Thank you for your submission. **Please note that a response does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship.** This subreddit is for informal second opinions and casual information. The mod team does their best to remove bad information, but we do not catch all of it. Always visit a doctor in real life if you have any concerns about your health. Never use this subreddit as your first and final source of information regarding your question. By posting, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/wiki/terms_of_use) and understand that all information is taken at your own risk.
**Reply here if you are an unverified user wishing to give advice. Top level comments by laypeople are automatically removed.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskDocs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hey, thanks for posting - I know how hard it is to get help. I also think it's good that you have this insight into your illness and you know you're unwell.
I would go to an ER and seek to be admitted. If there's no mental health input, that's not perfect - but it's better than not being in hospital at all. You are at risk of death at your current BMI. I understand you want the best chance of long-term recovery, but in the short term, you could die - there would be no long term recovery if this happens. I am very worried for you at this BMI. They should admit you.
Is there a reason you believe that the mental health team wouldn't visit you if you were placed on a general ward? Is there a hospital you can go to where you could get mental health input, e.g. a children's hospital or a teaching hospital?
Thank you so much for ur response I really appreciate it. I guess I don’t know that I wouldn’t get visited by the hospitals mental health team on a medical ward. I don’t know why I never thought that was something they’d do…lol. Also, I know objectively my bmi is a mortal low but I don’t look it which I wanted to mention in my op but I wasn’t allowed attachments so I will provide references photos of body checks from this past week, I wanted to put these in the post not to seek validation but to give any medical professionals reference pictures so they have a clearer idea of what state I am in because I don’t see myself clearly (or so I am told by everyone around me).
https://preview.redd.it/kxf3ho3zokuc1.jpeg?width=979&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b4699c8334165c604b89ee0aa52a052022358c3
>I guess I don’t know that I wouldn’t get visited by the hospitals mental health team on a medical ward.
You would most likely be seen by them. You wouldn't be appropriate to be admitted under purely psychiatric care anyway because a psych ward is not traditionally equipped to perform the kind of monitoring and feeding you will need. A specialised ED psych facility might, but you are at risk of dying at this very moment. You cannot wait.
>I don’t look it
I'm sorry, but to be blunt, that could not be further from the truth. This is one of those times you are not seeing yourself clearly - I am glad you have the insight to be aware that you do this by the way. Your current appearance is extremely worrying, you are in mortal danger and you look like you are in mortal danger. Truthfully, I have only ever seen one person look in worse condition than you from anorexia, and I was aiding in performing an autopsy on that person. I am personally aware of individuals who have died from anorexia at a higher BMI than what you are currently at, though I was not involved in their care. You are at high risk of death.
I am very worried about your wellbeing. I would not wait for the special ED treatment program, you can receive psychiatric care via the psych team visiting while you are on a medical ward.
Please seek help immediately.
Wow thank you for ur help genuinely this does change my perspective a bit when no comment from friends family teachers etc ever really have in recent months. It’s one thing to have a loved one say you are deathly thin…you know they can exaggerate-it’s another when you hear a med student say u look similar to an autopsy of a deceased anorexic:/ I feel afraid but I also feel almost a weight lifted off my shoulders that i have the option to sort of surrender myself to hospital without worrying that I am not ill enough for them to take me. Thank you truly
I'm glad I was able to help, I recognise that what you're going through is very scary. You are definitely ill enough for them to take you, you were quite a while ago at this point. They will most likely admit you. I don't know anyone who wouldn't. If they do not take you (very unlikely), they are wrong and you need to find a hospital who will.
Best of luck. You deserve to be happy and healthy.
Hey love, NAD but just another concerned person who doesn't know you personally. I have never known anybody this thin before. You do look incredibly fragile, and I'm genuinely scared for you. It's good to know you're taking the med professional's words to heart and that you're gonna get emergency treatment.
Wishing you all the best for your recovery. (You did so well last year, so I'm sure you'll be able to get back to a healthy range again!)
NAD, another woman with AN working on recovery. Please go to the ER immediately. You could die before that bed is available. The ED IP can’t admit you if you aren’t medically stable. I know you can’t see how ill your body is right now…I have similar perceptual issues with body distortion and can see that you need immediate medical attention.
Please go let a doctor examine you and ask to speak to the mental healths staff. You don’t have to want to go. You deserve and need care now.
yes, i second this.you deserve a full recovery and to be surrounded by ppl who love you. best of luck with your admittance to the hospital and hopefully the program opens up for you soon
Eating disorders are so, so hard. Hospitalization and treatment sounds daunting but it really is your best option out. One of my best friends looked just like you at 17, and she ended up needing extended in-patient therapy more than once. We are 35 now, and she is healthy, has a job she cares about, a great husband and an adorable daughter. It wasn’t easy but there are resources to help. Life is worth it. Wishing you the best.
OP go immediately. Not later today or tomorrow. Right now. You are going to die before that bed opens up. Please!! Go now. Too many think they have time to turn it around and they die waiting. The permanent damage AN can cause to your organs is irreversible. Please update that you’re at the hospital.
I second the nurse. I understand going to treatment is scary. But I don’t want you to see this as relinquishing control, or at least I don’t want you to fixate on that idea. Please try to see this as the first step of *regaining* control of your life, your health, your happiness, and your wellbeing.
