Expert: Joanne - 11/6/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi... my name is Jessica and I just turned seventeen. For about four years, I suffered from anorexia and bulimia, depression, borderline Paranoia and Borderline Bipolar Disorder. About ten months ago, I made an effort to quit purging and to eat right as a result of a still existing relationship with my eighteen year old boyfriend.

While I have not purged in about seven months, I still fear I am not healthy. My bones still hurt, I'm still always cold, and i miss the occasional period, which is a concern becasue I am sexually active.

I eat regularly, though I avoid fat, milk, and fried food. I currently weigh 114 and am 5'7". I have a very frail frame as I stunted my growth with my eating disorder.

I need to know what to do to encourage my body to recover completely.

I'm comfortable at the weight I am at, usually, but people still mention how I'm "soooo skinny!"

What can I do to ensure that I'm healthy?


ANSWER: Jessica,

Did you receive any medical/psychological help for your eating disorder?  If not, I would recommend trying to get that help.  Visit your Dr and ask for a referral to someone that can help you.

I think that it would be in your interest to visit your doctor and have a physical examination seeing as your health is still suffering.  'Hurting' bones, missing your period and being cold is your body's way of telling you that it is still not fully recovered.

Feeling cold and missing your period could be linked to you avoiding fat.  Your body requires some fat in the diet in order to carry out every day function, and to help insulate your body as well as protect your organs.

I think that you should be assessed by your doctor to make sure that there is nothing going on within the body to cause these problems, and also make sure that your eating disorder has not done any lasting damage.  It may also be worth being referred onto a nutritionist to assess your daily food intake and help you improve your diet so that your body is getting what it needs to repair itself.

All the best
Holly

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

QUESTION: I never went to a doctor. My parents only learned when it was over with. They sent me to my third shrink... which, just like the other two, accounted to nothing.

Is there anything I personally can do, without going to the doctor?

Answer
Jessica, I would still recommend visiting your Dr over this!  He may be able to refer you onto a specialist, which isn't always a 'shrink'.  The majority of my psychological help came from a mental health nurse that had a lot of experience treating eating disorders!  Yes there may have beena psychiatrist somewehere in the background that she would go back to, but ultimately it was her I was dealing with!

If you still don't want to do this, then you need to make sure that you are eating a well-balanced diet, not easy when there are still a lot of thoughts there that aren't being dealt with, but it is possible to do.  I would recommend asking your parents for help with this.  Just so that there is someone there that can make sure that you are taking in the nutrients that you need and not allowing the eating disorder to distort it.  You need to make sure you are eating about 1500-1800 calories a day, preferably nearer 2000.  You need to make sure that there is some fat in your daily intake - but not too much!  Nuts are a good source of fats!!!  As for dairy - you need to make sure that you are taking in quite a bit.  Starvation leads to the break down of bone - especially if your periods stopped as the hormone that helps calcium uptake isn't being produced!  You need to make sure that you take in plenty calcium as eating disorders run the risk of future osteoporosis if the bone isn't sufficiently rebuilt.

Holly