Thinking about getting help? I bet your mind is telling you one of three things:
- I am not sick enough
- I don’t need help
- I can get better on my own
Bullshit : )
Here are two ways that you can get help right now:
Book an appointment with your GP
This is the first step that I took. Jokes… my Mum did it – I was too overwhelmed to do it myself. Asking for help is hard kids. But this is no reason to avoid it.
On the day of my appointment, I was shitting it. I thought that I would be rolled away to an asylum with a feeding tube shoved down my neck. How wrong I was.
All that the GP did was:
- ask me a few simple questions like how much I eat and exercise,
- measure my BMI,
- write me a referral for a blood test – he wanted to see if I had any deficiencies that he could help me get on top of,
- check my blood pressure to make sure that it wasn’t too low,
- check my heart rate to make sure that it wasn’t too slow, and
- recommend that I see a dietician and a psychologist – he even gave me the option to source these myself via The Butterfly Foundation.
Three tips for when you go see your GP about your eating disorder:
1. Tell your GP the reason for your visit before visiting. Mum told the receptionist what my appointment was about when she booked it. This made it a hell of a lot easier for me to start talking when I entered the treatment room – the GP just outright said “so you’re having trouble with your eating, tell me about it”. Had he been unaware of my situation and merely said “hello, what can I help you with today”, I would have avoided the subject of my eating disorder like an anorexic avoids potatoes.
2. Seeing the number on the scale was not helpful for me. I told my GP this and so he let me stand backward on the scale so that I did not have to see the number. Ask and you shall receive my friends.
3. Getting help is expensive. Not to stress – you may be eligible for the Government’s “GP Eating Disorder Plan”. Congrats! Read about the plan here and be sure to mention it to your GP.
Have a chat with the Butterfly Foundation
about literally anything eating disorder-related. Call them on 1800 33 4673, email them at support@butterfly.org.au, or chat with them online here. They are available from 8 am to 12 pm, AEST, 7 days a week.
I contacted The Butterfly Foundation because my GP told me to. But I could not recommend them more. I spoke to a lady who was able to give me a list of five dieticians and five psychologists who matched my personal preferences and practiced in the area that I lived in. All I had to do was choose one, book an appointment, and show up. Easy, right?
Unfortunately not. Recovering from an eating disorder is quite possibly the hardest thing I have ever done. But nothing could be as hard as living with it for the rest of my life.
Bella
the skinny elephant 