For about 2 years now, I have been struggling with my weight. Since I have had a weight loss, it has become an issue for my health, expecially my bones. It hasn't been easy, but I do realize that I have also been stuggling with ED. I have seen special doctors that have monitered my weight and gave me tips to gain. There were a couple of times where I did gain a couple extra pounds... but now I feel like I am back-tracking and going in the wrong direction again. I realize that if I could just gain a few extra pounds then my body could get back to being healthier. It is just hard for me to do this, especially because my family is still having a difficult time understanding my ED, leading to arguments. Also, it is hard because I like to stay active and sometimes over due it. I have heard that a medication might help to take away some of the anxiety that I am feeling about this, but I have always been the type of person who does not prefer medication. I feel like I can overcome this on my own... but it has been almost 2 years and I am almost back to my lowest point again. It is not where I want to be, I just wish that everything could go back to being normal for me.
Hello.
Of course you will get back to normal! You've already done so much to start the recovery process . . . you've been seeing some doctors who have given you some tips and this couldn't have been easy with your family not entirely understanding the situation.
Is it possible for you to search around to find other support options? I don't know much about the doctors which you've written about but perhaps a different approach to your recovery might help you to get back on track?
I've also been asking myself similar questions about returning back to a normal life. I can see how normal life could be clearly but I can't seem to visualise the path to get there...you're already on that path!
Keep in touch with how it goes.
smile..thank you for sharing! This support site is a safe place to share and offer/receive support! Some professional help would be a good thing for you to consider. An eating disorder is about so much more than food, eating and weight. There are always underlying emotional components that need to be processed and realigned, so to speak. You are likely resorting to focus on food and weight in an effort to avoid emotional distress or intense feelings.
Medication to help with your anxiety might be useful, but it's not the only answer. Please look into seeing a therapist who specializes in eating disorders.
You can do this! You just may need a little help to develop better ways of coping. Your body and mind can be damaged by an eating disorder, so please seek help sooner, rather than later! Take care...Jan ♥
Well said, Jan! ♥
Welcome to Support Groups, Smile! :) (LOVE your name!) Please keep writing. This is a wonderful place to come for support.
Love,
Jen
I am finding this site to be beneficial for me, especially for the extra support! I find that when I have that support, staying motivated becomes easier. However, when I don't have it it seems like I tend to slip backwards, which has been happening more lately then it should be.
I am seeing a therapist at the college I attend, and we seem to connect pretty well. The doctor that I am seeing monitors my health, and I also like her. Although, sometimes I feel like there is more pressure on me to gain the weight I need to, especially from my mom... she thinks that if I could just gain at least 4-5 more pounds then I would start getting my period again... which has not been comming normally since ED started. That is one of the reasons why my bones have become so weak. Getting back to my old self seems so far away, and sometimes I doubt that it will ever happen.
My mom and I have never been the type of people who prefer taking medication. So, it's not something that I would want to do... but I haven't put that option out of my head. I think for me, it's not so much about food anymore... I think that it is about the control that I have in my life and finding the balance that I need. When I eat something that I know isn't good for me, I still tend to think about it for a while after... sometimes it bothers me more than other times... and then there comes the exercise part...
Thanks ladies for all your advice, and I am hopeful that this site will give me the extra support that I need to get back on the right track.
Smile,
Everyone is different, but for me, medication has been a big help... Without it, my depression was getting worse and worse. Thoughts chased themselves around my head, and it seemed impossible to shake them loose. My meds are not a cure-all. I still have a lot of work to do in therapy. But I feel better ABLE to do that work now. My meds have freed my mind from its cyclical thinking trap, eased my anxiety, and pulled me out of the abyss of depression. Sweet relief... ♥
Something to consider. :)
Love,
Jen
Hey Smile,
Welcome. Hope you are having a good day. I completely understand what you mean about not being the type to take medication...I used to feel like that too...until I actually got to the point where I wasn't living anymore and something had to be done. I have to say the change in me was unbelivable. I could feel it. There is no shame in taking them and it is not a weakness to take them.
Remember these do not have to be for life. I also recommend you seek therapy I have only started back recently and can already feel the benefits. I too struggled with my ED for two years believing I could do it alone...but it's ok to get help, you deserve it.
The changes it has done for me so far, it is like going from Z to A.
Much love to you, you are in my thoughts
Moongal x
Thanks, Moongal. :) Hope that you are having a good day as well. I am seeing a therapist and she has been helpful to me, but the medication is still something that I am thinking about... I am not sure what I should do at this point about it.
I've never considered taking medication to deal with my ED. I've taken medication for depression a long time ago but it was just for 3 months and it really kicked me out of a negative thought habit. I suppose that if I started some kind of plan to get better and was finding it to be too difficult, stressful or upsetting, that I might consider medication.
I think that dealing with an ED is stressful enough in itself and if we have to go through even more stress by doing the right things: admitting it, seeking help, actively changing, then I suppose we should at some point give ourselves a break - we deserve to be happy and if we can't be happy during the hardest part of the process, then would meds be such a bad thing?
I also don't like taking medication - I don't even take headache tablets and for this reason, I really believe that if medication is chosen, it should only be intended as a short-term fix to get you over the tough parts...this is just my personal opinion though.
Hope all's going well. :)
Hey,
That's fantastic you are in therapy really. All I can say is my medication has really empowered me to move on and really tackle this issue, your ED won't automatically go away, but your thoughts become more logically with regard to it.
But you take time and consider it. And just speak and listen to your therapist, try and do the exercises they give you...they real help, even if they are really psychologically difficult at first.
I wish a great day.
Keep coming back for support
Much love to you
Moongal x
I will most likely choose not to take any medication for my ED... but I do wish that I could become more happier with myself, like I used to be when I was at a healthier weight. I just keep getting down on myself because I know that my weight isn't improving, and it seems like no matter how hard I try, I am still not getting better and my goal seems so distant
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