Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

What are the dangers of regular vomiting?

89 replies

beansmum · 29/05/2008 18:44

Just wondering really. I am sick quite often, something which I am not necessarily that bothered about. Should I be bothered? Could it cause any major probalems? Should I have name changed for this?!

OP posts:

fishie · 30/05/2008 21:51

sorry that was very badly worded. i meant feeling that you are "a big blob" and that (from what you have posted) that you aren't happy with your eating or vomiting.

TheProvincialLady · 30/05/2008 21:52

I would have said the same as you a few years ago, about not knowing what is a normal amount of food. It is an awful feeling isn't it?

GPs vary in their understanding of EDs but you could expect to be referred to someone who understands about them, who would ask you about how you are around food. Treatments mainly include talking therapy, sometimes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and sometimes antidepressants are prescribed.

Why would you need to explain anything beyond the fact that you are going to the GP? You could always say women's troubles if you have a nosy babysitter!

You could have a look at this site about EDs, which includes a great forum and also a self diagnosis tool here that you can print out and take to the GP if you would find it easier than talking.

Original poster

beansmum · 30/05/2008 21:53

oh I don't know. I'm not happy, but I don't want to change.

OP posts:

Janni · 30/05/2008 21:58

Perhaps what you mean is that you are scared to look at why you are doing this to yourself. It is hard to look at your emotional life and work out why you're hurting yourself so much. It's much easier to say 'I just like food too much' or 'If only I could lose weight I'd be happy'.

TheProvincialLady · 30/05/2008 22:00

I understand how you feel as I have felt the same. Change is scary. But if you want to be happy you can't go on exactly as you are now, it stands to reason that you will have to change something. I used to wish that I could could carry on being anorexic, ie be thin, but without the side effects of damaging my heart, being depressed and making my DH miserable. But it isn't possible. What you are doing to yourself with food and vomiting does have side effects, physical and mental, and you have to face that.

You sound like a nice person, you deserve to be happy and I hope you will take a step to take better care of yourself.

Marina · 30/05/2008 22:01

Beansmum, a GP might be able to help you explore strategies to rediscover feeling full and being able to stop eating, before you are sick. GPs can be very helpful in this area.
Short-term appetite suppressants, food diaries - if you want to lose weight - these will help you.
Don't regret starting the thread, please. Madamez and MissingMyHeels have given you valuable, honest information on the gradual health effects of vomiting too often.
My mother has a hiatus hernia, not caused by vomiting too much, but the end result is the same. In old age she cannot enjoy any food any more because the valve at the top of her stomach is shot. It's truly uncomfortable for her to live with.

fishie · 30/05/2008 22:01

bm, your profile pics do not show a 'blob'. actually they don't show a lot of you but i can see that you have plenty of bone structure on show and therefore not obsese. and lovely shiny hair of which i am envious.

tiredlady · 30/05/2008 22:01

Quite aside from the damage to your teeth and oesophagus, repeated vomitting can cause you to lose too much potassium and in time could cause a heart attack.

Please go and get help. If not for yourself then for your dcs. You may be hiding your vomitting from them, but you won't be able to hide the fact that you have an emotional relationship with food, and that you are eating in order to stop yourself from feeling

spicemonster · 30/05/2008 22:04

beansmum - a very dear friend of mine has battled with bulimia for some time. She is now dealing with it through anti-depressants prescribed through her GP and is getting much, much better.

Please listen when people say that you're doing long term damage to yourself through repeated vomiting. It really isn't very good for you and can lead to all sorts of problems which can't be fixed

Janni · 30/05/2008 22:16

Beansmum - I just looked at your profile too. I was deep in my eating disorder when I was your age. I thought I would never get better. I didn't have any children at 26 and I imagine it is incredibly difficult trying to be a good mum, being responsible for feeding your little one, trying to be calm and steady around your child when your head is all tied up with food/weight and you're vomiting nearly every day.

Please please please get help for yourself - the longer you let it go on, the harder it is to tackle.

