So I went to see a nutritionist recently, and I can't get the appointment out of my head. Near the end of the session (after I had discussed binging, trigger foods, and purging), she told me that she had "been anorexic in the past", but that she "never binged and purged." She then continued on to say that "wouldn't have allowed herself to binge and purge", and followed that statement with a short laugh/snort that made me cringe. The grand finale was the statement that none of the doctors she works with know of her past because "if they did, they wouldn't send [her] any patients."
I was beyond shocked at this point, and although there were a million things I wanted to say to her, I just kind of stared. It would have been bad enough if she had told me about her past anorexia and left it at that ... but to then make that statement about binging and purging ... I felt like a disgusting bitch ...someone doesn't have any control over herself. A complete failure. I wanted so badly to run out of there.
I had an appointment with my family doctor (who had referred me to this nutritionist) the next day, but I felt too guilty to mention anything ... how could I tell him this secret??? So I lied and said everything had gone well. During my appointment with my psych though, I cracked and told her everything. How disgusting I felt ... how I could never trust her because I would always feel judged ... how I was angry that she would put the burden of this "secret" on me. My psych completely agreed that she had crossed the line, and said that she would try to find a different nutritionist. She also encouraged me to tell my family doctor about what happened. Even with her validation, I still feel horrible. I feel like I somehow did something wrong ... like I'm a bad person ... like I deserve to feel ashamed of myself ...
Has anyone ever been treated by a health professional with an eating disorder? How did you feel about it? If someone who treated you had had an eating disorder in the past, would you want to know? How would you have felt in my situation? Do you think it's wrong if I tell my family doctor everything that happened? I'm so confused. =(