The road to recovery for the Anorexic or Bulimic is long and tedious.

  The mortality runs as high as 20%. This means that one out of five patients may die. The other four will survive and continue on with their lives. The hardest thing for the parents is not to know which group their child will end up in. The waiting is the hardest part of it all. You want it over and done with now. But it never happens that way. You grab on to whatever new hope arises as the years pass.

  Often, the father blames the mother for not loving the child enough, and the mother blames herself for the result. Soon the father becomes so frustrated that he may even leave. The family is broken up just when the support for the patient is so necessary. The expense is so devastating. The insurance runs out and the personal debt mounts. Calls placed to the doctors are not returned, because the doctors become just as frustrated as you at the lack of response of your child.

W.P. Smedley
M.D. F.A.C.S.
Is no longer
practicing. This
site remains for
information only.

   If this sounds like your situation, especially if your child is in critical condition and you feel there is no more hope, please call me! Even if your child has been in the hospital numerous times and has needed hyperalimentation, there is still time! Even if she has a pacemaker and a portacath, call me! Just give me the chance to discover the problem if one truly exists. What have you got to lose except an hour of your time. Call me now! (717) 288-3130.
    To The Parents:

  • Do you feel totally frustrated about what more to do for your child with this eating disorder?
  • Are you tired of being blamed for your child's condition?
  • Are you tired of being told that your child's condition is a result of your not loving them enough?
  • Are you tired of being thought of as an inadequate parent?
  • Are you tired of searching your soul for the reason why your child has developed an eating disorder?
  • Are you unable to please your child no matter how hard you try?
  • Are you unable to have a quiet discussion with your child without her eyes filling up with tears?
    To The Mother:

  • Does your intuition tell you that there is a physical cause for your child's problem?
  • Are you unable to quiet these intuitions despite what you have been told?
    Your Child:

  • Has frequent and wide mood swings.
  • Appears and acts hostile at times.
  • Is short-fused and irritable.
  • Is depressed, weepy, sad and withdrawn.
  • Complains of vague abdominal pain.
  • Is highly intelligent.
  • Is highly manipulative.
  • Has asked you over and over and over if she looks fat.
  • Was so sweet and lovable before all this started about being fat.
  • Is a survivor in all other areas except this one.
    Look At Your Child And See:

  • See the fullness under one eye-more than the other.
  • Look at her hair. Is the hair thin or of a fine texture? Has it lost all of its body? Do you find hair in the tub or shower or in the hair brush?
  • Look at her skin. Is it pale? Has she lost all of her color? Is the skin dry and flaky?
  • Look at her fingers. Are her fingers swollen? Are her rings tight? When she takes off her rings is there an indentation left?
  • Look at her legs. When she takes off her socks is there a ring around her legs where the elastic was?
  • Does she complain of being cold?
    You Know:

  • Your child is highly intelligent.
  • You child is a survivor.
  • Your child is critical.
  • Your child is manipulative.
  • How could she be doing this to herself?
   A Different Approach: You and your child have not had much success up to this point. Could you be missing the reason? Could you be missing the answer because you've been told all the tests are normal? Are you tired Of Doctor Bills and tests: Is your child is tired of all the tests, physical and psychological. Please Call or Email, at least to talk.

Read A Father's Story

Additional Information:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome | Gallbladder Disease
Gallbladder Disease in Children | Depression | Gastroparesis
Insurance & Financial Considerations | Followup Stories

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