how to get doctors to not call me anorexic?

sfbaumgarten

give them your food diary

I'd have gone with this from the start, but I'd probably switch docs now and start fresh.

tracydr

I doubt she was trying to insult you. She does have to have a diagnosis for why she saw you or insurance won't cover anything. That was probably the closest diagnosis code she could think of. There are other forms of anorexia besides anorexia nervosa. Did she check your thyroid at least?

PRMinx

Several of your posts talk about the fear of fat - including getting screwed because your mom got the 85/15 turkey not the 99% lean turkey.

You talk about reducing calories because you only slept for 4 hours

Obsessing over 58 calories on your pedometer

Not to mention the post today about gain muscle BUT NOT FAT NO NO FAT

These are all major red flags. Just because you don't think you are anorexic doesn't mean that you are not. By all means get a second opinion - but if they agree you may have to accept that you might very well be.

You also went on about how tiny you are to justify eating around 1300 cals a day - but here you say you are 5'2

5'2 IS NOT TINY, I am 5'2 and lose weight on 1800 a day - I maintain on that with no exercise.

SO how much do you weigh?

QFT

Yep, all of this.

I read the other thread. If you really want to gain weight, then you are fixating on all the wrong things. Obsessing, even.

Honestly, I don't think you need a doctor or a nutritionist. I think you need to speak with a therapist that specializes in control disorders.

tracydr

Second opinion for sure!

She appears to be 5'2 and 86lbs - I don't think a second opinion is needed if that is true.

Yeah. I missed that. I've literally never seen a girl that skinny without anorexia.

tracydr

You cry about the doctor labeling you, yet it seems you label all girls with anorexia as crazies who don't know how to do anything but starve themselves.
Also, maybe you're so defensive about it because your doctor is at least a little bit right.

This!

stealthq

I ate 1800 cals yesterday!

In your other post you said you ate 540 calories over your TDEE yesterday. I'm 110% sure your TDEE is not 1260 calories, so what gives? Were you lying then or are you lying now?

Regardless, 1800 calories is not "a lot." It would seem like a lot to a person with anorexia, though. Hint, hint. I eat 1800 calories per day to LOSE weight. If you need to GAIN weight, you need to eat more.

OP is 5' 2", female, 19 yrs old and underweight.

I am 5' 3", female, 39 yrs old and at least 15 lbs heavier than OP, given that she must weigh significantly less than 108 lbs (low end healthy BMI). I also should have significantly more muscle mass since I lift and just finished a bulk, to boot. If I am sedentary, as OP claims to be (no lifting, no other exercise), my TDEE is ~1600. Hers will be quite a bit lower because she is so much lighter and has less muscle despite being younger. So, 1800 calories is over her TDEE. I don't think it is 540 cals over, but it is definitely over.

OP, do keep in mind that you may have done damage to yourself by letting yourself get so underweight. Do not be surprised if you need more calories than estimated by your TDEE to gain weight at all - some of those calories are likely going to make repairs.

Bernadette60614

I don't know where you are, but it might be a label being placed on your for insurance purposes.

Insurance companies have their policies as to what can be covered and what cannot be, and to be covered for treatments which might be considered psychological, you need an accepted label.

When I lost my job and was weeping a lot, my physician labeled me "depressive" to give me coverage for anti-depressants...even though I'm not what someone thinks of as depressed...I had just lost my job and was in a tizzy.

stealthq

Second opinion for sure!

She appears to be 5'2 and 86lbs - I don't think a second opinion is needed if that is true.

OP does not need a second opinion that she is severely and dangerously underweight. But, there is more than one disorder, whether psychological or physical, that could be the root cause of that symptom. Best she finds a doctor that pays attention to her other symptoms (or lack thereof) and makes an accurate diagnosis. No point in treating the wrong cause, right?

In the meantime, she's going to see a nutritionist, so her diet issues ought to be addressed. How OP uses that info should give whichever doctor a clearer picture of the root case of OP's problem.

ETA: And probably most importantly - if OP feels the doctor is not listening to her, and is insulting her, then OP is not likely to take that doctor's advice even if it is 100% spot on. Better for her to find a doctor that she relates with well.

ahamm002

I'm sorry but I highly doubt you just accidentally got anorexic level underweight.

Thank you. I realize that this is the internet, but I still can't believe how many idiots on here are just telling the OP to go see another doctor. The OP is obviously either anorexic or a troll. If he doctor shops until he finds some quack who tells him what he wants to hear that's not going to be doing him any favors.

JoRocka

Second opinion for sure!

She appears to be 5'2 and 86lbs - I don't think a second opinion is needed if that is true.

Yeah. I missed that. I've literally never seen a girl that skinny without anorexia.

HEY... the girl with only one leg might be that light!!! who are you to judge!

Marguarretthe

OP, you never mentioned what the doctor told you to do...

Any which way, if she is a good doctor and thinks that you are anorexic, you should be able to access the right resources to get you to gain weight... seeing a dietician, a physiotherapist (for appropriate exercises) and maybe even a psychologist / counselor (even if you aren't anorexic, sometimes it is just good to have someone to dump all of your life problems on).

