Hi Wendy,

Welcome to the forum. You will find that the people here are very supportive & have many ideas for assistance. Quite a few of us meet the older category. I haven't posted under this thread yet but am 51 & have dealt with anorexia or as defined in the DSM - IV EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified) for the past 9 years. Or that was when it was decided that I had a diagnosed problem. I never had all the required symptoms to actually diagnose it as anorexia, so fell under the catch all category. It started with the taking of Prozac & Wellbutrin...the loss of appetite, days without eating, exercise, 16 lbs below my minimum safe body weight, & oh yes, excessive exercise when I wasn't passing out. (The exercise was riding my horse so that was pretty unsafe being that is was a long way to the ground if I did pass out (it never happened luckily)). I must add that I was also suicidal with my major depression recurrent that started in 1994, so really didn't care what happened to me. Looking back, the anorexia was there from childhood. I could go days without eating but couldn't get away with it often at home. I never wanted to be fat like I saw the rest of my family as being, so desparately tried as hard as I could to not. As I got older, I found ways to not eat & exercise instead like a hard hour of racquettball with the guys...(girls just didn't play hard enough for me to lose weight). The concept of getting old & fat like the rest of my family was absolutely repulsive.

When the meds effected me with the loss of appetite, I jumped at the chance to lose weight, & lose some more...until I just wasn't there...then maybe it would all go away. Unfortunately, I was hospitalized at the Radar Institute for eating disorders for a month. I didn't help because I didn't want it to. Battled on, then like Genevieve, the weight just came back on without my really knowing how (actually it was meds & migraines where I couldn't get out of bed)...I was then FAT (80 lbs more than my lowest weight). Too thin, too fat...no one was happy, especially me with the "fat". As soon as the migraines were under control & I stopped taking meds because I never found one without a bad side effect let alone any that worked, I was able to start exercising again about a year ago. The weight began to fall off but it seemed at a safe rate..not bad. Then came summer & the heat & sweating with dehydration. I would sometimes lose 5 lbs in a day & couldn't drink it back on. Then came a mild heat stroke with the nausea, lack of appetite, problems swollowing, & the weight really started coming off. That was when my GP noticed "a weight loss". I realized that I was in the same mind set as before...and well, that is where I am today...still losing weight, Dr's telling me not to lose any more, only this time my GP, psychologist, & pdoc are all in on the trying to treat me before I get to the point I was last time. I know that the best thing for me to do is eat or take the med my pdoc wants me to take, but I really don't want to gain any weight. I really would like to lose some more & hope that my body will find that stable place where I am somewhat satisfied, I can continue to function, & I don't need meds. Oh yes, & the Dr's will quit bugging me. I really don't know if I can do it myself, but the hope is there.

Wendy, I will have to read your post. Sorry I didn't before seeing this one & responding. Hopefully we all can be of help to each other. Genevieve is a great person to communicate with. She is full of great ideas & very supportive.

Looking forward to communicating with you.
Debbie