im 17 and i have an eating disorder and ive been having low blood pressure its dropped down to 81/47 and it stays in that area.. my heart rate also drops, it was down to 42 today. are these stats like dangerously low. i dont wanna go to the dr cuz i dont want them to figure out my ed. i just would like some input. thanks
im 17 and i have an eating disorder and ive been having low blood pressure its dropped down to 81/47 and it stays in that area.. my heart rate also drops, it was down to 42 today. are these stats like dangerously low. i dont wanna go to the dr cuz i dont want them to figure out my ed. i just would like some input. thanks
Hi,
I have suffered from low blood pressure and it is certainly no fun. The numbers you cited are quite low. I would try much more water, and a generous amount of salt (unrefined) with my meals. I'd imagine your eating disorder is not helping either; try to get some help all round!
In the presence of a long-term anorexia condition, the extremely low BP and heartrate are signs for the GRAVEST concern.
You need a visit to a specialist in eating disorders and you need it ASAP.
How low is your bodyweight?
How long since you've had a period?
I've got to agree with Lenin on this one. With anorexia and a blood pressure and heart rate that low, it is very important that you see a doctor. Your life could be in danger. Please don't wait. Make an appointment today!
ya i cant add a bunch of salt to my meals... id freak...and as to response to lenin and uff-da~ i have only had an eating disorder for the past like year so how could it do that much damage? and my body weight isnt that low im 6ft tall and 145. i havent had my period normally since dec. i skipped around and got 2 in a month since... but i havent totally lost it. but im not ready to go get help for my ED. im not skinny enough nor in that bad of shape. but i just dont want my bp to be too too low to where i pass out and have to go to the ER and then they find out on their own. i dont know if any of yall have dealt with or knows someone with an ED, but its not that simple to come clean with everything. i just cant do it... thanks for yalls responses! i appreciate it!
Your health is at serious risk. The consequences of anorexia will stay with you for the rest of your life. If you are bulemic instead you also risk damage to your teeth and throat from stomach acid. You risk serious damage to your heart, stroke and heart attack as well as seriously shortening your life. Heart damage, stroke and heart attack are permanent!
ya i know that having an eating disorder is not good for your health. the only reason why i mentioned it on here is because if it may be linked. i know i need help for it but i cant. i just want facts about my blood pressure. thanks
Texas - I don't think you understand. Having a blood pressure that low is very, very serious. And the eating disorder and the low blood pressure ARE linked.
What is the first thing a doctor will tell an overweight patient who has high blood pressure? Lose weight. And often that is all it takes to get his high BP down to normal. But going down in weight from normal typically reduces blood pressure further, and at some point it reaches the point of danger. With BP and heart rate as low as yours, you are likely at that point now.
No, I've never had an eating disorder. But I know what it is like to be super-skinny. From eight grade until almost age 40, the majority of the time I weighed only 103-107. That's a BMI of 17.1-17.8. I have a high metabolism, and even though I tried to gain weight, I couldn't. I just didn't have a big enough appetite to gain weight. I don't know how low my BP was, but I do know that I fainted easily. And had I been even thinner, I am sure that I, too would have been in danger.
It doesn't matter that you've had the eating disorder only a year. When your blood pressure gets really low, you are in danger whether you have an eating disorder or not, and the presence of the eating disorder only makes things worse. Please make an appointment to see a doctor about your blood pressure today!
My stepdaughter had an eating disorder at the age of 21. Her BP went so low she was rushed to the hospital with an irregular heartbeat and nearly died. That scared her into recovery. She still battles her problem but so far has not relapsed. I really feel bad for girls and their families that battle this problem.
Cass
yes i know that this isnt good blood pressure levels. i know that i should go to a dr. but i also know what would happen if i did. the thought being discovered literally makes me wanna cry. and i dont want to know the dissapointment ill see from my parents. i dont want to put them thru more pain with me. i just cant you really have no idea unless you had one too. and cass knows how it feels to be on the end of dealing with watching someone go thru it. i just cant put my parents thru it. my bp only drops alot when i dont eat for a long period of time. but if i hold myself up with even like fruit its not as bad. i have to go to the dr anyways in a bit. i guess ill just wait to see what happens with it.
