Anorexic by accident??

[Bubblegum78]

Hi,

I have a strange question..... can you become anorexic accidentally as a result of being physically unwell for a long period of time, for example, 6 months of chronic reflux, stomach pain and diarrhoea?

Any advice is appreciated, thanks. xx

I imagine you could be very reluctant to eat after being ill like that for so long, but it wouldn't be anorexia, more a fear of eating due to the physical consequences.

Are you feeling better now? Could you start gradually trying to increase the amount you eat, without pressurising yourself? And try to stick to high-calorie foods. Full fat milk and yoghurt and cream and butter added to things for example.

Hi Tea,

Thanks for your reply, it's not me it's my grandma.

She is so ill she is in hospital, she is skeletal and is really confused. (she isn't usually).

The doctor says she is depressed and has put her on antidepressants. She is refusing to eat, drink or take her meds.

I don't think she will last much longer.

I know she has definately had diarrhoea as her GP has sent her for various tests and granddad say's he has been having to clean her. I also think she was eliminating food that made her feel worse til she was eating virtually nothing.

I just feel her GP should have done more, it's been hell to watch her go downhill.

Thanks again. xx

It's anorexia, just not anorexia nervosa.

I'm sure the doctors agave suggested this, but complain is often a good solution to extreme loss of appetite like this, as its a milkshake rather than a food, and highly calorific, very easy to sip 300 calories without noticing!

Maybe would be a good idea for the GP to prescribe some build up drinks for her which might find easier to tolerate? Does the GP think there an underlying physical reason why her appetite has gone? Sorry she's so unwell. Is anyone taking time to try and encourage her to eat in the hospital?

She probably feels so shitty that she doesn't want to eat or get better. I'm sorry, bubblegum

The doctor did put on on Complan and Fortisip/Fortijuices.

He also put her on something called Sando K for low potassium but she has been so unwell she couldn't tolerate them.

I just think he should have been more proactive in this, she looks like a corpse!

I think you are right Colditz, she just keeps saying, not today, tomorrow, when we offer her stuff and she tells us she has eaten when she hasn't but I'm not sure if it's deliberate or confusion.

I'm just sad/cross that it got this bad.

I had to call an ambulance on saturday, she didn't even know who I was and she could barely walk.

I guess I'm just sounding off, I've got a lot on my plate at the moment.

Thanks for your suggestions and listening. xx

Sounds more like malnutrition and dementia, entirely different from a mental health issue like anorexia. Sometimes people can just get used to not eating though.

Sit down with consultant and address your worries to them. Fresh in is a good drink they can use and will provide her with lots of nutrients she won't be getting if not eating.

I think low potassium can lead to confusion too. And all this probably making her feel really shitty.

Speak doctor again? And tempt her with anything she might like, no matter if "healthy"? As well as the food drinks like complan. Proper Horlicks with full fat milk?

Hope she feels better

Thanks, I've not been getting much sense out of the hospital, I'm going to try again today.

She's having a full body MRI today so hopefully I will have some more answers.

xxx