Please share your physical ailments caused by E.D.

I am not asking for weight, or certain numbers because that is against the rules.

But I wondered if we could target some of our physical issues caused by our eating disorder.

We might want to clarify if it is caused by Bulimia or Over eating.

My purpose is because I am 51 and I am trying to understand if my issues are weight gain, or aging, or lack of physical exercise or whatever someone else might think. Also, if we share it may help us. I think aid and understanding are what we can receive through the sharing.

Although I occasionally vomit, I have no physical problems from Bulimia because I really am not Bulimic (although I have tried to be). Unless perhaps my tendency to bring up food easily if I over eat.

My energy level is low. I cannot drink coffee every day or it causes anxiety, but coffee can help give me a bit of a manic rush that helps not to over-eat because I am obsessed with something else. Being manic most of my life, I was high energy and did not (my apostrophe is not working due to my spilling milk on keyboard last night lol). .....did not have this eating addiction or weight problem, it has developed over the last 12-16 years with an emphasis on the last 5 years getting steadily worse.

My problems and questions:

Why do I feel bruised all over when I wake up sometimes. Just huge aches. Is it my eating? Does anyone else ache all over the day after a big or late night binge? When I get too full, my chest / heart feels too tight and my throat feels pushed up. Digestion and Constipation problems. If my water to food ratio is off, I get dehydration headaches.

My weight has issues of its own, my knees and some other joint are starting to feel sore periodically. I am not as limber, my heart races if I do too much exertion in the sun. Shortness of breath etc. But I feel the 2 things are separate (eating and weight) although one causes the other.

The mental issues that come with it are a category of their own but worsening.

My overeating of the wrong foods has caused me to have a fatty liver and high cholesterol. I am also prediabetic. The things I eat I act as if I don't know I have these problems. It will probably take me having a heart attack to do something like eat right. Well, I am eating somewhat better lately. More veggies and less fat a lot of the time. Less cheese and less meat. I guess my eating has improved somewhat. But yesterday I ate KFC but it was the holiday and I allow myself to eat what I want on holidays.

My knees bother me, too. I think it's my excess weight and arthritis.

Lucy,
How did you learn you have a fatty liver? Also, if anyone is judgemental about what they think we should be doing with our life according to their idea of health/weight/what Dr.s say etc - they can keep their judgements to themselves. Limiting yourself to holidays is extreme discipline - GOOD JOB!

My blood tests and an ultrasound of the liver showed I have a fatty liver. Blood tests show that I have high cholesterol and am prediabetic, too. Thank you. I only recently decided that holidays are for eating what I want so it is new to me. There have been other days when I have overeaten, too. But not so much binging since I've been on the Topomax.

My doctor doesn't know I have an ed. I'm going to tell her when I see her next time. I don't know if she will understand. When she tells me what to eat I'm thinking to myself "easy for you to say!" and "hard for me to do!"

Lol, like telling me "Just relax, don't worry". (GAD, BP, BPD, ED)

I sarcastically respond, "Oh, don't worry? What a great idea, I should have thought of that years ago! Thanks for the great idea... I will get right on it!"

I have anxiety disorders, too, and have been told the same thing many times. Also people other than my doctor have told me how to diet and said "just eat less" and I thought "I'll try to remember that when I'm in the middle of a binge!"

lol

I try to remember not to say the obvious, but I have failed at times. ("Oh, you got your hair cut")

I think breaking an addiction is like the slice of a scalpel. But it has to be placed at exactly the right time and place. It cannot be hit with a club. I couldn't quit smoking until I did, and when I did - I did. This eating is a mystery, but the hidden reason is there - we just need to unravel and target then apply.

Or.... We could just stop. lol

I have a bag of chips I was going to take to a cook out yesterday and I didn't go. They are sitting on the sink and I'm trying to ignore them. I need to stop smoking one of these years. I have a cough. I have been addicted to so many things. I did quit gambling a long time ago. Yay for that!

I have not been binging but at times I have eaten an extra portion that throws my diet off. I'm frustrated with dieting, too. If I could just be put on a machine that would stretch my legs out an extra foot I'd be okay! I'm the right weight for someone 6'4"!!

I can imagine your focus on those chips narrowing like a hungry jungle cat with her eye on an antelope. How about if we play a game with those chips. Put them in a silly place, or decorate the bag with a Santa hat, then stick them in the back of the closet? Lets try some fun thing to gain control of them? idk if it would work. Just a thought. haha Something to break the focus and create an opposing emotion. Obsession is such an intricate emotion. So odd.

I can put them in the cupboard where I rarely look. I haven't been thinking about them much. I've been at a forum posting a lot and watching a little tv. This Topamax helps me not to focus on binging. I don't know how it does it but it helps a lot. I'm not pushing the pill just sayin...I start thinking that I never had those kind of chips and they probably taste disgusting!!

Well that is great! You really are getting over this problem. I am surprised and pleased for you that Topamax works so well. I would even be afraid to ask him.

Does Topamax help your mind to not obsess - or your body just feels full? My issue is the obsessing and wanting this full feeling all the time.

I don't obsess with the Topamax and I feel my system is slowed down some. I know about wanting the full feeling. I don't want it much on this med. I try to drink a lot of water but may not be drinking enough. Had some wine tonight. Feelin good! Not supposed to drink on it but I've been bad. It hasn't done anything bad to me. When I keep busy on other forums I don't think about the full feeling. The full feeling really doesn't occur to me much on Topamax unless I am just sitting here thinking about eating and not doing anything else. But that has not happened today. Trying not to keep any binge foods in the kitchen or anywhere in the apt.

i've not replied to this thread yet (shame on me).

but here goes..

wanting to vomit but not actually being able too, resulting in a really horrible nagging feeling in my throat

bad stomach- feeling like it might suddenly explode and i might die.

breathing issues- probably caused by trapped vomit

i also forgot to mention... i certainly notice the extra weight.

getting up, sitting down.. that kind of thing is made harder

Not sure if this will still be useful to you, but I thought I'd share some of my experiences.

After a dinner or later binge, I usually wake up in the morning just feeling gross. Mostly in my stomach, but sometimes all over. If I binge multiple nights in a row, the feelings in the morning are more intense.

I'm no longer bulimic, but I was consistently for about 1 year (2013). I often experienced awful stomach cramps, as well as feeling very full and nauseous every time I ate, even if it was just an apple. The feeling full and nauseous has continued past my bulimic days, but has gotten steadily better, with some flare ups here and there.

One common things, bulimia or not, if I'm binging/skipping meals, etc, my digestion is all off - to the extreme. Either bad constipation, diarrhea, or gassiness.

I hope this helps!

i forgot to mention 1 other thing...

if i try to eat, "properly", i tend to feel full really quickly- but i'm not actually full.

as soon as i see the snacks my body's like yay... just what i need

i am bumping this thread.

surely you all have more to say on it.. it's a good topic

Too Many To List!

Therefore, I'll Let This Say It For Me ...



Toadally!

This speaks to so many of us, in so many different ways. I am saving this picture. Thank you so much for sharing. <3

Yuh- I know this as well. If I try to eat "healthy" food, eating suddenly becomes work. I'll feel full very quick and turn away, only to become hungry very quickly again. And of course, if there's snacks around I can eat about twice as much as I've eaten before of the healthy foods.

And I can relate to Pfrog's image, too. I feel emabarrassed about sharing physical symptoms since I feel one shouldn't have any my age.