Can IBD lead to eating disorder?

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CarolinAlaska

CarolinAlaska

Holding It Together
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I'm wondering if a childhood of pain and feeling poorly secondary to Crohn's can psychologically change the child to have an aversion to food?

My daughter's GI thinks that her Crohn's isn't in flare (normal labs and calprotectin, no pain, etc), but she has ongoing loss of appetite and frequently feels nauseated or "gushy" in the stomach if she eats. Some days she won't eat at all because of this aversion to food. She has definitely found a hypersensitivity to some textures (lumps in potatoes, graininess of some foods, etc). Her GI is suggesting IBS, but without pain, constipation or diarrhea, I am doubtful of this diagnosis along with her Crohn's. Jaedyn has a history of seizures and the IBS meds she is suggesting (amitryptiline, desipramine) can lower seizure threshold as well as potentially cause suicidal ideation, anorexia, nausea, etc. Jaedyn did get suicidal on two seizure meds, and I am loathe to go back there.

I am wondering if anyone else has come across this with their IBD kids, and what they have done that helped. I am thinking of sending her to a counselor to help with her ongoing anxiety about school, but would also like this addressed.
 
I definitely think this is a possibility. You are not the first person whose doctor is claiming IBS as a second diagnosis. Personally I don't believe it. I wouldn't be surprised if these kids develop food aversion. How can you not when you know eating makes you hurt? I would recommend possibly working with a psychologist with experience in this area.
 
I don't have IBD, or at least I don't think I do since every test is normal. I have chronic gastritis, apparently for the last four years. Lately, after supper I have this inability to burp and pressure that builds to pain in the sternum area, none of this stops me from eating but...all of the above lead to tachycardia, shortness of breath, and eventually a feeling of passing out. Now I loathe to eat supper, I dread it and I know it is a psychological thing. I'm afraid the symptoms will start.

I've been seeing a psychologist and she doesn't think I have an anxiety disorder although since my GI symptoms started 4 or 5 years ago the GP has said anxiety and put me on meds. She feels that yes when my symptoms start, like tachycardia and persist as long as an hour with shortness of breath I do become anxious and that if someone can find the source of my issues that there would be no need for me to be on any type of anxiety med.

So, I believe it is completely possible for a child who associates eating with pain or nausea to have an aversion to eating and that therapy may help with that.

I've been given the IBS diagnosis as well but I'm not sure it really fits my situation.

One other thing, I know she is young but I have a friend that has endometriosis, dx at a very young age and before her first surgery she was avoiding foods as they made her cramp and nauseated. The specialist that did the surgery suggested the inflammation and adhesion of endometriosis was causing GI issues.

All of this is just a thought. I know they tried C on levsin when he was having pain saying that it was IBS on top of IBD but he said the only thing it did is my his tongue hurt(it was the kind that melts under tongue) so I don't believe he has IBS either since he as no symptoms of it when his CD is doing well.
 
raising hand here as well-
at one point ds got the its possible IBS as a second dx last year since ALL was "Normal" but he was nausea and cramping.
I didn't buy it then
miraculously remicade "fixed" the IBS but not the IBS meds .
The idea of possible IBS was from a second opinion go not our normal GI.


therapy is always good
find someone who deals with medically complicated kids though. :)
 
In an ideal world choosing a therapist that has experience "in medically complicated kids" or "in this" would be ideal, but up here in Alaska, I'm hoping for someone who is good with teens and anxiety... We don't get a lot of options to choose from here :(
 
Has she had any imaging tests done recently? I'd be hesitant to accept the IBS diagnosis and claim that its not Crohn's related. My GI tried to do the same thing with me and my symptoms were similar to your daughter's but gradually got worse causing a blockage, then suddenly my GI accepted that it was Crohn's all along and not IBS. Its possible that your daughter has a narrowing from scar tissue.

Counseling is always a good idea but I'd continue testing to see what's going on as well. This way you could hopefully find the cause and treat it and they wont feel like its all in their head.

