>>9981400Allow me to recount a typical day for me during the time when my anorexia went unchecked. I’d wake up, roll out of bed, and shiver, even though it would be 74 degrees in my room. I'd immediately get onto the floor and go through a routine of push ups, crunches, and squats in efforts to burn calories right off the bat. I’d go to the bathroom and glance at myself in the mirror, pinching what little fat was left on my body, but seeing rolls upon rolls of gelatinous skin on my 5′5″, 76 lb. frame. I'd step on the scale and weigh, marking the weight down in my phone, then try to use the restroom, weigh again, and delight in the loss of an ounce or two. I rarely had bowel movements, and my urination was down to three times tops daily. I cut off eighteen inches of hair to influence that number on the scale. I would do anything it took to drop pounds.
Today, I don't weigh myself, but at my last doctor’s appointment, I was 5′6″, 105 lbs. I’m not completely better, but I'm getting there. I pass out only once or twice a month now when I don't eat enough and I have to take a boatload of daily vitamins. I can't participate in sports because of my medical history, and I have a lot of anxiety and some depressive thoughts, as well as suicidal thoughts from time to time. I have lasting joint problems, and spend far too much time in a doctor’s office. Luckily, I never had to be hospitalized long term. Someone saved me before I hit that point, and I'm so grateful for that, but I have a lot of lasting effects regardless.
