"You've got nothing to worry about, I've heard of ARFID before"

This is a story I had to share because it can happen to anyone at any time. Please note that some aspects of this blog post may be triggering.

Advanced trigger warning: mentions of weight, refeeding programs, self-harm and exercise (Anorexia).

On Sunday night (11th August) into Monday (12th August) morning, I had a severe tummy (stomach) upset towards the bottom of my stomach that was hot to the touch. As it kept me up all night, I made the decision to go to A&E for the issue to be investigated. As I have an eating disorder called ARFID, this was one major factor to consider.

Before I left my house, I also took previous medical history documents and mental health diagnosis letters to help the doctor as it was a new hospital I was going to. On arrival, all nurses and doctors I spoke to were completely understanding and stopped at nothing to ensure I was fit and healthy. Bloods were normal, healthy heart rate but the stomach pain was still there.

I discussed with a doctor my previous medical history including my eating disorder and previous operations. We spoke at length about ARFID to which my doctor knew about and said "You've got nothing to worry about, I've heard of ARFID before" and discussed symptoms of other eating disorders just to make sure there wasn't anything that I have been mis-diagnosed with previously. This also included questions regarding self-harm or long amounts of exercise. She suggested for me to be weighed to ensure there was no weight loss. It's at this point she said "because you have entered hospital with an eating disorder we do need to make sure you are okay on that front... if you were underweight or at risk we would have to admit you to hospital and put you on a refeeding program. If you were to ask 12 year old me this, I probably would have cried. Ask 26 year old me, I would have wanted their help in any way possible so I agreed to this. My weight was checked - it was a number I was not proud of.

So upon discharge, I was offered tablets to relieve the stomach aches (which are working thankfully) and the ability to see a community dietician for my eating disorder.

My decision to share this with you is important as it highlights the link between physical and mental health. It showed me that I need to take care of myself and I am doing so to address additional weight loss or continuing issues with my health. Mental health awareness is so important. Eating disorders amongst men are stigmatised. So maybe sharing this one story might just help.

I discuss this in a small video I made below which discusses the story in a little bit more detail and it's worth the watch if you are interested in this story. My full thanks to the NHS in the East of England for their time and care in addressing my issues.