Blood Drug Testing

Recovering From Anorexia: Are Blood Tests and urine tests Accurate? And a question about Re-feeding syndrome..?

I restricted severly and exercised continously for almost three months. This month I decided I didn't want that and I'm trying to recover. Lab tests of blood showed levels of minerals are in normal range. But is that accurate? Or are the body's storage of stuff like calcium and all that not reflected in the blood test? My second question is related. I've been having edema and water retention (I have no history of either, and after starting eating again the tests show that I have water trapped in the empty space in my pelvic area)I have been to the doctor on sunday of this week, and I'm taking a multi-vitamin and minerals supplement that he gave me and a water pill too. I'm supposed to see him again in another week. I'm not from a first world country and stuff like anorexia and all that are not very understood, that's why I have been researching the net all day and I read about the re-feeding syndrome, and that symptoms of it are the water retention and edema. I have been eating every hour to half an hour as the doctor recommended, but I know that I'm eating too much (two fibre rich buiscits that are are equal to 400 calories, for example, then a large quantitiy of almonds, or two bowls of rice). The last two days I've been having some moderate edema and I've been eating alot of carbohydrates and sweets and salts and drank more water than usual (I didn't drink alot because I thought that the water was causing the edema). Anyway, I feel lost and I don't know what to do. I read that the solution to the refeeding syndrome is to gradually increase caloric intake. I don't know how many calories to start with, especially that I have to take my medicine twice a day after meals. I also want to know which kinds of food to eat. And how can I gain weight (I don't know what my weight is because of the water retention and loose skin but I know that the very last weight I reached in these four months was 88 pounds, and I suspect even less. My height is 5 feet 0 inches.) if I'm not eating alot of calories? Should I just go on eating and bear with my edema or should I mind the "re-feeding syndrome"? It could cause death and I'm really stressed about everything, especially since no one understands what's going on with me. I'm really feeling stupid and hating myself for causing my body so much torment. Help?

Public Comments

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refeeding_syndrome http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=390152 I wish you the best and wish you were under a doctors care. this can be very serious. It seems as if the diet the doctor gave you may be too much food all at once. Good luck. I wish you the best.