Cd Confused With Anorexia...

[bored-girl]

Hey everyone!

Well I'm 5'7 and 105 pounds and many people consider me anorexic. Doctors aren't willing to take me seriously, and tell me that I need "counseling for your food issues."

My mom recently found that she has celiac disease and I'm pretty sure that I do too.

I'm just wondering, has anyone else had similar problems? It is difficult for me to gain weight. I think I'm fine at this weight....... rar.

this is all so confusing!

~Whitney

[KaitiUSA]

I also had a hard time gaining weight. I was at a normal weight my whole life until my symptoms started then I couldn't gain anything. After I went gluten-free I was able to put on some weight.

Things like Ensure Plus help they have 350 calories in 1 little bottle of it. They are gluten free and taste alot better chilled. My fav. kind is Butter Pecan that helped me gain 6 pounds pretty quick. Also high calorie foods like cashews and peanuts may help. Snickers(though not the healthiest choice have alot of calories too. I had about 1 a day for a while.

Another thing is that I have a high metabolism and that can also make it harder to gain weight. For me I need about 1200-1300 calories for my weight but I have to have a good 2000 to put on weight.

You should be checked for celiac disease since your mom has it. Celiac disease is genetic so there is a chance you could have it. Good luck and if you need any help let me know

[megzmc3611]

I understand completely what you are going through. Before I was officially diagnosed with celiac disease I was down to about 99 lbs (although I am only 5 foot 4), from my normal weight of 108lbs. I was borderline anemic and therefore ALWAYS cold, no matter where I was or what I wore. When people would see me bundled in layers of clothing at work, they would say "Well if you would eat something and put some meat on your bones, then you would be warm like the rest of us!".

I would get sooooo frustrated, they had no idea that almost everything I ate made me sick! Since being diagnosed in Feb of 2004, I have gained about 5 lbs and am feeling somewhat better. I am still a little iron-deficient and still cold in my office....and still getting the comments about eating some food and gaining weight!

I think you should definitely get checked for Celiac.....especially if your mom has it and you have some symptoms. Good luck and hang in there...

Remember that these people who make comments to you or think you are anorexic have no idea what you are going through...

We here at the forum do though!

[skbird]

Hi Whitney -

I don't look anorexic (though in high school I was 138 - 5'10" and at my 10 year reunion people told me they *thought* I was anorexic back then) and am currently just under 150. But my "best" friend recently leveled with me a couple of weeks back that I obviously have food issues (duh!) and that I have gone up and down in weight the 8 years she's known me (70 pounds up and down) and she is concerned and I need to go to a psychologist or psychiatrist in her opinion. She said I am always coming up with these new lists of foods I can and can't eat and that I never get better or feel good (I don't agree with this, BTW) and she really thinks I need to realize I have an eating disorder. She was drinking a beer while talking to me and said she thought I just ought to have a beer with her like old times and the next morning she'd call me to distract me from any misguided feelings of not feeling well that I may have.

For some reason I listened to her without getting upset, because I was having my own crisis that day of wondering why I have so many negative reactions to things around me, foods, plants, etc etc etc... BUT not big enough of a crisis to attempt to drink the beer, which besides being gluten-containing, is also alcohol-containing and would make my blood sugar plummet. I tried to explain later to my husband that I think one difference between control-issues because of GI/celiac disease versus control-issues because of anorexia is that the former *improves* life while the latter doesn't.

Sure, it's possible to be anorexic and GI, or anorexic even *because* of GI (who wants to eat when everything they eat makes them feel terrible!) but just because you are on the thin side doesn't mean you are anorexic. Many people have trouble gaining weight with GI/celiac disease (ok, not me, I guess!). Many people also don't understand GI/celiac disease or any food intolerances at all either, so just remember that.

Take care

Stephanie

[gabrielle]

I understand completely and i feel for you. Before I was gluten-free, I lost 20 pounds and my doctors would not believe that I was not anorexic or bullemic. At my lowest i was 102 pounds and no matter what i said, or how i told them i felt they did not want to believe that there might be something seriously wrong with me. Until, I stood up to them and told them that I eat like a cow and for some reason my body would not hold the weight i needed it to. You need to stand up for yourself and your health. Don't let the doctors tell you that you have food issues when it may be costing you your health. Best of luck to you and I hope you find what is wrong.

[celiac3270]

Welcome .

I think most of us here have experienced the disbelieving doctors, parents, or friends. My mom used to think I was getting sick from stress, the doctors used to think I wanted attention, and I can't imagine what kids at school thought when I was sick so many days a year.