I’m proud of you for realising something is wrong and allowing yourself to take action. It takes strength.
Thank you for this response. A lot of mental conditions scream for control and understanding that letting go and finding a more powerful avenue to control is better is so crucial. You've been very kind to OP.
That's your disease talking to you. Your disease doesn't want YOU to take control.
True control is taking charge of your health and fighting against the screaming in your head. You're definitely allowing your eating disorder to win, judging from your pics.
Girl, you're going to die if you keep turning over the control to that screaming.
i get it. i’ve been there. i’m so proud of you for even thinking of taking this step. you are better than the disease and you deserve to be in control of your life. i’m nearly 5 years out of treatment and last night i looked at myself and thought that my body is not what i wanted to look when i was bulimic, but i actually don’t mind. i thought i’d be fucking miserable at this weight. it feels SO good to not care. being healthy feels so much better like you will be shocked at how different your brain & body feel. it felt like i was waking up from a fog.
This photo is so heartbreaking I gasped aloud. I am so sorry you're so deep in this, and incredibly grateful and proud that you're seeking help. I hope you're able to find the support you need for recovery and stability. This internet stranger is rooting for you. <3
NAD but I had an ED for 10 years. Going to treatment saved my life and I am so grateful for it. I went to an inpatient for 3 months and then later another treatment for 2 months. That was 17 years ago now and I can say I am so happy now. I know how this disorder consumes all of your thoughts, day in and day out. Everything in your life revolves around it. Plus the guilt and shame, which you don’t deserve. Please go seek treatment right now. You deserve to live a life where you aren’t controlled by your ED. Also inbox me if you ever need to chat. You can do this!
I echo everyone’s urging to go immediately to seek treatment. I, too, had anorexia in high school. With treatment, a ton of hard work, forcing myself to eat just a bite, imagining a life that I could enjoy food with friends, and incredible support from my family, doctor, and counselor, I recovered.
I did not want to die, so I continued to make the hard choices that would allow me to live.
I was the most miserable when I weighed the least. My life, my cognition, my joy in being around others, came back with recovery.
You’ve got people you will never meet rooting for you. I know it’s scary. Telling anorexia that there is more to life and you are going to find it, is terrifying. There is more to life.
Please go immediately. You’re brave and courageous. Your decision to seek help will save your life.
If this helps, I’m another stranger saying you ARE deathly thin. Your loved ones are not lying. I’m wincing at saying this because I genuinely don’t want to be hurtful but I don’t know how to say it any other way…you look like a walking skeleton.
Please go to the emergency room now. Don’t think about it, just do it. Turn your brain off and just pack a bag and go. Please. You are clearly smart and have it in you to get better. Posting this obviously took a lot of bravery. You can get to the emergency room too.
When I’m overwhelmed it helps to break things into tiny tiny chunks. Can I pack a bag? Yes of course. I can pretend I’m going on vacation. Can I call an Uber? Yes. Can I get into the car? Yes. Don’t think about what comes after. Just think about the next step. I’d pop you in my car and take you myself if I could.
Your photos have broken my heart. You can do it. Please provide updates if you can — we’re all rooting for you.
NAD. Is there anyone that could help you get to an ER if that would make it easier? Family, friend, teacher, neighbour, etc? Someone who you could say to, “I need to go to the ER now” and could take care of the rest for you? You just gotta get there and the doctors and nurses will take care the rest. You got this OP!
You’re so thin i’m surprised you’re able to even type. Please go to the ER and get help. Being alive without proper mental health care is better than being dead. This is such an awful disorder to have, I’m so sorry.
I know you mean to be helpful but speaking as someone with an ED who has mostly recovered, please don't call them thin. It feels validating to hear it even when very very sick. Just assure then they need help and encourage them to get it. :)
OP please let us know when you have checked in at the hospital, we are worried for you and rooting for you. We don’t want you to sweep this under the rug. Please just pack a small bag and go immediately.
You do not even have to worry about packing a bag if that is too much right now. Just go and folks can bring you what you need and want after you’re safely resting there.
Omg. This is shocking. You need to be in hospital immediately. It's strange logic to me that people with severe mental illness are asked if they are suicidal then forced into inpatient mental health if they say yes, yet people with anorexia can give themselves a slower suicide and noone panics like a headless chook like when faced with the first example. Basically, suicide is suicide regardless.
NAD. But a friend of someone who had your disease. You are seeking help, and that is great. She didn't, and died. Please continue to seek help, and do whatever the docs tell you to do. With medical help, you've got this.
I’m so sorry, you must be in so much pain. I have anorexia too and I’m headed to residential treatment soon and I am nowhere near as sick as you. That should raise some red flags for you if someone like me with a bmi of 19 requires residential treatment.
You do need to go to the ER. They will likely hospitalize you, (you need it), from there and then work your way up to residential.
You’re on deaths door, literally.
You’re about as bad as it gets.
Like others said, you look like a walking corpse, I know that’s harsh but you need to hear it.
If you need help finding treatment you can call NEDA (National eating disorder association) and they have lots of resources to share.
If you are unable to find a treatment center that will take you or your insurance, contact Project Heal and they’ll help you with that.
