I used to be bulimic. I thought I was recovered. Then, this week, I started purging when I eat. I'm not overeating, I just make myself sick after eating. I'm worried I'm going to hurt my new stomach. I'm 2 months post-op. I tried to stop but it didn't work. Do you think I'm going to hurt my new stomach?

I want to say yes, if it makes you stop. But, our nurse told us there is nothing that we can do (vomiting, etc) that can hurt our new sleeve.

My heart goes to you. Please take care of yourself.


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Get therapy as soon as you can. Call your bariatric team. What do YOU think is triggering this?

Yes, vomiting regularly CAN hurt your sleeve. It can actually cause the sleeve to migrate up through the diaphram and partially into the chest cavity. (I.E. cause a hiatal hernia). The stomach acid can hurt your esophagus too.

Please get help for this as soon as possible.

10 hours ago, Etharia said:

I used to be bulimic. I thought I was recovered. Then, this week, I started purging when I eat. I'm not overeating, I just make myself sick after eating. I'm worried I'm going to hurt my new stomach. I'm 2 months post-op. I tried to stop but it didn't work. Do you think I'm going to hurt my new stomach?

Hi , I don't know if you saw my post, but I was bulimic many years. I ended up doing it once recently it was like a reflex to feeling full, but I did not over eat either. Yes you 100% could be hurting your new stomach, acid etc. You need to speak to your surgeon asap. And your doctor. You need to get back in with a therapist to discuss what may be triggering this for you , we sometimes think its nothing but actually it is something that may not even be at the for front of your mind.

Edited August 26, 20178 yr by dreamingsmall

59 minutes ago, Berry78 said:

Yes, vomiting regularly CAN hurt your sleeve. It can actually cause the sleeve to migrate up through the diaphram and partially into the chest cavity. (I.E. cause a hiatal hernia). The stomach acid can hurt your esophagus too.

Please get help for this as soon as possible.

Great point! I think our nurse was mainly referring to blowing out Staples, like many fear. But this is a great point I never even thought of. Having had a massive hernia, I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

3 hours ago, ToSleeveOrNotToSleeve said:

I want to say yes, if it makes you stop. But, our nurse told us there is nothing that we can do (vomiting, etc) that can hurt our new sleeve.

My heart goes to you. Please take care of yourself.


Sent from my XT1254 using BariatricPal mobile app

There is a difference to vomiting naturally and actually forcing your self to vommit which causes the stomach to contract alot more aggressively than just one little vomit, your nurse was not saying this wth a deliberate purger in mind. It is not the same. I can 100% feel the difference from a vomit that sure causes abit of pressure, and a deliberate purge which puts a hell of alot more strain on the body. The frequency of just vommiting casually and the frequency of forcing your self to puke after almost every meal is also a variable in perhaps the fact damage can be done. Can you imagine the amount of acid from regularly purging, is not the same the little amounts from vommiting every now and again.

Thats just my experiance I am no expert in anyone elses purging lol.

Edited August 26, 20178 yr by dreamingsmall

This is just a guess from a fellow sleever with no purging background, just a psych background. Could it be that it's that feeling the sleeve gives you, especially in the first weeks but even now at times for me at 5 weeks out, that is the trigger? I've started eating real foods (soft). I will put my 1-2 oz into a tiny stainless steel lunchbox container and sit down to a meal. And chew each tiny bite a lot. And still I will get a FULL FEELING before I've eaten the tiny portion I made.

And that full feeling is not pleasant, it's like I ate a big Thanksgiving meal and it was only an ounce of soft food! And I stop eating immediately. Maybe that full feeling is triggering when you felt you'd eaten enough to purge, back in the day when you were bulimic. Maybe your therapist and you can work on a cognitive strategy for when that FULL FEELING hits. For me, walking really helps. It goes away faster than if I just sit there. And i don't drink for half an hour.

Good luck, sweetie. You can do this.

Are you eating too much or too fast? Or do you think this is psychological and related to your earlier disorder? Just playing the devil's advocate here.

1 hour ago, GotProlactinoma said:

This is just a guess from a fellow sleever with no purging background, just a psych background. Could it be that it's that feeling the sleeve gives you, especially in the first weeks but even now at times for me at 5 weeks out, that is the trigger? I've started eating real foods (soft). I will put my 1-2 oz into a tiny stainless steel lunchbox container and sit down to a meal. And chew each tiny bite a lot. And still I will get a FULL FEELING before I've eaten the tiny portion I made.

And that full feeling is not pleasant, it's like I ate a big Thanksgiving meal and it was only an ounce of soft food! And I stop eating immediately. Maybe that full feeling is triggering when you felt you'd eaten enough to purge, back in the day when you were bulimic. Maybe your therapist and you can work on a cognitive strategy for when that FULL FEELING hits. For me, walking really helps. It goes away faster than if I just sit there. And i don't drink for half an hour.

Good luck, sweetie. You can do this.

I think this is what the problem is. I'm not overeating, but I eat my one-two ounces of food and I feel FULL abd it reminds me of when I would binge and it's very triggering.

I am six months out. I feel very full and queezy after I eat. I also find a small walk helps. Literally a flight of stair or to the mailbox. I agree with the other poster you need to have a different replacement behavior to the sensation of fullness. It has to be a routine.

Get therapy n plz take care of ur self

Oh I'm so sorry, yes, it is dangerous. I'd call my surgeons office and get a recommendation from them to see a psychiatrist for eating disorders. It's a scary thing and this process is the opposite of the "easy way out". It can trigger a lot of issues for us as our method of dealing with emotional pain is through food and control. I'd get into therapy ASAP if I were you. I'm sending you a huge hug!

Thank you for the responses everyone. I told my surgeon and I am waiting on a referral to an eating disorder clinic in my area.