around 5 years from the age of 16-20. For the most part, any sign of my past eating disorder is just that--in my past. However, I had severe bulimia and
I am fairly certain I burned a hole in the flap that opens to allow food to pass from the esophagus to the stomach and closes to prevent it from coming back up. Occasionally, bending over will cause the food to creep up my esophagus with a very unpleasant taste of acid.
My point is there are various consequences to a long term eating disorder.
Osteoporosis or osteopenia is very common in women who have a low weight due to an eating disorder over several years.
Those consequences are not reversible.
Sometimes people who fully recover still have problems with their teeth, bone weakness, intestinal problems, etc, even after many years of being in recovery.
The younger you are and the sooner you recover the better your chance is of not having any long term consequences from your eating disorder.
Related Articles
Answers by Expert:
Melissa
Expertise
I battled anorexia and bulimia for 6 years. I am not a doctor, but I learned a lot about the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of having an eating disorder and how scary it is to feel like you are alone in your illness. You are not alone. I can answer questions based on my experience with anything relating to anorexia and/or bulimia. I can provide information on treatment options, some specific treatment centers, resources that may help you find a treatment center, and my opinion on all of the above. I was a patient at a few outpatient and inpatient programs so I am happy to answer questions about those experiences. I am not affiliated with any of the resources I may provide. It’s strictly my opinion based on my experiences. I can NOT answer medical questions. I will NOT answer questions on how to become anorexic or bulimic or how to lose weight in an unhealthy matter.
Experience
I have recovered from a six year struggle with both anorexia and bulimia. I hope my experiences and the time I spent in and out of treatment will encourage others to never give up. I never thought I would or could recover because I couldn’t picture myself ever having a normal relationship with food. Since then, I have grown and learned that I can overcome what I once thought was impossible. Hold on to the idea that recovery is attainable!
Education/Credentials
I am attending college for an unrelated degree.
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.