Aging With History of Bulimia

Posted by suzbyrne @suzbyrne, Aug 15, 2021

Hi all. I’d appreciate help on this if you’ve had experience or knowledge of the long-range effects of bulimia. I am a 70 y/o woman. I learned about binge and purge in boarding school (away high school) and that’s when I started the behavior. I had an extremely tumultuous childhood, lots of alcoholic behavior, suicidal behaviors, etc. It was good to get away from home but it also started me on using binge and purge as a way to quell my anxiety. Now that I’m 70 I have a range of gastro problems like dysphasia, and a stomach emptying problem that requires I eat small amounts of food frequently. I also get severely constipated and sometimes feel too full up to eat. I stopp B&P in my mid-thirties. If anyone has words of wisdom , I would greatly appreciate hearing back.

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suzbyrne | @suzbyrne | Aug 15, 2021

Dysphagia

John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Aug 15, 2021

Hello @suzbyrne, Welcome to Connect. My son is in his early 50s and has struggled with bulimia and binging/purging since he was in his teens. Recently he's learned what some of his triggers are and that has helped control the bulimia. I know it must be difficult for you having watched my son deal with this condition. I'm wondering if you've seen the following information and if it might provide some suggestions for you.

How to Recover from Bulimia: 5 Steps to Reclaim Your Life: https://centerfordiscovery.com/blog/how-to-recover-from-bulimia/

Have you looked for a support group or do you have a close friend that can you can talk with for suggestions?

suzbyrne | @suzbyrne | Aug 16, 2021

@johnbishop Thank you for your reply. I was actively bulimic from ‘65-‘72 and slid around meaning I’d slide back into that behavior from about ‘72-‘80. I somehow grew out of relying on binge and purge to handle my anxiety and turned to wine. At this point, I’m 70 and free of both habits. That’s the good news. The not so good news is, I have what I think must be resulting effects from both but mostly the eating disorder. I don’t know of any long term studies on the aftermath of bulimia. One reads about some of the effects but not as it relates to aging. I have swallowing/choking issues, stomach emptying probs, chronic constipation, unintentional weight loss, and arrhythmia.

Ohhh 😲 Recovery. That’s the word. Maybe there are groups for over the hill bulimics. That’s what you meant (?!) Sorry to be so slow on the uptake. (LOL)

I will take your suggestion and seek that out. Thanks again. I wish your son well and hope he can find peace. Many of us do. 🎋