Besides gastrointestinal symptoms, I also had great difficulty in gaining weight. I'm 14, 5'4" now, and up to 91 pounds....a year ago I was about two inches shorter and I was barely 70 pounds. I tried to eat a lot to gain weight, but I would get sick every 7 days and drop below 70. The rest of the week was spent gaining it back before I got sick again. Fortunately, my parents realized that I didn't have some sort of eating problem. Over the past year I've gained over 20 pounds total, but I didn't get any big gains until I found out I had another intestinal problem about a month ago. Since then I gained 12 pounds.

Is weight gain your only symptom? Also, you should definitely get tested, along with everyone else in your family, for celiac disease since it's genetic. Even people without symptoms should get tested if a relative is diagnosed, since a majority of celiacs are asymptomatic, anyway.

I think I could use an extra 10-20 pounds, but now that I think I've discovered all my problems, I can put that on easily. gluten-free foods are fattening and I've developed a much greater appetite since they corrected my other intestinal problem.

Good luck and keep us posted...lol no pun intended.

-celiac3270

[Carriefaith]

I understand how you feel... I was underweight when I was diagnosed and I had people telling me that I looked too thin, like it was gross or something, and one person was asking if I was eating, implying eating disorder... I was embarressed of my weight and was sensitive to what other people said about me.

I've gained about 10 pounds since last year and have started to look healthier. Now people say you look so much better now then you did! (I'm like I looked that bad?).

[Thomas]

Keep going to doctors, and see if you can get tested....

Good luck

[Guest nini]

when I was in highschool my mother was convinced I had an eating disorder. I have repeatedly been sent to psychiatrist after psychiatrist and after sitting in their offices for weeks on end they would ask me "now why are you here?" Even as an adult about 4 years ago I went through it again where MY DOCTOR thought I just had an eating disorder and needed to see a shrink. Again, I saw her for a few weeks and she told me I most def. didn't have an eating disorder. In high school I was ultra skinny and even did modeling and such. I was so afraid to eat anything so for a long time I lived on a concoction with pears, mayonaise, and cheese. (ICK!!!!) It was the only thing that didn't seem to upset my tummy and it gave me some energy. After the birth of my daughter I couldn't LOSE weight no matter how little I ate or how much I threw up or had the big "D".

[tarnalberry]

I think it's tough - especially when on the gluten-free diet - because you have to be so excessively careful with your food that it can LOOK like an eating disorder to other people. The detail to what you eat, and avoiding a number of foods, are classic signs of disordered eating, it's the reason for these "signs" that's different. But to those around us, the signs are far easier to see than the reasons for them.

[plantime]

You will look anorexic if you are at a dinner party, and everything being served has gluten in it! People don't hear as much about celiac disease as they do about anorexia, so they make judgments based on what they know. However, for a >doctor< to make such and erroneous judgment is just plain wrong!

[dancer-girl86]

Don't worry, I am the same, although I havent yet been diagnosed with ceoliac. I have always been very underweight, and it's so annoying when you go to the doctor for a specific reason and they are more interested to see if you are eating enough, and want to weigh you. Although now I am not as underweight as I used to be, the doctors do imply that I am anorexic, even though I eat loads.

You would think doctors would understand, especialy if you have ceoliac or have symptoms of ceoliac. One of the main things about ceoliac is that you are malnurished because of the effects of gluten (I think thats right) on the body so there is a chance especialy fi a family member has it that you might also have it!

Good luck with your diagnosis, and dont worry about the doctors. You know your not anorexic!

cat

[jenvan]

Whitney-

Some good info posted here--that if you have celiac disease is it very common to be under weight. You did mention that you feel you are fine at your current weight, which sounds very skinny to me. I just want to be honest and ask the question--do you think you have any eating issues unrelated to Celiac, in addition to maybe having the disease as well? Perhaps you are just used to your weight, but wanting to remain very thin may be tied to something else as well. If so, and you are diagnosed and begin to gain weight, it could be a potential struggle for you. I ask because I had an eating disorder years ago. I was 5' 4" and got down to 85 lbs, and this was not related to my Celiac at all. Just want to make sure I ask the question in case it needs to be asked...

If not, then definitely get tested, and good luck trying to help other understand your situation!

[cdford]

There was an episode of the show "Doc" that dealt with this. My family had that teenager diagnosed long before the characters figured out that she had celiac instead of an eating disorder. The girl just cried and kept trying to tell everyone that she was sick physically.

