Eating disorders in patients with diabetes, Lisa's case

When a person has type 1 diabetes, he must have good sugar control, inject insulin daily and take care of his diet, but sometimes the desire not to gain weight is stronger, so the medication is left.This disorder is known as Diabulimia.

This situation happened to Lisa Day, a young woman who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 14 years old but who died on September 12, 2015 because of the diabulimia.

What is diabulimia?

Although the term is not yet recognized by the medical community, it refers to people with diabetes that intentionally apply little amount of insulin in order to lose weight.

Katie Edwards, Lisa's older sister, discovered through her sister's diary who suffered the disorder;However, this happened when he had died.

"I'm not sure what started first: diabetes or feeding problems," he said.

The story of Lisa

Lisa began to take a newspaper from September 2001, a few days after she was diagnosed and on the recommendation of doctors.

"When they diagnosed her, she was told to take a newspaper and write everything she was eating and registered her sugar levels," Katie said.

In the pages, Katie learned of the great concern her sister had for being thin, since she was considered overweight.

“I feel really fat.I want to lose weight.I think weight about 57 kilos, ”Lisa wrote on December 26, 2001

“I have to inject in a moment.I'm going to call Sam tonight to meet tomorrow.I just forced to vomit twice, ”on December 31, 2002.

Katie tells her sister was fun but sometimes it would be, although she had many friends.

“He loved life but one could notice that there was something there deep that attracted her.He always had a sad shadow chasing her everywhere, ”he says.

The problem was aggravating

As the pages pass, aspects that Lisa kept very well about how insecure she felt, although she also knew she had a problem are discovered.

“I am so happy and I feel very good.I have not eaten chocolate in 4 days and I have lost 6 kilos.Mike sent me a message last night and everything is fine.I have to learn not to blush.Weight 55.8 kg.I think I'm bulimica. ”

Daily, Lisa was forced to vomit and felt guilty if she didn't.

“I feel so fat.I hate myself.Tomorrow I start working in a pet store.There is a dance in FC tomorrow, I go with Holly. ”

Diabetes worsened

On March 18, 2012, Lisa wrote that she had suffered a "hiccup", something that occurs when blood glucose level is too reduced.

Among those who do not suffer diabetes, the correct amount of insulin is produced at the time indicated so that glucose does not rise or fall too much, but for those who suffer from it, insulin, food or physical activity are not well balanced so that levelsglucose are affected.

Roasted potato with rice and skim milk

Lisa reached the point of not eating anything other than roasted potato with rice and skim milk with nothing extra.

“Lisa was changing with diabetes.People with diabetes have to look a lot at what they eat and I think Lisa noticed too much.He came to the point of not eating any sauce, butter or anything.He ate half baked potatoes alone or a little cooked fish without oil or anything.And he lost a lot of weight, ”said his sister.

Katie mentions that when Lisa was given her insulin bomb, (apparatus that provides insulin regularly during the day), she realized that if she did not drink her dose, she lost weight anyway and could eat the things she should not.

“I hate being diabetic.I can't eat whenever I want (how not to have toEating at night) because I don't want to gain more weight, ”he wrote on May 29.

“My family and I assumed that she knew what she was doing.There was nothing we could do and if she knew she was doing something ... basically she had her life in her own hands, ”Katie said.

A year after the newspaper began, Lisa wrote that she weighed 47 kilos and admitted that it was bulimica, although she was already improving, but only for a while.

"Over time, he realized that he could increase sugar in his blood, not take insulin, eat what he wanted and lose weight in any case."

Everything worsened

As time passed, Lisa worsened and began to have side effects on her feet and her stomach, in addition to her cheeks were very pink, a sign that she did not take insulin.

“He had a condition that made when he ate, his stomach did not process the food and came out the same on the other side and gave him some terrible pain.He spent it entering and leaving the hospital between January and April last year, ”Katie explained.

The doctors told him that it had hurt not to take insulin correctly, something that depressed it, although I continue with the disorder.

“Since he died I have realized everything he had to do and how difficult it should have been for her.I knew that she had to take insulin, but I was not how involved she had to be.And that of the diabulimia ... I did not know that other people suffered and only learned after he died.It is very sad.If Lisa had received help 10 years ago, perhaps she would be with us because she would have taken care of, ”his sister lamented.

(With BBC information)