A NURSING student was so ill with anorexia that she was even afraid to drink water.
Emily Green, 20, was diagnosed with the eating disorder at 16 but took a dramatic turn for the worst whilst at university.
Having been in and out of medical facilities for years, she was finally deemed too unwell to be an outpatient, and was escorted to a hospital by her university's campus police.
Emily, from Colorado, USA, quit the inpatient unit as soon as the police left.
But she soon started to fear for her life, as she had gone almost 48 hours without eating anything - even water.
At her worst, she weighed just 6st 7lbs and wore XS clothes.
“My mum noticed weird eating habits of mine from a very young age,” said Emily.
“She mentioned this to my doctor when I was younger, but he just said that because my dad was thin that I was built like that naturally."
She says that her anorexia started as a way of feeling accepted by her classmates and went on to "numb" her from anxiety and depression.
Despite the first year of uni being "amazing", the stress of her course soon hit her and by the second term, her weight had plummeted.
“When I was at the doctor’s office, she determined me to be too unstable for her to assess, so she called the campus police to escort me to the hospital," Emily recalled.
“The policeman dropped me off at the hospital and I walked inside, waited until he left and then walked back to campus.
“That night, I felt a sense of anxiety and dread that I’ll never forget. It was a Thursday night, I hadn’t eaten or drank anything in over 24 hours and I didn’t have any plans until the Monday.
“For the first time in my life, I was afraid I was going to die. I emailed my doctor to let her know I thought I’d made a mistake by leaving the hospital and she told me to get back there right away.
“When I got to the hospital, I remember crying over the bag of IV fluids because I saw the word ‘dextrose’ and I knew that meant sugar."
While she was there, Emily had to a have a sitter in her room for 24 hours a day - and still managed to hide every meal she was given.
“I became so afraid of food and water that I couldn’t bring myself to put anything into my body. So, I’d go about 48 hours without eating anything.
“It would take my two to three hours to eat a meal as I’d cut my sandwiches into little pieces and stuff them into my napkin and put fruit up my sleeves.
“I was a danger to myself, so if I left the treatment centre they would call the police and I’d get sent back to the centre.”
Eventually, she was transferred to McCallum Place, a specialised eating disorder clinic where staff could cope with her specific issues in greater detail.
After three months, she was told that she could go back to university if she managed to gain over 3st over the summer break.
“I was discharged from my treatment programme the day before I started my second year of university. Over that summer I gained over three stone,” said Emily.
“Since that time, I’ve faced the highest of highs and lowest of lows. I’ve made new friends and lost some too.
“I’ve fallen in love with nursing school and helped to deliver babies. I recently ate my first doughnut in eight years."
Now a healthy 9st 2lbs, Emily said that to get through her recovery, she wrote herself "I am" notes every morning to remind herself of what she wanted out of life.
She also fell in love with weight and strength training.
MORE ON ANOREXIA
“I love growing my strength in the gym and I continue to share my story on Instagram to connect with others. I’m not ashamed of my scars but they don’t define who I am.
“I make a lot of mistakes and I try to learn from them and I trust myself to care of myself. My parents shouldn’t have to bury their daughter.
“It may take you years to find what works for you in your recovery, and you may be doing well and then relapse, but you don’t have to do it alone.
"Discover why you want to live and be healthy.”
If you or anyone you know is struggling with disordered eating, you can contact Beat on 0808 801 0677
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErKynZpOke7a3jp%2BYm62cpMK0e5dsbmxtZmZ8orrOq5yxoZFis6at0WaumqyVp3qzscKorZ6qqWQ%3D