Orlando, Fla. — Like many teenage girls, Lee Ann Thill was obsessed with her appearance. A diabetic, she was already suffering from bulimia — forcing herself to throw up to lose weight. But it was not enough, and she recently had put on 20 pounds (9 kilograms).
Then one day at a camp for diabetic teens, she heard counselors scold two girls for practicing "diabulimia" — not taking their insulin so they could lose weight, one of the consequences of uncontrolled diabetes.
Do you not realize you could die if you skip your insulin? the counselor scolded.
But Thill, who has Type 1, or juvenile diabetes, focused on this: Skipping insulin equals weight loss. For the next 17 years, diabulimia was her compulsion.
"I took just enough insulin to function," said Thill, now 34.
FOXNews.com - Diabetic Teens Skipping Insulin to Lose Weight - Health News | Current Health News | Medical News
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