Question:
Can this surgery cause Anorexia?

I am just curious...If you are or have been prone to eating disorders such as anorexia in the past (such as your child/teen years) is this surgery a bad idea? I mean, since you eat less...and are less hungry than before the surgery, wouldn't it be so easy to just stop eating altogether? I know that anorexia is a physciatric condition, but if the person is already prone to it, would this surgery make the problem worse? Even if the person is obese now? Just wondering. Thank you!    — [Anonymous] (posted on December 21, 2001)

December 20, 2001
I can't tell you whether is causes anorexia but I can tell you that I obsessed for more than a year about weight and losing. I can also tell you that once I had lost all my weight and alittle more than I needed to, people were telling me that I looked wayyyy too skinny. I could only see the fat even though there really wasn't any. It was skin only actually. I thought people were nuts and that I was still wayyy too big. I did finally start listening to them and gained 10 pounds back but it took forever to do so. I can really really see how someone could be anorexic now. I mean I understood the obsession and the fact that you can't really see the "real" you. Are you more prone because of past boughts with this? Yes, probably. Does WLS cause it? No I am sure it doesn't. It's very very individual and I was never anorexic..just could understand how they thought.
   — Barbara H.

December 21, 2001
I think it is highly possible to become anorexic and/or bulemic after this surgery. I too am more obsessed with the rate of my weight loss than I need to be. I didn't have those eating disorders prior (in fact I am terrified of throwing up and never have since surgery) -- I'd think that you would seriously need to make sure you're ok in the head before having this surgery which totally focuses you (and everyone watching you) on weight loss. Good luck and God Bless!
   — Kimberly L.

December 21, 2001
I think this is a great question and I'm glad you've brought it up. I remember one former question & answer where someone wrote "everyday one should think (after WLS) 'how little can I eat today?'" Well, that person is definitely on the wrong track, and will need to change his/her attitudes about food and nourishment! <p> Those of us who have "problems" with food, which is almost all of us who are obese, will have problems adjusting to eating after WLS. We have to learn to change the way we feel about food. It can't comfort or save us anymore. And being an anorexic, you'll find that you'll no longer have to control your environment by controlling your eating...your eating will be in control of you!! <p>I've found that my tiny pouch "tells" me what to eat and when; ie: it gets upset when I misbehave! This is totally different from before the WLS, when I was in control of my stomach and I would choose how much food to stuff in it and when and where. Now my pouch will revolt!! <p> It's really weird, and I'm not sure I'm explaining it correctly, but I feel that after 40+ years of being out of control and not having anyone to help me along the road to a lifetime of good eating habits and self-respect, I now have this 15cc pouch who will be my help-mate. <p> Maybe I should name it!! :)
   — [Anonymous]

December 21, 2001
What a marvelous question! During my teens, I was involved with a lot of negative people and as a way to control what was around me, I began to control my eating pattens. The results were me throwing up my stomach lining and doing all sorts of other internal damage to myself. There are still foods I can not eat since then. Once I moved away from those people, I went with the opposite approach ... eating was safety and slowly the weight piled on and on and on. I have a tendancy to get obessed/addicted to things quickly and I'm sure I'm not the only one out here who does. Because of so, I think that's most possible to become anorexic through WSL. I'm assmuing that because of the side effects of WLS [such as malnurition] that if one of us were to become annorexic how much more risk would we be putting our bodies at. Is there any information out there about this?
   — blank first name B.