I've been reading about ED's again, as I usually do after a period of not eating and then start to eat more again. My chest hurts only during the phases when I don't eat, and will continue for a little while once I start again. During these times when I am more susceptable to chest pain is also when I have muscle pains and cramps. Once I start to eat more again, the muscle cramps start to fade after a few days, but I will continue to have other pains for longer.

This time around, my leg cramps are doing better--but still there--after more than a few days. I have been eating more for close to a week. It hasn't been perfect meals, but more like junk food calories and minimal meals. My other muscle pains are still affecting me, especially giving me trouble walking down the stairs, and a little with doing other things. The frequency of my chest pains has improved, but again I still have them. I have chondromalacia and arthritis in my knees, so I've had trouble walking down steps before. This other pain in a little higher though, in my thigh. I can't help but to think that my eating habits have caused increased muscle damage. My orthopedic doctor told me that I was high-risk for developing chondromalacia because of something the way my leg bones are aligned. I bet my eating habits have caused the damage to progress more rapidly. I've had pain in my knees for two years. The pain in my thigh has been for about eight or nine months, noticing it most around my non-eating phases.

Since I have a lot of muscle pains and leg cramps when I don't eat, I am assuming that my chest pains are probably and most likely the heart muscle causing pain, too. It makes sense.

It's scary to think that I could have these eating habits for so long and no one (physicians) has even noticed or ever thought to ask about how I eat or if I skip meals, etc. I am in my early 30's now. I already have arthritis. The doctor never bothered to look for it early on because I was so young, he never expected it.

I've hinted to doctors about my eating habits. I'd tell them something like, "I don't really eat the greatest" or something similar to give them a clue. You'd think--a clue! Guess not. They always shrug shoulders and think nothing about it. Does that have something to say for our society's value of nutrution? It's true, many in our society really don't bother to eat well, balanced meals. Many even skip breakfast--including doctors. My old doctor admitted that he regularly skipped breakfast--I loved it! I thought there we go, there's one more piece of information to my benefit--if he can do it, so can I!

I still don't know my own outcome and if I want to change or continue with fluctuating habits and eat how I like. I don't want to damage my heart or anything though. It's going to be tough. Last weekend I thought it would be "fun" to pop a pill to speed up the colon a bit. It seemed so automatic, like something normal. Other times like a couple days ago, I had the thought about it but nothing urging me to do it. It wasn't like a happy, automatic "fun" response. I still think about it. I have no strong desire to follow through. I know that I need a break from things like that. I'm almost looking forward to that appointment with my kid's psych. I was unsure before, but I think that I am warming up to it. I wonder what he'll say and ask?