If foods frequently cause symptoms then many people do begin to have an aversion to food. We see it all the time on the forum. Since she's had issues with food for so long she'll have to gradually get used to eating again and will likely feel full sooner (these are issues I had when I started eating again after my first flare). Keep trying to offer a variety of foods that will be easy for her to digest (my mom stuck to the low residue diet for years even though I was in remission because she didn't want to chance me having increased symptoms from food). If she does have a narrowing from scar tissue then the meals may need to be softer and easy to digest and eating smaller meals more often (instead of three large meals) can also help. I hope she starts feeling better. :)
 
Ya, your kind of limited up there.:hug:

I have to say YES for Grace. She weans herself of food ALL the time. The newest thing is smells. Not all the smells are bad like gingerbread, honey barbeque wings and there's no rhyme or reason.

HUGS
 
I do keep an eye on our ds's eating habits. His BMI is between 14 and 15 and yet he is often not hungry and I have to really encourage him to eat. I know he associates food with pain at times but I also think he has gotten used to being so very thin and not feeling hungry and not wanting food, and so I am ever mindful of a eating disorder developing when he is well. Like there are not enough things to worry about!! :hug:
 
I think it is very possible for people with IBD to develop anxiety over eating and aversion to specific food or foods (given their experiences with pain/diarhea that come with eating). I've never heard that IBS is associated with an aversion to food. Could it be upper gi crohn's (esophagitis, gastritis)?
Hope not!

I also agree that one must be cautious about calling poor apetite, abdominal discomfort or pain IBS in someone with Crohn's since Crohn's is so sneaky. I've read here about people with normal blood work and scopes who had active small bowel disease that showed up on MRE or pill cam and then there is the possibility of scarring causing pain too (as Jennifer mentioned).

Counseling certainly seems appropriate for anxiety. You just want to make sure that the counselor doesn't misdiagnose an eating disorder like anorexia nervosa.
 
Another thing someone mentioned was the aversion to smells. That reminded me, that she has been complaining that the smell of fried food makes her nauseous. That is something new she hasn't complained of before. I think I have ruled out IBS, and I don't buy it. The GI said she'd be willing to rescope and test her (it's been almost a year since we started this path and did the original scopes...). Last year she didn't have any inflammation either but she did have some mild pain. The main problem last year was lack of appetite, low weight (68 lbs - she's now up to 93, but slowly losing again) and no puberty (that too has started). After her diagnosis we got a fecal calprotectin test. It was the only lab that showed inflamation (693?). As her treatment has gone on with EEN and 6MP, the fecal calprotectin dropped to 50 (one test in between the two showed improvement). It seems such a guessing game. Thankfully the past few days her nausea has subsided and we've been able to get 2 small meals a day and close to 2000 calories of EN into her... Not sure what is next, whether to do the tests or wait. Time usually forces our hands, doesn't it? The GI says she will give no grace for further weight loss. None is acceptable. She is threatening a G-tube, which Jae is fighting tooth and nail. I guess tomorrow I talk with the pediatrician about a referral for a counselor...
 
I've been wondering the same thing about dd as she has not been able to gain any weight for over a year. I will suggest something and she will picture it in her mind and suddenly the food is gross to her or just not worth the pain of eating it. I try so hard not to make an issue of it. The dietician has suggested she see a counselor but this could take up to a year. Our GI seems to think ssri's don't do very much for IBS type pains anyway.
 
Yes, 2000 cal is quite a bit! And she's still losing weight??