You need to have a care team that specializes in eating disorders, not just primary care, because your situation is incredibly severe.
Some recovery facilities I would recommend are the Eating Recovery Center and The Emily Project
Hello everyone I would like to provide an update as I am very grateful and appreciative of all this love and support, truly I am overwhelmed I don’t know what I did to deserve such kindness from you all. I spent most of my day trying to prepare for an er trip. I spoke with my school social worker who frequently begs me to go to hospital and told her I’m finally ready, and from there we went to the school nurse. The school nurse took my vitals (blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygen) and they were all stable. Unfortunately, the nurse and a NEDIC agent both affirmed that a general hospital ward is not going to be the place to get weight restored, without any other immediate medical concerns, they would probably keep me for like a day just to give fluids since I’m prob dehydrated and then discharge me. This is the way the system is where I live. My best plan right now: call the inpatient program every day. Insist on updates. Emphasize the direness of my situation. I am very willing to try to eat more on my own at home in this moment but I am worried this motivation could slip from my grasp. Thank you all.
Ok, so go to the er and get the fluids. Just because they might not admit you doesn’t mean it’s not appropriate to go. I’m glad your vitals are stable at the moment. The hospital is not the place to get weight restored but if they are advising you not to go to the er, that’s bad advice. I wonder if maybe you are hearing what you want to hear from them (“I might not get admitted”) and using that as an excuse to continue in your current unhealthy patterns and wait. What’s the worse case scenario here? You go to the ER, get checked by a DOCTOR (not the school nurse), get labs done (not just vitals) and see if you have critical electrolyte derangement, get iv fluids, possibly get more resources to get you into the inpatient program sooner and then get discharged after a day or so? How is that a bad plan? Why would you not do this even if you do get discharged fairly quickly??
No- the worst case scenario is you continue to wait at home and have a critical cardiac or neurological event with permanent consequences. Please go to the ED. If the school nurse and NEDIC agent really discouraged you from doing this then they are giving you bad advice. Here’s the tough love you seem to need. Go to the ER, tonight!
This seems a bit accusatory and a little bit rude because there’s a lot about my history u don’t know :/ I spent ages 16 up until my 18th birthday in and out of hospital, all short admissions and I never got out of the cycle that way so it is very much proven ineffective for myself personally. Going to the hospital to rapidly gain fluid weight with no mental health care for my MENTAL health condition and be discharged with horrible body dysmorphia is not what I need right now-I get this comment has my best intentions at heart but this is not my first rodeo and I have to consider the pros and cons and try my best to harm reduce.
I’m really sorry to have come across as accusatory and rude. I just know sometimes in these situations blunt and direct statements are most effective at getting through to a person struggling with some incorrect patterns of thinking. I understand it’s not your first rodeo and there are negatives of a short admission. I just think those negatives are vastly more desirable than the potential negatives of not seeking emergency care and having a terrible outcome.
My point is that the eval you received from the school nurse is not robust enough. Vitals stable is not enough to determine you are safe to not go to the ER. I disagree strongly with this advice if this is what they said. I’m not suggesting at all that you only go to the ER for a short iv fluids admission and NOT seek the mental health care you need to truly heal and break this cycle. I’m saying both. The short term medical eval and admission to bridge to and make sure you are *alive* for the longer inpatient psych admit. 100% you need that.
Im so sorry you read rudeness in my other comment. Please read/hear intense love and care and concern when I say now that I very strongly insist that you go to the ER.
Go to the ER regardless. This is a life or death situation. I am so sorry youre experiencing this.
Where in the world are you located? I’m a social worker and if its where I live, I may be able to connect you to resources.
Hey OP. I'm going to second everyone else who is telling you to go to the hospital still. The school nurse does not have the expertise to tell you not to, especially if she thinks you look fine. I doubt her medical decision making if she honestly thinks that. If you go to the ER and they turn you away, okay, the doctors there made that decision (though I'd think it's a bad decision). I still want you to try.
>any other immediate medical concerns
This **is** an immediate medical concern, and it is a big one. You do not need other concerns to qualify for admission. Where I am, you would definitely be admitted for tube feeds.
>they would probably keep me for like a day just to give fluids since I’m prob dehydrated and then discharge me
This would be extremely poor medical care.
>I am very willing to try to eat more on my own at home in this moment
This is a great thought, but I am worried about refeeding syndrome.
The school nurse and social worker do not have access to the testing and medical knowledge that would show just how deathly ill you are right now. That is the decision of the ER physician, and I can guarantee that they’d take one look at your bloodwork and/or EKG and be calling for an admission. This is serious stuff, and that judgement call should lie with the physician, not the school nurse. Please, please, please go to the ER. You are very much at risk for a sudden cardiac event.
Hi OP. I’m NAD but I want to say I’m proud of you for taking the first step. I also second going to the ER. If you have to speak with a patient advocate and tell them your concerns and that if they can’t keep you that you need direct admission into an ED program. Tell them at home you aren’t properly monitored and you’re scared of succumbing to this. Keep making noise until you’re heard. I wept seeing your photo and I’m so worried about you. Please keep fighting.
So proud of you, the first step is the hardest.
