New member seeking information

Hi, don't know if anyone can offer any help or advise, but here goes.

I have got several illness; An Eating disorder (30 years of it), alongside depression, (for which I was sectioned due to being 3 1/2 stone as a teen into my 20`s, long admissions to a psychiatric hospital on &off for 7 years. Which was traumatic as I was only 16 the 1st time being away from home in an adult ward of mixed sexes!! Where the old fashioned punishment regime for anorexia was implemented) .Thinning bone(osteopenia, another bone density scan is due this May 2015) as a result of poor diet. Likewise problems with my stomach due to not eating properly for the last few decades so I get a lot of pain,bloating,chronic painful constipation.etc.

Over the last 3-4 years all the above has been exacerbated by chronic joint pain. My back & knees especially make my life a misery. After seeing my usual g.p who was not particularly helpful I swapped over & saw a lot more empathetic dr. X rays showed mild arthritis in left knee, blood tests came back clear for lupus/rheumatism etc like wise did a back x Ray. ( I am currently waiting results of knee mri). I gained no particular benefit from physiotherapy either, who seemed to blame "weak/unstable muscles" for which I did strengthening excersises for, but felt I was being "fobbed off" & slightly patronized.
Dr prescribed me high dose 20mg Butrans patch, low dose 2x10mg amitryptlin on a night to ease back pain. While these do help slightly, on a bad day I am in tears with discomfort & frustration.

I have had surgery in the past for carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, rotator cuff correction,ulna nerve transposition decompression release. Yesterday I underwent further surgery to insert screws/plates in big toe joint to straighten it out. There seems to be a connection between the need for surgery & the place on the body(ie; joints), could there be a link???

The consultant who did this surgery yesterday, mentioned the possibility of me being Hypermobile ( I have mentioned this condition to my own Dr previously),he asked me to do certain bends/stretches/movements eg;, touching the floor with palms of hand with straight legs bending my thumbs&fingers far back, all of which I can do easily. I have always being very "bendy" and even at a young age my knees were never "right" which was put down to "growing pains".
Does anyone out there have any advise, does this sound similar to anyone else's health related issues.???
I have never used a health forum before & am really at a loss now of what to do, my depression & anxiety are worsening alongside the re emergence of my anorexia which for a woman in her 40`s with a family to support & love & be strong for,has a massive impact on everyone & everyday activities. Life is a bit of a struggle at the moment,anything constructive would be appreciated
Many Thanks

Post Edited By Moderator (nvrthesame98) : 2/10/2015 1:30:57 AM (GMT-7)

Welcome to HW and I gave your post a heading so you would get more people dropping in. Sorry to hear you have spent so long battling different issues and I can certainly see how the Dr came up with what he said. It will be interesting to see what the mri shows. The best advice is to try not look at the big picture at the moment and lump all your issues together but just take one small battle at a time. You will have plenty of support here as everyone has a common link and thats understanding pain and living life around it.

Welcome! I had hyperextension of most of my joints as well. Never occurred to me to point this out to my doctors, so, thank you. Pain makes me not want to eat. Knowing this, I try to keep liquid nutrition in the house. It's easier for me to drink something than eat. The pain meds mess with my feeling hungry too. Keep up with the exersizes, strengthening the muscles, ligaments and tendons really does help. Making joints more stable is the best thing we can do. For me, just taking the time to do something good for my body puts me in that pro active frame of mind. Hope things improve for you!

Just to add to my initial posting. Got mri results back today. I have severe damage to the cartilage in both knees & have been referred to the orthopaedic surgeon.
A day after foot surgery it looks as though my knees need are next.
Not a good day!!

Welcome Max Sparkle

Glad you found this forum ! Great place to come ..

Others have already made good suggestions.. most helpful for me when I first found this place was the 'search' function @ upper right ... not only was the health info helpful , I came to 'know' people..

If you need immediate info / answer or do not find info via search, please post specific questions. And any pertinent personal health issues that are relevent. Again, welcome

Thankyou karen for your input, its only in the last few years that my eating disorder has caused physical problems. I thought i was 1 of the few 'lucky' ones who had manage to escape the ravages that AN/Bulimia can cause. Wrong!!

I have found now that getting help as an adult is so much more harder than it was when i was first diagnosed, even with my previous history of severe weight loss & hospital admissions, i have recently been refused access to the eating disorders unit, not even for outpatient assessment.