If she just told you to "eat more", or something else equally useless (for either gaining weight or "treating" anorexia), you do need to get another doctor.

On a similar, but slightly off topic, note, last year I was diagnosed with a bad rare disease. Upon gaining access to my medical records to send in for disability I found out that every doctor I had seen (5 or 6 at that point) had labelled me as highly anxious, or likely having an anxiety disorder. Needless to say, that didn't help matters and really pissed me off. I started seeing a psychologist to help me deal with the mental issues I had with the new diagnosis and discovered after a few months that they were right. Now, I'm not necessarily saying that your doctor is definitely right, but I am saying that sometimes they can spot things that you can't because you are too close to your situation.

Good luck OP!

Marguarretthe

Second opinion for sure!

She appears to be 5'2 and 86lbs - I don't think a second opinion is needed if that is true.

Yeah. I missed that. I've literally never seen a girl that skinny without anorexia.

There are a lot of disorders/diseases that could easily get her that small without anorexia... Type 1 diabetes, celiac, hyperthyroid, cystic fibrosis to name a few... All of which are often undiagnosed until later in life.

OP, you should probably get worked up for those as well... most are just a blood test.

milkgainer

My BMI, as of two months ago, was only slightly higher than the OP's and I also lost the weight without doing anything besides nursing a baby. There are plenty of medical reasons besides anorexia for a low or even very low BMI. My doctor asked a lot of questions and ran loads of tests to make sure there wasn't a medical reason for my weight loss. Any doctor who doesn't do that when a patient comes in to ask about unexplained weight loss is a bad doctor.

As I mentioned in another thread, I know someone who had gastroparesis and for them it took three different doctors to diagnose because the first two were lazy and said "oh, anorexia". So I feel really strongly about this. Do I have any idea what the OP's medical situation actually is? Nope. Maybe she has some mental hangups, maybe she doesn't. But if the doctor didn't at least go through the motions of checking for something besides that, they aren't worth going to.

tracydr

Second opinion for sure!

She appears to be 5'2 and 86lbs - I don't think a second opinion is needed if that is true.

Yeah. I missed that. I've literally never seen a girl that skinny without anorexia.

There are a lot of disorders/diseases that could easily get her that small without anorexia... Type 1 diabetes, celiac, hyperthyroid, cystic fibrosis to name a few... All of which are often undiagnosed until later in life.

OP, you should probably get worked up for those as well... most are just a blood test.

The doctor probably did a good history. Given the fact that OP has a history of being afraid to gain fat and not wanting to eat any fat in her food, I suspect that a full and complete history will either rule in or out the necessary testing. Even vital signs and a simple finger stick in the office will be adequate for some of the diseases.
We don't know if she's had child hood failure to thrive, GI complaints,etc. we don't know if she has increased urination or thirst. We don't know if she has night sweats, constipation,etc. if the doctor didn't do a complete history then yes, there is an issue and she should get a different doctor.
What we do know is that she was dieting and trying to lose weight and now she is severly underweight. This was not an unexplained weight loss. This occurred by decreasing calories to the point that she is severely underweight.
I don't have all the information I would need to diagnose but I would not be at all surprised if she actually has an ED.

Ulwaz

speak to someone else, i hate doctors

BinaryPulsar

I think the term 'anorexic' is sometimes used by medical professionals to describe someone with a BMI of under 18, my sister was described as anorexic for her low weight by a doctor and it didn't mean she was actually suffering from anorexia.
I'd never heard of it before my sister told me. She could be just describing your low BMI - not saying you suffer from anorexia nervosa

The criteria is actually a BMI under 17.5.

VeryKatie

Try going to a male doctor. Their opinions can vary greatly from female.
If you eat 1800 calories everyday, then you're not under eating. Try heavy weight lifting to gain weight instead.

AliceSwarthout

I think the term 'anoriexic' is sometimes used by medical professionals to describe someone with a BMI of under 18, my sister was described as anorexic for her low weight by a doctor and it didn't mean she was suffering from actually suffering from anorexia.
I'd never heard of it before my sister told me, she could be just describing you low BMI - not saying you suffer from anorexia nervosa

^This

bowlerae

You need to find a new doctor. A good doctor listens to your issues and doesn't pass judgment. They can be a confidant and should direct you to the proper expert and resources if the matter is outside of their expertise. A general physician is good to have for just general information and recommendations. For something like this you should seek a nutritionist/dietician which I understand you have. Don't go back to the new doctor for your general health needs, find a new one.

jofjltncb6

You just posted another topic in the gaining weight forum because you want to gain muscle but NO FAT AT ALL. You called yourself "skinny fat." You were upset over eating 540 calories over maintenance.

I wouldn't worry about the doctor's label as long as it's going to help your insurance company pay for the help you need.

^this

Insurance probably won't cover someone wanting to gain weight for aesthetic reasons...but they almost certainly will for someone recovering from anorexia.

I don't *know* this to be true, but it's a reasonable consideration before you rage too hard against your first doctor's diagnosis.