Stephen is quite a bit older than her and much larger (he's 5'11" - weight during supplemental EN ranged from 130, up to 170lbs) and he was only ingesting 1500 cal/night (5 nights/week) and, at times, was playing hockey on two teams (on ice, maybe, 5 times per week sometimes) and the only change in his weight was 'gain' (or steady). It certainly sounds like something is going on that Jae is still losing weight (even slowly) while taking in 2000 cal/day. :ghug:

And, I do agree with your concerns that IBD kids can develop eating disorders. :( With what they have to deal with as a result of eating, it's no wonder food would begin to seem to be a negative experience. I hope a counselor can help her!! :ghug:
 
My two girls both suffer from asthma and fingers crossed have not yet developed CD. But at 7 & 10. They have both convinced themselseves that external forces were making them ill. S had a reflux issue which inevitably surfaced while in the car as car sickness. She convinced herself that going to the cottage made her sick. J convinced herself that coughing made her throw up. She has a strong gag reflex because she has oversized tonsils. When she coughs hard her tonsils touch her uvula and she gags. She was throwing up almost nightly for awhile. A stern talking to by her paed (he's a family friend) sorted her out.

My point is that kids are extremely impressionable and will blame whatever makes sense to them. As an adult I've compromised my diet in order to avoid CD symptoms, why wouldn't children?

This disease sucks in all of it's manifestations!
 
Hey carolin! Boy am I at one with those weight issues! Our girls are so similar. At dx O was 65 pounds. How tall is she? O just reached 93 pounds and her doc is thrilled...of course she is still on the upswing so maybe that is the difference.

You say there is no pain or BM issues involved so I also wouldn't buy the IBS dx. O had Crohns in her stomach at dx. No pain or anything. Just lack of appetite. The doc put her on a PPI for over a year. We just took her off. Maybe there is some inflammation in the stomach causing the nausea or sloshy feeling. Maybe all the liquid is leading to the sloshy feeling?

I also think that the kids stop eating due to pain etc and then when they are well their stomachs have shrunk and their bodies get used to operating on lower intake and that food loses it's psychological appeal soooo all this leads to a general disinterest in food. Maybe you just have to slowly stretch her stomach out. Maybe just prepare all her favorites for a while. Go low res to avoid nausea.

Another possibility.....my oldest as she reached puberty got nauseous a lot. Whenever she got her period she would vomit uncontrollably the first day. The ob/gyn told us it was hormones...maybe if she is starting puberty her hormones are messing with things?

I also worry about an eating disorder with O. Mostly from the standpoint that she has always been the super skinny girl in school. It was "her thing" so to speak. Not a fun thing but still her identifiable trait. As she gains weight and gets more "normal" I wonder if she will miss that thing. Her size has also been the excuse for her not achieving in swimming. We know a swimmer who actually became anorexic so she would stay small so she could explain away her slow swimming and not have to face that she wasn't in the top. All silly thoughts I know but there is know rhyme or reason to how a teen girl thinks is there.

What about an appetite stimulating drug?

Good Luck!
 
I don't know if having IBD can also lead to eating disorders, but I do know what I went through earlier this with my son sounds very similar to what you are going through.

Josh started a flare over a year ago. He had colonoscopy and endoscopy and apart from mild inflammation they couldn't find anything to say why he was feeling like he was.
His appetite was dreadful, he felt full after the tiniest amount, smells made him sick, and he threw up sometimes after smelling something or eating a very small amount. He was also going to the toilet 20 plus times a day.

It was put to me that he had the start of an eating disorder and he had also developed IBS, which according to the consultant was causing his pain and nausea.

Now, I know my son very well, we have a very close relationship, and I knew there was no way on earth he had an eating disorder [ wasn't so sure on the IBS at the time ]. But I had to fight really hard to get them to listen to what I was actually saying. They tend to get things into their heads and it stays there, even these so called professionals who deal with IBD all the time and really should know better!

Eventually they put him onto steriods [ again ] and he still continued to lose weight, so he had the pill cam test which showed his crohns is now in his small bowel, which the endoscopies cannot get to, which is why nothing had shown up before.

He was put onto to higher dose of azathioprine and steriods which eventually bought down the inflammation, and he has been able to eat normally again for the past few months and his weight has increased. Funnily enough eating disorders and IBS have never been mentioned again by the hosptial!!

Carolyn, you know your daughter. If you feel that the hospital are wrong, fight them on this.
 
