Thank you for visiting this link. Dr. Gist asked me to share my experience with dental work and most importantly, an eating disorder that led me to where I am today.

First I would like to tell you a little about myself. I am 28 years old and I have a wonderful husband and two kids. I am presently working on my bachelor's degree in Health Studies and hope to one day work for the World Health Organization.

I hope by sharing my story and experience dealing with an all too common (and life threatening) disorder known as bulimia, that I may help other people understand the profound negative impact that it can have in a person's life.

Bulimia Nervosa involves frequent episodes of binge eating, almost always followed by purging and intense feelings of guilt or shame. The individual feels out of control and recognizes that the behavior is not normal.

Bulimia Danger Signals:

• Bingeing, or eating uncontrollably
• Purging by strict dieting, fasting, vigorous exercise, vomiting or abusing laxatives or diuretics in an attempt to lose weight
• Using the bathroom frequently after meals
• Preoccupation with body weight
• Depression or mood swings
• Irregular period
• Developing dental problems, swollen cheek glands, heartburn and/or bloating
• Experiencing personal or family problems with alcohol or drugs

Physical complications:

• Gastrointestinal problems: irritation of esophagus, stomach, salivary glands and throat from persistent vomiting
• Damaged or discolored teeth: gastric acids erode enamel and dissolve tooth structure
• Lung irritation: choking while vomiting causes food particles to lodge in lungs, causing inflammation
• Chronic loss of bodily fluids: depletes blood potassium, sodium and chloride levels, resulting in muscle
• Spasms, weakness, irregular heartbeat and kidney disease.

I have experienced several of these conditions and symptoms as a result of having bulimia for 10 years. I started purging when I was 16 years old because I had an abusive past and felt inadequate and indifferent from other people. Instead of turning my feelings outward, I turned inward and abused myself through this disorder. At my worst point during this battle, my potassium became so low that the doctors told me I could have died within days because my heart could have stopped. I had to have an IV with potassium for several hours.

My teeth became brittle and eroded from the purging (vomiting of gastric acids) after 4 years of bulimia. From the age of 18 to the present day, almost every tooth in my head has had to have a root canal and I don't think there has been one month out of the past 8 years that a tooth was not bothering me. The devastation this disorder has caused me has been more than I ever could have imagined. The first time I had dental work done to repair all of the damage I had caused in my mouth was overseas in a foreign country. My sister worked overseas at the time and agreed to pay the $2,000 it would cost there to have needed dental work. I ended up being there for three weeks and left with a bigger mess than I had started with. The crowns were made of low quality and outdated material.

I have spent most of my twenties in constant agony and fear because I knew that I could never afford to have my teeth fixed correctly. I started isolating myself and became very depressed. I knew I had to stop binging / purging and start focusing on making myself better. I began opening up to the people who were closest to me and sharing my feelings about my past and present.

Over the past several years, I have changed so much about my life and in return, God blessed me with the ability to finally pay for the dental work that I needed. I was ‘surfing the web’ one night in hopes of finding a dentist capable of transforming my awful dental mess, and that is when I found Dr. Gist’s website. I e-mailed his office staff about my situation and they responded the next day ready to guide me through the nightmare I had been so scared of. I was concerned about how much money this would cost, how Dr. Gist would react after finding out what a horrible person I must be for doing this to myself. Would he even be able to fix my severe dental problems that other dentists would not get involved with? Would I have to have all of my remaining teeth removed and have dentures at 28 years old?

Fortunately Dr. Gist found a way to totally rehabilitate my mouth and save my teeth. It was hard work, expensive, and took a lot of time, determination and commitment, but I have made it through this ordeal and I have a beautiful smile, thanks to Dr. Gist and his incredible team. I am still dealing with emotional and health issues from all of the years of bulimia and I would never wish this experience on my worst enemy.

I hope that anyone who is battling bulimia and hasn't confronted the problem will decide to right now. If you don't believe anyone else who tells you to stop, believe me. I know what you are going through and I know the lies you are telling yourself, or someone else is speaking to you. I can tell you that the countless sleepless nights with horrible fear, dental pain, infection and possible death, along with over $70,000 worth of complex restorative dentistry, is NOT worth purging. Just stop, right now! Or get help so you can Stop doing this to yourself. Even experimenting in this behavior is pathologic, dangerous and can cause serious irreversible injury to your body, mind and spirit, and even death.

The last thing I wanted to say before I close is that I would be happy to talk with anyone who is a current patient of Dr. Gist’s who wants to know more about my experience with bulimia in order to give you some hope for recovery.

Sincerely, Sue