[SouthernBelle.]

For the last few months, I have felt terrible. I'm a seventeen year old female. I'm in a healthy weight range, I make certain to get eight hours of sleep every night, I eat healthy whole foods. I've tried introducing more lean protein into my diet, and I exercise four/five days each week.


I consume a lot more than is normal for me, judging by my eating before and my eating now. Whereas I used to push back my food, I suddenly have an overwhelming appetite that's out of my control. Thank goodness my binging entails fruit and vegetables. It makes me feel sick to my stomach and huge, because I eat anywhere from four to six large meals of mostly fruits and vegetables a day. I'm actually not big: As said before, I'm a normal weight and all. This sporadic eating and lack of self-control triggers the eating disorder I had before, as well as a recurring depression born of a mortal fear of becoming like my mother.

I'm constantly exhausted to the point that I can't peel myself off of the couch. The only time I feel even remotely energized is when I'm walking or jogging, and then my energy is sapped very quickly. I'm pale - I can't get a tan for anything, though I used to be able to just walk out into the sun and acquire one. My eyes have dark circles about them. My head aches a lot of the time, and when it's very bad, I can't think straight. If I stand too quickly, I get dizzy spells. Once, I was tired and stumbled, and had to reach out and grab hold of a door facing because I took a nose dive toward the floor.

My doctor's done blood test after blood test, but none of them say that anything is wrong with me, and beyond the blood tests, she has done nothing. She won't explore other options or call me back in for more tests. She's ruled out a thyroid problem and various vitamin deficiencies, and through it all, she remains maddeningly optimistic. Optimism is good, yes, but not when I feel ill and need a doctor.

My mom really doesn't want to take me to another doctor, because (as she says) she "doesn't know of any other doctor" and she's "afraid that I'll get a worse doctor".

I'm sick of this. I'm a runner, for crying out loud. I hate sitting because I feel so tired all the time. I just want to be as energetic as I was before. I want a different doctor, but I'm only seventeen, so finding one is difficult. I'm going to college this spring, and I want this to be fixed by the time I go.

Do I need a doctor? How the heck do I find one, and convince my mother to take me to one?