|
How do eating disorders impact you after recovery?
17/f
When I was 13, I had an eating disorder. It wasn't really full on starving myself - I would basically eat some dinner every night and sometimes a pack of jellybeans. I recovered after a year. I just wanna know if they could've effected me with anything later in life, like I have low iron levels, am really pale, have mild ibs - I'm literally always either constipated or have dirrhea I'm never normal. I also used to be pretty tall for my age, I was the tallest in my class and I went through puberty early - I started getting boobs when I was 8 and my entire family has big boobs (sorry this is random) but I just haven't been growing height and boob wise, I'm one of the shortest in my class and have the smallest boobs. Could it have impacted my growth? For a while now I've had headaches everyday and I get dizzy easily, but I eat a lot and don't have an eating disorder anymore. I basically still have the same mindset - i hate my body and would rather just not eat and relapse but right now I haven't. When I was 13, I became extremely pale, and my paleness never fully cleared up, im not as bad as I was then but even if I tan I just don't go darker. My marks also dropped alot, I was always super smart getting 90s and I was failing a lot of my tests when I was 13. My marks have improved since I recovered and I'm back to 70s-90s. If someone has an eating disorder, what would be ways to keep marks up? How do eating disorders impact people after they've recovered and can my things be because of it? Especially since my eating disorder wasn't extremely bad?
[ ]
Want to answer more questions in the Health & Fitness category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Mental health?
A good thing to do right away is to choose an online (eating disorder support group). Here is one for you but you can put in a search for words I put in parenthesis.
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
This one says its focused more on recovery. This way you can hear from others who've gone this way before you and can discover what issues they've faced or learn things to do that help and what won't.
Since you didn't get the nutrition your body needed during its crucial growth change of older child to teen/young adult, there is probably no way to catch up. Some people still change subtly after high school, our bodies filling out more, I know I did until mid twenties. But since you started puberty early, I don't know if you're stuck with your size. Just ask others. But even healthy people don't grow much in height after they reach age 18-20. I only know of one guy in HS who was barely an inch taller than my 5'2 and at only reunion I was able to attend, my 40th, was shocked to see he had shot up to over 6 ft all. He towered over all the other guys. That is an exception to the rule. So while you might still grow in height, I wouldn't count too hard on it. Try the support group or find your own. Best wishes.
]
I know how eating disorders impact the body while suffering from the eating disorder. I have never looked at the opposite side as to how the disorder affects later life.
I would say to start with you need to know what if any damage was done to you by the eating disorder. I think you know by now when the body does not get what it needs to operate it shuts down what it believes are non-essential systems.
The first question you need an answer to and it should come from your doctor is: Did you have any serious damage done to any of your vital systems.
The second question is based on the answers to the first question. Of the damage done what can be repaired or healed and to what percentage of normal.
The third question is of course the question your asking which is what are the life time affects of my eating disorder.
You are 17 still a minor in the eyes of the law and your parents are still making medical decisions for you. They may not want you to know and have instructed the doctors not to tell you.
That's fine means they are looking out for you. But you have rights under a law called HIPPA. Since you were 14 you had medical confidentiality for anything to do with your reproductive systems. This law passed by congress was done so that young people would seek medical help for anything relating to their reproductive system. Parents could not be told of the nature of the doctors visits. Mom's could not be in the exam room and doctors could go to jail for breach of confidentiality.
Since one of the systems that may have been affected by your disorder would be your reproductive system. You have every right to ask your doctor questions and get straight answers. Just remind the doctor your questions are covered under HIPPA and you are requesting confidentiality.
]
More Questions: |