Long Term Issues Due to Anorexia?

[Houseelf]

Hi Everyone,

I had anorexia during my twenties. I'm now mid thirties so it has been a while. Having had regular blood tests over recent years the doctors say though a recent blood test shows low white blood cells and low lymphocytes they, that it appears normal for me as they have always been low and still are... Is chronic low white blood cells and lymphocytes a repercussion of a history of anorexia? Has anyone else experienced this? (I am assuming at this point that it is chronic given they are still low) And easily picked up bugs?

I'm also finding I am getting far colder that I every did before. My hands in particular. I have to wear handwarmers inside permanently. And for the past three winters I have had onycholysis. I have no idea how to stop it and whether it is all linked - the cold/body circulation and my nails...

Any shared experience or insight much appreciated!

[Tm15]

Hi. My daughter is in recovery from anorexia and since January has had terrible problems with pain, swelling and coldness in hands and fingers. Blood tests have been clear but has been referred to rheumatology. Might be worth speaking to your GP for more investigations.

[crazycrossstitcher]

Rheumatology is the way forward - I have similar problems - nothing to do with anorexia - but down to poor circulation - you can get treatment - but also wearing warm clothing and gloves etc is a priority - thermals also - I wear them right through until about June time - also I always drink warm fluids as this seems to help - but rheumatology is probably the best solution.

[Houseelf in reply to crazycrossstitcher]

Thank you. Yes, I do those things (dressing in warm clothes including thermals, covering hands indoors, warm drinks through the day) and they definitely help keep my core warm, however my hands still remain cold. Given the issues it is now causing my nails and skin on my fingers, the doctor recently (since posting) put me on 5mg of nifedipine to help the blood vessels in my hands to stop shutting off the blood flow. I've been told to take it until the end of this month to help normal regrowth then to start again in October to try and prevent this issue from happening again! Fingers crossed.

[crazycrossstitcher in reply to Houseelf]

Yes - I've been on nifedipine for some years now - I take it all year and this may be something you need to consider in discussion with doctor - hope it goes well for you

[Houseelf in reply to crazycrossstitcher]

Thank you. I am reluctant to take all year round due to the side effects I experienced so I stopped at the end of the month! My face would flush red and be really hot for an hour + after taking and that affected the eczema on my face. I was also getting really bad headaches. I will pick it up again in October though.

[Hidden]

I know this is an old post but if you're still dealing with those blood problems I am having the same issues and I know that my doctor has referred me to see a hematologist which is a blood specialist and they can find out exactly what types of blood cells you're losing and how to fix that? But as you know the overall answer is getting to a healthy weight and having the proper nutrition as that this is what they told me would fix all these issues.

[Houseelf in reply to Hidden]

My GP referred to a hematologist but they looked at my bloods and said there was no concern, so it didn't go any further unfortunately. I find this annoying because as I said my white cells etc are really low! I wouldn't be surprised if they looked at them in isolation from my history. I haven't been given advice.

[Hidden]

Please do not let this go any further as I have struggled and you don't want the long-term consequences of anorexia. Well I've had anorexia for over 27 years and I have multiple long-term complications from this horrible disease. I have severe osteoporosis have broken many bones and have not had a period in over 20 years. I no longer produce hormones that are needed such as estrogen and I'm having severe hot flashes from that. I know that there are several long-term consequences and that is what is holding me back right now from getting better is I'm worried that these things will never get better even if I do gain weight and get to a healthy weight. I just need some encouragement and stories of Hope to tell me that these things can turn around and come back.

[Houseelf in reply to Hidden]

There is always hope. I had those same worries - that I would gain weight and nothing would improve. I'm going to be honest and say the first time I felt (so from my perspective) nothing did get better. However, that was my personal perspective which looking back and being honest with myself, came from the fact I didn't recognise the benefits because psychologically I hadn't caught up with recovery. However, there are many, many reasons to recover. and I learnt that through engaging more in life, I saw how much better I was in work. How I was socially, as in I felt far more connected. It actually became bearable to live. Then, with time, certain aspects of my blood work and how I physically felt really did improve. It's hard to describe that change in physical feeling, but those aspects really did get better. They just took time. I produce estrogen, but I have only had that tested a few months ago, I never had it tested in the years before now, so I'm afraid I can't comment on that part. I know of someone else who had anorexia for about 18 years (has osteoporosis etc) and when she recovered her periods returned (having never had them). She is now pregnant with her third child. I hope this helps in some way.

[Hidden]

Yes thank you. That is encouraging. I hope if I do gain the weight that my body will give me back my period and start producing estrogen again as I need this so bad for my bones and hit flashes/always feeling hot esp in my face all the time. I just wonder how much I need to get to weight wise? Like what BMI or what my ideal body weight is or what for all these things like estrogen and periods to come back?

[Houseelf]

Weight on return is different for everyone and important to note their return is not a marker of health - that someone has recovered. Bodies need to be consistently nourished and in recovery the body has a lot of repair work to do. I suggest you look at the website and podcasts suggested in this thread.