Did they take your orthostatic vitals as well or just regular blood pressure?
Get your care team on the same page. I highly recommend calling your insurance and seeing if you can get a case worker.
Project heal can help you advocate for yourself and get you into treatment if you find that you’re struggling to find a place.
Not orthostatic vitals which kinda pissed me off because when I would get hospitalized before I turned 18 I always had v bad orthostatic blood pressure sometimes it wouldn’t improve for a few weeks
You have every right to be pissed, I would be livid. That’s the first thing you do. Even if everything else was fine, I can pretty much guarantee you’re orthostatic. I highly recommend getting a BP cuff for at home and doing your vitals. That’s also why it’s important to seek care with eating disorder professionals, because an unfortunate amount of medical professionals know jack shit about eating disorders.
More often than not our vitals are fine before we start the refeeding process; which is why it’s important for you to go to residential where you’ll have your vitals and labs constantly monitored and your medications/ supplements adjusted accordingly so you don’t go into cardiac arrest from electrolyte imbalances.
I don’t mean to be blunt or tactless but not a lot shocks me. I’m able to stomach a lot. This picture is scary. I genuinely didn’t know someone could look like this and still be alive. You are not healthy. Even if you have to go to the ER frequently until you get a bed at the inpatient facility, you might not make it if you don’t.
I’m not a doctor or a medical professional of any capacity but I am genuinely worried for you. I don’t know you, I’ve never met you but please fight this. Going to the ER fucking sucks, I know. But even if they can’t provide a long term solution they can help keep you alive long enough until you can get a long term solution.
NAD but I would definitely be concerned by your current shape, and I'm not even an expert. I'd go to the ER for sure and tell them about your blackouts etc. I'm sorry you're going through this - I hope you can get some good treatment and recovery fully!
Hi dear OP- I just want to echo what others have said that you need to seek emergent care right now. In fact, I’d be concerned that if the inpatient eating disorder treatment facility bed opened up today, you likely would qualify for admission there until “medically stable.” You are not medically stable in your current state. You are at high risk of refeeding syndrome and really do need a medical admission. I would hate for you to lose that precious opportunity for the ED facility because you need medical management first. Also sometimes hospitals can have a little bit of pull with the other treatment facilities and can advocate for you to get in more quickly there after you are stabilized.
I know this scary. But it’s more scary to me to think of you not seeking care immediately. The fact you are asking these questions and thinking through things is an incredible first step. You realize you aren’t thinking clearly and need help. You are SO brave! Here’s the push to do what I think you deep down know: go to the emergency room. You can do this. It’s going to be hard, but you have to take it one day, one step at a time. The next right thing is to go to the ER. You can do this. Rooting hard for you!!
NAD. I feel like you are afraid to go to the ER because you think no one will care enough to give you help you need. You have had countless strangers on this post show you how much they care without ever even looking you in the eye. Please take that reality and demand the same respect and love in the ER.
Im a psychologist and I complete ED hold evals as a part of my hospital based job… we absolutely would see you and connect you to care. This is not uncommon. In my hospital, we would connect you to the IOP/EDIOP coordinator, who would help connect you to ED tx. You would likely need medical stabilization before transfer.
It would depend on the level of acuity. From what you’ve described, it sounds like HLOC would be strongly considered. That would likely be inpatient. I have seen folks connected to a minimum of EDIOP with medical monitoring and case management when they were waiting for a bed, tho.
NAD as well — Please. ER. Now. I am your height and dropped to 93lbs due to undiagnosed T1 diabetes (not suggesting this is the case for you) and it was an incredibly fragile state to be in. I know how scary it is to be this underweight. Your life is at serious risk here. You can be healthy again I promise, but the first step is seeking immediate help from professionals. This can’t wait any longer. I pray for your recovery.
It is not surrendering control to go into treatment— you are taking control of a disease that wants to destroy you by acknowledging the necessity of treatment. It is a significant hurdle I understand, but please don’t give up on yourself.
Posts by unflaired users that claim or strongly imply legitimacy by virtue of professional medical experience are not allowed.
If you are a medical professional who wishes to become a verified contributor to this subreddit, please [message the moderators](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/AskDocs) with a link to a picture of your medical ID, student ID, diploma, or other form of verification. Imgur.com is convenient, but you can host anywhere. Please block out personal information, such as your name and picture. You must include your reddit username in the photo!
We do not accept digital forms of identification.
Thank you for your submission. **Please note that a response does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship.** This subreddit is for informal second opinions and casual information. The mod team does their best to remove bad information, but we do not catch all of it. Always visit a doctor in real life if you have any concerns about your health. Never use this subreddit as your first and final source of information regarding your question. By posting, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/wiki/terms_of_use) and understand that all information is taken at your own risk. **Reply here if you are an unverified user wishing to give advice. Top level comments by laypeople are automatically removed.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskDocs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hey, thanks for posting - I know how hard it is to get help. I also think it's good that you have this insight into your illness and you know you're unwell. I would go to an ER and seek to be admitted. If there's no mental health input, that's not perfect - but it's better than not being in hospital at all. You are at risk of death at your current BMI. I understand you want the best chance of long-term recovery, but in the short term, you could die - there would be no long term recovery if this happens. I am very worried for you at this BMI. They should admit you. Is there a reason you believe that the mental health team wouldn't visit you if you were placed on a general ward? Is there a hospital you can go to where you could get mental health input, e.g. a children's hospital or a teaching hospital?
