Should I go to the hospital?

As I've said in previous posts, I've lost a lot of weight (because of inability to chew, and also constant nausea and vomiting from Irritable Bowel Syndrome which makes it very difficult to eat/keep food down.)

I've lost 21 pounds in total, dropping the last 6 lbs in 6 days. I now weigh 101 lbs (which I last weighed when I was probably 11 yrs old. But I'm 21...) I throw up water, and I know I get moisture in my fruit smoothies and shakes, but I hardly drink any extra fluid because it makes me nauseas. I feel very dry, my lips crack and bleed, and I know I'm probably dehydrated to some level. Also since July the nausea has been so bad that I've almost never gotten above 1100 calories per day. On really bad days I didn't even manage 1000. I added whipping cream to my shakes recently which has helped me reach 1900 and 1800 calories respectively in the past two days. I'm monitering my weight every day, and it has seemed stable the past few days, and I hope I can maintain, but I'm afraid I'm going to keep dropping. I feel very weak even compared to what I felt at 105 lbs. I come up the stairs slowly and even when I have mental energy after a fruit smoothie, my body physically just feels very, very tired. I never seem to be able to manage to eat enough, get enough vitamins (I take liquid vitamins and sometimes almost throw that up), electrolytes, or fluids.

I don't know at what point I should maybe go to the hospital? My mom tells me a) they won't admit me, basically because I'm not Auschwitz-looking yet, and b) they probably won't even be able to help me or take good care of me. I'll probably just throw up the food from the nasogastric tube too. And those tubes can cause all kinds of complications...

Is it true, that the hospital can't/won't help me? Should I just keep trying to put whip cream (830 calories per cup) in my shakes and cross my fingers? Should I not even be worrying, since my weight hasn't dropped down to what would be considered actual starvation level (85 lbs) for my height? My BMI is 17.3, which is considered severely underweight, but I know a lot of people get down to BMIs of 15 or 16 or even 13 before they're admitted. And I don't have an eating disorder, so I'm afraid I'll be sent home and told to just try harder to eat enough.

Not that I want to stay in the hospital, but if it would help me stop losing, or help me gain... Because I honestly know I need far more than 1900 calories per day, maybe even more than 3000, but with inability to chew+severe nausea, I can't even dream of attaining that amount of calories in day.

I know this has been really long. Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated. My Mom tells me I'm worrying too much.

Yes it sounds like you need medical treatment.

You need to go to hospital, and they cant refuse a sick person

You sound severely dehydrated. If you have lost that much weight in a week, likely most or all of it was fluids, making your body very volume depleted. This can lead to very low blood pressure and a host of other problems. Additionally, nausea and vomiting can also be a symptom of dehydration, in addition to a cause of it. This can be a very nasty, vicious cycle.

There are a variety of medications that may help your nausea, as well as IV fluids to get you re-hydrated that a ER or Urgent care center can provide. It sounds like you could also use a Gastroenterologist to help get your IBS under control. If you haven't had a full work-up for it, I would strongly recommend one. GI specialists tend to have a HUGE wait to get an appointment, but if you are referred or consulted by a hospital it can speed things up.

It sounds like your issues are more physiological than psychological (ie ED) and requires MEDICAL treatment as soon as possible. As for a hospital not admitting you until you look like you have been starving, your current pressing need is for hydration. This may not require admission, but needs treatment. Your medical condition will determine if you need to be admitted.

Go to the ER for immediate treatment of the rapid weight loss, vomiting and probably dehydration.  Once you are there they can treat what's acute and evaluate you for admission.  I don't think you can wait for an appointment with a specialist. 

The other alternative is to make an appointment with your primary doctor for a complete physical, and let the doctor refer you to specialists or treatment.

I second going in.  Try to get in with your primary dr this morning or early afternoon-- if not, go to the urgent care.  Urgent care tends to have less wait and less expensive, but they can do many of the same things.

While you are waiting, etc, can you keep down popsicles?  My daughter used to get very sick and would refuse all liquids/food/etc and become so very dehydrated.  (let me tell you looking at a baby with sunken eyeballs from dehydration is NOT fun).  One of the ways I learned to "trick" her was to get fruit juice popsicles (and sometimes the pedialyte ones too).  You can find offbrands of the pedialyte popsicles are places like Target.  You can get some calories, some electrolytes, and some liquid in you all at the same time without feeling like you are drinking/eating.  You might be able to make them out of gatorade yourself, but I am not sure (based on salt level in gatorade) how it would come out.

My other question is how are you keeping down smoothies/shakes and not other stuff??  I mean, the dairy in those probably making your IBS symptoms worse rather than better.

