Effects of Bulimia - Long Term Health Effects

I came across the article, "The Five Pieces of the Eating Disorder Puzzle" and immediately wanted to place it on the Effects of Bulimia site. Although this article submitted by the Huffington Post is aimed towards anorexics, I truly think it provides some great information for anyone with an eating disorder.

Please post a comment at the bottom of this site (in the Guestbook) to let me know if you found this article useful.

This is an article I published at Ezine Articles a while ago and it quickly climbed to the top of the ratings. If you have any doubts that bulimia can affect your future health, please read this article!

Effects of Bulimia - Health Complications

There are many effects of bulimia and the health complications can be varied in each individual. Bulimia is normally characterized by behaviors of binging and purging.

Binging can be defined as a large consumption of food in a short time period, but the word "large" can mean different things for different people. Some consider a large amount of calories to be binging while others may think a regular portion of food at a mealtime may be too much. Others may consider a piece of cake and ice cream at a party to be a binge. As you can imagine, the word "large" is relative to what each person believes to be "too much food at one time."

Characteristically, after binging, the person feels so guilty, so bad about themselves, over their action that they feel the need to get rid of all the food they just ingested. This is where the purging behavior starts.

Purging can be defined as the elimination of food/calories by means of vomiting or using laxatives. Different individuals will use one method or the other and some will combine methods. This is very individual to each person. Binging and purging can lead to serious health complications. These health complications may at times be severe and even life threatening. The type of purging used may determine the severity of those health complications.

A person's normal body functions are disrupted by the behaviors characterized by bulimia. Some of the more common complications of bulimia affect your cardiovascular, digestive, and dental health. The potassium levels in your body fluids can also be affected by bulimia and may lead to drug and medication abuse.

Some of the cardiovascular problems caused are rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeats, chest pains, imbalances in electrolyte levels, breathing problems, and possibly even cardiac arrest. Bulimia may also lead to low blood pressure, lightheadedness, fainting, and dizzy episodes.

Some of the digestive problems caused are swelling and sores in the throat and mouth. You may rupture the lining of your esophagus or stomach. Long term use of laxatives may lead to drug dependence and adversely affect the normal bowel functions. Pancreatitis, peptic ulcers, bloating, and stomach pain may also be health complications resulting from bulimia.

The acid coming back up from your stomach through your throat and mouth can destroy your tooth enamel and thus lead to more tooth decay and cavities. Your teeth may become more sensitive to hot and cold foods and become crumbly or fall out. Intensive work on the teeth may be needed to get them back to the condition they were once in before bulimic activity was initiated.

Bulimia may also cause loss of or irregular menstruation, mood swings, depression, kidney and liver damage, possible hair loss, and anemia. As you can see, the effects of bulimia can be MANY and are varied from individual to individual.

Bottom line, if you or someone you know, has bulimia, please get the information you need to get treatment. The time to get healthy again is NOW, not later. Get help, please.

I am a recovered teen bulimic.

It's been 30 years since I stopped my bulimic behaviors and I am still dealing with health issues caused during that time even now, and on a daily basis.

The Effects of Bulimia can last for a long time! Please, if you or someone you know, has bulimia, get the information you need at http://squidoo.com/effectsofbulimia and get started on treatment.

Save your health!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Lacroix_Toro

Michelle Lacroix Toro - EzineArticles Expert Author

Get you beat bulimia? Certainly!

Get you sometimes feel like you have/want to purge once you've beaten it? Certainly!

It's been YEARS since I indulged in bulimic behavior, however, I've noticed that at certain times, under certain conditions, I have the urge to purge (and I didn't even try to get that to rhyme!).

Thanksgiving is a good example. EVERYONE over-indulges with food, the bowls and platters are piled high with food of every kind and almost everyone eats just a bit too much than they need to. It's Thanksgiving, right, you're supposed to do that.

