I-anorexia Ne-bulimia—Amaqiniso Nezingozi

“Ukudla kuthwala umthwalo ongokomzwelo onzima kakhulu kunanoma yini engakalwa ngama-calorie [ama-kilojoule] noma ngamagremu.”—Umlobi, uJanet Greeson.

I-ANOREXIA ne-bulimia izinhlobo ezimbili zokuphazamiseka kwemikhuba yokudla ezivame kakhulu. Ngayinye inezici zayo ezihlukile. Nokho, njengoba sizobona, zombili zingaba yingozi—zingakubulala nokukubulala.

I-anorexia—Ukuzibulala Ngendlala

Abantu abaphethwe i-anorexia, bayenqaba ukudla noma badle kancane kakhulu kangangokuthi bagcine bengasondlekile. Cabangela u-Antoinette oneminyaka engu-17 ubudala, othi ngesinye isikhathi isisindo sakhe sake sehla saze saba ngamakhilogremu angu-37—isisindo esiphansi kakhulu ngosemusha ongamamitha angu-1,7 ubude. Uthi: “Ngangingakudli ukudla okunama-calorie angaphezu kwangu-250 [ama-kilojoule angu-1 047] ngosuku futhi nganginebhuku lokubhala lokho engikudlile.”

Abantu abaphethwe i-anorexia bahlale becabanga ngokudla abakudlayo, futhi benza izinto eziwukweqisa ukuze bavimbele ukukhuluphala. UHeather uthi: “Ngaqala ukufela ukudla endwangwini yokusula ngenza sengathi ngisula umlomo.” USusan wayevivinya umzimba kanzima ukuze ehlise isisindo. Uthi: “Cishe zonke izinsuku, ngangigijima amamayela ayisishiyagalombili [amakhilomitha ayi-12], noma ngibhukude ihora, kungenjalo ngangizizwa ngikhathazekile futhi nginecala. Futhi nsuku zonke ekuseni ngangithola injabulo enkulu kakhulu, ngokuya esikalini ukuze ngiqiniseke ukuthi isisindo sami sasingaphansi kakhulu kwamaphawundi angu-100 [amakhilogremu angu-45], ngokuvamile ukuphela kwento eyayingijabulisa ngempela.”

Kuyaxaka ukuthi abanye abaphethwe i-anorexia baba ngabapheki abadl’ ubhedu futhi balungise ukudla okwehla esiphundu abangeke baze bakuthinte. U-Antoinette uthi: “Ngesikhathi isimo sami sesisibi kakhulu, ngangilungisa konke ukudla okuzodliwa ekhaya futhi ngenzele umfowethu nodadewethu abancane umphako ngiwugoqe ngephepha elinsundu. Ngangingabavumeli basondele esiqandisini. Ngangizwa sengathi ikhishi elami.”

Ngokwencwadi ethi A Parent’s Guide to Anorexia and Bulimia, abanye abaphethwe i-anorexia “baba amanono ngokweqile futhi bangase bafune ukuba wonke umkhaya uhlangabezane nezindinganiso zabo ezingafinyeleleki. Abafuni magazini noma zicathulo noma nkomishi okungezuhlala endaweni yako ngisho isikhashana nje. Bangase balibale ukunaka kakhulu inhlanzeko nokubukeka kwabo, bechitha amahora amaningi endlini yokugezela bevale umnyango futhi benqaba ukuvumela abanye bangene balungele ukuya esikoleni noma emsebenzini.”

Lokhu kuphazamiseka okungajwayelekile okubizwa ngokuthi i-anorexia kuqala kanjani? Ngokuvamile, osemusha noma oseqala ukuba mdala—ngokuvamile owesifazane—uzimisela ukwehla ngamakhilogremu athile. Nokho, uma ewufinyelela umgomo wakhe, akaneliseki. Uma ezibuka esibukweni ubona sengathi usakhuluphele, khona-ke unquma ukuthi ukwehlisa amanye amakhilogremu ambalwa kungaba ngcono. Lo mjikelezo uyaqhubeka kuze kube yilapho isisindo sakhe sehla ngamaphesenti angu-15 noma ngaphezulu kunesisindo esivamile sabantu abalingana naye ngobude.

Kuleli qophelo abangane namalungu omkhaya baqala ukuzwakalisa ukukhathazeka kwabo ngokuthi usengangothi lokuvungula, usemathambo. Kodwa yena ubheka izinto ngelinye iso. “Ngangingacabangi ukuthi ngibukeka ngizacile,” kusho u-Alan, owesilisa ongamamitha angu-1,75 ubude, osisindo sakhe ngesinye isikhathi sake sehla saze safika kumakhilogremu angu-33. Uthi: “Lapho uncipha kakhulu, kulapho umqondo wakho uphazamiseka kakhulu futhi awube usakwazi ukuzibona kahle.”a

Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi i-anorexia ingaholela ezinkingeni zempilo ezingathi sína, kuhlanganise ne-osteoporosis nokulimala kwezinso. Ingambulala nokumbulala umuntu. UHeather uthi: “Udokotela wami wangitshela ukuthi ngangincishe umzimba wami izakhi eziningi kangangokuthi ukuba ngangiqhubeke nalo mkhuba wami wokudla ezinye izinyanga ezimbili, ngangizofa ngibulawe ukungondleki.” I-Harvard Mental Health Letter ibika ukuthi phakathi neminyaka eyishumi, cishe amaphesenti amahlanu abesifazane abaxilongwa kwatholakala ukuthi baphethwe i-anorexia, bafa.

