Life without Anorexia

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Saturday, October 1, 2016

Having to fast for medical reasons

Hi Izzy :) Sorry, this doesn't really relate to the post as I'm in a hurry this morning but I was wondering, how do you go without eating for medical purposes? Like on Friday I'm not going to be aloud to eat for 8 hours before getting my wisdom teeth out but I literally can't go without eating or drinking for 2. The surgery's in the morning but still, I like breakfast in the morning (sometimes I feel like the only person with an ed who always consistently eats their breakfast haha). I also get lightheaded and headaches when I don't eat for a little. Advice?

I am so sorry i never answered you, and i guess you already had the operation now? I know how hard it can be to fast especielly when you havent done it for a while (or maybe fasting can be triggering as well). I dont know if you're allowed to drink or not, but if you're allowed to drink then tea is helpful and it might not still the hunger but it is atleast something in your stomach, or chewing gum (maybe not the best, if you are having an operation on your teeth).
 I have had to fast many times while going to the hospital and i hate it, im not a huge breakfast person so that doesnt bother me, but when i have to fast all the way to lunch time then i find it tough and my energy drops and i get very thirsty as i amnt allowed to drink either. But its just "to do it" in a way, because there is a purpose to the fasting. However if you ever have to fast again and find it very tough mentally or physically then just talk to the doctor/nurse/dentist and see whether you can eat something smalll or consume liquids etc, they are all humans. During my recovery and when my body was used to eating at certain times, i found it tough when i then had to fast for different medical tests being done and one time when i had to fast from 8pm to 12pm the next day i just told the nurse that i didnt want to do that. I didnt feel comfortable fasting that long as well as i found it triggering (this was back in 2012/13), and then they compromised and i could eat my last meal by 8/9pm, and i would be allowed to eat after the first two tests instead of waiting until 12pm. However remember certain blood tests and x rays/CT scans require an empty stomach when done... just a note, if anyone is getting those things done.

I dont promote fasting - for obvious reasons - but also know that it ISNT harmful if it is done for a few hours due to a medical reason. You can still eat afterwards, and yes you will feel hungry and it sucks to feel hungry and know you can't eat, but if it is a one time thing with the fasting, your body will cope. 

There are times in life you might have to fast, due to operations, being in hospital for certain reasons, different hospital tests etc and nobody likes being forced to fast, but if its a one time thing then it will be ok. 

There isnt so much advice to write, because i dont want to  make it seem like i promote fasting but if you have to because of an operation well then, you just have to do it even if it sucks. But there is often a reason for it, and you can question that reason of course so that maybe you dont have to fast or can fast fewer hours if it isnt crucial to have gone X hours without food.

Anyway, i hope the operation went well and the pain doesnt last too long :) And i guess it will be mainly liquid foods for a while now? If you need any tips on liquid foods or recipes just comment below!!


  1. Hard to believe its October already! This year is going by so quickly :(
    How are you Izzy? I hope you are having a relaxing weekend.
    Lots to look forward to this month - Halloween! All those (cheesey) scary movies on tv and the best bit - the pick and mix sweets that are in the shops :)
    Have you any plans for October? Any specific goals? I think you should run a post on the first of the month whereby we can list our positives/goals - what do you think?
    Hope you`re having a lovely weekend and looking forward to the new week!

  2. Hi! I'm the one whose comment you answered! I knew that you probably wouldn't have much to say about help for not eating since it could be taken in different ways like how not to in general but I just figured that since you've had a lot of times when you've had to for tests that I'd ask! Thank you for the post! They ended up not sedating me because of a low heart rate and a few other things so I was able to eat a light breakfast before and they did it with local anesthesia (which sucked, was aware of it all and even though they gave me something to relax, it just made me emotional and cry at everything :/). And a really big dinner at one of my favorite restaurants!! It was really funny because the whole time during and after they were like, how are you doing? And all I said, well besides ow and other stuff like that, was that i was hungry haha. It was literally the only thing I was thinking of after, well that and drugs for the pain. But for anyone out there with a restrictive ed or anything who has to have their wisdom teeth out or something like that, eating helps with recovery soooo incredibly much. It's only been a day but it makes you feel so much better the more you can eat, even though it's really hard to do. Especially with all of the medication they put you on that tend to make you dizzy and nauseous, the more you eat, the less you feel these effects. Yesterday I ate every hour because even though I didn't have to take each pill with food (one I do), I wanted to, especially since I was starving the entire day. And even though it may seem like you're eating a lot, you're really not because you can only physically eat so much without being in pain or becoming exhausting. I know this may feel like the perfect time to restrict or not eat, but in all honesty, it's the perfect opportunity to make a change and fuel your body like it should be. Even though a lot of people end up getting their teeth out and it seems normal, it still puts a lot of pressure on your body and you need food to help not only with handling the medicine, but with healing too.