Hi, my name is Hallie; I will be your surgeon.
Before we get started, I just wanted to cover some basics and give you space for any questions, thoughts, or feelings.
First and foremost, I want to welcome you to your recovery journey. It SUCKS! You’re going to hate it!! But, trust me, after years of research, trials, and errors, statistics still support that enduring “non-invasive brain surgery” (psychotherapy) is simply the most effective way to heal from an eating disorder.
This method allows us to work together as we evaluate your twisted neural pathways and any physical consequences secondary to malnutrition. Therefore, we can teach you skills that will help you rewire your brain and treat the physical symptoms accordingly. As a result, you can create a more satisfying life for yourself and feel physically and mentally better than ever.
Here’s the thing. You were born pretty much perfect and pure. You were created to eat intuitively. However, as you developed, maybe society convinced you to engage in diet culture versus listening to your body and allowing it to do its thing. As a result, of course, your body is confused and has been trying its hardest to fight back and get you to a place of homeostasis. Undernutrition guarantees physiological and psychological consequences.
You can become intuitive again. You can get back to where your entire life is not consumed with whatever symptoms brought you to my office today. However, you must surrender and be open to new possibilities for treatment to work.
Non-invasive brain surgery takes time, desire, and one hundred percent effort. However, there isn’t any other way that guarantees recovery.
Your journey will not be linear. However, the paradox is the only way is through.
The alternative is, continuing to spiral in your eating disorder, and I guarantee it will be way more painful. Things will only worsen, and there is no light at the end of that tunnel. Therefore, since both paths suck, I suggest you take the course that leads you to the sun.
I promise you that it is possible, you are strong enough, and that the benefits significantly outweigh the risks involved. You can’t see it yet, but I am a professional in training who has seen many people move past the place where you are right now! Therefore, I need you to trust me.
Hear me loud and clear. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! You have so many tour guides who will show you around and teach you how to navigate this unknown territory.
However, you are the one who has to do the hard work. You are the only person who can save yourself. (Unfortunately, health insurance refuses to pay for someone else to perform this procedure for you.)
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Now that you’re all pumped up, I will finally tell you what to expect during the procedure.
You will be awake the entire time, and there are medications to take the edge off, plus fix any chemical imbalances you might be facing. The team will give you all the hydroxyzine and any Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) your body needs. We will provide you with heat packs, Simethicone, Zofran, and Miralax cocktails to relieve physical discomfort. However, unfortunately, you will not be completely numb, and it is encouraged to tolerate as much discomfort as possible. Lidocaine and other substances are too powerful and will not allow you to work through all of the grief you’ve contained and tangled up inside. They will also cause a ton of additional complications and prolong this procedure. Therefore, you need to be prepared to feel everything.
Once we open you up, there is no way of knowing how long this journey will take. Several factors go into rating the level of difficulty.
From the moment you started micromanaging your body’s state of homeostasis, your equilibrium has been trying desperately to tell you it is fed up. Your body has had to overcompensate in every way. Therefore, it believes you are in a famine and has activated survival mode.
Your body does not care that society idolizes “skinny” or what health magazines say you should or should not consume. Health magazines are only interested in selling you crash diets that do not work and will make you miserable.
I could go on and on to butcher the diet industry, but that is for another time. (For now, you can read the book “The F*ck it Diet.”)
ANYWAYS!
Depending on how long your equilibrium has been in the HR department, searching for a new job will influence how long it takes them to return to work.
Not to worry, though. Your multidisciplinary team of professionals are super experienced and will walk with you for however long it takes to reroute your neural pathways.
Once you stop utilizing the disordered pathways, your brain will replace them with healthier ones.
You will have to do a lot of manual labor by changing your behaviors and to be honest, IT WILL SUCK AND BE PAINFUL. But, to create a non-toxic work environment for your body to function optimally, we need to do a factory reset. Eventually, after adopting new philosophies and changing your behaviors, your body will recognize it has job security and will trust you again.
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I know that I have just given you a lot of information and that this is only our pre-surgery consultation.
You probably feel like you are standing at the bottom of a mountain you need to climb, and maybe you doubt your abilities to get to the top. But, you have to start climbing.
You don’t know how to climb yet, but we will teach you one step at a time.
You will probably fall on your way up at least once, but the only way to the top is by picking yourself back up. It will get easier as you advance towards the top.
Eating disorders are both physiological and psychological diseases with high mortality rates. While you did not choose to have an eating disorder, you can choose to recover, and I believe in you.
So, WELCOME TO RECOVERY!! It sucks, your going to hate the journey. But, we are glad to have you, and I promise, it will be worth it.
Love,
Hallie
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Hey there! I am so glad you are here. Don’t forget to like this post and follow me for additional content!
Hallie Orton 