Is this an eating disorder?

[OddSocksSparklyDocsandDungaree]

Hi there, I'm hoping somebody can give some advice.

An older friend (in their late 60s) has over the past few years become very limited on what they'll eat. When we go out for meals, they'll eat a few spoonfuls with the excuse being they're too full or they're feeling sick.

Many times they've cancelled going out (hairdressers, shopping, social events etc) saying they've been sick, don't feel well etc. They've lost a noticeable amount of weight and now look gaunt in their face and have no colour in their cheeks. Their clothes size is approximately a size 14/16 which is a lot smaller than what they were originally.

They complain of dizziness but family members believe this is due to lack of eating. An day to day example is they had two slices of toast, a small pasta dish and some diet drinks.

Quite often after meals out, they will complain that they were sick all through the night.

We're unsure if they are making themselves sick or are actually being sick.

Can somebody shed some light on what we can do? We've suggested the Drs for help but this was met with any excuse not to.

Thankyou for reading :)

With those symptoms and given their age it might be a physical thing like an ulcer or GERD, or a pancreas issue.

It's possible they have Googled their symptoms and given themselves a fright and are now too scared to go to the doctor.

Not sure why you would assume an eating disorder. It is quite common for people to get digestive problems/ specific food intolerances as they get older. My MIL has had to cut quite a few things out of her diet. I am early 40s and in perimenopause and I now get a lot of stomach upsets, including nausea and vomiting as part of my symptoms. I have also found lots of foods upset my system which never used to. I suspect your friend either doesn’t think it’s a concern or has scared herself that it could be something serious and that’s why she won’t go to gp

@EssexLioness I wasn't sure it was, hence why I asked for advice. :)

With feeling full quickly, I would be concerned about ovarian cancer. Definitely worth encouraging them to see a GP asap.

@TulipsGarden She mentions a lot about needing to lose weight etc and with the diet drinks, we don't know if she actually is full or is just saying it as a way not to eat.

With her being sick/feeling she is sick etc, we don't know if she actually is sick or making herself sick if that makes sense? She just seems so panicky around food which has gradually got worse over the past 5/6 years?

With the wanting to lose weight etc it does sound a bit more uncertain what is going on. The panic could be down to several things, including eating disorders but also if food is making her unwell, that could make her panicky too. I know I get anxious around food in a way I never used to, mostly eating out or situations where I am not in full control of what I am eating