Anorexia after WLS?

Hello,

I had WLS four years ago and have been doing great until recently.  My doc put me on a new med. that caused me to gain 40lbs!  I got off the Rx and started working on getting off the fat.  But, something sparked in me.  I stopped eating all together.  I went three days straight without eating a thing.  Now I will not eat before noon each day and then only small amounts of carbs.  If I can I will wait until dinner to eat with my family.  I wouldn't even eat then except it would make my family suspicious.  At least half the time I end up in the bathroom throwing up what I've just eaten.  I can now only eat very small amounts of food when I do eat.  I think my husband is getting suspicious and I'm wondering how far this will go?  I am concerned, but not enough to stop, I like losing the weight.  Anyone else in this boat too?

Kim

I am not in the same boat, BUT, I was in eating disorder treatment PRIOR to my RNY with a girl who had WLS and became anorexic.  She has been in and out of treatment for anorexia, and she cannot get a handle on it.

Talk to your doctor NOW about what is going on, and get into psychotherapy to  get a handle on it sooner than later.  Don't wait for it to become a problem.  You are concerned enough to post here, get help from a therapist and your family doctor immediately.

Good luck,
Trish

Thanks Trish,

I'm wondering how many people who have had WLS deal with this?  I would never have thought I would ever face something like this!

Blessings,
Kim

Hi Kim,
Prior to your WLS did you ever try eating disorder treatment?  I went through two of them before my surgery.  Plus, I have been in therapy for nineteen years, starting out to work on my eating disorders and learning so much more about myself and my behaviors. 

I believe it is more common than not for people to develop the other extreme of eating disorders if they have WLS and don't have either group support to deal with the emotions, or psychotherapy.  Binge eating disorder, and anorexia are the extremes of the same issue.  When I was in treatment there were clients from all realms of eating disorders, a lot of the younger women dealt with anorexia and the older the clients got, the problems were either bulimia, or binge eating.

Having done treatment twice and also having participated in Overeaters Anonymous prior to my surgery, I  had done a ton of work on myself prior to surgery.  I still have a lot of work to do, but I am plugging away at it.

Trish

Hi Trish,

Thanks again for replying, yours has been the only reply.  I have never been to anyone about an eating disorder.  I probably should have before WLS.  I have been in therapy before, but weight was never the topic.  I don't think I'm full blown anorexic, but I think if I'm not careful and stop some of the behaviors I'm experiencing I could be.  I'm wondering  if just admitting I have the problem is enough to stop myself.  I guess I will have to work on that.

Blessings,
Kim

Anorexia-type eating behaviors after RNY are more common than you might think (I'm a mental heatlh counselor, BTW).  We have SO much invested in the surgery and in trying NOT to fail AGAIN and re-gain the weight, that it is easy to fall into food-control patterns. 

Please atry to go back to the basics of post-RNY eating -- protein first and foremost, with some veggies, fruit, and other GOOD carbs thrown in AFTER the protein... no drinking with meals... etc..  You will likely continue to lose the weight if you do this. I am concerned that if you continue on the road you are on, you will end up in trouble both in terms of mental health and physical health.  (Talking to a counselor who is familiar with WLS and eating disorders might also be helpful.)

Lora

Hi Lora,

Thanks for your reply, it's been so long, I was surprised.

I wondered how many people went from one extreme to the next.  We all started out eating too much and then changed that behavior, but how many of us actually tackled the real issue that was making us eat so much to begin with?  I did tackle those issues, but they don't go away.  Now I find myself so desperately needing some sort of control in my life it has turned into the other extreme of not eating at all.  Do you often hear about RNY recipients battling with anorexia?  How common is it?

Thanks again,
Kim

I don't have any statistics (I remember seeing two widely differing percentages one upon a time but don't remember now what they were), but based on my conversations with  other counselors in my area and state who work with clients who have ED or have had WLS, it is fairly common.

The good news, though, is that for RNY patients, they already have the tool they need to combat the anorexia-type food-controlling behavior: the eating rules from immedately post-op.  Going back to those rules often provides people with a sifficient sense of control over what they eat, allows them to eat in a healthy way, AND to drop some weight if they have regained.

Lora

Hi Kim

I am a Binge Eater but I think all EDs have things in common. Like anything you can do to get a handle on the stress in life is a good thing.

at least I am not "rewarded" by weight loss from my over-eating; seems like that would make it even harder to stop.

what are you doing to get help?

Jackie