Thank you Tushnurse...I appreciate any thoughts on this.
Unfortunately, she lives with our mom. Was never married, and has a troubled 23 yr old daughter (not living with her). We had my sister out last year for a visit, and that's when we saw so many signs. She has always had an issue with her appearance, equating it to self worth. Last year, when I picked her up at the airport, she was starving, wanted to stop for some food. Ordered a veggie burger, ate maybe a third, then wrapped the rest up, said she was stuffed and couldn't eat another bite, almost acting disgusted. Once home, we had some wine, and she ended up devouring a pasta salad I had made.
Upon talking with her yesterday, I learned she has lost more weight, is exhausted all the time, has low blood pressure, a low heart rate, is now suffering from low blood sugar, has an underactive thyroid, swollen glands for months in the front of her neck that dr's refuse to treat with antibiotics, her blood cell count is off, she's waking up at night with periods of low blood sugar and cant focus other than to eat something quick, she's down to a size zero and proud of it, complaining how hard it is to find jeans that make her look good.
I think what's happened is her doctors may have suggested she has an eating disorder, and because she's so stubborn, she takes her issues to another one. She's seen three doctors, and according to her, all have suggested a biopsy of her glands, but they refuse antibiotic treatment. Knowing my sister, she's leaving something out. If a doctor told her they wanted to biopsy something, she'd do it.
She started losing weight because she was unhappy with her weight. We noticed she was comparing herself to her daughter a lot, and always seemed to want to let everyone know if a person thought she was younger than she was. The weight loss has been going on for a few years now, and after talking to her about the health issues, I'm truly scared that her lack of food is causing all her problems. She sent me pictures of some sundresses she purchased this summer... ALL came from the juniors department, and looked like something made for a young teen.
She is continuing to talk about how she wants healthy foods, low calorie, and still needs to "watch her weight".
I'm just scared. I will talk to my mom about it, but know she will do nothing. Our parents are just too old. Her daughter isn't going to be any help. But maybe some other family members will step in. I think everyone is afraid to say or do anything, just to keep the peace. But in the process, she may not make it.