General
Body weight changes
June 14, 2023
in General
When I was in the deepest of my treatment I gained so much weight that I was not recognizable. Did you gain or loose a dramatic amount of weight? Tell me about that journey for you because the mental anxiety around it was tremendous for me
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Patient
I initially lost weight, which, for someone who was already anorexic, was a dream! But once high-dose prednisone got added to the mix, I started gaining weight like crazy...which, for someone who was already anorexic, was a nightmare! I actually ended up becoming bulimic as a result because I could no longer control my appetite. I binged in secret and used laxatives to purge. I guess you could say the mental anxiety was also tremendous for me. I've since gotten into therapy and have a registered dietician helping me navigate those issues.
I went through some huge changes! Shortly before being diagnosed, I lost about 20 pounds because I was so sick and not eating very much. Then, when treatment started, the prednisone made me gain back those 20 pounds, and then another 20. I was horrified. None of my clothes fit, the weight was distributed differently, and I started wearing men’s 2XL tees (I’m normally a women’s medium) to hide my body.
After I finished treatment, the progress felt so slow! I was convinced I’d never look like my pre-cancer self again, which added a new layer of horror to all the trauma I was just beginning to process. Then, one day when I wasn’t paying attention, I gradually began shedding pounds. I’m a year out of treatment now and back to my pre-cancer AND pre-pandemic weight. It’s absolutely doable!