Expert: Nafeesah - 9/12/2008

Question
hi my name is Julie,i am 38 years old,my entire life since about age 12 I've had eating disorders,from anorexic to bulimia,lately i tend to binge eat,I'm starting to get very scared due to the fact for about last few years now i tend to retain a huge amount of water,i have an extreme time with bloating & swelling,not just my time of the month,mostly on a daily basis,I'm not sure if its from all the restricting I've done over the years?ESP. since i haven't restricted in a few months now,I do have bipolar,any advice would be great

Answer
Eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia can cause hormonal imbalances that can cause fluid retention you may need to check yourself with a doctor to make sure that nothing is wrong. Sometimes medicines you take can cause stuff to occur like bloating and swelling, but if it's getting to the point where it's making you uncomfortable you should see a doctor because fluid retention can be a sign your kidneys are not pushing the fluids out through urination and is causing it to be retained in your body. If this has been going on for some time this is concerning because your body shouldnt be doing this and retention of water can cause your blood pressure to spike so get a hold of your doctor and find out what's going on so you can deal with the problem so you can get back to a normal way of life if you are needing to seek counseling for any issues stemming from your eating disorder there's a site you should look at it's called Something-fishy.org and it's for people with eating disorders to get resources to support groups and treatment programs and other kinds of counseling.