Eating disorder smell

[mumiron]

An eating disorder/anorexia/bulimia makes a young person smell very strange. Laxative abuse possible? Sadly happening to young children. See FEAST website for more information. It saved my daughter. GP was useless.

Don't understand this OP

Anyone I've known with an eating disorder didn't smell. Can you explain more?

Absolutely stunk in the depths of my anorexia and I knew it. No laxative abuse, but my digestive system had given up working and that caused awful smells - especially when I would try to eat.

Also issues when I'd go through stages of only eating / drinking protein supplements. That caused a stench.

Also heard the breath can smell funky after not eating carbs for a while, but never notced this on myself. Other people apparently did.

No usual BO though, as barely ever sweat.

Anorexia isn't glamorous and yes, people with severe ED (restrictive at least) will often reek. If they don't smell they're thankfully not at that "failing digestive system" stage yet.

I'm not sure how noticeable it was to people who didn't spent much time in close proximity to me though, or only saw me outside. I figured people were just too polite to mention.

In reply to not understanding why an eating disorder should never be ruled out: if you have never had any experience of one, it catches you unawares at the start. As parents, it should cross your mind. My daughter began by losing so much hair, and she showed me. Then her breath had such an unfamiliar smell. Both are signs of anorexia. It is vip to act fast at the start before it becomes entrenched. It took 10 years and a family in pieces. Be open minded and learn from my cluelessness. I could get a PhD in it now. Not something you ever want. I hope I have explained. Even 9 yo get an, sadly.

Many years ago I was a driving instructor, and one of my pupils was a very slender young lady who dressed in baggy clothes and always looked utterly exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes.

One day she was a little late, and climbed slowly into the car with a wan smile, looking deathly pale and gaunt. There were marks down the front of her sweater, as though she'd splashed water on her face, but - there was a smell. I suppose was a vomit-type smell but there was something else as well that I couldn't place.

I assumed she had some kind of ED, but it was 25 years ago and it wasn't my place to interfere - she was an adult. Wherever you are Lucy I hope you're doing OK now.