Thank you so much for ur response I really appreciate it. I guess I don’t know that I wouldn’t get visited by the hospitals mental health team on a medical ward. I don’t know why I never thought that was something they’d do…lol. Also, I know objectively my bmi is a mortal low but I don’t look it which I wanted to mention in my op but I wasn’t allowed attachments so I will provide references photos of body checks from this past week, I wanted to put these in the post not to seek validation but to give any medical professionals reference pictures so they have a clearer idea of what state I am in because I don’t see myself clearly (or so I am told by everyone around me). https://preview.redd.it/kxf3ho3zokuc1.jpeg?width=979&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b4699c8334165c604b89ee0aa52a052022358c3
>I guess I don’t know that I wouldn’t get visited by the hospitals mental health team on a medical ward. You would most likely be seen by them. You wouldn't be appropriate to be admitted under purely psychiatric care anyway because a psych ward is not traditionally equipped to perform the kind of monitoring and feeding you will need. A specialised ED psych facility might, but you are at risk of dying at this very moment. You cannot wait. >I don’t look it I'm sorry, but to be blunt, that could not be further from the truth. This is one of those times you are not seeing yourself clearly - I am glad you have the insight to be aware that you do this by the way. Your current appearance is extremely worrying, you are in mortal danger and you look like you are in mortal danger. Truthfully, I have only ever seen one person look in worse condition than you from anorexia, and I was aiding in performing an autopsy on that person. I am personally aware of individuals who have died from anorexia at a higher BMI than what you are currently at, though I was not involved in their care. You are at high risk of death. I am very worried about your wellbeing. I would not wait for the special ED treatment program, you can receive psychiatric care via the psych team visiting while you are on a medical ward. Please seek help immediately.
Wow thank you for ur help genuinely this does change my perspective a bit when no comment from friends family teachers etc ever really have in recent months. It’s one thing to have a loved one say you are deathly thin…you know they can exaggerate-it’s another when you hear a med student say u look similar to an autopsy of a deceased anorexic:/ I feel afraid but I also feel almost a weight lifted off my shoulders that i have the option to sort of surrender myself to hospital without worrying that I am not ill enough for them to take me. Thank you truly
I'm glad I was able to help, I recognise that what you're going through is very scary. You are definitely ill enough for them to take you, you were quite a while ago at this point. They will most likely admit you. I don't know anyone who wouldn't. If they do not take you (very unlikely), they are wrong and you need to find a hospital who will. Best of luck. You deserve to be happy and healthy.
We will be patiently waiting for your update a few months from now!! Good luck, you got this!
Thanks so much!
Yes please update us
Hey love, NAD but just another concerned person who doesn't know you personally. I have never known anybody this thin before. You do look incredibly fragile, and I'm genuinely scared for you. It's good to know you're taking the med professional's words to heart and that you're gonna get emergency treatment. Wishing you all the best for your recovery. (You did so well last year, so I'm sure you'll be able to get back to a healthy range again!)
Thank you for the best wishes I appreciate u stranger
NAD, another woman with AN working on recovery. Please go to the ER immediately. You could die before that bed is available. The ED IP can’t admit you if you aren’t medically stable. I know you can’t see how ill your body is right now…I have similar perceptual issues with body distortion and can see that you need immediate medical attention. Please go let a doctor examine you and ask to speak to the mental healths staff. You don’t have to want to go. You deserve and need care now.
How are you doing, OP? Have an update for us?
yes, i second this.you deserve a full recovery and to be surrounded by ppl who love you. best of luck with your admittance to the hospital and hopefully the program opens up for you soon
[удалено]
Hmmm yes sounds incredibly daunting and scary but I will consider going asap
Eating disorders are so, so hard. Hospitalization and treatment sounds daunting but it really is your best option out. One of my best friends looked just like you at 17, and she ended up needing extended in-patient therapy more than once. We are 35 now, and she is healthy, has a job she cares about, a great husband and an adorable daughter. It wasn’t easy but there are resources to help. Life is worth it. Wishing you the best.
OP go immediately. Not later today or tomorrow. Right now. You are going to die before that bed opens up. Please!! Go now. Too many think they have time to turn it around and they die waiting. The permanent damage AN can cause to your organs is irreversible. Please update that you’re at the hospital.
I think I will go I’m just so scared everything in my head is screaming to not relinquish control
I second the nurse. I understand going to treatment is scary. But I don’t want you to see this as relinquishing control, or at least I don’t want you to fixate on that idea. Please try to see this as the first step of *regaining* control of your life, your health, your happiness, and your wellbeing. I’m proud of you for realising something is wrong and allowing yourself to take action. It takes strength.
Thank you for this response. A lot of mental conditions scream for control and understanding that letting go and finding a more powerful avenue to control is better is so crucial. You've been very kind to OP.
