so how do you know if youve a problem

[Guest saoirse]

due to drink problems ive got stomach problems , ive almost quietened the drink demons after they tried kill me but have little or no interest in food .i realy have to make effort to eat. ive lost a lot of weight in the last year or so and i had no excess to start with. im afraid to weigh myself but suppose i better do it soon . it probably wouldnt be so bad but im too damned tall as well. is there a scale of height to weight ? , theres probably a bit of an internal struggle going on here too as id be happy being this thin for my femme side (luv them skinny dresses :-) ) but its just not working for the day to day me . maybe i just need to work this out in my head and writing it here helps me define the problem .

[Guest Edu]

is there a scale of height to weight ?

Body mass index (or BMI for short; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index) has been used for quite a while as a prediction criteria for risks of weight-related health issues. Although it has some limitations and shortcomings, aiming to stay within the "healthy" range of BMI is often a good idea.

There are many other criteria that are acknowledged to be more accurate for predicting risks of health issues, but none of them is as convenient and as easy to measure as BMI. You may check the "See also" section in the wikipedia article I linked above for more detailed information about many of these indexes.

All that is useful as informative estimates, but the safest and most reliable option comes down to getting a full medical examination by a qualified professional.

Hugs,

Ethain

[JJ]

Are you seeing a Dr for the stomach problems? That would be my first suggestion. Some only get worse or don't resolve without treatment. OTC stuff can even make some conditions worse. Usually from what I have read the sooner it is treated the less long term damage is done and the faster you heal. And some problems left untreated can even ultimately be fatal.

Your Dr -and an honest evaluation in a mirror -will tell you more than the BMI. If you look up the different BMI calculations the ones where you also figure in your state of fitness and bone structure are closer to accurate. But that said my BMI shows me in a healthy range. But I have been called emaciated at this weight before by my Dr and since this time I have lost 180 lbs I have approximately 35-40 lbs of skin that should not actually be figured in to BMI. When I subtract that the picture is completely different. When I finally had my eyes opened and really looked in a mirror with the right light all my ribs are showing front and back and I am underweight. Something I now have to address. Had I not realized what was happening I could have ended up doing serious damage though figuring on the plain BMI charts I am fine. What I am saying is that there are too many variables to rely on BMI or anything else except as a very inaccurate guideline for average people.

More curvy figures are coming back into style though studies have shown men always preferred them anyway. And more curvy is more feminine for sure.

So please see you Dr and find the weight at which you look and feel best.

Johnny

[VickySGV]

Absolutely, see a doctor and work with them. I associate your term drinking with alcohol which is now all the more reason to get a very thorough physical examination with tests for about every one of your interenal organs. If a doctor did not supervise your withdrawl from the alcohol, you could have damage in several areas that will relate to your food intake and utilization. I know this from personal experience, and thankfully am here to nag about it.

[Guest saoirse]

Absolutely, see a doctor and work with them. I associate your term drinking with alcohol which is now all the more reason to get a very thorough physical examination with tests for about every one of your interenal organs. If a doctor did not supervise your withdrawl from the alcohol, you could have damage in several areas that will relate to your food intake and utilization. I know this from personal experience, and thankfully am here to nag about it.

yes i see the doc regular enough and i have various tests in the pipeline , getting test is not easy here unless you have plenty of money.

yes by drink i mean the alcohol . ive had some pretty big problems with it and do still but in a much smaller way .i kind of buried my problems with alcohol since early in my life. im being a lot more careful about drinking now but its such a big part of social life its hard to get away from it altogether . i think ill be a bit more active in the alcohol abusive forum now .

gotta go

thanks for the replys

hugs

[Guest Emily Ray]

I am in the midst of my own ED crisis and have learned a lot recently. Most people with eating disorders are diagnosed after seeking help for gastro problems. Be honest with your doctor. Many GP's don't have experience with ED's and so you might need to get additional help for a proper diagnosis.

Good luck.

Emily

[Guest saoirse]

just revisiting this thread. im definately underweight at this stage. recent visit to the doc left me a bit taken aback.down 5kgs since i last posted on this thread.

im pretty sure at this stage my main eating problem is a mental one, for the life i lead and work i do i should really be trying to gain weight , but i like my waist/shape too much as it is . its the old internal struggle coming at me from a different angle .

for now im going to try bulk up a bit untill im into the normal range on the scale linked to in the post above . its going to take a lot of effort im not happy doing it but its for the best .

the alcohol isnt a factor anymore . i rarely drink these days and when i do its small amounts . i do however still have a few pain and painkillers issues ongoing.

again thanks for the replies ,they mean a lot

[Guest saoirse]

Ive gone down another 5 kgs since the last post .I still struggle eating and have little or no appetite . Pain is still a big issue too and I have lost faith in docs who just want to give me drugs and I am going to go to a herbalist / healer . Just thought I would update .

[Guest saoirse]

HI all .

Just to revisit with an update .

I had to have a laparosopy and get adhesions that were connecting my stomach to my bowel removed . its been a year and there has been complications but my weight is slowly climbing . i am about 63 kgs now and in less pain .

Thanks again to the few that replied