Janni · 31/05/2008 21:41

How are you feeling today?

Original poster

beansmum · 31/05/2008 22:01

Took ds out for his birthday, ate a pizza and didn't throw up. I just wanted to see if I could stop myself and I was quite pleased that I could. I think that was the first time I had been to the loo in pizza express to actually pee. Feel crap now, so fat. I wont be able to eat anything tomorrow.

It was a nice day though, I don't know why all our celebrations have to revolve around food but I got through it and ds had the best day ever.

OP posts:

Janni · 31/05/2008 22:11

Well done, beansmum, that's a really good start. If you decide not to eat anything tomorrow because you had pizza for dinner today, you are SETTING YOURSELF UP to binge and vomit.

Please can you try to eat breakfast in the morning. Sit at the table, enjoy it and think that you are taking care of your body, one meal at a time.

lou031205 · 31/05/2008 22:44

Hi Beansmum, well done for starting a thread. One of the damaging aspects of your vomiting would also be dehydration, which as a previous poster said, leads not just to a lack of fluids, but also essential electrolytes (Potassium, sodium, etc).

Also, if you were to do this more regularly, you would alert your body to 'starvation mode', and therefore your body would actively try to maintain your weight.

If you couldn't face your GP, could you speak to a nurse at your practice, and ask for a referral to a dietician?

SniffyHock · 01/06/2008 13:23

Beansmum - I posted earlier on this thread saying I wasn't bothered by my 'being sick' but reading all of these response makes me think that maybe I should be.

I only ever used to worry about my teeth but hearing that there can be more serious side effects is quite scary.

Lou's last post freaked me the most - the idea that being sick is the reason that I'm not losing any weight is frightening.

I'm considering phoning one of the helplines listed - maybe one evening this week as DH is away. Do you want to do it together? We could feed back on how we get on.

belgo · 01/06/2008 13:26

I vomited lads during my first pregnancy. It's left my teeth, which had previously been very strong, with small holes in the enamel of the front teeth. It also damaged my oeshagus (Mallory-Weiss Tears) - very painful and potentially dangerous.

belgo · 01/06/2008 13:27

loads not lads

SniffyHock · 01/06/2008 13:43

That would have been painful Belgo

Janni · 01/06/2008 15:51

That's great, Sniffyhock. The sooner you tackle an eating disorder the easier it is to let it go and find better ways to cope. If it goes on and on you lose sight of what it's like to eat normally.

SniffyHock · 01/06/2008 17:31

Thanks Janni - I'm 33 though and probably started at 15 so can't imagine it will be an easy thing to let go of.

Nymphadora · 01/06/2008 18:00

I am sick every coulple of days usually due to stress or migraines and stuff

Janni · 01/06/2008 19:25

That's similar to me Sniffyhock - I started at 17 and finally beat it at around 35, but spent many years in complete denial, thinking that if only I could find the right diet everything would be sorted.

Life is SO much easier without it. Let us know how you get on.

nooname · 01/06/2008 19:46

Hi, just a warning - I made myself sick alot for over 10 years and what finally made me give it up totally was that I started to get really bad abdominal pain for a few days afterwards and (TIM alert) would poo black (ie old) blood... So basically I think it was damaging my stomach lining. I also have terrible teeth.

It really really is NOT good for your body to be sick a lot. Your body may put it with it quite well for a long time but one day it may mess up on you. The consequences can be lasting.

Original poster

beansmum · 01/06/2008 19:52

I'm not stopping just now. I have too much other stuff to think about and I would rather be sick once a day and feel fine the rest of the time than force myself to eat normally and feel stressed and anxious and just miserable. It might not be good for my physical health but at least I am staying semi-sane.

OP posts:

Janni · 01/06/2008 20:09

Please do not rule out getting some psychological help though, to work out why you are doing this to yourself. At the moment you can't picture life without it - it is your coping mechanism, but it IS damaging you. Please at least talk to someone on the eating disorders helpline.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Swipe left for the next trending thread