[cat1234]

It has been some time since my last post. I am in a serious hole and not sure how to climb out of it. My neuropathy is steadily worsening again. After a vacation in Florida to visit my parents, they convinced me that a possible cause of my symptoms (numb hands and feet, pain in feet and legs, constantly being cold, dizziness, fatigue, constipation, insomnia, irritability, etc.) could be the result of an eating disorder.

You see, I lost a lot of weight in college after being overweight for a few years. The healthy diet turned into being overly obsessive about being "fat" again. So, for about the past 25 years I have been on a continual restrictive diet and exercise rigorously. In the last few years, I have kept it in the low 90s and high 80s. I am 5'2" and usually weigh between 87 and 92 pounds. For years now people have commented on how excessively thin I am, although some tell me how great I am looking these days which makes me want to lose/maintain despite the concern of those closest to me.

Have any of you ever been diagnosed with some kind of nutritional neuropathy? Keep in mind my blood work has always come back with higher than normal vitamin levels. And there is no evidence of stress on kidneys or liver.

I decided to "self treat" for anorexia and rapidly increased my calories this past week with the goal of gaining 10 lbs and seeing if that helps. I have to tell you so far I feel WORSE. I am so tired and bloated and in pain. Hoping someone out there has had a similar experience before I venture out into the world of eating disorder forums.

Please help!

[Lewie]

Originally Posted by cat1234

It has been some time since my last post. I am in a serious hole and not sure how to climb out of it. My neuropathy is steadily worsening again. After a vacation in Florida to visit my parents, they convinced me that a possible cause of my symptoms (numb hands and feet, pain in feet and legs, constantly being cold, dizziness, fatigue, constipation, insomnia, irritability, etc.) could be the result of an eating disorder.

You see, I lost a lot of weight in college after being overweight for a few years. The healthy diet turned into being overly obsessive about being "fat" again. So, for about the past 25 years I have been on a continual restrictive diet and exercise rigorously. In the last few years, I have kept it in the low 90s and high 80s. I am 5'2" and usually weigh between 87 and 92 pounds. For years now people have commented on how excessively thin I am, although some tell me how great I am looking these days which makes me want to lose/maintain despite the concern of those closest to me.

Have any of you ever been diagnosed with some kind of nutritional neuropathy? Keep in mind my blood work has always come back with higher than normal vitamin levels. And there is no evidence of stress on kidneys or liver.

I decided to "self treat" for anorexia and rapidly increased my calories this past week with the goal of gaining 10 lbs and seeing if that helps. I have to tell you so far I feel WORSE. I am so tired and bloated and in pain. Hoping someone out there has had a similar experience before I venture out into the world of eating disorder forums.

Please help!

My nueropathy showed up this last summer when I decided to live healthier. I started eating better, quit eating sugar and stated excersizing like crazy. I was the healthiest I had ever been, so I thought. Then bam I got hit with it and now I am in the worst shape of my life gaining weight like crazy but still eating healthy and unable to excersize. I was able to run 10 miles without stopping and now I can barely make it from one seat ot the next.If eating more is making you feel worse then don't do it.

[Kitt]

Originally Posted by cat1234

It has been some time since my last post. I am in a serious hole and not sure how to climb out of it. My neuropathy is steadily worsening again. After a vacation in Florida to visit my parents, they convinced me that a possible cause of my symptoms (numb hands and feet, pain in feet and legs, constantly being cold, dizziness, fatigue, constipation, insomnia, irritability, etc.) could be the result of an eating disorder.

You see, I lost a lot of weight in college after being overweight for a few years. The healthy diet turned into being overly obsessive about being "fat" again. So, for about the past 25 years I have been on a continual restrictive diet and exercise rigorously. In the last few years, I have kept it in the low 90s and high 80s. I am 5'2" and usually weigh between 87 and 92 pounds. For years now people have commented on how excessively thin I am, although some tell me how great I am looking these days which makes me want to lose/maintain despite the concern of those closest to me.

Have any of you ever been diagnosed with some kind of nutritional neuropathy? Keep in mind my blood work has always come back with higher than normal vitamin levels. And there is no evidence of stress on kidneys or liver.