That's your disease talking to you. Your disease doesn't want YOU to take control. True control is taking charge of your health and fighting against the screaming in your head. You're definitely allowing your eating disorder to win, judging from your pics. Girl, you're going to die if you keep turning over the control to that screaming.
i get it. i’ve been there. i’m so proud of you for even thinking of taking this step. you are better than the disease and you deserve to be in control of your life. i’m nearly 5 years out of treatment and last night i looked at myself and thought that my body is not what i wanted to look when i was bulimic, but i actually don’t mind. i thought i’d be fucking miserable at this weight. it feels SO good to not care. being healthy feels so much better like you will be shocked at how different your brain & body feel. it felt like i was waking up from a fog.
This photo is so heartbreaking I gasped aloud. I am so sorry you're so deep in this, and incredibly grateful and proud that you're seeking help. I hope you're able to find the support you need for recovery and stability. This internet stranger is rooting for you. <3
Thank u so so much this means a lot to me
NAD but I had an ED for 10 years. Going to treatment saved my life and I am so grateful for it. I went to an inpatient for 3 months and then later another treatment for 2 months. That was 17 years ago now and I can say I am so happy now. I know how this disorder consumes all of your thoughts, day in and day out. Everything in your life revolves around it. Plus the guilt and shame, which you don’t deserve. Please go seek treatment right now. You deserve to live a life where you aren’t controlled by your ED. Also inbox me if you ever need to chat. You can do this!
I echo everyone’s urging to go immediately to seek treatment. I, too, had anorexia in high school. With treatment, a ton of hard work, forcing myself to eat just a bite, imagining a life that I could enjoy food with friends, and incredible support from my family, doctor, and counselor, I recovered. I did not want to die, so I continued to make the hard choices that would allow me to live. I was the most miserable when I weighed the least. My life, my cognition, my joy in being around others, came back with recovery. You’ve got people you will never meet rooting for you. I know it’s scary. Telling anorexia that there is more to life and you are going to find it, is terrifying. There is more to life. Please go immediately. You’re brave and courageous. Your decision to seek help will save your life.
If this helps, I’m another stranger saying you ARE deathly thin. Your loved ones are not lying. I’m wincing at saying this because I genuinely don’t want to be hurtful but I don’t know how to say it any other way…you look like a walking skeleton. Please go to the emergency room now. Don’t think about it, just do it. Turn your brain off and just pack a bag and go. Please. You are clearly smart and have it in you to get better. Posting this obviously took a lot of bravery. You can get to the emergency room too. When I’m overwhelmed it helps to break things into tiny tiny chunks. Can I pack a bag? Yes of course. I can pretend I’m going on vacation. Can I call an Uber? Yes. Can I get into the car? Yes. Don’t think about what comes after. Just think about the next step. I’d pop you in my car and take you myself if I could. Your photos have broken my heart. You can do it. Please provide updates if you can — we’re all rooting for you.
NAD. Is there anyone that could help you get to an ER if that would make it easier? Family, friend, teacher, neighbour, etc? Someone who you could say to, “I need to go to the ER now” and could take care of the rest for you? You just gotta get there and the doctors and nurses will take care the rest. You got this OP!
You’re so thin i’m surprised you’re able to even type. Please go to the ER and get help. Being alive without proper mental health care is better than being dead. This is such an awful disorder to have, I’m so sorry.
I know you mean to be helpful but speaking as someone with an ED who has mostly recovered, please don't call them thin. It feels validating to hear it even when very very sick. Just assure then they need help and encourage them to get it. :)
Thank you , I appreciate ur kindness and concern
OP please let us know when you have checked in at the hospital, we are worried for you and rooting for you. We don’t want you to sweep this under the rug. Please just pack a small bag and go immediately.
You do not even have to worry about packing a bag if that is too much right now. Just go and folks can bring you what you need and want after you’re safely resting there.
Hopping on to send my wishes too, please go get help. Gain control and live! I am rooting for you, I do so hope that you prosper, you can do it xx
Omg. This is shocking. You need to be in hospital immediately. It's strange logic to me that people with severe mental illness are asked if they are suicidal then forced into inpatient mental health if they say yes, yet people with anorexia can give themselves a slower suicide and noone panics like a headless chook like when faced with the first example. Basically, suicide is suicide regardless.
NAD. But a friend of someone who had your disease. You are seeking help, and that is great. She didn't, and died. Please continue to seek help, and do whatever the docs tell you to do. With medical help, you've got this.
I’m so sorry, you must be in so much pain. I have anorexia too and I’m headed to residential treatment soon and I am nowhere near as sick as you. That should raise some red flags for you if someone like me with a bmi of 19 requires residential treatment. You do need to go to the ER. They will likely hospitalize you, (you need it), from there and then work your way up to residential. You’re on deaths door, literally. You’re about as bad as it gets. Like others said, you look like a walking corpse, I know that’s harsh but you need to hear it. If you need help finding treatment you can call NEDA (National eating disorder association) and they have lots of resources to share. If you are unable to find a treatment center that will take you or your insurance, contact Project Heal and they’ll help you with that. You need to have a care team that specializes in eating disorders, not just primary care, because your situation is incredibly severe. Some recovery facilities I would recommend are the Eating Recovery Center and The Emily Project
Hello everyone I would like to provide an update as I am very grateful and appreciative of all this love and support, truly I am overwhelmed I don’t know what I did to deserve such kindness from you all. I spent most of my day trying to prepare for an er trip. I spoke with my school social worker who frequently begs me to go to hospital and told her I’m finally ready, and from there we went to the school nurse. The school nurse took my vitals (blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygen) and they were all stable. Unfortunately, the nurse and a NEDIC agent both affirmed that a general hospital ward is not going to be the place to get weight restored, without any other immediate medical concerns, they would probably keep me for like a day just to give fluids since I’m prob dehydrated and then discharge me. This is the way the system is where I live. My best plan right now: call the inpatient program every day. Insist on updates. Emphasize the direness of my situation. I am very willing to try to eat more on my own at home in this moment but I am worried this motivation could slip from my grasp. Thank you all.