[Hidden]

Can I ask when you got recovered did you do it without the use of a nutritionist or being inpatient in a treatment facility? The reason I ask is because I've been in several treatment centers and they've never done anything except for made me gain weight but it never helped my mind. And then when I would leave I just hated the fact that someone had made me gain weight so I would try to lose all the weight and go back to my anorexia. The only times I've ever done well sustaining my weight was when I gained it on my own at my house and did it by just eating the things that I really wanted and got to a healthy weight but the thing is I never ended up sustaining it for fear that it was going to keep going and keep going so I guess I got frustrated that my body didn't just give me my period as soon as I got to that weight. I guess it's that I needed to stay at that weight for probably what a few months or so? I just want to know if I put in all this effort to try to overcome the crap in my mind to gain the weight and get to my ideal weight for my body then I at least want to know that my periods will come back and that that will make my body produce the estrogen needed to help my bones and to take my hot flashes away because that would be motivating enough for me and also I want my bones to get strong enough and I want my weight to be good enough that if I needed to I could get that spinal fusion that I desperately need but surgery or no surgery I just want my period back and I want this hormones to come back on so that I can feel like a 39-year-old rather than a 50-year-old going through menopause with osteoporosis and horrible hot flashes all the time.

[Houseelf in reply to Hidden]

I hear your worries and want for certainty but there is no predicting at what weight it might come. We can't chose it. It isn't a simple equation of weight = period, it is a bit more nuanced than that. It requires rest, nourishment from energy dense foods and consistency. The body needs to trust it will not be starved again, as starvation puts all organs under incredible stress.

In terms of your mind, again that healing comes from stained time at a healthy weight with consistent food intake. Weight comes first, mind second. Perhaps you haven't given it long enough in the past or gained high enough? There is no quick fix. If your body is still gaining then it is doing that to keep you alive, to heal all the damage done and showing you that you NEED to. The same goes for the mind. If you reach the weight you thought you needed to get to and your still thinking of food and showing other AN behaviours then you likely need to gain more weight.You have to trust the process just as your body is learning to trust you.

Have you tried outpatient? That way you can do it at home but receive psychological support. I appreciate you said you weren't interested in that, but you never know, you may have a better relationship with them and try not to hang on to any anorexia voice.

[Hidden in reply to Houseelf]

I know you're right but it's hard to accept. I'm freaking out today. The gyno just told me that she's not going to prescribe me the estrogen patch for it r my hot flashes since the cause is my anorexia causing the low estrogen. Her only advice is to try to get to a healthy weight. She feels that if I do that my body should hopefully start producing estrogen again and that would take away the hot flashes. But what am I supposed to do about these awful hot flashes if I can't gain the weight or if I do get to a normal body weight but my body still doesn't produce estrogen? These hot flashes are killing me!!!

[Hidden]

Okay thanks for your advice and help.

[Hidden]

Well now she changed her mind and she has decided that she is going to give me the hormone replacement therapy and I'm supposed to start the estrogen patch and progesterone pill tomorrow morning. I'm scared to death because my anorexic mind is terrified that the HRT is going to make me gain weight. So I'm going to try it but I am petrified. I just hope that it doesn't cause me to gain any weight. It's like if I want to gain weight on my own then I'm all right with that but I'm not all right with it if it's a medicine making me gain weight rather than from me just eating more food.

[Houseelf in reply to Hidden]

I understand this. Perhaps try reframing. Or having a mantra to recite over those anorexia worries when they float into your mind, that reminds you of why you wanted the patch? For example earlier you said you also needed estrogen for your bones, so the HRT might be of benefit there also. However, from what I have read in isolation this is not enough. What is most effective is nutritional rehabilitation i.e. gain in weight and body fat percentage. The latter is important for the return of periods and with that, bone density. Two people for example can be of the same weight but one have their menses and the other not. The difference lies in the one who menstruates having a higher body fat % and the other a much lower one. Exercise also has an effect on periods which is why many female athletes have amenorrhea and subsequently low bone density (it's known as the female athlete triad). This is why we are advised not to exercise during recovery.

Have you called TalkED and/or the ROS helplines? I hope now you have been given the estrogen you are still actively going to try and recover and gain weight at home as you suggest in another of your posts... Because, to be blunt, it won't be the hot flashes that kill you, but the anorexia.

[Hidden in reply to Houseelf]

Yes I know you're right. No I have not talked to the help lines you are referring to as I have not heard of them... Yes I am going to try to recover on my own because like I said before I can't afford a nutritionist and psychotherapy which never worked in the past anyway. And also since my parents are elderly in their 80s I don't have much time with them and I don't want to go to another treatment center because these never worked anyways so I want to be able to do it on my own plus that I need to be able to stay out of all those places and be at home so that I can go get my Evenity shot for my osteoporosis every month. I forgot if you already told me so I'm sorry but did you say that you did recover on your own too?

[Hidden]

Do you know what weight I should be at for being 5'1"? And what BMI I need to be at to start producing estrogen again and or for period to return( I'm most wanting the estrogen production for obvious reasons-hot flash relief.) I asked the gyno and she didn't even know what my ideal body weight should be for someone 5 ft 1 in. She told me to Google it she didn't even know what BMI I should be at??? I tried googling both these things and when I do they give all sorts of different answers.