Oh I hear you.. Jack is at 93lbs and no signs of puberty. Just never feels hungry. His GI says 2000 calories as well. We have endocrinologist appt. on Dec. 31, since he has not grown in a year and for the most part of the year he has been "in remission". We go for labs and FC this week.
But we've fought that he just needs to eat more and it will happen. And the he just needs to trick his body into eating more, since he went so long associating food with pain, he just needs to retrain himself. Yeah we tried everything the last three years to fix that, nothing helped. We have spent most of the year on supplemental EN and really monitored calorie intake to make sure he was getting enough so although he gained weight went from 77lbs to 100 pounds in 8 weeks and then dropped to 97 and then dropped to 93 with c-diff where he seems to be holding steady with the supplemental EN, we are doing 5-6 shakes a day right now along with whatever he will eat.
Hoping the endo provides us with some answers as we have not gotten answers anywhere else.
 
crohnsinct said:
Hey carolin! Boy am I at one with those weight issues! Our girls are so similar. At dx O was 65 pounds. How tall is she? O just reached 93 pounds and her doc is thrilled...of course she is still on the upswing so maybe that is the difference.
Click to expand...

I think she's 5'4" or 5'5". She has only started developing any breast tissue this year, and so I think menarche is still another year away...

crohnsinct said:
You say there is no pain or BM issues involved so I also wouldn't buy the IBS dx. O had Crohns in her stomach at dx. No pain or anything. Just lack of appetite. The doc put her on a PPI for over a year. We just took her off. Maybe there is some inflammation in the stomach causing the nausea or sloshy feeling. Maybe all the liquid is leading to the sloshy feeling?
Click to expand...

She should be used to that sloshy feeling. She's been primarily on EN since February. She used to get reflux, but that is better. Sometimes if she goes to bed with too much formula in her gut she gets heartburn, but can resolve that with "Digestzen" essential oils topically...

crohnsinct said:
I also think that the kids stop eating due to pain etc and then when they are well their stomachs have shrunk and their bodies get used to operating on lower intake and that food loses it's psychological appeal soooo all this leads to a general disinterest in food. Maybe you just have to slowly stretch her stomach out. Maybe just prepare all her favorites for a while. Go low res to avoid nausea.
Click to expand...

That is what we do, let her eat whatever she wants (within reason). She eats very little fruits and veggies now due to the side effects of eating them :(

crohnsinct said:
Another possibility.....my oldest as she reached puberty got nauseous a lot. Whenever she got her period she would vomit uncontrollably the first day. The ob/gyn told us it was hormones...maybe if she is starting puberty her hormones are messing with things?
Click to expand...

Maybe that is it. I guess time will tell?

crohnsinct said:
I also worry about an eating disorder with O. Mostly from the standpoint that she has always been the super skinny girl in school. It was "her thing" so to speak. Not a fun thing but still her identifiable trait. As she gains weight and gets more "normal" I wonder if she will miss that thing. Her size has also been the excuse for her not achieving in swimming. We know a swimmer who actually became anorexic so she would stay small so she could explain away her slow swimming and not have to face that she wasn't in the top. All silly thoughts I know but there is know rhyme or reason to how a teen girl thinks is there.

What about an appetite stimulating drug?

Good Luck!
Click to expand...

We did one night of Periactin (in hopes of stimulating appetite). The next day she had a seizure and I'm not going to risk it again! Seizures are horrible and the meds to control them are worse than the seizures!

I don't think she has a cognitive thought that she wants to not eat for some reason. She stops eating when she feels bad. For the past few days she's been doing better and taking in almost 2000 calories with EN alone, and eating a little on top of that, but not much. Tomorrow is her weigh-in day, and I imagine she'll be back on her way to gaining...
 
xmdmom said:
I'm impressed with 2000 calories of EN- not an easy feat! What's her goal?
Click to expand...

Her goal was 1500 cal, but she was losing weight on that, so the GI just upped her to 2000 cal. She got in 1750 today but also had a bowl of mac and cheese and a bowl of cheddar chowder (complete with broccoli, cauliflower and potatoes - woo hoo!). The nausea and food aversion seems to have subsided now.
 