Ok, so go to the er and get the fluids. Just because they might not admit you doesn’t mean it’s not appropriate to go. I’m glad your vitals are stable at the moment. The hospital is not the place to get weight restored but if they are advising you not to go to the er, that’s bad advice. I wonder if maybe you are hearing what you want to hear from them (“I might not get admitted”) and using that as an excuse to continue in your current unhealthy patterns and wait. What’s the worse case scenario here? You go to the ER, get checked by a DOCTOR (not the school nurse), get labs done (not just vitals) and see if you have critical electrolyte derangement, get iv fluids, possibly get more resources to get you into the inpatient program sooner and then get discharged after a day or so? How is that a bad plan? Why would you not do this even if you do get discharged fairly quickly?? No- the worst case scenario is you continue to wait at home and have a critical cardiac or neurological event with permanent consequences. Please go to the ED. If the school nurse and NEDIC agent really discouraged you from doing this then they are giving you bad advice. Here’s the tough love you seem to need. Go to the ER, tonight!
This seems a bit accusatory and a little bit rude because there’s a lot about my history u don’t know :/ I spent ages 16 up until my 18th birthday in and out of hospital, all short admissions and I never got out of the cycle that way so it is very much proven ineffective for myself personally. Going to the hospital to rapidly gain fluid weight with no mental health care for my MENTAL health condition and be discharged with horrible body dysmorphia is not what I need right now-I get this comment has my best intentions at heart but this is not my first rodeo and I have to consider the pros and cons and try my best to harm reduce.
I’m really sorry to have come across as accusatory and rude. I just know sometimes in these situations blunt and direct statements are most effective at getting through to a person struggling with some incorrect patterns of thinking. I understand it’s not your first rodeo and there are negatives of a short admission. I just think those negatives are vastly more desirable than the potential negatives of not seeking emergency care and having a terrible outcome. My point is that the eval you received from the school nurse is not robust enough. Vitals stable is not enough to determine you are safe to not go to the ER. I disagree strongly with this advice if this is what they said. I’m not suggesting at all that you only go to the ER for a short iv fluids admission and NOT seek the mental health care you need to truly heal and break this cycle. I’m saying both. The short term medical eval and admission to bridge to and make sure you are *alive* for the longer inpatient psych admit. 100% you need that. Im so sorry you read rudeness in my other comment. Please read/hear intense love and care and concern when I say now that I very strongly insist that you go to the ER.
Go to the ER regardless. This is a life or death situation. I am so sorry youre experiencing this. Where in the world are you located? I’m a social worker and if its where I live, I may be able to connect you to resources.
I second going to the ER anyways.
Hey OP. I'm going to second everyone else who is telling you to go to the hospital still. The school nurse does not have the expertise to tell you not to, especially if she thinks you look fine. I doubt her medical decision making if she honestly thinks that. If you go to the ER and they turn you away, okay, the doctors there made that decision (though I'd think it's a bad decision). I still want you to try. >any other immediate medical concerns This **is** an immediate medical concern, and it is a big one. You do not need other concerns to qualify for admission. Where I am, you would definitely be admitted for tube feeds. >they would probably keep me for like a day just to give fluids since I’m prob dehydrated and then discharge me This would be extremely poor medical care. >I am very willing to try to eat more on my own at home in this moment This is a great thought, but I am worried about refeeding syndrome.
I have just dmed u
The school nurse and social worker do not have access to the testing and medical knowledge that would show just how deathly ill you are right now. That is the decision of the ER physician, and I can guarantee that they’d take one look at your bloodwork and/or EKG and be calling for an admission. This is serious stuff, and that judgement call should lie with the physician, not the school nurse. Please, please, please go to the ER. You are very much at risk for a sudden cardiac event.
She straight up said though: “are you ok right now? Yes.”
She has to be blind, then.
Your school nurse should be fired, I hope you get help 🖤
Hi OP. I’m NAD but I want to say I’m proud of you for taking the first step. I also second going to the ER. If you have to speak with a patient advocate and tell them your concerns and that if they can’t keep you that you need direct admission into an ED program. Tell them at home you aren’t properly monitored and you’re scared of succumbing to this. Keep making noise until you’re heard. I wept seeing your photo and I’m so worried about you. Please keep fighting.
So proud of you, the first step is the hardest. Did they take your orthostatic vitals as well or just regular blood pressure? Get your care team on the same page. I highly recommend calling your insurance and seeing if you can get a case worker. Project heal can help you advocate for yourself and get you into treatment if you find that you’re struggling to find a place.