I had an eating disorder too, of which I was very ashamed, and tried my best to hide it. My Mother got very suspicious, and I finally admitted it to her. She called my dr., and I saw him and had severe potassium deficiency, severe anemia, LOW blood pressure, I felt terrible all the time. My dr. referred me to a psychologist who did wonders for me. I still battle it, I have relapsed from time to time, but have actually gained weight, (am actually in the process of losing some!!!!!!!!!), but I feel so much better just knowing that people know about it now, and I have NEVER been judged or talked about because of it. It is nothing to be ashamed of, it is a disease just like alcoholism, at least that's what the psychologist told me. I know how hard it is to overcome, but you CAN do it. Also, my parent's next door neighbor had an eating disorder (anorexia), and she's DEAD now. I watched her throughout that whole ordeal, she even lost her mind, and I watched her die, it was very, very painful for her.
I know that all this may be scaring you, but you have GOT to fess up, NOW. At one point during my active disorder, not only was my BP dangerously low, but my blood sugar as well, it tested at 32.
I'm fighting dangerously low BP right now, and everybody on this board has been concerned. It's hell. I don't want anybody else to go through this hell if they don't have to.
Please don't be afraid to tell your parents, I'm sure they love you very much, and want the best for you, this is NOT the best for you.
Please, please, please, go to the dr. and TELL HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you are absolutely dead set against getting treatment for your ED, then at least don't lose any more weight. You are right, 140 isn't bone thin even for a six-footer.
But for tonight, at least, have a can of cambell's soup- your choice. See if the extra sodium makes a difference.
Please tell me that you haven't been on a sodium restricted diet as well as a super low calorie one? Or worse, a laxative purging routine!
Nothing will kill faster than screwing up your electrolytes. It's the SINGLE biggest killer of anorectics.
I am a believer in self-help for lots of conditions and if you WON'T see a doctor, see if you can read a couple of Hilde Bruch's books...that lady understands eating diisorders. Maybe you can pull yourself into a more normal way of eating.
Monitor your BP daily and if it's below 105/65 on either number, make sure your meal is a salty one. If you eat nothing but fruit, you probably won't see your 19th birthday!
yes i know that this isnt good blood pressure levels. i know that i should go to a dr. but i also know what would happen if i did. the thought being discovered literally makes me wanna cry. and i dont want to know the dissapointment ill see from my parents. i dont want to put them thru more pain with me. i just cant you really have no idea unless you had one too. and cass knows how it feels to be on the end of dealing with watching someone go thru it. i just cant put my parents thru it. my bp only drops alot when i dont eat for a long period of time. but if i hold myself up with even like fruit its not as bad. i have to go to the dr anyways in a bit. i guess ill just wait to see what happens with it.
Texas,
What will happen if you go to a doctor? It sounds as though you feel you have caused your parents alot of pain somehow, and that may be BUT, Believe me, your parents still love you and will be upset if you would not go.
Would you want to see your son or daughter suffer? No parent does.
I have a son who has OCD and believe me, I only want him better. If he had an ED I would get him help as well. The ED condition you describe may and probably does have mental aspects attached to it that may need to be addressed as well.
Tex,
you may think you are sparing your parents but imagine how my husband and I felt getting a phone call in the middle of the night after my stepdaughter was carried to the ER in an ambulance. We live in Houston and she's in Dallas.
They will love you even more if you let them help you. I do agree with Lenin, at least look at eating disorders on the net. Maybe it will help you deal with this.
My stepdaughter was in college when it happened to her. After she got out of rehab she went back to college, changed her major, and became a dietitian (spelled right?). Now she works as a counselor to help others with all kinds of addictions.