Well, I've noticed that if I overeat, I get the urge to get rid of some of the food in my belly. Just watching everyone else at the table with plates mounded with food, I get the urge. It actually lasts for a few hours after we have our Thanksgiving celebration. So, I make a particular point to watch how much I eat at Holidays.

When it's really hot outside (I live in Florida, so that's often) and I happen to eat a lot of watermelon (my absolute favorite) or drink a lot of liquid and my stomach feels like it is maxed out, I feel the urge.

I notice that IF I eat anything late at night and my belly isn't empty close to bedtime, I get the urge.

These are just a few examples of MY particular triggers. You may experience some of the same and you may have totally different triggers that will make you think of purging. It's all individual, but we have to watch for them.

Don't let them sneak up to you and slide you back into harmful eating habits. Be aware of your body and listen to what it is telling you.

Doing "something" for yourself each and every day is a great way to feel better about yourself and your life, which in turn, helps you get a handle on your bulimia or eating disorder. One of the effects of bulimia is not feeling good about yourself. This is a small way to help turn those feelings around.

Do you like to read? Play basketball? Talk to friends? Knit? Spend time with kids? Whatever YOU like to do, try to fit in a little bit of "me" time in every day and spend time doing something you enjoy doing. MAKE the effort to ensure you leave yourself some time during the day to do what you want to do.

You'll find yourself looking forward to those parts of the day when you feel good about yourself because you are spending time doing something you enjoy. Making a habit of feeling good about yourself every day is a great way to start chipping away at your dependency of your eating disorder, whether it is bulimia or any of the other eating disorders.

Try this little trick for a month and see what kind of changes you can make to your life in regards to the effects of bulimia and YOU!

I often send in articles to different online directories about subjects that are near and dear to my heart. Here's a link to one I submitted at Article Dashboard regarding signs that someone may be developing an eating disorder.

Eating Disorders - 10 Signs That Your Loved One May Be Developing An Eating Disorder

And here is another that I submitted to EzineArticles about one of the "methods" I used to hide my behaviors from my family. This one, especially, is a good tip to look for at the table while you are making sure your kids stay healthy!

Bulimia Warning Sign

Here is an article about Compulsive Over Eating and Tips to Start Controlling It

Compulsive Over Eating - Tips To Start Taking Control

Here's an article on Bright Hub about Self Help To Curing Eating disorders:

Self Help Tips to Cure Eating Disorders

Yesterday, I received an email from an 18 year old male, I'll call him John (not his real name), who admitted that he was bulimic. He'd come across this lens just by chance, got caught because of the title, and read it all the way through. Now I know it took him a bit of time to read all the way through, because this is NOT a short lens!

He told me that after reading one of the sections about acid reflux, of which he was starting to have some tough times with, he finally had the courage to sit both of his parents together and tell them that he had an eating disorder called bulimia and that he'd been binging and purging for over 4 years!

From what he wrote, both parents were fantastic about accepting the news. There was lots of hugging and "I love you's" from everyone and plans were set in motion immediately to get this young man the help he needs.

Can you just imagine how much I cried when I read his letter? Forget a few tears slipping down my face, I had a downpour that wouldn't stop! But the feeling of fullness in my heart, WOW! There's almost no describing the feeling of JOY that I had when I realized that "I" was instrumental in getting John to share a problem that he'd been hiding for years and then seek help.

THIS is what these lens' are all about. Offering assistance, sharing experiences, and reaching out to people in need.

I just had to share what, for me, was a wonderful moment with you all.
Michelle

I wrote a short blog post at And How Was YOUR Day? about this experience.

I did some research on the internet and came up with a few resources you may want to look at.

1. One is at Eating Recovery Center where they offer a FREE Eating Disorders Survival Guide. I've taken a look through it and there is a lot of good, valid information in there. Some of it may surprise you since the eating disorders are very misunderstood. It's Free, so please go to the link and sign up for the information. It can only help you or your loved one!

