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Laura Daly Spring 2005
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Laura Daly Fall 2006
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| Laura Daly & Dr. William P. Smedley, M.D., F.A.C.S. |
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If you have been diagnosed as having Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia, the real problem may be a physical condition and not in your head! Most doctors are not aware they need to run a simple test to check for a not so rare disease, before you will know for sure.
The first symptom was reported to my pediatrician at one month, and nothing was done. After being heavy in junior high, I plummeted sixty pounds at fifteen, and the horror story began.
The next ten years was a roller coaster of doctor after doctor accusing me of having Anorexia Nervosa, while never running the appropriate medical tests to look for what was really physically wrong.
My book "Anorexia Misdiagnosed" tells the tale of what I call "The Modern Day Leper." I was shunned by those I thought were friends, along with teachers and employers. I learned of conversations behind my back about "what I was doing to myself," as if I had any control over my weight. While at my lowest weight of sixty-three pounds, being constantly stared and glared at in public.
Finally my computer challenged mother saved my life by searching on the internet, finding Dr. William P. Smedley, M.D., F.A.C.S. The one doctor that knew where to look. I was slowly dying. All the while the real underlying problem was caused by a known and not so rare chronic disease, that was corrected by a relatively simple surgery.
My case was genetic. Since my surgery my mother and grandmother have had the same surgery. They did not have the weight loss problem, but had other symptoms of the disease that were also ignored by their doctors for decades. This disease affects different people in different ways. Looking back in my family’s medical history, the related problems are almost epidemic. Some family members have chronic related problems and are now convinced they have been misdiagnosed for years.
There is much misinformation in the medical profession and media concerning Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. There are still those who shun me, even though I have the undisputable medical proof of my inherited disease.
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Dr. William P. Smedley, M.D., F.A.C.S. image used with his permission.
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