could my mil have anorexia?

[asicsgirl]

she complains she has lost a lot of weight and seems to feel the cold very badly. she also had some episodes of dizziness/ feeling faint recently.

she says docs can't tell her what is wrong but it is very difficult to find out from her a) what she has told them b) what tests they have done as she is vague at the best of times and tells different people different things.

she lives alone and has been depressed on & off for a while. dp suspects that she hardly eats, but of course it is hard to really know this. have been googling and found that anorexia surprisingly common in elderly women (she is in her 70s).

just wondered if anyone had any experience...?

Doesn't sound like anorexia to me. A GP check up sounds like it is needed.

It could be

I was anorexic but no experience of it in the elderly

Are you close by? It's hard to know how involved to get in her medical care iyswim. She sounds like either she is genuinely at a loss for what's happening or else has some issues that need helping.

It's very hard to say.

thanks for replies. yes we are close by, but our relationship with her is not easy. you hit the nail on the head flightattendant, always v hard with her to work out what is going on physically/ psychologically. not helped by fact that she starts stories/ anecdotes in the middle and works outwards, so you are never sure if she's left out some vital bit of info.

nab3, just thought anorexia as it matches many of her symptoms. i know she had issues with her weight in the past, tho apparently anorexia in elderly doesn't always have same causes as in younger people.