Tesscorm said:
Yes, 2000 cal is quite a bit! And she's still losing weight??

Stephen is quite a bit older than her and much larger (he's 5'11" - weight during supplemental EN ranged from 130, up to 170lbs) and he was only ingesting 1500 cal/night (5 nights/week) and, at times, was playing hockey on two teams (on ice, maybe, 5 times per week sometimes) and the only change in his weight was 'gain' (or steady). It certainly sounds like something is going on that Jae is still losing weight (even slowly) while taking in 2000 cal/day. :ghug:

And, I do agree with your concerns that IBD kids can develop eating disorders. :( With what they have to deal with as a result of eating, it's no wonder food would begin to seem to be a negative experience. I hope a counselor can help her!! :ghug:
Click to expand...

When she was anorexic and had food aversions last week she wasn't taking in that much - we were having a hard time getting in 1500 calories. Now we've increased the goal and she is doing better for the past 4-5 days and getting in 1750-2000 cal/day. Hopefully she will stay this way, but maybe it is cyclical? I'm keeping a calendar journal of her intake to see if I can see a pattern in the madness. Tomorrow we weigh-in again and I'm hoping for a gain!
 
She's up a 1.5 lbs this week - 94.6! I am not surprised, but I'm glad... The GI isn't happy with me for not doing the tricyclic antidepressant... okay for now to just go ahead with the counseling approach, but "if she loses any more weight"...
 
I personally don't think it is fair to pressure your dd into taking antidepressants. My older daughter was on them for a while and it was not an easy decision for me. She had a rough start and tapering off them very gradually was also very tough. We now have a new doctor trying to persuade me to put her back on them and I will probably have to defend my decision all over again.
 
Poppets Mom, the GI isn't wanting her on them for the sake of the antidepressant but because she thinks that she has IBS on top of her IBD... I just don't see it... aaarrgghhh!! I wish it was straight forward! Being a mom of a child with such a screwy disease is so maddening! AAAAAHHHHHHH!
 
Sorry come into this conversation late but DS was also give ibs diagnoses, on the basis he was so rough when CD initially flared.

However, we 'finally' seem to be turning a corner and the only things that have changed over the last few months are counselling, a new toothpaste and adding an anti-acid. The counsellor DS sees shares an office with the IBD nurses, so truly has an understanding of the disease, he has made J understand that he is not alone and that CD has a funny way of creeping up on you and taking over. For DS that was really important things for him to hear. He has named his CD 'Creeper' ( from Minecraft) and when it is sitting on his shoulder, making him feel worse, more tired etc HE has to work really hard to push it away.

It seems very simple and I think we have been lucky that this, along with the change in toothpaste and adding the anti-acid have settled things. As he has less stomach pain and (I'm saying this very quietly, so not to tempt fate) NO mouth ulcers, everything else is easier to deal with.

I have friends with IBS and no it is not nice at all but it was not what J was suffering with. I really do think mental health plays it's part in the illness and I guess all I am saying that finding the right councillor for your child is the key. We have been lucky ones to find someone relatively close by (just short of 4 hour round trip) but has been worth it for those hour sessions.

I agree with what you have all said. With everything else going on in their young lives, you also add hormones into the mix and bang!

Hoping that your DS finds the help she needs and continues to gain.

Xxxx
 
Yeah I knew it was for pain control as with my own kid, which is why I personally feel uncomfortable with the idea, as we tried it and it helped a little but not as much as we would have liked. Luckily Amy's GI is against the idea for the same reasons, it doesn't seem to be a truly effective way of controlling pain.
 
Ha! Our girls could probably be mirror images of each other. O is 5'4 1/2" and is 94.3 pounds. Our GI was doing back flips over this weight and said that he would officially stop bothering her about her weight. Your daughter looks like she has a delicate bone structure also...like O. Are you small also? Maybe she is just a small girl...I weighed even less than O when I was her age and am still very low weight for my height. So O's GI does feel bad pushing her on weight because he looks at me and says, "IBD or no IBD this kid was going to be small" but he did always say he wanted her out of "anorexic" for some cushion to lose if and when a flare came along. So now she is 16.1 BMI and not anorexic...woohoo!