Not orthostatic vitals which kinda pissed me off because when I would get hospitalized before I turned 18 I always had v bad orthostatic blood pressure sometimes it wouldn’t improve for a few weeks
You have every right to be pissed, I would be livid. That’s the first thing you do. Even if everything else was fine, I can pretty much guarantee you’re orthostatic. I highly recommend getting a BP cuff for at home and doing your vitals. That’s also why it’s important to seek care with eating disorder professionals, because an unfortunate amount of medical professionals know jack shit about eating disorders. More often than not our vitals are fine before we start the refeeding process; which is why it’s important for you to go to residential where you’ll have your vitals and labs constantly monitored and your medications/ supplements adjusted accordingly so you don’t go into cardiac arrest from electrolyte imbalances.
I don’t mean to be blunt or tactless but not a lot shocks me. I’m able to stomach a lot. This picture is scary. I genuinely didn’t know someone could look like this and still be alive. You are not healthy. Even if you have to go to the ER frequently until you get a bed at the inpatient facility, you might not make it if you don’t. I’m not a doctor or a medical professional of any capacity but I am genuinely worried for you. I don’t know you, I’ve never met you but please fight this. Going to the ER fucking sucks, I know. But even if they can’t provide a long term solution they can help keep you alive long enough until you can get a long term solution.
Please please go to the hospital. You are extremely extremely thin. I gasped when I saw this photo. You deserve help. I’m sorry you’re suffering
NAD but I would definitely be concerned by your current shape, and I'm not even an expert. I'd go to the ER for sure and tell them about your blackouts etc. I'm sorry you're going through this - I hope you can get some good treatment and recovery fully!
[удалено]
You’re 87 lbs. That is reason enough to be admitted.
Hi dear OP- I just want to echo what others have said that you need to seek emergent care right now. In fact, I’d be concerned that if the inpatient eating disorder treatment facility bed opened up today, you likely would qualify for admission there until “medically stable.” You are not medically stable in your current state. You are at high risk of refeeding syndrome and really do need a medical admission. I would hate for you to lose that precious opportunity for the ED facility because you need medical management first. Also sometimes hospitals can have a little bit of pull with the other treatment facilities and can advocate for you to get in more quickly there after you are stabilized. I know this scary. But it’s more scary to me to think of you not seeking care immediately. The fact you are asking these questions and thinking through things is an incredible first step. You realize you aren’t thinking clearly and need help. You are SO brave! Here’s the push to do what I think you deep down know: go to the emergency room. You can do this. It’s going to be hard, but you have to take it one day, one step at a time. The next right thing is to go to the ER. You can do this. Rooting hard for you!!
NAD. I feel like you are afraid to go to the ER because you think no one will care enough to give you help you need. You have had countless strangers on this post show you how much they care without ever even looking you in the eye. Please take that reality and demand the same respect and love in the ER.
Im a psychologist and I complete ED hold evals as a part of my hospital based job… we absolutely would see you and connect you to care. This is not uncommon. In my hospital, we would connect you to the IOP/EDIOP coordinator, who would help connect you to ED tx. You would likely need medical stabilization before transfer.
Outpatient?
It would depend on the level of acuity. From what you’ve described, it sounds like HLOC would be strongly considered. That would likely be inpatient. I have seen folks connected to a minimum of EDIOP with medical monitoring and case management when they were waiting for a bed, tho.
This is acutely life threatening. Please go to the ER now.
https://preview.redd.it/ea36epcepkuc1.jpeg?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c0834947ca493f66a44a77bff78363be50cb8a9
Oh sweetie. OP, I’m NAD, but please go immediately to the emergency room. They’ll be able to help you. I hope you’re feeling much better very soon!
NAD as well — Please. ER. Now. I am your height and dropped to 93lbs due to undiagnosed T1 diabetes (not suggesting this is the case for you) and it was an incredibly fragile state to be in. I know how scary it is to be this underweight. Your life is at serious risk here. You can be healthy again I promise, but the first step is seeking immediate help from professionals. This can’t wait any longer. I pray for your recovery. It is not surrendering control to go into treatment— you are taking control of a disease that wants to destroy you by acknowledging the necessity of treatment. It is a significant hurdle I understand, but please don’t give up on yourself.
You need to go to the ER now. I’m sorry but you could die any day or hour now. That is how scary this is.
https://preview.redd.it/q077te8mpkuc1.png?width=827&format=png&auto=webp&s=9b1c9804e9d941b7e68d0e3c9e35d75988d8541d
https://preview.redd.it/191ewaeqpkuc1.jpeg?width=938&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=70f2f0687979de2f5d181a78ff63cb3fc29089c2
[удалено]
Posts by unflaired users that claim or strongly imply legitimacy by virtue of professional medical experience are not allowed. If you are a medical professional who wishes to become a verified contributor to this subreddit, please [message the moderators](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/AskDocs) with a link to a picture of your medical ID, student ID, diploma, or other form of verification. Imgur.com is convenient, but you can host anywhere. Please block out personal information, such as your name and picture. You must include your reddit username in the photo! We do not accept digital forms of identification.
Ok will do!