i have a hard time eating
@xmichelletarax (370)
United States
October 2, 2011 9:08pm CST
i have severe anxiety about getting sick. im not sure why but i do, it started last year around this time.
if i get sick to my stomach or get any type of pain or really anything i have panic attacks.
because of this i am very careful and picky about what i eat. now i used to eat anything and everything and a lot of it. but now i have a really hard time trusting foods.
i see all the recalls and it really tends to freak me out. im constantly worryed about if it will make me sick. if i dont know when it was bought or where it was bought from i cant eat it.
because of this my boyfriend and i almost never go out to eat, even when we have the money its really hard for me to give in and go out to eat. on the rare occasion that i do i have everything to anti nausea pills to anti diarrhea pills, to xanax and a ton more pills.
i have to carry these pills with me everywhere i go. it just makes everything so much harder because i LOVE food and now i have to be super careful which had caused me to loose over 20 lbs in less then a month and when your 122 lbs and almost 6 feet tall to start with.... its not good.
i have to make up for what i dont eat with ensure shakes but they are soooo expensive.
i have a problem now where all i feel comfortable eating is junk like chips and hot pockets... pretty much all processed crap because of all the recalls i see.
i know people say if its cooked well then it kills the bacteria but i still wont risk it.
i just want to be able to eat like a normal person and not have to explain to everyone all the time why i wont eat what they cook and that its not their fault.
like the other night my boyfriend made pork, it smelled sooo good but earlyer that day i saw a pork recall so i couldnt make myself eat it and he got really upset because he spent like FOREVER cooking it and i wouldnt eat it. i felt sooo bad and it took me a while but i finally explained it to him and he understood.
im old enough to live alone but i cant even stay home a few hours by mysself for the fear of getting sick. nor can i eat when im alone
im just sick of it, do any of you have any ideas that may help me and or do any of you have any storys you would like to share??
4 responses
@courtknee525 (3742)
• United States
3 Oct 11
Since it's becoming a major problem for you, then I would suggest maybe seeing a psychologist. I'm a psych major right now and a few weeks ago one of my classes had a whole class on anxiety disorders and panic disorders.
Have you ever gotten food poisoning from something you've eaten? Because maybe that's why you're afraid to eat certain foods. Depending on the type of psychologist you see, their treatment approach will be different. Some will talk to you and see if there's some underlying cause to your fear and others will explain to you that the food really is safe and then gradually get you to eat things that you're afraid of.
Don't be scared to get help. This is something that is affecting your health and I'm sure it has to be bothering you mentally and emotionally as well.
@courtknee525 (3742)
• United States
4 Oct 11
If you get sick from eating a bunch of different foods, there might be an underlying health issue that you're not aware of. It's normal to get food poisoning (usually from a restaurant) but when it constantly happens then maybe it's not the food. Maybe you have acid reflux? I'm not totally sure what it really is I just know that people often throw up after eating and get sick.
I mean, you can try going to a psychologist again but make sure you go to one that's not a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists are allowed to prescribe meds, psychologists can't. They'd rely on other methods to find out what's wrong instead of just medicating you right away. If not, try finding a doctor that specializes with the stomach. Maybe they'd be able to find something all the other doctors can't.
@xmichelletarax (370)
• United States
4 Oct 11
i have always believed their was an underlying health problem, but i see numerous doctors and have been tested for literally everything and nothing came up.
i do know i have acid reflux and
i am hypoglycemic (sp?) which means i have low blood sugar that i have to keep track of or i can pass out/black out or have seizures.
i have endometriosis which means my uterus tissue that i am supposed to bleed out grows out side my uterus on my ovaries, bladder, stomach, ect. and is extremely painful
along with enlarged blood cells
and almost always have cysts 5 cm or larger.
my actual doctor (not all the specialists i see) say that my getting sick is actually caused by my anxiety. then again my actual doctor never believed a word i said because my dads girlfriend worked there so he thinks that i just acted sick to get out of school.
thank you for your advice though :) i will call around and see if i can get into a psychologist
@xmichelletarax (370)
• United States
3 Oct 11
yes i have had food poisoning along with some other issues i mentioned in the first comment above.
all the diffrent psychologists and doctors i see all just put me on more meds. and i hate meds, they all make me sleep.
its weird like if i have ever eaten something and then gotten sick, even if it wasnt caused by the food, i have issues ever eating that food again and because of how often i get sick it really narrows what i eat.
@shanemae (1025)
• Philippines
3 Oct 11
hi there, i see your struggle now..
maybe it's best if you consult a psychiatrist or is that a psychologist?
i mean, to help you out.
maybe they can help you 'bout conditioning your mind that these stuffs aren't bad and you won't become sick by it.
maybe they could also track what really happened and how come you have developed these things in mind.
i hope you get well soon and enjoy food.
enjoy all sorts of food again.
@xmichelletarax (370)
• United States
3 Oct 11
i see a psychiatrist now and i have been for about 7 months now along with handfuls of doctors for it. they all have the same idea... put me on more meds. im trying to stay away from all the pills because on them all i do is sleep.
as far as we can figure i got the anxiety from 3 separate occasions
1) i went to a restaurant with my family and ended up with severe food poisioning.
2) around Christmas last year i got a stomach bug and was vomiting and had severe diarrhea and both of those things freak me out and are really gross
3) i went to a canoe thing with my family and friends and got sick after eating and ended up passing out in front of hundreds of people. when i woke up they had me on the ground hooked up to an EKG machine. my mom and family were all standing over me and the EMTS were telling them i was having a heart attack. all these people were trying to get close and find out what was going on and were all staring at me. so when im around people i get all freaked out.
so i know what causes it i just dont know how to control it.
@shanemae (1025)
• Philippines
4 Oct 11
wow! that experience really is too much!
no doubts why this thing is happening to you now.
now, let me think..
maybe you can actually prepare the food by yourself.
in that case you are assured on how these foods are done.
do groceries by yourself. to check the things that you will be preparing also to make sure that you check the expiration of the stuffs bought.
i think those are some of the things you could actually do to be assured that what you are eating is safe. also when your boyfriend cooks or someone would prepare food for you then be there as they prepare your food.
i hope this helps.
i pray you get through this soon.
@prasanta (1948)
• India
3 Oct 11
I have only two suggestions, if you like them, then practise for six months without being inquisitive to assess/evaluate the result. On the first day of the seventh month just see the condition.
1) Do three rounds of (free hand) physical exercise daily as long as your body permits each time. Early morning (5 to 6 am IST) go for running then eat a stmach full breakfast (~ 7am IST). Take lunch (~11 am IST)one third of stomach full. In the twilight do swimming (~6 pm), then take dinner (1/2 stomach full)latest by 7:30 pm (IST). By 8 pm, eat an apple. Nothing except water after that. Between 10: 30 to 11 pm , just do some breathing exercise. Then drink water and go to sleep, latest by 11:05 pm. Never at 11:o6 pm...
2) Whenever you are free, (go or) think you are alone beside a river, watch the waves. Or think, you are alone watching the stars hours after hours...
3) Do these without questioning even to yourself. As I told you, see the result in the seventh month.
All your problems will go. Restlessness comes from external stimuli. Once you act against them in natural way, it goes, but obviously it takes time. All your problems are originating from restlessness.
@rmendoza123 (637)
• Philippines
3 Oct 11
Just pray buddy, everything is possible to God. I suffered the same fate before, but with the help of God i conquered it, i think it work for you also.
Consulting to doctors is also an option.
