Help for my sister please eating disorder and more
amy_kee
Posts: 694 Member
My sister who is 48 has a serious eating disorder / problem of some kind. She was over weight for most of her life, then, started drinking this powder off the Internet only, and lost so much weight see looks like a skeleton. Then, for 3 1/2 years, she stated and believed that she could only eat chicken broth with purred cooked zucchini. The past 2 years, she's "found" and decided that she can eat sauteed chicken breasts pieces with cut up yellow squash. She does eat baked chicken wings from only one restaurant because the rest of the chicken wings in the whole world are "bad for her."
She grew up eating all kinds of foods and continued to do so for many years of her marriage. But these last years, she believes these warped ideas and has convinced her whole family & my aging mother that she can only eat these few things because of all these different medical problems she claims to now have. She's like a hypochondriac with all of her supposed problems why she can't eat food. She doesn't believe in Drs. and claims to have all these supposed medical conditions now. I KNOW that she also has some psychiatric problems, but, none of the family sees this. They believe every warped thing she says and they are convinced that she can't eat other food too. Even all fruit is "bad" for her and she can't eat it ever. She has gotten very good over the years at convincing the family of "strange beliefs." For years, she's also been taking coffee enemas twice a day. She also believes that everyone should take 18 - 20 colon cleanse tablets every few days (from the health food store). She claimed over and over that it's good because when you take those colon cleanse tablets, it not only cleans out your entire system, but, she examines what is there when she goes to the bathroom and brags about losing stomach and colon linings and thinks this is the best thing.
I don't know what to do about all this. When ever I express a mild opinion, she gets highly upset and takes refuse in her room and takes her family with her. I've tried talking to my 86 year old mother about this, but, my sister has her convinced of all these wrong things and my mother defends my sister and gets mad at me. I"m the wrong, & unwanted for not falling for my sister's crap. My sister needs serious help. She claims Drs. are quacks and that they don't know a thing.
What can I do to get through to the family about the fact that she is sick in the head with these examples and many more not mentioned here. My sister is not well mentally and can't handle it if i ever say anything other than agreeing with her.
Do any of you have any suggestions? Please help me.
Amy
She grew up eating all kinds of foods and continued to do so for many years of her marriage. But these last years, she believes these warped ideas and has convinced her whole family & my aging mother that she can only eat these few things because of all these different medical problems she claims to now have. She's like a hypochondriac with all of her supposed problems why she can't eat food. She doesn't believe in Drs. and claims to have all these supposed medical conditions now. I KNOW that she also has some psychiatric problems, but, none of the family sees this. They believe every warped thing she says and they are convinced that she can't eat other food too. Even all fruit is "bad" for her and she can't eat it ever. She has gotten very good over the years at convincing the family of "strange beliefs." For years, she's also been taking coffee enemas twice a day. She also believes that everyone should take 18 - 20 colon cleanse tablets every few days (from the health food store). She claimed over and over that it's good because when you take those colon cleanse tablets, it not only cleans out your entire system, but, she examines what is there when she goes to the bathroom and brags about losing stomach and colon linings and thinks this is the best thing.
I don't know what to do about all this. When ever I express a mild opinion, she gets highly upset and takes refuse in her room and takes her family with her. I've tried talking to my 86 year old mother about this, but, my sister has her convinced of all these wrong things and my mother defends my sister and gets mad at me. I"m the wrong, & unwanted for not falling for my sister's crap. My sister needs serious help. She claims Drs. are quacks and that they don't know a thing.
What can I do to get through to the family about the fact that she is sick in the head with these examples and many more not mentioned here. My sister is not well mentally and can't handle it if i ever say anything other than agreeing with her.
Do any of you have any suggestions? Please help me.
Amy
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Replies
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*removed by me so as not to cause any inflammation of the butthurts*0
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I would leave it alone. It's her body, her life, her diet, her colon cleanse.
Colon cleanses are very popular and may be quite useful to her.
I have a gluten sensitivity, and so I'm Paleo. I love my diet, I feel healthy and have lots of energy.
But other people have the audacity to say my doctor is wrong and I do not have a gluten sensitivity because I've never been tested for Celiacs.
So just agree to disagree and follow your own diet and let her follow hers.0 -
I realise this is a horrid place to be; watching someone abuse themselves is not easy. I wonder if you could find a way to get her full blood tests. I have got into some nasty places and have been regularly told by one doctor, you are depressed. How I was feeling and behaving has been the result of chemical imbalances. Depression and other symptoms can be as a result of salicylate sensitivity but it can also be caused by reduced thyroid function.
Getting past the doctor, to get to the real problem is almost impossible. I visited different one not long out of University and was fortunate enough to have spoken with Allergy UK because of my increasing salicylate reactions who recommended immunology. I relayed this to the new doctor who told me she had no experience of my problem and referred me on so I am well on the way to getting better help.
Hope you find the right buttons to press quickly. Please pm, me if It might help0 -
Where do you live? US Departments of Health and Human Services usually have a 1-800 number you can call to get advice for situations like this.
Some of the information and references here may help:
http://www.mentalhealth.gov/talk/friends-family-members/index.html0 -
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/find-help-support
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/parent-family-friends-network
eta:
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?section=Find_Support
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Your_Local_NAMI&Template=/CustomSource/AffiliateFinder.cfm
http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=About_Treatments_and_Supports0 -
I don't have any helpful suggestions unfortunately. I wanted to let you know though, that you should be strong and keep yourself in a good place. Remember, if she's got a mental disorder that has her believeing these things, being mad at her is a wasted effort. She believes it and it's that conviction that lets her persuade your family. If I were you I would keep track of her mood swings and behaviors and the specific things she says, write it all down. Eventually this will wind up putting her in a hospital for malnutrition. When that happens you have the opportunity to pull her doctor aside and hand him your written documentation of her mental state and he can decide if they need to take her in for more thorough mental exams.0
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I'm so sorry you are going through this. I just found out about "orthorexia nervosa" and it sounds like what your sister is going through. Not that it helps much to put a label on something, but maybe you can Google it. I have been through many eating disorders and the longer we suffer with them, the tougher it is to get free. I really hope she chooses to get help.0
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Thank you all for what all you've put.0
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I can only say that I know how you must feel. I also have a sister with unhealthy compulsions, alcohol and under-eating, that I can do nothing about. It's hard to stand by and not try to get through to her and offer advise and information, but the backlash when I do try is just as difficult to handle. The harder I tried, the harder she pushed me away. We don't have any other family so I can only guess how much harder it must be for you to also receive backlash from other family members for your efforts to help. For my sister, I can only wait for her to reach a point where she decides to seek help and be there for her when she does - if she even decides to reach out to me. That whole 'accept the things I cannot change' ideology. It's so very hard. Stay strong and be kind to yourself.
Melody0
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