I decided to "self treat" for anorexia and rapidly increased my calories this past week with the goal of gaining 10 lbs and seeing if that helps. I have to tell you so far I feel WORSE. I am so tired and bloated and in pain. Hoping someone out there has had a similar experience before I venture out into the world of eating disorder forums.

Please help!

Do you have a small frame? If so, then @ 5'2", 92 lbs would not seem to be bad.

[Dr. Smith]

FWIW, checking a few Height/Weight Charts, a small-framed woman should avergage around ~110 to ~120 ±2 lbs.

I know there's a lot of controversy about these charts, hence FWIW.

Doc

[Kitt]

Yes, there is a lot of controversy concerning weight charts. Wonder how much of her weight is muscle as well. It depends a lot on the person as well. Everyone is different.

[hopeful]

Originally Posted by cat1234

It has been some time since my last post. I am in a serious hole and not sure how to climb out of it. My neuropathy is steadily worsening again. After a vacation in Florida to visit my parents, they convinced me that a possible cause of my symptoms (numb hands and feet, pain in feet and legs, constantly being cold, dizziness, fatigue, constipation, insomnia, irritability, etc.) could be the result of an eating disorder.

You see, I lost a lot of weight in college after being overweight for a few years. The healthy diet turned into being overly obsessive about being "fat" again. So, for about the past 25 years I have been on a continual restrictive diet and exercise rigorously. In the last few years, I have kept it in the low 90s and high 80s. I am 5'2" and usually weigh between 87 and 92 pounds. For years now people have commented on how excessively thin I am, although some tell me how great I am looking these days which makes me want to lose/maintain despite the concern of those closest to me.

Have any of you ever been diagnosed with some kind of nutritional neuropathy? Keep in mind my blood work has always come back with higher than normal vitamin levels. And there is no evidence of stress on kidneys or liver.

I decided to "self treat" for anorexia and rapidly increased my calories this pa st week with the goal of gaining 10 lbs and seeing if that helps. I have to tell you so far I feel WORSE. I am so tired and bloated and in pain. Hoping someone out there has had a similar experience before I venture out into the world of eating disorder forums.

Please help!

Hi Cat,
I am the same height as you and the weight you are at is not a healthy weight for you. There was a time in my life when I went down to 102 and people kept coming to ask me if I was ill.

I have an extensive background dealing with anorexia. I spent 15 years working in a high school. I also took several classes and conferences on this subject. I even wrote a research paper on the subject. I don't mean to be intrusive and don't know if you want to post your answers but the following are all things for you to think of.

If you are of age, do you still get a menstral period?
Do you have a thin layer of hair on your face?
Do you use laxatives?
When you have them drawn are your electrolytes normal?
Are you a calorie counter and if so how many a day?
Is your hair very dry and damaged?
Do you have purging tendencies?
How are your teeth?

Again, you don't have to answers me just think about this. Most the symptoms your having could be caused by anorexia.

I have seen a lot of people, especially woman, diet and then it gets away from them. They live in fear of gaining back any weight and normally end up losing more. Society tells us we need to look a certain way and some of us oblige.

I'm sure you can guess many years ago, I started on this track. I was doing some modeling and I was down to 100 and had people asking if I was sick. I thought I looked great. I knew it was becoming a problem for me and sought help. I consider myself lucky, I caught it before it caught me. I also shared what was going on with my husband and he kept an eye on me.

I know you probably don't want to hear this but a normal weight for a person at your height with a small frame should be 108-121. Now not everyone is in that range but you can see how significantly lower you are.

I do think it is great that your vitamin levels come back normal. What you are eating must be healthy. Has your doctor ever spoke with you about your weight?

If you want to gain some weight back do it slowly. Your stomach must be very small at this point and can't hold too much food at once. I would suggest small meals at least 4 times a day. It sounds like you already know how to eat healthy so I won't go into that.

I hope this helps and doesn't sound harsh or intrusive. I really do have a soft spot in my heart for people who suffer from this. Not saying you do. That is not for me to determine.
Hopeful

[cat1234]

Originally Posted by hopeful

Hi Cat,
I am the same height as you and the weight you are at is not a healthy weight for you. There was a time in my life when I went down to 102 and people kept coming to ask me if I was ill.