[PrincessLEah]

Hey I had the exact same thing. in 6 months I dropped to 60lbs at 10years and I weighed less than my 6 yearold friend who could pick me up and carry me around. I've always been thin but this was extreme. My friend who was 6 turned 7 and could still pick me up and carry me around. My mom became frantic and took up to the doctor who didn't believe I was actually sick he thought I was purposely making myself have diarah. Which I would have done ANYTHING to avoid.eventually my parents stopped believing that I was sick because I was sick everyday and after every meal when it was time to wash dishes I was sick and would dash to the bathroom and stay in there for an hour. So they thought I was "being sick" to avoid chores. After what seemed like forever my mom absolutely would not take no for an answer had made my quack of a doctor give me a blood test for celiac disease because my aunt has it. I was very disapointed that I didn't have just a virus which could have been treated with medication. Alas it was not. I have now gained 20lbs in the last 3 and a hlaf years that I have been on the celiac disease diet

[melly]

Hey everyone!

Well I'm 5'7 and 105 pounds and many people consider me anorexic. Doctors aren't willing to take me seriously, and tell me that I need "counseling for your food issues."

My mom recently found that she has celiac disease and I'm pretty sure that I do too.

I'm just wondering, has anyone else had similar problems? It is difficult for me to gain weight. I think I'm fine at this weight....... rar.

this is all so confusing!

~Whitney

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was 12 years old and i was 63 pounds and 4' 11 for awile

[Thyraxeon]

Hey i'm new to the celiac board, and when i was 14-15 yrs old, in the summer before i went out to my dads to get checked out cause my Mom was getting worried cause i was dropping drasticly. i weighed 68lbs at the lowest, and around 70 at the highest. Not only was i Celiac at the time i was also lactose intollerent, and had Candid sprew, which is a fungus that lives inside your intestines and feeds off sugar. Anway when i got out to my Dad and was checked out i had to go on a Gluten, Sugar, and Dairy free diet rigt away. Went on it one week before my 15th B-day. while out at my Dads i gained up to around 78lbs, then came home. Got into a sticky situation (which i wont post on here but if some of you want to really know about it just contact me at Thyraxeon@yahoo.com, or IM me on YIM with the account name Thyraxeon) Anyway had to go to Virginia while out there went off my diet for about 2 weeks, gained a few more pounds then the symptoms started to return and quickly got off.

In the fall came back home and while at home for almost a year of being gluten-free i was up around 90 some pounds, and when it came back to the next fall and i was 16yrs old i hit my highest weight of 102 and started looking healthy and good, but then we thought hey i look good why not treat myself to some donuts. BIG MISTAKE had donuts two weeks in a row. and now today i'm 18yrs old, weighing 72-75lbs and cannot gain weight. And i really need some help on how i could reverse this and get bac up to my weight, cause one thing that happend is for some reason i dont get hungry, i do eat meals but i dont eat alot. please some one post back to send me an E-mail, Thanks

[Janelson]

When I look back I cant even imagine what my body went through before I was diagnoised. I did have an eating disorder actually for about 2 years plus I had the celiac disease. The begining of my senior year of H.S. I was almost 170 pds. at 5'3...I know I know. ANyways by the middle of freshman year of college I was 125 pds! WOW! Then I just couldn't stop losing and I thought it was do to my lack of eating but it was also do to C.D. About 4 months ago I weighed 115 pds. and was getting scared cause I just wanted to gain again. Now I dont wish that so much because as soon as I quit glutten out of my diet and gave up the bad eating habbit I am at 130 pds. ICK! But I try to see it for the better. Moral of the story...cutting out the glutten was a big help. I mean I went from anerexic to trying to gain to cutting out glutten and then finally problem was solved...now I need to figure out a healthy way to drop a few pounds again lol. It never ends!

[Merika]

Ooooh, doctors make me so mad! I was 19 and in school when I started showing big celiac symptoms. After repeated doc visits and tests for mono, I ended up in the emergency and admitted to the hospital. I had dropped 15 pounds (5'8" and about 105 pounds) in two weeks. I had always been thin, so was my mom (also later diagnosed celiac), and I had always looked and felt fine. Until then.

To wake up in the hospital, be alone and scared out of your wits, to have the lady in the uniform next to your bed say "good morning dear, have you heard of something called bulimia...." and just want to scream inside your head and think, oh my god these "experts" are going to kill me because they won't take the time to figure out what is Really wrong with me......and you know what, they never did. After 2 weeks of monitoring and testing, they were convinced I was taking diet pills (never once did in my life, why would I, I was naturally skinny, lol) and somehow showing negative on the urine tests.....they said they couldn't help me and I needed to see a psychiatrist. Luckily, my mom believed me and was on my side.

Fast forward 12 years, no psychiatrists, and I finally get a diagnosis of celiac and have years of damage to repair now on my body. grrrrrrr.

So, I guess I don't count as a teenager anymore but I wanted to offer sympathy and say if you are a thin teen female, look out, because they are going to want to stereotype you and disregard what you say. Now at 32, when I tell the doc - I have nausea constantly, yadda yadda, they sort of listen to me. But when I was 19? Phooo, they sure didn't listen to me then.