As for the IBS, our GI and nutritionist both say unfortunately many kids with IBD also have IBS and that it muddies the water and they work on diet to find the offending foods etc. I totally agree with you on the drug aspect especially given her seizures etc. Is there a good registered dietician you could consult for help with diet and alleviating some of her symptoms.

Accupuncture works well for nausea in many people. I got it when I was pregnant and my friend undergoing chemo is doing it as well...maybe that will help...might also help with stress?
 
I can very easily see where IBD can lead to having an disordered relationship with food. :(

Sarah had a very tortuous journey with food for a number of years before finally finding her feet and peace with it and both of my children have had issues since surgery that have taken some time work through and resolve.

This is a very good blog that addresses the very question you ask Carol:

http://www.inflamed-and-untamed.com/post/28982822175/eating-disorders-in-the-ibd-world

This is an old thread of mine about Sarah and lack of hunger:

http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=13806

I hope things soon turn around for your lass, bless her. :heart:

Dusty. xxx
 
crohnsinct said:
Ha! Our girls could probably be mirror images of each other. O is 5'4 1/2" and is 94.3 pounds. Our GI was doing back flips over this weight and said that he would officially stop bothering her about her weight. Your daughter looks like she has a delicate bone structure also...like O. Are you small also? Maybe she is just a small girl...I weighed even less than O when I was her age and am still very low weight for my height. So O's GI does feel bad pushing her on weight because he looks at me and says, "IBD or no IBD this kid was going to be small" but he did always say he wanted her out of "anorexic" for some cushion to lose if and when a flare came along. So now she is 16.1 BMI and not anorexic...woohoo!

As for the IBS, our GI and nutritionist both say unfortunately many kids with IBD also have IBS and that it muddies the water and they work on diet to find the offending foods etc. I totally agree with you on the drug aspect especially given her seizures etc. Is there a good registered dietician you could consult for help with diet and alleviating some of her symptoms.

Accupuncture works well for nausea in many people. I got it when I was pregnant and my friend undergoing chemo is doing it as well...maybe that will help...might also help with stress?
Click to expand...

Wow, CIC, I didn't realize our daughters were so close in build. How old is your daughter? I am 6 feet tall and my husband is also. Her petiteness has always been odd for our family. I was skinny as a stick but ate tons as a teenager - but I was growing up and up and up. Now I'd love to have some of that skinniness back!

My worry this week is that medicaid doesn't want to pay for her shakes any longer. This freaks me out, because I know we can't afford them, and without them I know she will start losing again...:(
 
DustyKat said:
I can very easily see where IBD can lead to having an disordered relationship with food. :(

Sarah had a very tortuous journey with food for a number of years before finally finding her feet and peace with it and both of my children have had issues since surgery that have taken some time work through and resolve.

This is a very good blog that addresses the very question you ask Carol:

http://www.inflamed-and-untamed.com/post/28982822175/eating-disorders-in-the-ibd-world

This is an old thread of mine about Sarah and lack of hunger:

http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=13806

I hope things soon turn around for your lass, bless her. :heart:

Dusty. xxx
Click to expand...

I'll go read those now.
 
Thanks, Dusty, those are good and helpful. Still trying to decide if having Jae see a counselor is going to help or just break my pocketbook... sigh. The good ones around here don't seem to want to take medicaid :(
 
:( That does make it difficult. Sure, if it was covered I would definitely say go since if it doesn’t help it won’t hurt either but if you have to pay…umm, I think I would likely say that it would still be worth an initial consultation and then go from there.