2. Another link is Mom, Help Me from a woman who FOUGHT HARD to save her daughter from an eating disorder. This is a very poignant story and some of you may relate to the feelings that this mom went through to help her daughter. This is a tough love disorder and needs to be taken seriously.

3. Part of the healing, in my opinion, regarding eating disorders is SHARING. Sharing that you need help, understanding, and support. Sharing YOUR story, your need, your unmet wants. While researching for new information, I came upon a blog from the Rader Programs that made me cry as I was reading posts. I thought I'd like to SHARE those posts with you as they touched me so and brought back memories I haven't thought in many, many years. It's so strange that memories you've pushed so deep inside of you that it's as if they were completely lost can come back and blanket you in a moment when others SHARE what they went through. I hope you take the time to read the articles and posts there. Amid the wonderfully written stories are loads of information that may be useful to you.

The link is: Rader Blog

Eating Disorders are genetic. Is there anyone in your family history who had an eating disorder? If so, keep on eye on the kids as they may already be predisposed.

If they talk about being fat or overweight, of looking gross or ugly, keep on eye on them. This could be an early sign.

Does your family talk about overweight or fat people? Does your family joke about fat people? If so, your kids could be learning that being fat or overweight is something that is very undesirable. Undesirable in that they wouldn't want to be made fun of, right?

Do your kids spend a lot of time in front of a mirror? Do they pinch or tuck their skin as if they are looking for fat on themselves? This could be an indicator that an eating disorder is developing. Remember, they want to make sure that others are not making fun of them.

Do they wear baggy clothing or clothing that completely covers them? Is this a new habit? This is worth watching out for as it indicates a hiding behavior.

Is your child having to have cavities filled? Is the dentist telling you that their enamel is wearing away? This is another sign that bulimia may be happening as stomach acid ruins teeth over time.

Are they skipping meals? Appetite gone? Any rituals or changes happening during mealtime?

Did they tell you they're on a diet? Refusing to eat sweets or high calorie foods? If they are already thin, WHY are they on a diet? Red light on this one, parents.

Bad breath? That stomach acid in the mouth not only ruins teeth, but can affect the esophagus and other digestive organs. Result, bad breath.

Are they withdrawing or detaching from family and friends? One of the common behaviors of bulimia is "hiding" the behaviors from others. The easiest way to do this is to withdraw from the ones they love.

This list is by all means not all inclusive, but they are some of the more common.

Bulimia is completely treatable, but it does need to be treated as soon as possible to minimize the effects of bulimia.

Don't wait, get help now! Visit Mom, Please Help Me and start to travel the road to recovery.

I think I mentioned this before, however, it bears repeating. . . many of the "behaviors" or "signs/symptoms" listed here are common among the other eating disorders. Also, you need to know that MANY people who have an eating disorder also have some symptoms or behaviors of other eating disorders. I myself went back and forth between bulimia and anorexia for years and this is actually quite common for sufferers.

I don't remember a specific incident that lead me to developing bulimia. It was pretty much a bunch of things coming to a head at the same time in my life and I needed to change who and what I was and I thought that was a good way to do it. Yeah, not too bright, but when you are not happy, hormonal, and a teenager, you don't always make smart decisions.

I didn't know anyone else who was purging after meals like I was and I hadn't read about it or learned it from school, but I instinctively knew that I had to hide the purging behavior. I was a quiet, introspective child so spending time by myself all the time was already normal and didn't cause any "bells" to ring for my parents. I wasn't a big eater to start with and I started eating even less at some meals. Of course, my parents had no clue that I was purging as soon as I was out of sight right after mealtime.

We didn't have a scale in the house at the time, so I didn't weigh myself often, but I spent a LOT of time in my bedroom in front of a mirror pinching my waist and turning around to look at my backside. Even though I was already thin (some people even called me skinny), I wasn't thin enough. I was a teenager who could suck in her stomach and be able to touch both thumbs and middle fingers circling my waist. That is VERY thin, but I didn't think I was skinny enough.

