What the heck?!

So I took a couple of my kids to their psychiatrist appt. this morning. I have 6 children still at home that my husband and I have adopted, all of whom have significant special needs. I have been seeing this psych with these kids for just over a year now. He and I have this sort of love/hate relationship. I respect him for the fact that he acknowleges each child and speaks to us as equals, and not like he's superior. Sometimes he teases them though, or calls me on the carpet about something I feel is unfair, and we kind of go at it. Still, just the fact that I am comfortable arguing with him makes me feel okay about seeing him (if that makes any sense).

Anyway, I finally worked up the courage to tell him that I need to find someone for me to see, and he took it as me requesting to see him. He said he does accept our insurance, and he would call me later about setting up an appointment. I did not want to share with him about the ED, but I also don't know that he's really all that familiar with them and I wanted someone who is. After flipping a multitude of cartwheels in my tummy, not wanting to admit an ED to him, I finally asked, "Do you happen to know anyone in this area who works specifically with eating disorders?" He looked at me, got this big smile and kind of chuckled under his breath, and said, "YOU have an eating disorder?!"

OUCH! My mind right now is still so foggy from being sick and not eating like I should be, and I didn't think fast enough to ask him what that was about, but it's still bugging me. I could maybe understand his reaction if I was really large for my size, but at this point, I am near skeletal. I just had major surgery and was without food for nearly 4 weeks.

Any thoughts on why he would respond like that? Now he's going to call about that appt. for me to see him and I don't know if I just want to blow him off and find someone else, or if I'm being overly sensitive or what. Why was it so hard for him to believe I might have an ED?

I'm not sure why he'd say that. Maybe you misinterpreted the tone and he was just repeating/asking "you have an eating disorder?" because he was surprised to hear it. Or maybe he isn't familiar with anorexia and thought you meant you had a problem with over eating. Either way it doesn't matter because you will be seeing someone else for your treatment. Sometimes when we are self conscious about something we may interpret it differently than it's intended. Maybe he was just confused with how you said it and wan't sure if you mean YOU had an ED or were worried about one of the kids having it...You did say that you were nervous about telling him and didn't want him to know. I know sometimes people have said 'oh you're getting chubbier" and I interpret that to mean "You're a dam cow!" of sometimes they say "you're getting so skinny" and I'm not sure if they mean I'm like ugly skinny or just normal skinny and it gets annoying. so maybe it's just nothing. Perhaps He was just surprised to hear you say it... You're going to see a new therapist for yourself so just worry more about your relationship with that therapist. Hope you can get help and overcome your ED.

xoxoxo
Rose

Thank you so much! You know, I hadn’t tought of it that way. Maybe he did think I meant I was an overeater and he thought it weird because, at this point in my life, I’m on the too thin side. Whew! I bet that was it. It’s the only thing that makes sense. I had to chuckle at your responses to things people have said to you. I could so relate, especially the “dam cow” comment! It’s really sad how distorted our thinking can be, isn’t it?