I guess the questions I would ask myself if I was paying are:

How concerned about this issue am I? (Not much = no consult, enough = consult)

Can I live with myself if I sit on this? (Yes = no consult, no = consult)

Dusty. xxx
 
O just turned 14 in the end of September. I am 5'6" and hubby is 6'. The GI and Pediatrician feel she has probably reached her full height. A while ago the GI was saying the most she would squeak out was probably 5'4" based on her growth thus far etc. Well last appointment she was 5'4 1/2" HA! Take that GI! Take that Crohns! And if I were a gambling person, I would bet that she could squeak out another 1/2 to full inch.

I have always watched your story carefully knowing our girls were very similar. At dx 12 1/2 O was 4' 11" and 65 pounds. How is your dd now? I really do hope you find a way to get her eating soon. For O first came the weight and then height. The height did lag a while though.
 
CIC, she's doing well this week. She's getting in her shakes (2000 cals) most days during the week, plus one or two meals. She weighed in at 95.8 on Tues, but the stinker was wearing jean overalls which I think might be the entire 1.4 extra pounds that she gained! The nausea and low appetite have wained, for now, and I'm just riding the good waves right now.

Dusty, I still haven't gotten myself to call a therapist. I guess I can live with it for now. In January she'll start doing swimming each week, and I'm also considering sending her to high school next year (currently homeschooling). I think the thought really stresses us both out!
 
I asked my son's doctor to make sure to weigh him in shorts or a gown. Some doctors weigh with shoes and coats. It's ridiculous! When I used to work consulting with eating disorder doctors, some girls with anorexia nervosa did all sorts of crazy things to "weigh more" for weigh in; think water loading or rocks in the pockets. I'm not suggesting this is at all the case with J, just agreeing that weighing with overalls is not optimal because of the unknown added weight!. The 2000 calories sounds great!
 
Swimming is an excellent sport for teenagers. Something about the repetitive stroking. They get into their heads and work things out in the pool. Plus the aerobic workout really releases those endorphins. There have been a few times my girls have come home from school an emotional wreck and I just had to bite my tongue until I could get them in the water and when I picked them up they were complete angels. My oldest hurt her shoulder and was out of the water for three weeks and got severely depressed. She told the doc, "I have to get back in the water or I don't know what I will do". Also nice and easy on the joints. But if she gets serious about it, it is a huge calorie burn so up up up the calories...no problem she will be starving all the time.

All this to say, I hope swimming works for your girl.

Weight tricks..haha yep! O has tried them all, including recently changing her appointments to afternoons so she weighs more.

On the shakes, What are you using? If Boost and Ensure I run a food ministry that uses extreme couponing techniques to stretch our dollars. I come across a lot of Boost and Ensure coupons I would be happy to forward to you to help out a little.
 
crohnsinct said:
Swimming is an excellent sport for teenagers. Something about the repetitive stroking. They get into their heads and work things out in the pool. Plus the aerobic workout really releases those endorphins. There have been a few times my girls have come home from school an emotional wreck and I just had to bite my tongue until I could get them in the water and when I picked them up they were complete angels. My oldest hurt her shoulder and was out of the water for three weeks and got severely depressed. She told the doc, "I have to get back in the water or I don't know what I will do". Also nice and easy on the joints. But if she gets serious about it, it is a huge calorie burn so up up up the calories...no problem she will be starving all the time.

All this to say, I hope swimming works for your girl.

Weight tricks..haha yep! O has tried them all, including recently changing her appointments to afternoons so she weighs more.

On the shakes, What are you using? If Boost and Ensure I run a food ministry that uses extreme couponing techniques to stretch our dollars. I come across a lot of Boost and Ensure coupons I would be happy to forward to you to help out a little.
Click to expand...

If we get denied for sure, I'll definitely take you up on it. She does 4 cans of Ensure and 4 cans Peptamen Junior a day. If we have to pay out of pocket, we'll have to go back to all Ensure - but she starts getting diarrhea and "wormy poops" and cramping with 100% Ensure...

I'd love for my daughter to be starving... I don't think I could ever use that word to describer her appetite except when she was an infant!
 
I was going to suggest as MLP did the Oley foundation. Look into it they help with getting formula for kids that need it.
 

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