I was a straight A student who was a mental mess!

I did manage to "heal" myself when I turned 18, but that isn't usually the way an eating disorder goes away. I was VERY lucky.

I have to confess, my parents never knew about my eating disorder until I was around 37. There was a program on TV that was showing a teenager purging after a large meal and my Mom happened to make a comment about it. It wasn't a very nice comment and I just came back with a comment of my own that kids sometimes make bad choices about their health because they are in bad situations or relationships and they don't know any other way to handle things. That they need help, not nasty comments to make them feel worse about themselves. I then admitted that I had lived with an eating disorder for approximately 9 years while under her roof and what did she have to say to that?

Needless to say, because she never saw me exhibiting behaviors and didn't want to admit that it might have happened and she hadn't noticed, she refused to believe that it had actually happened. At the time, I had to laugh with myself, here I had finally admitted to my parent what I had gone through as a teen, the skeleton in my closet as it were, and I was more or less called a liar. Go figure.

I'm now 47 years old and while, mentally, I'm more healthy than I've ever been, I have bad teeth, low blood pressure, bad nails and hair, acid reflux, and I'm anemic. And those are just the things that my doctor and I are sure about that can be attributed to being bulimic as a teen.

While those things don't sound very major compared to other diseases or disorders, they have a negative effect on the quality of life I could enjoy otherwise. I've never smoked (especially drugs, NEVER wanted to be involved in any of that, I'm still square that way) or drank (don't drink alcohol at all), and I haven't even allowed myself to gamble, as that was another "addictive behavior" that some of my family members were involved in. Not having indulged in any of the main "vices" I should be enjoying perfect health as an adult. Because of the eating disorder as a child, I have medical issues that I have to deal with on a daily basis.

I do have to tell you that acid reflux is the PITS!!!!!! My esophagus has too much scarring to ever heal naturally and I have to be VERY careful of what I eat after 6pm as I hate waking up out of a sound sleep to have bile/puke spurting out my mouth and nose. It's almost projectile! It's nasty and disgusting and it's impossible to fall asleep after that when the smell/feel of it is stuck in my nose and throat. I've gargled with everything and you just can't get the burn out of your nose or the taste out of your throat after it comes up by itself. Gum doesn't work, mouthwash doesn't work, and you definitely don't want to eat or drink because your stomach isn't in very good shape at that time either.

I now eat healthy and even have a few extra pounds on my frame that I'm OK with. I don't obsess over my size or weight and I'm actually happy with who I am and what I look like.

I wish I would have known as a teen what I know now, but I guess going through what I did as a child/teen has made me who I am today, so there comes a day when you just let go of the negative stuff in your life, accept the changes it brought to your life, and then move on and build upon the good things that you are and can do.

Being happy with yourself is the greatest gift you can give, not only to yourself, but to your family.

Because of my past, I was able to SEE things much more clearly when my own sons were growing up. I have a few favorite sayings and one of the big ones is "Don't sweat the small stuff!". While the kids were growing up, there was so much "small stuff" and you have to learn to let it go and just catch the big stuff.

All three of my sons went through stages where they rebelled against the rules of the house or the world, but they ALWAYS knew that I loved them, even if I didn't always love WHAT they did. Some of the stuff that they did were doozies; some of it was stupid, some of it was not safe, a few times the boys even crossed the line, but they always knew that Mom and Dad were there for them.

I have to believe that that is what enabled them to come out of those crazy teen years with just minor bumps and bruises and allowed them to become confident, responsible, contributing citizens.

I'm proud of what I've been able to accomplish with/for myself and my family. That feeling is probably the biggest healer of all.

I hope that whatever you are going through, or have gone through, that you can reach a point where you like yourself, too! YOU have worth and don't let anyone tell you that you don't.

If they try to tell you that you aren't worthy, walk away!!!!! Find someone that CAN tell you how much you mean to them. It makes a huge difference!

Be happy,
Michelle