"Eating disorder protocol"

Just over a year ago, I was admitted several times under ED protocol, despite actually being admitted for digestive problems. I just happened to be diagnosed with an eating disorder, which causes the problems, but I was not having eating disorder symptoms.

I was served cold food because it seemed the meals came up long after being made and then I believe nurses would wait 30-60 minutes to give the meal. Multiple times, my metoclopromide had to be redosed due to me trying to gauge when to request, and then saying that it was a good time and then it wasn't. It was always me trying to explain that I don't take medication for no reason, therefore the medication would have to be redosed or I would have to skip the meal. There was always confusion as to why I couldn't eat, even though I had been admitted for digestive problems. 

Multiple times, I was told that I wasn't sick or full, despite that being the reason I was admitted, because apparently if you have an eating disorder, you can never have physical problems. I felt according to the way I was treated, they can only be psychological. Despite the fact that eating disorders literally kill, and if they were all psychological, why would I have needed medical treatment. I was struggling so hard to get even some of the food down because of my atrophied stomach, and I felt I received no 'support' except the threat of tube, and arguments every meal as I pleaded to not be made to hurt my stomach more with the meal I had been given. 

The dietitian was quite blunt, but I liked that. She didn't bull**** me, and she was honest instead of doing that thing I believe medical professionals do, where they seemingly lie to make you more inclined to do what they want. This is about in a general period where I kept getting admitted due to the fact that I would have obs stabilised over ~2 days but not be physically ready to go home and eat consistently, so I would return pretty fast. My dietitian had been telling me to attend emergency if I couldn't eat for 2 days, so for a few months it was once a week or so.

This dietitian who was blunt wasn't there over the holidays, which was rough, because she was writing 'no tube' on my chart because she knew that I wasnt there for my eating disorder symptoms (I wish I had been treated for this problem without ED protocol), but over the holidays, the worst of it, she wasn't there and the replacement dietitian had told them to organise a tube. I had to push myself even harder, due to the fact that I was sicker and they were making me eat so much compared to how much I could fit in, to avoid having a pipe shoved down my throat and having the Ensure that I was struggling to get down put down anyway. So of course I was going to drink it instead of being tubed, if I could. 

I read a previously published eating disorder story and thought it was worth sharing my story. I felt that story is accurate and could have almost been written by me (with a few changes) and I wish something had been done, because my story was long after this. Someone high up replied 3 years ago and still, it seems to me nothing had been done when I was there 1-1.5 years ago. I feel shame on BHH for shaming people who are trying their best. I shouldn't be surprised; in my experience, that's pretty standard ED treatment.