Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: About the eating disorder

I worry about the exact same thing- I worry that I have done some sort of permanent damage to my body and that I caused myself to develop IBS because of my ED...I don't know if that's true or possible, but I always beat myself up when I'm having bad IBS symptoms because I assume it's my own fault. Starting in high school I always had weird eating patterns. I never ate except at dinner time, but I never really controlled what or how much it was that I ate that one time per day. I jogged for an hour every night after dinner. I don't know if you would call that an ED, but it definitely wasn't normal or healthy. In college is when it got the worst. I cut out most all carbs and exercised for 3 hours a day and took laxatives every day and got really thin and just plain sick (more mentally than anything). That lasted about a year and a half before I just broke down and moved back home to get help with the ED. I can't really answer the question you asked me about whether my doctor thinks I'll always have digestion problems. I changed doctors last year, which was about six months after I started the ED treatment. I haven't mentioned the ED to my new doc. When I first started eating "normal" and getting help, I had TONS of gas. I think I mentioned that. That's why I tried Beano once. I'd say that was my biggest problem, along with bloating. But then, about 6 months after I started treatment I got pregnant. My stomach really got out of whack at that point. My new doctor just attributed the painful gas, bloat, and D to being pregnant and said it would go away when I had my son. Well, he's 10 months now and I still have problems! I'm more of a type A now, with cramping whether I'm C or D at the time. Part of me likes to tell myeslf that it is just IBS that developed after pregnancy- I think Heather even mentions that happening to some women. My doctor says it does make sense that I have IBS symptoms after having my son for a couple of reasons: 1. I've always had a sensitive stomach, even when I was a child. I usually got D after eating out, especially at chinese restaurants. 2. My son was growing really far inside of me...let me explain, because I know that sounds weird! While I was pregnant, the doc worried that he was going to be really small because my stomach measurements were weeks behind what it should have been. I just looked really small while pregnant. But he was born 10 days early and weighed 6 lbs 14 ounces which is a really normal weight. So the doc said it must have meant that he was just growing "deep" inside of me, squishing and compressing all of my organs giving me gas, D, and heartburn. 3. And now, my son still doesn't sleep through the night, so I get very little sleep, which contributes to IBS symptoms. Not only that, but before I knew it was probably IBS, there were plenty of days where I ate WHATEVER I wanted and felt PERFECT.
Sorry this post got so long, but I thought I might as well explain my situation so that I didn't seem like I wasn't answering your questions. I try to remember the six months between ending my ED and getting pregnant. I know I was really gassy at first, but I really do think it improved dramatically. I know I couldn't handle deep fried things, or lots of greasy foods, but I could eat just about anything else, dairy, red meat, etc. And since having my son, there have been days where I feel fine and have eaten whatever my little tummy desired and felt fine. I don't think our ED's will permanently effect us if we really make sure to change our destructive patterns. How long did you suffer from your ED? What type was it? Have you felt stable at all since it? When/how did you develop IBS?
I didn't know anyone else here previously had and ED. It's always in the back of my mind as a cause of this. It also kind of sticks with you a bit. I mean, I hate thinking that I need to stick to Heather's diet. This probably sounds dumb, but I hate thinking that I can't eat whatever I want. It's like, I restricted myself from so many foods in the past because I "wanted" to due to the ED, but now I have to avoid foods. I don't know if that makes sense. Well, I'll stop babbling now, and again I'm sorry this is so long!

Hope to hear back from you,
Amber

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