I-bulimia—Ukufobela Nokukukhipha

Ukuphazamiseka kwemikhuba yokudla okwaziwa ngokuthi i-bulimia nervosa kubonakala ngokufobela (ukudla ngokushesha ukudla okuningi, mhlawumbe okungama-kilojoule afinyelela ku-21 000 noma ngaphezulu) bese ukukhipha (ukuhlambulula isisu, ngokuvamile ngokuhlanza noma ngokusebenzisa imithi ehambisayo).b

Ngokuphambene ne-anorexia, i-bulimia ayisheshi iphawuleke. Ngokuvamile lowo emphethe angase angabi mncane kakhulu, futhi imikhuba yakhe yokudla ingase ibonakale ivamile—okungenani kwabanye. Kodwa kumuntu ophethwe i-bulimia, ukuphila akuhambi neze ngendlela evamile. Ngempela uhlale ecabanga ngokudla kangangokuthi zonke ezinye izinto azibalulekile. “Lapho ngiqhubeka nokufobela bese ngihlanza, kulapho ngangiya ngokuya ngingabi nandaba nezinye izinto nabanye abantu,” kusho uMelinda oneminyaka engu-16 ubudala. “Empeleni ngakhohlwa nokuthi kambe kujatshulwa kanjani nabangane.”

UGeneen Roth, umbhali nothisha emkhakheni wokuphazamiseka kwemikhuba yokudla uchaza ukufobela ngokuthi “ubuhlanya obuthatha imizuzu engamashumi amathathu, ukuphonseka esihogweni.” Uthi lapho umuntu efobela “akanandaba nalutho—ngisho nabangane nabakubo . . . Unendaba nokudla kuphela.” ULydia oneminyaka engu-17 naye ophethwe yiyo, uchaza isimo sakhe ngendlela efana ncamashí. “Ngizizwa sengathi ngingumgqomo kadoti,” esho. “Ngiyakugimbela, ngikumemfuze bese ngiphalaza. Ngenza into efanayo njalo.”

Umuntu ophethwe i-bulimia akakwazi ukuvimbela ukukhuluphala okubangelwa ukudla kwakhe okungalawulwa. Ngakho-ke, ngokushesha ngemva kokufobela uyaphalaza noma aphuze imithi yokuhlambulula isisu ukuze aqede loku kudla ngaphambi kokuba kushintshe kube amafutha omzimba.c Nakuba loku kungase kubonakale kunyanyisa, umuntu ophethwe i-bulimia osenesikhathi eside akakubheki ngaleyo ndlela. “Lapho uqhubeka ukufobela futhi ukukhipha, kulapho kuba lula ngawe,” kuchaza isisebenzi sezenhlalakahle uNancy Kolodny. “Imizwa owawunayo ekuqaleni yokwenyanya noma ngisho yokwesaba ngokushesha ithathelwa indawo umuzwa okuphoqelela ukuba uphinde lezi zindlela zomuntu ophethwe i-bulimia.”

I-bulimia iyingozi kakhulu. Ngokwesibonelo, ukukhipha ukudla ngokuphindaphindiwe ngokuphalaza kwenza umlomo uthole ama-asidi esisu ayingozi, angase alimaze uqweqwe lwamazinyo omuntu ophethwe i-bulimia. Lo mkhuba futhi ungase ulimaze umphimbo, isibindi, amaphaphu nenhliziyo yakhe. Okubi nakakhulu, ukuhlanza kungase kubangele ukudabuka kontwentwesi lwesisu ngisho nokufa. Nokusebenzisa imithi yokuhlambulula isisu ngokweqile kungase kube yingozi. Kungase kulimaze ukusebenza kwamathumbu futhi kungaholela esifweni sohudo nokopha kwethumbu elikhipha indle. Okubi nakakhulu, ukusebenzisa kabi imithi yokuhlambulula isisu kungakubulala, njengoba kunjalo nangokuphalaza njalo.

Ngokwe-National Institute of Mental Health, ukuphazamiseka kwemikhuba yokudla kukhula ngokuphikelelayo. Yini eshukumisela owesifazane osemusha ukuba adlale ngokufa ngokuzibulala ngendlala? Kungani omunye ehlale ecabanga ngokudla kangangokuthi afobele abese ekhathazeka ngesisindo sakhe aze aphoqeleke ukuba akhiphe lokho akudlile? Le mibuzo izocatshangelwa esihlokweni esilandelayo.

[Imibhalo yaphansi]