Best of luck,

Merika

[glutenkiddies]

My nickname is anorexic Allix at my school. I can't stand it. I did a report on celiac disease for class and they still didn't believe me. Anorexic Allix. Wonderful.

[celiac3270]

My nickname is anorexic Allix at my school. I can't stand it. I did a report on celiac disease for class and they still didn't believe me. Anorexic Allix. Wonderful.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's TERRIBLE! Who calls you that, the teachers or the kids? Well, kids I imagine...that's awful. They even know what you have and they won't believe you. Sorry to hear that--kids are mean.

[Lexis]

I have the same problem Im 5'2 lost 20 pounds and was just under 80 pounds, and Im 15. My freshman year I was called down to the guidance counselor many times because teachers thought I had an eating disorder, some asked if I was being feed at home! I told them several times that I get horiible stomach pains, and my parents called them telling them I eat and about my symptoms. Finally my parents brought me to the doctor I got tested for celiac disease and was positive, but I am still bothered at school from thw guidance department, teachers, and Vice principal. My GI doctor had to write them a letter saying I was under close watch, and was seeing a nutritionist to help with the weight gain. After about six months I gained about 10 pounds. Hopefully my sophmore year will be a lot easier.

[miamia]

Welcome .

I think most of us here have experienced the disbelieving doctors, parents, or friends. My mom used to think I was getting sick from stress, the doctors used to think I wanted attention, and I can't imagine what kids at school thought when I was sick so many days a year.

Besides gastrointestinal symptoms, I also had great difficulty in gaining weight. I'm 14, 5'4" now, and up to 91 pounds....a year ago I was about two inches shorter and I was barely 70 pounds. I tried to eat a lot to gain weight, but I would get sick every 7 days and drop below 70. The rest of the week was spent gaining it back before I got sick again. Fortunately, my parents realized that I didn't have some sort of eating problem. Over the past year I've gained over 20 pounds total, but I didn't get any big gains until I found out I had another intestinal problem about a month ago. Since then I gained 12 pounds.

Is weight gain your only symptom? Also, you should definitely get tested, along with everyone else in your family, for celiac disease since it's genetic. Even people without symptoms should get tested if a relative is diagnosed, since a majority of celiacs are asymptomatic, anyway.

I think I could use an extra 10-20 pounds, but now that I think I've discovered all my problems, I can put that on easily. gluten-free foods are fattening and I've developed a much greater appetite since they corrected my other intestinal problem.

Good luck and keep us posted...lol no pun intended.

-celiac3270

I don't know if you feel comfortable reveiling your other intestinal problems but I went gluten-free and still have not gained wait I was just wondering what else you corected to gain the weight.

Miamia

[amber-rose]

Hey,

I'm 14 (almost 15) 5'7, and i fell down to about 100 lbs. before i was actually considered that i might have celiac disease. I was falling into the 5% range of people my weight or whatever. Luckily, my doctor believed I wasnt anorexic, because i was telling her all my symptoms, of getting stomach- flu like symptoms. My aunt also has it celiac disease, so they are going to confirm it this Christmas by doing a biopsy. But they are about 95% sure I have it. I changed my diet, for awhile because I couldnt take being sick anymore. But I have to eat alot of gluten a week before my bioposy or else they wont be able to tell if i have it. I feel 100% better though after changing my diet! I didnt know that I could actually feel this good, I've always had problems since i was like 7, so i've been sick for awhile. I've ate gluten free for about 4 months now, and have gained 5 lbs. which is good for me because it has always been hard for me to gain weight since all my family is underweight and has high metabolism.

-amber

[eKatherine]

Hey,

I'm 14 (almost 15) 5'7, and i fell down to about 100 lbs. before i was actually diagnosed with celiac disease. I was falling into the 5% range of people of whatever. Luckily, my doctor believed I wasnt anorexic, because i was telling her all my symptoms, of getting stomach- flu like symptoms. My aunt also has it too, so they are going to confirm it this Christmas by doing a biopsy. But they are about 95% sure I have it. I changed my diet, for awhile because I couldnt take being sick anymore. But I have to eat alot of gluten a week before my bioposy or else they wont be able to tell if i have it. I feel 100% better though after changing my diet! I didnt know that I could actually feel this good, I've always had problems since i was like 7, so i've been sick for awhile. I've ate gluten free for about 4 months now, and have gained 5 lbs. which is good for me because it has always been hard for me to gain weight since all my family is underweight and has high metabolism.

-amber

Well, actually you have to eat a lot of gluten every day for 3 months before the biopsy, and even that may not be enough to get you positive results on the biopsy. Did they run blood tests? Your positive dietary response should be enough reason to stay gluten-free.