Reluctant

Share your ice chewing stories.

Reluctant

Postby europa » Mon May 21, 2007 8:18 pm

Greetings! I found this bulletin board while searching for information on pagophagia. I was reluctant to join in the conversation, primarily to avoid encouragement (I was amused to see the ads for ice shavers at the top!), but soon realized it is a good forum to discuss this condition. Does anyone consider this a compulsive-obsessive disorder? I am fascinated by the apparent link with iron, although there isn't much research on the mechanism.

Anyway, as a bit of introduction, it's been about 5 years since I started eating ice. It began simply enough, with freezer frost (not much though) but I quickly turned to shaved ice to get the same TEXTURE and SMELL, which I found to be very important qualities. First it was a manual ice shaver with ice cubes from the freezer, then I graduated to an electric ice shaver and started buying ice cubes - I've been hooked ever since! :wink: It was humorous for a time with riding the bus in the sweltering summer heat with bags of ice, just salivating and eager to get home to crush!

My ice eating got pretty bad last year with a severe case of anemia brought on by gynaecological issues and emotional stress. I knew I was in bad shape when I consumed 20lbs of ice in about 4 days. I just couldn't stop - it was ice for BREAKFAST, LUNCH, and DINNER. My ice shaver couldn't take it, and died. I actually went through three different shavers, and even purchased an ice crusher (for me, not the same by a long shot).

Anyway, I haven't been in that shape since, but I still shave and eat about 7lbs a week. I will shave a bunch of ice cubes into a plastic bowl and keep it in the freezer, scooping out servings when I feel the need! I find that I am very particular in my ice eating. When I compare myself to other self-avowed ice eaters. For me, the ice cubes must be very cold, not "sweating", the shaved ice must be "dry", and everything must be plastic, i.e. plastic bowl and plastic spoon. Does anyone else feel this way?
europa
 
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Dry ice...im addicted to ice!

Postby lizzyb » Thu May 24, 2007 5:51 pm

Yes Europa I totally agree with you. I like the kindof 'dry ice' too. I thought I was so weired until I found this site but im glad i'm not!

I'm very particular about my ice and have to make sure that the freezer I make the ice in is very clean as sometimes I freeze water in those freezer (ziploc) bags. When the ice is fully frozen, I take it out of the freezer and bash it with a hammer.

I've been chewing ice for years and cannot stop. I need to go and see a doctor about the cravings though. The cravings are so strong esp before menstruation.lol

But going back to the "dry ice", what i do is, crush the ice cubes in a blender (making sure that the ice does not melt)...pour into a large plastic bowl and refreeze for about an hour. Take out of freezer and shake the container until the ice is loose and eat it all with a spoon! Its yummy as you can taste and smell the cold ice and it has the consistency of the frost ice in the freezer. Sometimes i leave the container open so that the ice has that metallic taste!

What I was wondering though was: Does anyone get stomach pains whilst they are eating the ice, due to the coldness?? because i've recently started to get pains in my stomach as i'm eating the ice and I have to have a cup of warm water in between spoonfuls of ice to stop the pain. Does anyone else get this or am I the only weired one???

Help.
lizzyb
 
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Location: London

Postby June » Thu Jun 14, 2007 11:45 am

lizzyb: When I first went crazy with ice, eating more and more and more, my stomach did hurt and my esophagus hurt. It almost felt like heartburn. But as time went on, it all subsided and now all I have is cold lips and fingers. I find myself standing at the freezer with a spoon scraping out the little frosty pieces that are left in the bottom of the ice bag after hammering it up. I do this during the night when no one is watching. :lol:
June
 
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Location: Texas

I agree

Postby terriy » Tue Jul 10, 2007 8:49 am

June wrote:lizzyb: When I first went crazy with ice, eating more and more and more, my stomach did hurt and my esophagus hurt. It almost felt like heartburn. But as time went on, it all subsided and now all I have is cold lips and fingers. I find myself standing at the freezer with a spoon scraping out the little frosty pieces that are left in the bottom of the ice bag after hammering it up. I do this during the night when no one is watching. :lol:


Mine hurts too off and on since I have been eating ice like crazy.

I went to my GYN who did blood work and said I was anemic. He told me to go to my Internist who looked at my bloodtest and said I wasn;t anemic. She did another test and called me to say I am not anemic.

She said the lowest you can be is 35 and I was 34.9. Well that is at the bottom but she's not concerned.

I just can't stop with this ice conpulsion.

I will have a cup of coffee in one hand and a cup of ice in the other in the morning. That's just crazy.

I hate the way my throat feels though.

Anyone else have throat problems??????
terriy
 
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Postby VeronicaLodge » Tue Aug 28, 2007 3:33 pm

No throat problems, but I also have hot drinks while I'm chewing ice. For me its piping hot green tea and an ice tray!!


Or I sit in a hot bath and eat it. Perfect equilibrium Ha!
VeronicaLodge
 
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Postby jziemann » Mon Dec 17, 2007 11:43 pm

I find that for breakfast, I will fill a large glass with ice and fill it 3/4ths the way with water. Then the last 1/4 with OJ. I love the ice with the frozen OJ on top. Later in the day, I will make VERY STRONG hot tea(2 bags to a mug). I let the tea cool slightly but then pour it on a full Nalgene bottle of fresh ice. It's great ice tea, perks me up in the afternoon and I can crunch the ice. The only problem is that with all the liquid, I have to pee several times a day. It's really become a source of amusement at my office.
crunch-a-licious
jziemann
 
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OCD?

Postby lawngnomepoo » Thu Jan 10, 2008 6:12 am

I would say that it is definitely a form of OCD. I chewed ice for the longest time. I would chew when I was hungry, when I was stressed, when I was bored. Anytime, all the time. I never got stomach pains but my mouth would go so numb i couldn't speak right anymore. I'm also really anemic pretty much all the time due to GI problems (Crohn's Disease to be exact if you know what that it). Another link I have found that other people have on here is an obsession with the texture of dust or dirt or sand. During my ice chewing phase I often found myself dusting my house with just my hands for sometimes hours at a time. I think the ice chewing and the dusting must be OCD related. I know I'm not alone when I say ice may have become an unhealthy obsession. (Unhealthy as in mentally and I split a few teeth. Which was the main reason for getting myself to stop.)
lawngnomepoo
 
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