Its the 1st time in 20 years i have actually sought out professiona help and i have been turned down ( it took a lot of courage to ask for help, as i mentioned on previous text i was "treated" with th punishment/reward system which was horrific & in my opinion messed with my head more than the eating disorder did!! Anyway im still here and plodding on.

My medical issues have all seemed to appear all at once and a lot of symptoms seem to merge, mask and also replicate other conditions. Its all become like a knot that needs unravelling, very frustrating.

Finding this website was really an accident & i try to avoid dwelling on whats wrong with me but I really am worried im going to end up being in constant chronic pain.

But fingers crossed, i now have a better g.p who im seeing later in the week who will maybe be able to provide a positive constructive plan regarding diagnosis/prognosis & management of current symptons.

Once again thankyou for all your input, its comforting to know that its not unusual to not have clear cut answer or diagnosis even with all the modern technology, knowledge & intervention available.

Think positive,Tomorrow is another day!!

I have made some paragraphs in your post to make it a little easier to read. Some of our members has tracking problems when reading. Thanks.

Post Edited By Moderator (straydog) : 2/10/2015 7:36:03 PM (GMT-7)

Hello Cary,
Currently i am of a low weight ,after about 10 years of weight loss/ gain & erratic eating ,i have managed over the last 20 years to maintain a stable healthy weight & fairly 'normal' life .

Having being lucky enough to have a child played a massive part in managing my ED ( i did get told i would never conceive) My daughter is now 18 & a beautiful,healthy young woman

I am from UK where for residents all medical treatment is free (NHS - National Health Service) & treatment is based on neccessity.

In order to gain access to the eating disorders counsellors, i am required to be weighed for my BMI measurement. This is a huge issue for me as it is the 1 thing that i feel keeps me from losing any more weight, i used to be a 'slave to the scales' and every ounce lost or gained affected my mood & dictated my eating pattern.

Even if i request not to be informed of my actual weight/BMI - i am declined access to ED unit, based on this measurement, it means my weight has not dropped low enough to be seen by a specialist,, this would be really bad news as i will be deemed as 'not thin enough' (its called in UK a Perverse Insentive)

So if i want to see a specialist i may have to lose even more weighted. This is a ridiculous situation.

So i see my gp every now & then, rely on my family & try to eat. Currently i eat once a day, the same thing at the same time of day. I have been like this for 2 years, I can go many many days without food, the longer i starve the less i feel like eating. So i try to eat, even though it makes me feel awful.

I have come to terms that i will never be 100% free of ED , but i know i can manage it as i have in the past.

Its the frustration of not really understanding where all the other physical ailments come from & how to go about getting treatment,especially when i don't really have any formal diagnosis.

I have always been phsycically fit & healthy (even when i was 49lbs).
But it has obviously taken its toll on my body & this is the result.

Sometime having a 'label' helps

I hope this makes sense?

Hi Max,

For now lets assume you have your ED under control. (ED as an acronym has a different definition in the US)

You are most fortunate indeed to have a daughter. I am regrettably childless. Always remember to count this blessing.

A low BMI is not necessarily a bad thing. I know many former ballet dancers that are still anorexic into their 70s & 80s & doing very well. You know what you need to do to manage your ED. You've made it this far, I'd say simply carry on. Once the body is accustomed to being deprived it does become the norm, easier to not feed yourself. I am of the belief that some of our feelings of self hatred will always be there. Feed yourself for your daughter (I'm sure you already do this). Eventually there may be grandchildren that will give you more reason to be present.

Focus on your ortho issues & pain now. Sounds like your knees are your most urgent concern. Discuss options with your GP, then a specialist. Knee replacements have come quite a long way since I had mine done 15 years ago.

I'm sure you are already connected to a very competent surgeon, having had some surgery already. The credentials are different in each country so assure you are getting the best possible care. I have lived in several countries and had surgery in AUS. Please don't attempt a Karen Carpenter to access ED treatment unless you are truly desperate & feel you must have that help. You will always have ED as your lifelong partner.

There is no such thing as being fit and healthy at 49lbs, this is your disorder talking. I thought I was fit & healthy & looked great too at 79lbs. It certainly helped my career. My employer had no concern for my health, just my weight. Today I am a plump 95lbs.

Good luck,
Cary