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I HAVE BEEN CRAVING ICE NOW FOR ABOUT 6 OF 7 MONTHS ...

Sent to Health Experts June 12, 2006 6:28 p.m.

I HAVE BEEN CRAVING ICE NOW FOR ABOUT 6 OF 7 MONTHS A-LOT OF ICE I AM UP TO AROUND 12 PDS A DAY ITS ALL I WANT ALL THE TIME. I HAVE BEEN CHECKED FOR LOW IRON.MY DOC SAID IT WAS OK ,BUT MY WHITE BLOD COUNT WAS A LITTLE HIGH.I HAVE LOST ALMOST 30 POUNDS SINCE MARCH. I DONT KNOW WHAT TO ASK MY DOCT TO DO HE THINKS I AM CRAZY PLEASE TRY AND HELP MEMY FAMILY IS WORRIED ABOUT ME. I KNOW IT COULD BE JUST A HABIT ,BUT IF THERE IS ANYTHING OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS MAYBE DOING THIS.

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Female , Age: 37

Already Tried:
BLOOD WORK

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Status: Closed Value: $8

Answer
June 12, 2006 6:55 p.m. (27 minutes and 30 seconds later)

REPLIED

Hello,

What you are describing is pica which is defined as an appetite for substances not fit for food, such as in your case, ice. Pagophagia is specifically pica for ice, and studies show this to be a specific indicator for iron deficiency anemia.

I would definitely get a second opinion to assure you are not anemic.

Are you overtly stressed? Do you find that you will be anxious until you obtain ice?

__________________

Deborah -- Nurse (RN) -- 98% Positive Feedback on 2319 Health Accepts
Registered NP - Multispeciality

Reply to Deborah
Sent June 12, 2006 8:53 p.m. (1 hour and 57 minutes later)

yes i get very nervous if i am getting close to being out of ice. when i am at work i feel like i have to. catch up when i get home. they found no problem with my blood work. is there another heath problem i should have checked

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Answer
June 12, 2006 9:08 p.m. (15 minutes and 0 seconds later)

REPLIED

As your blood work does not show anemia, there are no other medical conditions that would cause this craving.

The reason I asked you if you became anxious or nervous in relation to your craving is that you may have a form of obsessive compulsive disorder. This is highly suspect as you are driven to eat the ice and worry should you not be able to obtain it.

The best advice would be for you to make an appointment to see a psychiatrist. No, you are not crazy! OCD is caused by anxiety. By going to the psychiatrist he or she can take a complete history and help you to overcome this obsession with medication if necessary, or perhaps just a referral to a psychotherapist.

Here is some info related to OCD. The info is broad spectrum, craving the ice may not be mentioned; however, the anxiety and worry that you experience, along with the obsession and ritual of eating it fits into the category of OCD. A psychiatrist could make an accurate diagnosis. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/HealthInformation/ocdmenu.cfm

Edited by Two_Westies on June 12 2006 at 9:09pm

__________________

Deborah -- Nurse (RN) -- 98% Positive Feedback on 2319 Health Accepts
Registered NP - Multispeciality

Reply to Deborah
Sent June 12, 2006 10:10 p.m. (1 hour and 2 minutes later)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP I WILL LOOK INTO IT THE WEIGHT LOSS IS STILL A WORRY. I GUESS I AM JUST TAKING IN SO MUCH FLUID I HAVE NO APPITITE. THANKS AGAIN

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Answer
June 12, 2006 10:12 p.m. (2 minutes and 18 seconds later)

ACCEPTED

Yes, that would be a consideration too. Eating very cold foods continually speeds up ypur metabolism imn an effort to keep your inner body core temperature at it's normal temperature.

More water intake from the ice will also decrease your appetite.

__________________

Deborah -- Nurse (RN) -- 98% Positive Feedback on 2319 Health Accepts
Registered NP - Multispeciality

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