Planning on Speaking With My Dr about My Binge Eating
I have an appointment with my PA next month as a follow-up for a medication he put me on a few months ago. The medication is fine. But, what I want to speak with him about is my binge eating. I thought about it today and finally came to the conclusion that it is time to say something to a dr. and not be so alone with this. My only issue is that I am unsure if he has any experience whatsoever with binge eating, can offer advice, or anything. I see a physicians assistant and have seen him for years.
I really want help with this issue. I know my dr has seen me for years. He has seen me at my heaviest when my binge eating was even worse than it is now and my weight was over 220. He has also seen me when I had my binge eating under control for several years and my weight was only 147. I figure that he will be able to look over my weight on my file and see the major fluctuations. It might help "back me up" and make it easier to admit to him I have a problem and need help. I am unsure what help he may offer, and am very nervous as I haven't told anyone in "real life" about this issue. I can't stand the idea of being judged or looked down on by my dr. I really don't know what help he can offer, maybe at least support?
I know I need to start seeing a therapist or something and address the issue but in all honesty the thought of opening up emotionally and rehashing so many things with a new therapist scares me. I have put so many things behind me I don't want to drag them out. I also just don't really know why I binge, when it started for certain. I just know that I do.
I want to speak with the dr, but I am trying to figure out a way to be comfortable with speaking to him. I have been thinking that I could mention to him that my weight has gone up again and explain why? I have gained at least 15 lbs. Any advice? Or has anyone had any experience speaking with their dr?
I have been 16 days without a binge. My weight continues to climb though and unsure why except that it has to be all the previous eating catching up with me. The calories and pounds have to come from somewhere, right?
I spent about 9 years total in therapy, not for binge-eating, but for other things. I can say with 100% certainty that if you don't take that scary step to therapy, the problem will not go away, or it will manifest in other ways. Binge-eating is psychological right? Your body doesn't need the binge, but your mind does. If you're considering speaking to your doctor, then you've already realized it's something you need help with! That's a great step. Yes, it's scary, but therapy is good. I was a mess from my past and I needed a lot of help. For years I thought I could manage on my own, but I was self-medicating with alcohol and isolating myself more and more. When I first told my doctor, she immediately gave me a referral to a psychiatrist because she had no training in mental health disorders. I was ashamed to talk to her, but thank goodness I did. My p-doc helped me a lot.
It's ok to tell your doctor about your binge eating, but what are you expecting he'll do? Best case scenario he'll refer you to a psychologist. Worst case scenario he'll tell you to go on a diet. Either way, he's not the one who is going to help you out of this. In my experience doctors don't know much about anything outside of what they specialize in. I might be pessimistic but i've had some bad experiences with doctors. If you are to tell him, do so specifically to ask for a referral. Instead of saying "I have a problem with binge eating, what should I do?" say "I think I suffer from an eating disorder, is there a therapist you can refer me to that specializes in eating disorders?" I hesitate because there are even some doctors who don't believe that binge eating is an eating disorder so just be on the lookout if you doctor isn't being sympathetic with you. If he starts talking about dieting, eliminating certain foods etc then you know he just doesn't get it so be prepared for that.
A referral to a cognitive behavioral therapist or someone specializing in eating disorders would probably be the best thing your doctor could do. I hope there are some near you.
Congratulations, Mainecyn, for taking the first step and deciding to talk with your PA/doctor. If your PA doesn't have experience in this area, ask him/her for a referral to a bariatric program that can provide medically-supervised diet programs and psychological support.
Now you've made this decision, it is important for you to advocate for yourself and ask for what you need. Start doing some online research about bariatric programs in your area and find out what these programs offer in terms of counseling support. If there aren't any programs locally, you may be able to connect with medical services via Skype through your provider's office or a local hospital. More of that is being done these days.
You've made and important decision and you're taking important steps. Don't allow negativity from others to impact your mood or decision. This is your journey. Don't let negative posts scare you away from doing what you need to do for yourself. This is about you living your life in the healthiest way you can.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that your PA can step up and help out right away but don't forget, advocate for yourself. You deserve to live a life without the constant struggle with food and binging. Scary? Yup. But look where fear has held you so far. As you know from my posts elsewhere on the forum, I'm in the midst of my own journey. My journey is mine. Your journey will be yours. Do what you feel is right for you.
Prepare yourself for the possibility that the medical professional you speak to isn't very understanding about the problem of binge eating. It is not uncommon for people to provide helpful advice like "just stop eating before it turns into a binge" or "just don't eat when you aren't hungry." Not everyone grasps that binge-eating is not about hunger or is empathetic about the compulsion aspect that makes it very difficult to stop once you have started.
I don't Know whether the person you speak to will be understanding about these things, but if he or she is not, do not take it as a judgment against you or an intentional trivialization of your struggles. The fact that a lot of people don't really understand what binge eating is about doesn't mean it isn't a very real and difficult problem for those of us who battle it.
Don't allow negativity from others to impact your mood or decision. This is your journey. Don't let negative posts scare you away from doing what you need to do for yourself. This is about you living your life in the healthiest way you can.
I agree that nobody should be put off from doing what they need to do for themselves. Don't confuse someone who is relaying a negative experience with actual negativity. As someone who has reached out for help and been met with blank stares and the usual "just eat less and move more" or "just burn more calories than you take in" I can tell you that help is not always available at the first stop you make. It would be completely and totally irresponsible of me and others who've had a bad experience with professionals to not pass on that information. Anorexia and bulemia are acceptable eating disorders. For some reason (and I'm thinking prejudice against fat people) binge eating disorder is not really understood or even know amongst many medical professionals.
When I tried to find a therapist a few years ago I went to see several people. One tried to put me on a meal plan right away, what a joke. Another one was totally ridiculous, I mean one hundred percent certifiable. Ok this is how it went. She asked me why I came in to see her. I said something along the lines of I felt like my eating was out of control, I suspected that I had binge eating disorder and was feeling overwhelmed with compulsions to eat secretely. Then she asked "Ok, how long have you been fat?" Of course that was insulting. Then she went on to tell me that she'd gained some weight too and that we could try dieting together! She pulled out some supplements and told me to go on a juice fast. She hooked me up to some kind of stress machine that measured my brain waves and it indicated that I had a lot of stress. The whole session was so bizarre I never went back. It took a while to find a decent therapist.
Of course I advocate that people should get treatment and ask for help. But you have to listen to your gut too, not everyone is equipped to help and since many of us are feeling desperate and in need of help you really have to watch out for gimmicks, medical professionals who don't believe in BED, and quacky sort of treatment. That's not negativity, that's reality.
Planning on Speaking With My Dr about My Binge Eating
