constantly eating ice -- any DISers do this?

[disneymarie]

Something is going on. She could have dry mouth maybe from a medication, I would worry about dropping her body temp. That is why not to eat snow when stranded.

 

[kimmar067]

maybe she has an anxiety disorder? it kinda reminds me of cracking knuckles.

.... she's in her 70's and never did anything like this before....

 

[Christine]

.... she's in her 70's and never did anything like this before....

Oh, I thought the OP said she was 59.

 

[kimmar067]

Oh, I thought the OP said she was 59.

I was talking about MY mom...

 

[Christine]

I was talking about MY mom...

Sorry, missed that...

 

[kimmar067]

Sorry, missed that...

 

[rszdtrvl]

Does she have an ice machine on her refrigerator at home?

The first thing that popped into my head was maybe she really likes the ice and since she had access to it, she is going to take full advantage of it! Not for a medical reason or anything, but ya know, maybe she just really likes the crushed ice.

Before we got our refrig with ice maker, I would probably gone crazy with the ice too!

 

[roxannex]

My mother did this for about a year. It's Pica, from low iron. My mom would not take her iron pills and finally ended up in the hospital and needed a blood transfusion.

She learned her lesson and now takes her iron pills. It was scary.

 

[PolynesianLily]

I cannot stop eating ice. I know it annoys people, but honestly I don't know why but I crave it. I know this started like a few years back but recently it has gotten worse. I will only drink my water with ice cubes and even then I don't drink the water really but rather I will only eat the ice. I wish I knew how to stop.

 

[MizTink]

I cannot stop eating ice. I know it annoys people, but honestly I don't know why but I crave it. I know this started like a few years back but recently it has gotten worse. I will only drink my water with ice cubes and even then I don't drink the water really but rather I will only eat the ice. I wish I knew how to stop.

get your iron checked.....

 

[disney1990]

My adult DD is NOT anemic and crunches ice all the time. She just likes doing it.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Just liking ice and craving ice due to a medical condition (Pica) is completely different. It's hard to explain unless you've had it - you canNOT stop. It's this dire crave that you are constantly preoccupied with. When I didn't have any ice, I was thinking about it. I'd drive through and buy a coke, hold the coke, when I was away from a cup of ice for too long (hour or two).

Yes, it's obnoxious but it's something I couldn't just stop.

When my cravings got bad, I'd want to sit in bed and crunch until I went to sleep. Of course DH couldn't handle it. I would sit in the living room alone and crunch until the craving went away long enough to sleep.

I am on iron infusions now so don't crave it anymore but that's my first sign that iron is getting low.

Iron deficiency is VERY common in women - VERY. It's easily treated as well. See if you and your DH can talk to her about having some basic labwork run. A simple OTC iron pill may just do the trick!

 

[TLHB70]

Sorry that I have been away from this thread over the weekend. We had friends come in from Texas for a couple of nights. They just left.
No, MIL does not have an ice machine on her refrigerator. My DDs stayed with her back in June, and they said that she ate ice like that then. I told DH about all of this information. He plans to talk to her about it as soon as they talk again, hopefully tonight. He said that he will ask her to go get her iron checked just in case there is something wrong. He thinks it is a nervous habit that she picked up when her mom (DH's grandmother) died a few months ago. He thinks when grandmother got really sick and not doing well then the habit might have started. He is still not thinking it is iron. But at least these stories have convinced him that she should have it checked.
Thanks again everyone!

 

[TLHB70]

Something is going on. She could have dry mouth maybe from a medication, I would worry about dropping her body temp. That is why not to eat snow when stranded.

Wow. I never even thought about this.

 

[TLHB70]

...OP, I feel for you because, although I also hate to bring this up, my mom started a recent habit of licking her lips ALL THE TIME - while she's talking, while she's eating, if she is relaxing (watching TV or solving a Soduko puzzle), just ALL THE TIME. At first, when I noticed it, I had asked her about it and she said that her lips were dry, but it's gone WA-A-A-AY beyond that. She doesn't even realize that she is doing it! Does anyone know if it's just a habit that she now cannot break, or is there some underlying medical issue that she should have checked??

I am sorry that I cannot help with this. I have not heard about anything medically related to this.