Mellie- so you have knowledge of how I feel in this whole situation. My parents for a while got very suspicious (this was when I would rarely eat but then I got into having bulimic tendencies so they would see me eat but they wouldn’t know what would go on) but its been over 6 mths and they havent talked to me since about it. And I know that I shouldn’t be ashamed of people knowing but the fact that I used to be all like “how could someone force themselves to throw up or not eat?” and that ppl are like that I don’t want them knowing that I do that. And im fully aware that it’s a mental disease and I cant do anything about that fact. And I know that I could die from it and have major problems but I know in my heart I cant stop it myself and I KNOW I need help but I cant ask for it. The people who know about me don’t know how it is- they don’t think its an ongoing thing. And honestly ( I know ill get comments for this one) I don’t want help… I want to be skinny more than anything in the world. And I don’t know anything about blood sugar so I don’t know what the 32 is like how low that is.
Lenin- I cant not lose weight I have hit a plateau and havent for a while but I know I wont be able to stay at this weight. And I do eat campbells soup sometimes- well the broth not the pasta but it still has a lot of sodium in it. That is also why I wont go to the dr cuz he will see that my electrolytes are imbalanced and obviously put 2 and 2 together. My blood pressure has always been below 105/65 even before I had an ED that’s the way I am. If not lower then close to it. And I do eat a lot of fruit but I normally have a lil something else thru out the day with it.
Stumper- yes I feel that I have caused my parents a lot of pain. Because of problems a couple of years ago my mom had to go on anti depressants and other meds and she was having panic attacks and my dad started having high blood pressure…. All because of me. I was very depressed when I was about 12 and attempted to kill myself and she caught me, she also caught me cutting and they have been very worried about me at times. And I know that they love me to death but knowing the fact that they would have to deal with another major issue just kills me. I don’t want more problems for my parents. And plus we cant afford the things that I would need to get me better. My dad NEEDS a surgery but cant have it because we don’t have enough money- they just shelled out thousands of dollars for 2 surgeries for me the past 6 months. And you were saying that there are probably mental aspects with my ED, I would not be surprised if I would be diagnosed with depression. But I have a very good way to hide my emotions and feelings and don’t like people knowing my business and ive never been checked for anything like that.
Cass- I can imagine you receiving a phone call that your daughter was taken into the ER and all the worrying you were doing. ( by the way I live in dallas too… thought that was weird!) and I don’t want my parents receiving a call like that because I think it would be harder- that’s why im trying to watch my bp so I don’t like pass out and have to be taken in like that. And I do check things out on the web about eating disorders- most of them are pro-ed but I have seen a lot of info on keeping me as healthy as can be in this situation. After finding out my bones were softening I started taking more vitamins. I know when the time is right and I can confront my problems I will receive help but until then I just cant! I know it sounds bad but I cant….
Stumper- yes I feel that I have caused my parents a lot of pain. Because of problems a couple of years ago my mom had to go on anti depressants and other meds and she was having panic attacks and my dad started having high blood pressure…. All because of me. I was very depressed when I was about 12 and attempted to kill myself and she caught me, she also caught me cutting and they have been very worried about me at times. And I know that they love me to death but knowing the fact that they would have to deal with another major issue just kills me. I don’t want more problems for my parents. And plus we cant afford the things that I would need to get me better. My dad NEEDS a surgery but cant have it because we don’t have enough money- they just shelled out thousands of dollars for 2 surgeries for me the past 6 months. And you were saying that there are probably mental aspects with my ED, I would not be surprised if I would be diagnosed with depression. But I have a very good way to hide my emotions and feelings and don’t like people knowing my business and ive never been checked for anything like that.
Texan,
Our society has really done a great deal of damge to many young women like yourself, in that, they have promoted the idea of being "skinny as beautiful" phenomenah. Some psychologists believe that it is at the root of a great deal of anorexia. Glamorous means skinny. Beautiful means skinny. Boyfriends mean skinny. Is that your reason?
To be honest, please do not go down that path. ALL humans have self worth no matter what their appearance is, not only to ones family and friends but more importantly to God. Yes, you indeed matter to God.
You cannot blame yourself totally for your Moms depression or your Dads HBP. Many of these conditions are hereditary and with or without you causing them problems they may have developed them anyway. You apparently have a terrible guilt complex about hurting your parents and that is a good thing, in a way, because it shows you care about them,,,BUT , they also care about you even in their present condition, THAT I can promise.