Forget what your mom says... go to the hospital - at the very least they can rehydrate you with IV fluids and give you glucose to make you feel better. You don't have an eating disorder, you have physical health problems and you need help with them before you get REALLY sick.

GO TO THE HOSPITAL!! they can start an I.V and get the fluids back into your system.

go to the hospital. they will help you. I would also try adding pedialyte to your smoothies until you go to the hospital to help get your body hydrated.  If you get to dehydrated your muscles could spasm and cramp and you more or less won't be able to move, so don't let it go that far.

your mom might mean well, but you need to go to the hospital.  even IF you don't look auchwitz looking, this is not good at all.  they will be able to figure out what you have, but you need to go before it's too late.  don't wait until you DO look auchwitz looking...

I knew someone who had a heart attack and died because her electrolyte levels were so low from a stomach bug which had her vomitting for only 3 days.  Go to the hospital.

oh lordy, I definitely feel for you.  I had IBS caused by stress 3 years ago & definitely know about the on-going cycle of stomach pain, nausea, stress, and panic you're feeling.  I suggest going to your primary care doctor ASAP and making an appointment with the GI doctor as well if you haven't already.  It's possible for IBS to be controlled by stress-management & diet, but it's hard to get your stomach stabilized first.  I'm not sure what types of food you'll be able to eat though since you have an inability to chew.  hmmm...I do know that whipped cream can be a trigger for IBS suffers though because not only is it a dairy product, but it's also high in fats (at least it does for me, so I stay away from it).  Can you hold down Ensures & Boost Plus supplement drinks?  They are high in calories, have essential vitamins & seem to be easy on the stomach.  In the meantime, definitely get to the doctor's office ASAP.

I would not rush yourself to the nearest Emergency Room, as this is something that has been on going.  I would however, contact you primary physician and discuss with their assistant or nurse what you have posted here.  They will want to make an appointment for you to be seen, diagnosed and treated.  By the fact that you are posting this question it shows you have concern as well.  Again, your primary physician is the way to go, and call today or tomorrow.

Best of luck and take care of yourself!

whether it's call your physician, or go to the ER, do SOMETHING! Take all the information you just said and tell it to a professional. I mean...read everything you just wrote and act like it is someone elses post and you are not sick....that person sounds sick doesn't she? Even if they thought you were an ED case, they wouldn't send you home and tell you to try harder lol. ED is a very serious disease that needs treatment as well.

So tell your mother you are very sorry, but if you don't get some medical attention you may cause harm to yourself that could possibly be FATAL if you don't get some attention.

Good luck!

PLEASE GO!

You could be in danger of so many more things aside from dehydration! Don't focus so much on BMI's and what other people have been at... focus on your current health complications. There are many more options to get calories in aside from ng tubes, they can do IV's with glucose, and many other things.

When you feel weak, heck, even when you feel fine, there could be a whole lot more going on with your body inside. How do I know this? I went to the hosptial based upon my body weight (BMI of 12) and my body weight only. I did have Anorexia, but felt fine.

It turns out my electrolytes were shutting down, and my heart had shrunk. I was severly malnourished and the hospital said they were surprised I didn't pass away a few days ago, and that if I'd had waited even an hour longer, I would have lost my life.

Go to the hosptial. It will give you peace of mind, and they CAN help you! You're not the only sick person in the world, so the doctors are bound to know how to comfort you and regain your health. I will be praying for you, take care of yourself, and best of luck.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR ADVICE - I DID GO TO THE HOSPITAL.

They kept me overnight for observation, gave me two bags of IV fluid because I was dehydrated (I now have lots of saliva and tears!), and prescribed an anti-nausea medication to help me keep my food and water down. I had an ultrasound done and a number of lab tests and am waiting for all the results. The anti-nausea med is Maxerol (used to help cancer patients after radiation)and although it has side effects I don't like, and eventually I want to find out the root cause of my severe nausea instead of just throwing drugs at it, but for now it enables me to keep food and water down. I'm supposed to take it 3x/day but I actually only need it once every two days and I'm fine. I can actually eat, and eat, and eat, while I'm on this med and it's unbelievable. I also got a gainer powder (Muscle Juice) with a taste I can handle (chocolate, not sweetened with aspartame, like the last disgusting kind I tried) and when I add 4 scoops to a shake, it add over 1200 calories. I was so happy making my shake today and knowing I can actually drink it all and keep it down and start getiing calories in my body that I almost cried.

So, thanks again everyone. And while the root cause of everything hasn't been found and I am defintely not 'better', just wanted to let everyone know things have improved a bit after getting help at the hospital.

So glad to hear this! Wishing you the best for a full recovery.