I have an extensive background dealing with anorexia. I spent 15 years working in a high school. I also took several classes and conferences on this subject. I even wrote a research paper on the subject. I don't mean to be intrusive and don't know if you want to post your answers but the following are all things for you to think of.

If you are of age, do you still get a menstral period?
Do you have a thin layer of hair on your face?
Do you use laxatives?
When you have them drawn are your electrolytes normal?
Are you a calorie counter and if so how many a day?
Is your hair very dry and damaged?
Do you have purging tendencies?
How are your teeth?

Again, you don't have to answers me just think about this. Most the symptoms your having could be caused by anorexia.

I have seen a lot of people, especially woman, diet and then it gets away from them. They live in fear of gaining back any weight and normally end up losing more. Society tells us we need to look a certain way and some of us oblige.

I'm sure you can guess many years ago, I started on this track. I was doing some modeling and I was down to 100 and had people asking if I was sick. I thought I looked great. I knew it was becoming a problem for me and sought help. I consider myself lucky, I caught it before it caught me. I also shared what was going on with my husband and he kept an eye on me.

I know you probably don't want to hear this but a normal weight for a person at your height with a small frame should be 108-121. Now not everyone is in that range but you can see how significantly lower you are.

I do think it is great that your vitamin levels come back normal. What you are eating must be healthy. Has your doctor ever spoke with you about your weight?

If you want to gain some weight back do it slowly. Your stomach must be very small at this point and can't hold too much food at once. I would suggest small meals at least 4 times a day. It sounds like you already know how to eat healthy so I won't go into that.

I hope this helps and doesn't sound harsh or intrusive. I really do have a soft spot in my heart for people who suffer from this. Not saying you do. That is not for me to determine.
Hopeful

Thank you for the response Hopeful. Yes, pretty much all of my doctors have said at some point that I was on the thin side and could gain some weight. But nobody seemed overly concerned so I continued on my "merry" dieting way.

To answer your questions:

If you are of age, do you still get a menstral period? I am 40 and have not had a period in 21 years.

Do you have a thin layer of hair on your face? I guess so?

Do you use laxatives? No but I do use lizness for constipation which tends to give me diarrhea at times.

When you have them drawn are your electrolytes normal? Nothing has been tagged as abnormal.

Are you a calorie counter and if so how many a day? Yes, until the past few weeks I kept it between 1,000 and 1,200 calories a day.

Is your hair very dry and damaged? Yes but I also process a lot

Do you have purging tendencies? No

How are your teeth? Aside from cavities, appear to be fine?

I feel awful everytime I eat now. And I am more tired and more dizzy with this new eating regime. I tend to overdo the calories in my morning smoothie and then pay for it all day. It just seems like the easiest way to get the extra calories in. We just got back from dinner and I forced myself to eat despite a complete lack of appetite especially since we were with friends. My stomach is so swollen the past few days I look pregnant! And the constipation is just awful. It makes me irritable and not fun to be around. I would think the extra calories would HELP with the neuropathy and energy if it was anorexia causing it but it is the opposite. I am not sure what to do....so frustrated.

You are not being intrusive at all-I am the one that put all this out there and really appreciate your time. Can anorexia be a major contributor to neuropathy? If so, why is the extra nourishment making me feel worse? I am attempting to take in close to 2,000 calories a day which is scary but almost liberating as well. BUT if it continues to make my condition worsen what is the point?

[cat1234]

Originally Posted by Kitt

Yes, there is a lot of controversy concerning weight charts. Wonder how much of her weight is muscle as well. It depends a lot on the person as well. Everyone is different.

Yes Kitt, I do have a small frame...

[cat1234]

Originally Posted by Lewie

My nueropathy showed up this last summer when I decided to live healthier. I started eating better, quit eating sugar and stated excersizing like crazy. I was the healthiest I had ever been, so I thought. Then bam I got hit with it and now I am in the worst shape of my life gaining weight like crazy but still eating healthy and unable to excersize. I was able to run 10 miles without stopping and now I can barely make it from one seat ot the next.If eating more is making you feel worse then don't do it.

Do you know what caused yours??

[glenntaj]

--in 21 years at the age of 40?

Has that ever been looked into? There are many causes for this, but being very underweight is certainly a leading candidate--and that would mean a lot of hormonal abnormalities that could lead to many kinds of symptoms . . .