I Have Pica Syndrome
Every since the first time I ate dirt, I knew that my taste buds would want more. When I was five years old, I ate my first fist full of red dirt, it was so tasty and it melted in my mouth. I remembered getting yelled at by my grandmother for eating it that one time, and after that I never laid hands on it, because by than I was eating the slate board's chalks. No one ever knew I would be eating that, and my grandma never found out. I didn't eat it for long, because when I got 7, I was at a sleep over, and the girls grandmother that I was sleeping over at gave all of us, a pinch of dirt to eat, like a blessing from god. And I would always want more, while the other girls would not want anymore than they received. Than by the time I was 10, I remember eating my mom's marble box, it was this soft tiny box craved out of soft marble, she had three of them, and I ate them all. She never found out. Than when I was in the second grade, I remember eating pencil graphite, I would just eat it like chips or candy. But not too much of it, but when ever I was alone. Than I remember the first time I ate dry wall or sheet rock, my cousins had got their first real house, and my dad and uncles where building the garage, and my and my cousins were playing around the house and hiding every where, and I remember going in to the garage and picking up this white substance, like a rock, and remembering that I have ate a marble, I put the sheet rock in my mouth, and I fell in love with the taste. It was like the taste of semi-dirt , marble and graphite put together. Than when I went home, I looked inside my closet and there it was, the whole house was made of it, so I basically took scissors and developed a technique to get all the edges of the sheet rock and go in deeper, and I basically ate about 35% of my closet, and than there was spare drywall in the laundry room and I would eat that, I think I ate about a whole closet worth of drywall. About 20feet by 20 feet. (roughly estimated) Than I would always find something that would be related to dirt or the taste of dirt. Like my mom's stones for her body, which were not used. Than I started eating chalk from school, I would take all the chalk from the chalkboards and have a collection of them and eat them when i got home or if I got a really bad craving I would eat it in class when no one was paying attention. Than my parents found out about me eating the drywall so they decided to take me to the doctor, and the doctor got a stool sample etc. Nothing was wrong, I just had a iron deficiency. So the doctor prescribed me with medicine that would help me with the cravings and after about a week, it stopped and I think for 6 months I was stable and I wouldn't crave, BUT the cravings came back, but harder. I started eating graphite, drywall, chalk and dirt/pebbles. Whatever that stopped my cravings from getting worse. I would have a technique for eating my graphite I would take scissors and cut the pencil in half and take out the graphite and I did this for about 500 to 1000 pencils including mechanical ones. I ate them like crazy, but I think one say; I decided that I had to stop so I did, I stop eating graphite and dry wall and I haven't ate it for about a year now. BUT the worse thing is I picked up a new habit, eating raw dirt. There was this pile of dirt outside my house that was brought for my mom's garden, and within this pile of dirt, there were these pebbles that tasted like this rock I had tasted when I went hiking on a mountain. The rock's taste was so soft and it tasted like dirt. I ate that piece of rock and I wanted more, but I didn't want any of my classmates to look at me weird so I just got a small piece and said it was memory. Than when I got home, I ate it, and after that I went out in search of that type of rock and to my surprise I found it right there in the pile of dirt, I took a bowl out there and pick out the small pebbles and go in and wash them with hot water and let it dry. I would do this whenever I was alone and no one was at home. I got caught doing this about three times, but my excuses were that I was looking for something, so they never found out I was eating the pebbles. Than, I remembered that I really needed to stop eating the rocks and dirt because what it might cause my intestines harm. Plus, I really hated the debris that was being caught in my teeth from eating the dirt and pebbles. So I stopped and went back to my drywall and pencil, but than I stopped and there was a pause in my craving, I still craved but I was looking out for my health, because I started getting this pain in my side and lower stomach that hurt, and I didn't like the pain. But than, I couldn't stop my cravings so I found a new substance to eat, this red clayish dirt that was in front of my house, there was a pile of it, so I went out there and took a whole container full and ate about 10 pounds of it total until I decided to stop. I think more than 10 pounds because one time, I took this two wal-mart sized plastic bags and filled it up with that chunk of clay and ate those two bags worth. I loved the taste. It was the taste I have been craving since the day I started eating dirt(age 5) But I have not ate that red clay dirt for about 2 weeks now. But I am getting those strong cravings again, and I want to start eating chalk again as well. But I think I am through with eating pencil's and drywall, and maybe the red clay dirt. Even though I still crave it, I really want to go outside and get a bag full and eat it while I watch my favorite movies. So that is the reason, today I joined this group because maybe you guys can help me, I am tried of struggling, and I want a normal digestive life, like I don't want to tell my future boyfriend that I eat dirt or I crave dirt substance. I want a better future, and I don't want anyone to look at my crazy. Because I love being different but only in a good way. And also it is so hard to explain any of this to anyone, unless you have been through something like this, and that is another reason I spoke out today and joined this group. :)
