D1ng0Senior Contributor
Dealing with bad health news
(TW: Discussion of an eating disorder.) I recently had some testing done, and today the results came back. My ED has caused internal physical damage. I didn't even know that this type of damage could occur in someone like me, since I'm still relatively functional and don't necessarily look like I have an ED. (Edit: I know that's bullshit social stigma I've internalised, it's something I'm struggling with due to how my body appears.) I thought the testing was just a precaution. I truly didn't expect that the results would be abnormal. I thought I was doing okay. I didn't want to believe that my past eating patterns could have caused any ongoing damage. Even though I know that ED sufferers don't all look the same, I was clinging to the hope that I was never truly unwell because, to look at me, you wouldn't know how disordered my eating was/is.
I'll be meeting with my GP soon, to understand what this means for me, and how we should proceed. I also have the support of a dietician and a psychologist, but I'm not seeing either of them for a bit, and I don't really have anyone else to talk to. So, that's why I'm making this post.
I'm pretty scared by the results being abnormal. It feels really, really difficult to eat in a moderate way, and the stakes seem incredibly high now, since I was hurting my body without even knowing it... just using food, of all things. For some reason, the idea that food intake could have harmed my body so much still seems bizarre. Sometimes I understand my ED and feel confident as I talk about it. Right now I just feel overwhelmed.
I'm frightened of eating the wrong way and hurting myself more. I'm still dealing with depression, anxiety, chronic pain, obsessive thoughts, etc. And after the recent online abuse I experienced, I'm just so damn tired, even beyond the chronic fatigue. I don't want life to be this difficult anymore. Everything seems to be stacking up. Before I can handle the newest issue, another one is dominating everything. I swing between being calm and at peace with my situation, to being frustrated and numb. I barely even recognise the things I did/said two days ago. I know that, in 24 hours, I'll probably swing to either intense hopelessness or positivity.
Some nice words would be appreciated, if anyone here has the time? Or maybe some solidarity? I know my situation isn't totally unique. It'd be great to know that other people have found a way through an onslaught of health issues, to eventually live a more peaceful life... especially if you have faced an ED too. Thanks in advance, folks. I hope you're doing okay.