Double Whammy: EDs are Mental Disorders with Physical Consequences
Today, I spent the morning and early afternoon in the ER.
Here’s the run down of what happened: I woke up feeling slightly nauseated, but okay enough to do my usual long walk before going to the lab. However, things went downhill during lab meeting. I was presenting today, and right before it was my time, I felt really nauseated to the point of wanting to get up to go throw up in the bathroom. I didn’t, instead I just closed my eyes for a bit, then went ahead with my presentation. It was fine at first. But, somewhere near the end, I started feeling dizzy and light-headed, very rapidly. My supervisor and others were asking me questions, but I couldn’t focus on answering them. I couldn’t think. Then, I could barely hear. Everything was dizzy, and I felt really faint. I almost fainted, but didn’t (I was sitting). This was all happening very fast. I was also sweating a lot, soaked in sweat, really, and sharp abdominal pain did not help. Anyway, with the help of others, who said I looked very pale, I first went to lay down on a couch, vomited a bit, and then went downstairs to the ER. Things are fine now, I just feel tired and weak.
Why am I writing about this? Well, it made me think: how much of what went down is a result of my eating disorder? I often think any and every physical ailment I may have, is a result of my eating disorder, except for perhaps the flu. I mean, it is hard not to: I’ve had an ED for so long.
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Article: Sansone, R.A., Naqvi, A., & Sansone, L.A. (2005). An unusual cause of dizziness in bulimia nervosa: a case report. The International Journal of Eating Disorders, 37 (4), 364-6 PMID 15856497