X post - eating disorders....

There was a post recently made about someone getting turned down for WLS due to a history of eating disorders.  This got me to thinking. I know
the WLS community is pretty big - but I'm aware of at least four people
(via blogs, boards, etc) who are currently battling EDs AFTER weight
loss surgery. Maybe not too many but I've got to believe there are
plenty more who won't talk about it or own up to it.

Some who had been in recovery but found that post op life brought back
many of the same control issues that led them to the ED in the first
place. Others fell into these conditions strictly as post ops.

I don't know that denial based on a history of ED is such a bad thing.
Really, we have to think SO much about what we put in our mouths,
making sure we are doing the right things - whether we like it or not
food becomes a major focus, and from what I know of such things (and
granted, you'll never see me with an ED b/c (1) I love food too much to
be anorexic and (2) I hate to vomit so bulimia is out) these are common
triggers for ED.

Anyone else seeing a disturbing trend? Just had me pondering.

Sharon

Hi Sharon! Yes, Eating disorders are quite common in wls patients. Whether or not they should be denied for surgery based on a history of ed's sounds strange to me. I think most of us have some type of food addiction and food addiction is also a form of an eating disorder~not just anorexia or bulemia.  I don't believe I suffer directly from an eating disorder, but I do know my personality type~I have OCD with a high level of obsessive behavior, I am a perfectionist, I like control over my life (including my eating) and that control can either be control by limiting my intake or control by eating what I want when I want~both destructive behaviors. Like you have described, I do concentrate a good portion of my day on what I will eat, when I will eat it, what workout I will do, etc etc etc. However, I don't know that this is a bad thing~if we lose focus on our intake and workout routine, then weight gain generally follows. I look at it as staying on top of things b/c when I become sidetracked, I will see a weight gain follow shortly after. That's not to say that people don't become overly consumed with these things to the extreme and have no other life outside of their wls (that's not healthy), but finding that balance is so important.  Its kind of like an example that  my therapist gave me about binge eating. You can binge on 2 cookies just as easily as you can binge on a package of cookies~its the manner in which the cookies are eaten, not the amount of cookies eaten. So, if you get angry or upset and slam 2 cookies in your mouth to help you control those feelings, that's just as much of a binge as the person that sits down and eats a row of oreos b/c their upset. If you simple sit down and eat those same 2 cookies just b/c you want to eat a cookie, truly enjoy them and then walk away, that is a completely different behavior with the same amount of calories, carbs, fat, etc.

I think there's a lot more EDs among the WLS community than people will admit to.  We tend to think if I can just get this surgery and get down to a normal healthy weight, I will be able to be in control and not allow the return  of poor eating habits.  Well I'm here to tell you that is not always the case.  For 2 years I was the most compliant patient, following all the rules - well most of the time.  But my weight remained stable at 123-125 for those first 2 years.  It was when my appetite increased and my cravings returned that things went south.  After my 2 year anniversary I saw a definite return of my post-WLS eating behaviors (for me that was emotional eating and grazing - I used to binge eat, but after WLS, was not able to binge any longer).  So now I'm back to eating in response to every emotion - just like before WLS.  I spent over a year in counseling with an eating behavior specialist, but wasn't able to change the behavior.  So now I'm about 40 lbs up from my lowest weight.  At least I was able to determine that my stoma is enlarged, and as a result, I am seeking to qualify for the RESTORe study to endoscopically reduce the size of the stoma.  If that doesn't work then I don't know what I'll do - go for a revision I guess.  One thing for sure, I'm not willing to just give up and gain any more weight back (at least my weight has been stable for about the last 9-10 months or so).  Oh, and I have never stopped exercising - I walk 30 minutes a day 5 times a week.  It's not great, it could be more, but it is what it is. 

Tracy, that's interesting. I'd never thought of it that way, but it's so true.

This is a great topic! I have a long-standing eating disorder, but no one talked to me about it before surgery. I went through a month-long ED inpatient treatment program in 2000, so when I had WLS I already knew I was going to have to keep ED in check. It has been a lot of work. Based on my own experience, I would recommend getting help with an eating disorder before and after surgery -- even if you have a great honeymoon period after surgery, because for most of us (even if we don't want to believe it) the hunger comes back. I have read that at least 70% of WLS patients have an eating disorder (food addiction). I think that is a low estimate. Here are a few of books that have been helpful to me. Maybe they will be helpful to you, too: The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program, by Kathleen Des Maisons, Ph.D., Addictive Nutrition Anatomy of a Food Addiction, by Anne Katherine Life Is Hard, Food Is Easy, by Linda Spangle Note:  None of these authors has had WLS, nor do they address it. So keep that in mind when you read these books. Have a great day, everyone!