By hurting yourself, you will hurt them all the more and then your Dads HBP will really go up and your moms depression may very well increase. Believe me, choosing the less of 2 evils is the better choice and that would be to let them know you have a problem and need help. They will love you for it, I know they will.
I know you say you cannot , but I know you can.
Remember what the Wizard said to the Tinman?
A heart is judged not by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others"
I know you have it in you Texan, please consider what others are saying.
yes i do believe society has alot to do with the millions who suffer from any eating disorder. when i look on tv all i see is skinny. thats what i want. i was teased for many years about being bigger and already being self consious of the fact taht i am very tall being heavier did not help at all. i have no idea honestly what reason brought me to develop an eating disorder. its not that i blame myself COMPLETELY but the fact that my moms panic attacks and depression started right after my issues it makes me feel like its mostly my fault. i know that depression runs in the family so ya sure it could have been mostly heredity but like i said the timing factor. and many people with eating disorders often blame themselves for anything like this. i know that by hurting myself will cause them more pain and may make my dads HBP go further up and my moms depression will be worse. which is why i dont want them to know. so they dont know that im hurting myself. i am fully aware of the damage im doing to myself. and i know that i physically can tell someone to get help. but i dont want to i know that sounds bad but i just dont. i know that i need to and i eventually will and especially since im required to have a bone density test soon i know i cant blame it on vegetarianism for forever, im pretty sure doctors will figure it out on their own.
Your intentions sound very sincere in that you want to protect your parents from any harm...I can understand that, BUT in the end they will suffer a great deal, so much in fact that if something happens to you, they may never recover.
My mother, who passed away a number of years ago had many sayings , one of which was ," you can be sincere, yes, but you can also be sincerely wrong".
I do not know if I can convince you or not, I wish I could, but you will have to dig down deep inside and reason for yourself, hopefully in the right way.
Do you have a friend you could confide in? A Pastor? Minister? These sort of people can be a tremendous help.
yes i have told two of my closest friends but i told them that it wasnt a big deal and that i didnt really suffer from an ED that i just had "slip ups" of not eating. so they dont exactly know about how it is. and the other people who know have EDs too so they arent going to convince me to tell someone. i unfortunately are not really active in church so i wouldnt be able to just show up at a church and tell something like this... i wouldnt feel right doing so either. for the past month or so i ahve battled the thought of confessing but those times are when im at a low point in my ED and i feel that i cant take it anymore but in the end it always results in not telling, obviously.
yes i have told two of my closest friends but i told them that it wasnt a big deal and that i didnt really suffer from an ED that i just had "slip ups" of not eating. so they dont exactly know about how it is. and the other people who know have EDs too so they arent going to convince me to tell someone. i unfortunately are not really active in church so i wouldnt be able to just show up at a church and tell something like this... i wouldnt feel right doing so either. for the past month or so i ahve battled the thought of confessing but those times are when im at a low point in my ED and i feel that i cant take it anymore but in the end it always results in not telling, obviously.
Texas,
They have a ED section on this forum (you probably know already?) and there may be many there who could help you. It looks as though a few have similar problems in telling parents and so forth. If you haven't already it may be worth a look
Yes, showing up at a Church might be uncomfortable for some. For me, I've gone my entire life so that would be easy for me.
But there are some Christian helplines you could call. I could give you one here but I am not sure if I am allowed to. My son calls one when his OCD is troubling him sometimes.You may have to search the Net.
But believe it or not any Church with a good Pastor would be more than glad to help you. I myself, went in for counseling when my son had OCD. If it wasn't for the Church I would not have known what to do.
Usually just call and make an appointment is all it takes, letting them know you need to see a Pastor. No need to explain your problem, just tell them it is a private matter. Sometimes larger churches are better but not always. Smaller ones have more personableness to them. Pastors and Ministers can be most understanding and helpful.
Other than that it may be best to discuss ED in the proper section. HBP is fine here but perhaps it is straying a little into ED? IF you go to the ED section I will check in once in awhile to see how you are doing.
