Eating Disorder/older person - Page 2

chrystaltree · ‎05-10-2010

If she was malnourished, her physicians would know it and they would be working with her. She's on a low carb, high protein diet and that accounts for her weight loss. She doesn't want to regain that weight so she's being careful and she is afraid to go back to her old eating habits. She should be!

Still Raining · ‎03-30-2014

I don't see it as an disorder at all. Size 4 is a fine size and good for her for losing. Seems to have perked her up!

No idea which anticoagulant she is on, there are some who have issues with warfarin and watch what they eat.

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

@granddi

I think you know your friend very well, and are very astute to hear, and recognize her fears with eating after her heart attack. Please continue to take this seriously and help your friend!

My aunt developed these same fears after a heart attack from a blood sugar of 650, and the diagnosis of diabetes. By the time she left the hospital, insulin had brought her blood sugar down considerably, and she kept her daily readings in range on an oral med 2x a day. However, eating became a major problem for her, and she would not eat a bite of anything until she called my mother, me, or a neighbor who was a nurse, to ask if such and such food was "safe" for her to eat. We helped make a list of the best food options as well as weekly meals based on the food she bought.

From the time my aunt had her heart attack in April until September, she lost 80 lbs! Mom kept telling the doctor her sister was losing weight because she was too afraid to eat; she was not losing the weight in a safe way, but all the doctor saw was an overweight woman was down some unhealthy pounds, and there were no labs drawn to check for any type of imbalance from a drastic weight loss.

We knew something wasn't right in her brain. My aunt had been widowed 2 years when she went thru this health drama. During a regular office visit with her medical doctor, and in front of my mother, she tells him she's going to kill herself and be done with it all! That resulted in an emergency appt with a psychiatrist, where she once again, with my mother present, looks him in the eye and says she's going to kill herself. My aunt then agreed to inpatient psychiatric treatment for 30 days, where she went from stubborn and resistant, to the ideal patient. My aunt was discharged about 3 p.m. on Thursday, got home at 6:30, and by 10:00 she had shot and killed herself! She was 62 years old.

I wholeheartedly hope your friends weight loss is from healthier food options, but when a person verbalizes their fear of eating the wrong things, they have a problem that needs to be addressed ASAP.

granddi · ‎03-16-2010

@RedTop Thank you(and all our posting pals) for you kind words.

I've know my friend most of her life. She might have been a size 4 when we were 13.

She told me that she was instructed to eat a banana with her AM meds but only ate half the banana and has since skipped it altogether. I asked her if she was ready to reintroduce some calorie dense foods such as peanut butter or avacados. She said no, I'm going to lose some more. I'm guessing she has gone from 175 to 125 pounds.

It must be terrifying to have such a health scare. I'm just overthinking this. Thank you all for "talking me off the ledge."

Effie54 · ‎09-08-2010

@CelticCrafter wrote:
Depends on how much she weighed before she had the heart attack.
Believe me, wearing a size 4 is not the skinny pick of person you may think it is.

You don't think size 4 is skinny?

Growing · ‎07-12-2020

As someone who had heart surgery, not a heart attack, I suspect she has suffered trauma with the heart attack and truly is controlling her eating. The control of her eating is her way of mentally coping with the heart attack trauma and trying to ensure it never happens again. She may be beating herself up for eating poorly or being "overweight" (in her mind). Maybe you could talk to her about her feelings and just listen. Ask her gently if she found the heart attack traumatic, does she still think about it, maybe still worry. The thing is, skinny women have heart attacks also sometimes. I still have trauma in my head about my own heart surgery and the pain and the pain.

CelticCrafter · ‎03-09-2010

@Effie54 wrote:
@CelticCrafter wrote:
Depends on how much she weighed before she had the heart attack.
Believe me, wearing a size 4 is not the skinny pick of person you may think it is.
You don't think size 4 is skinny?

Nope, not based on vanity sizing.

hckynutjohn · ‎06-15-2015

@Growing wrote:
As someone who had heart surgery, not a heart attack, I suspect she has suffered trauma with the heart attack and truly is controlling her eating. The control of her eating is her way of mentally coping with the heart attack trauma and trying to ensure it never happens again. She may be beating herself up for eating poorly or being "overweight" (in her mind). Maybe you could talk to her about her feelings and just listen. Ask her gently if she found the heart attack traumatic, does she still think about it, maybe still worry. The thing is, skinny women have heart attacks also sometimes. I still have trauma in my head about my own heart surgery and the pain and the pain.

@Growing

Since my 2nd heart attack in 2007, several of my friends have had heart attacks. The most recent being one of my hockey player friends that is only 47 years old.

When I talked with them they had plenty of questions for me, because like many others, they were surprised when I had my 1st one. This was because they knew my lifestyle of physical fitness, along with the foods I had eaten for years.

My suggestion to all I spoke with was to go to Cardiac Rehab Classes, and as many as their insurance would cover. Those classes cover all aspects of a person's life, including the psychological effects from the heart attack itself.

They even have special evenings where the patient can bring their spouse/SO, or the person that will look over them during their recovery. The psychological effects on patients run from A to Z.

Some have a terrible time dealing with maybe thinking they were going to die. Others, like myself, think only of what I need to do to recover and get back to living my life again.

I don't know if @granddi friend went, or is going to these classes, but if not, I would suggest she talk with her Cardiologist about doing so. If they have Classes, such as I mentioned in the evening, she might even consider going with her to these classes.

Having a heart attack effects people very differently psychologically. Some have fear every time they have a certain discomfort, thinking, here I go again.

I can only speak for myself and my 2 heart attacks. The 1st one was by far the worst for my body. The heart attack itself wasn't what came close to killing me, it was the Aspiration Pneumonia, filling my lungs with fluid that was primary. Spent 8 days in ICU with a Balloon Pump in my major artery to assist my heart while going through getting the fluid out of my lungs.

I remember asking my PCP, who was my friend. "Will I ever be able to get back to living my same life again"? He answered honestly by saying "if you are patient and dedicated to doing so, yes".

It took over a year to get all the fluid out of my lungs, but during that time I regained most of my physical fitness, and I really never gave any thought psychologically, to being afraid to live my life again.

Have been through some long physical trips, and my hope that others that experience having a heart attack, do their best to work on the possible psychological damage that might effect them.

hckynut 🇺🇸

hckynut(john)

AuntG · ‎03-09-2010

I have a feeling she is fearful of eating. You sound like a good friend who is willing to listen and offer encouragement. Probably best to leave the doctoring to the doctors.

vsm · ‎05-08-2010

Did her doctor tell her to lose the weight? If so, good for her. If she was overweight before her heart attack, t's not surprising that she would want to avoid regaining it.