Anorexia is different from anorexia nervosa. I see many people here making that mistake. Anorexia Nervosa is a condition associated with poor body self image and what we typically think of when we hear the term "anorexic."

Technically, anorexia just means a loss of appetite. Do I ever have a case of anorexia!

I started out at 226 pounds (5 ft. 6 female) when I was diagnosed in March 2007. I had a hemiglossectomy followed by chemo and radiation. I had a peg tube placed in June 2007. I don't think, even with the peg in, that I EVER kept any nutrition inside of me - I vomited constantly. My weight plummeted and has continued to decline even 18 months after treatment.

I now weigh 114 pounds on a good day and am nothing but skin and bones. I've lost 50% of my body weight in less than 18 months. A person with anorexia nervosa might not be able to see how thin he/she is - wow - do I ever see how skinny I am and I really hate my appearance. I'm only 38, but starting to look far older than my years because there is no fat in my face.

I struggle every day to have an interest in food. I can smell food and think to myself "that smells good," but my body doesn't want to eat it. I put food in, but any more than about 300 calories at a sitting and I'm so stuffed that I feel ill. Food is uncomfortable in my mouth - so maybe a pain stimulus is part of what keeps me from wanting to eat. There is literally not a single food out there that I ever crave or desire in any way. There are foods that aren't as painful and not as difficult to eat - so I eat those because I must.

My thyroid is starting to fail (TSH levels are climbing), but I'm only considered to be in subclinical hypothyroidism. I'm wondering if my thyroid function is what is compounding my weight issues (even though typically in hypothyroidism one gains weight and doesn't lose it easily, a lack of appetite is a listed symptom).