What are the dangers of regular vomiting?

[beansmum]

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?!

I'm not ruling anything out, just ruling it out for the next 6mths or so. I have a lot going on.

In terms of your original question, I would only add to what others have said (and I haven't read whole thread thoroughly) 1. Don't brush your teeth after vomiting, its really bad for the enamel. You could ask a dentist for advice on this discreetly or look it up on the BEAT website (regardless of if its an eating disorder or not). 2. People who vomit regularly can run into problems with their potassium, so it might be worth getting some routine bloods done, as this can put pressure on your heart - if you have had some done recently and they were fine, then that's probably OK, but make a point of getting them done every six months or so if you can, or if there is any increase in vomiting. 3. As a point of information 'laboratory' studies have shown that vomiting is not as effective as people think at preventing calorie absorption - of course it gets rid of some of it, but even the most ardent vomiters only get up 70% of what has been consumed. For the record, I don't think what you describe is that unusual, although I guess you might be happier if it didn't happen or didn't have to happen - if you want to sort it in the future go for help or look for self-help CBT based books, if you don't, then just keep an eye on your health in the meantime. Take Care x

Thanks - I didn't know about the teeth brushing thing. I have been brushing after throwing up, just because I stink of sick otherwise, but I'll stop. I did know that you never get everything up. I always eat in order of how bothered I would be if I had to digest it. Salad and fruit first, then pasta, rice, meat, then cakes, pies, etc. Tea and hot water last. God, I'm a freak!

beansmum, that does sound like you're eating with vomiting in mind right from the start.

You say you think you're fat - are you prepared to divulge your actual weight / height on here?

Don't feel ashamed of anything, so many women have issues with food. But do be honest with yourself?

I think my extra fat is all carried around my tummy, if it was spread out evenly I wouldn't look so fat. I'm 5'3, 7 1/2 stone. I have lost weight recently, it kind of fluctuates around the 8 st mark. I realise there are a lot of people who are much fatter than me and perfectly happy with their weight but I hate it.

I have a jelly tummy post-babies. I'm not going to bother too much about it - I still have great legs!

Please get some help with your eating. Throwing up is fantastically dangerous and because of the electrolyte imbalances it causes, you could have a heart attack, amongst other things.

One of the horrible problems with eating disorders is that what, to normal people is completely mad, becomes so normal.

I had a horrible time with food for about 16 years, and for the first five, I really was on my own. I tried very hard to deal with it by myself, and was so unhappy. It is a horrible illness, and the sooner you can start to deal with it, the better the outcome.

There are lots of people on here with similar issues past and present, so keep posting

My own problems were less to do with being fat and more to do with being there at all

Weirdly, it does make me feel better that I'm not the only one! And people have stopped/recovered without going totally mad so I don't have to carry on like this forever. So I am going to get help, but not just now. We're moving in january and I kind of feel like that will be a new start for me, if I can't stop by myself at that point I will see someone about it. If I can keep healthy until then I will be fine.

Hi Beansmum, am so pleased that you are thinking about getting some help but sad that it won't be until January - that's such a long time to go on with this awful situation that is making you so unhappy. Your weight is so normal (I'm slightly shorter than you and hover around the 8 1/2 - 8 3/4 stone mark) and you look fine on your profile, it's such a shame you don't see that.

I used to add up all the calories I had eaten in a day and if it was too high for the ridiculously low target I had set myself I used to be sick after eating. Thankfully I made the decision to stop before I lost control. There were a few scary moments though as you do lose perspective, I remember wishing I could be anoxeric as they were thin! Thankfully I had a friend who spoke some sense and made me see that anoxerics weren't thin, they were ill. I also realised that counting calories and throwing up wasn't making me thin, it was just making me ill.

One more of the awful things about eating disorders, you think you have control but actually the disorder controls you. I'm pleased that you managed to eat without being sick on your son's birthday, it proves you can control things, you just have to want to do it and have the right support in place.

I'm so glad you stuck with this thread.

Also v pleased that Sniffyhock has decided to get some help.

aarrgh. I told some RL friends (not really friends, members of the same prayer group) last week and am now too scared to go to church in case they say something, to me or to someone else. I know they are going to be watching me the whole time, I wont be able to eat in front of them but if I don't eat they will know why and I just wish I could go back and NOT tell them! I got an email from one of them on thursday and I still haven't replied, I just don't know what to say to her.

Well done! It's better that you are able to tell people. It's the start of recovery. Try not to worry about what other people think. Frankly, it's not your problem I know it's hard to feel as though people are watching you, but they probably won't take any notice unless they too have had an eating disorder.

I really really don't know what to do. ds has gone to stay with my mum for the weekend, it's my birthday tomorrow (which is going to be crap), and I have a house full of food. I know that if I eat anything I will be sick. I wish I could just be normal with food. aaaaaarggggggrhhhhhhh

I don't know what I want a whole lot of complete strangers to do about it, but if I am typing at least I can't be eating. Please ignore me!

Keep typing beansmum. It's very very hard to be alone when you are feeling so vulnerable. Have you got any helplines handy? I phoned the Samaritans once after spending the whole day just eating and throwing up. I was desperate. Please try to get some professional help as soon as you can. You may be able to sort it out on your own, but it wasn't something I could do. It's a complicated condition and it grabs you and doesn't give you much choice.

You have been doing well. Try not to be hard on yourself if you are having a bad time.

The reasons for developing eating disorders are probably beyond your control, and often we are made to feel bad about it.

When my ed first began, I thought my family was ordinary and I really could not put a finger on anything specific that had gone wrong apart from the violent outbursts of my father. It has taken a long time to realise the truth of his brutality. Anyway that's a bit of my history. The eating means you don't have to think about it and can't think about it and can't do anything about it.

I'm really sorry to go on about this, but I think it helps in a way, just typing all this stuff makes me realise exactly what I am doing to myself.

I thought I would just carry on until the end of the year and then get some help, but I feel so guilty when I make myself sick. I know I need to stop but I still don't really want to. I haven't been so bad recently, haven't had a major binge for a week or two until tonight. I just wrote a list of all the things I have eaten this evening and it's disgusting. Apart from the health issues it is costing me a fortune, I just flushed about £20 worth of food down the toilet. I don't know why I am doing this, I think it's partly because I don't have anything else to do, I don't work, I don't have any friends, everything I do is about ds. Being sick is one thing that I do just for me. I think moving and going back to uni is really going to help.

You have normalised the throwing up and the bingeing. It's not at all normal and it affects the way you relate to other people. It is a very effective way of alienating yourself from the rest of the world. When you go back to study you are going to need all the energy you can muster to learn. You need to start getting help before you go, or you could just spend your time and energy on food. (Been there and done that!)