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Weight gain

weight gain

My son (13) can't gain weight. He was diagnosed with Crohn's in Dec. Is on Imuran 1 1/2 pill a day and lots of natural things. Has perscription protein powder shakes daily.. but still is not back to his pre-crohn's weight. He really has a lack of appetite too. He does not eat wheat or dairy right now either.
Any suggestions?

thanks.
 
Is he still in a flare. If he is in a flare then he won't be able to gain back his full weight because his body is still fighting to get better.

Protein shakes can only do so much but protein is not what allows you to gain weight but Calories that help you gain weight. At about 13 I would guess his metabolism is very high and he would probably need around 3000 Calories a day. If he is not getting that then he won't gain back all of his weight.

If he is healthy then at his age he can start to do some weight lifting. If he does low rep high weight then he will gain weight but he has to be healthy to do that.
 
hey twob
like jeff said, getting out of the flare is really how he will start gaining weight back. i have the same problem, i lose a lot of weight when i flare badly and then can hardly do anything to gain it back until my body is healthy again. and its expecially hard because like you said, the appetite disappears too.

when i dont feel hungry i try to drink nutritional supplements like boost or ensure (im pretty sure that boost is both dairy and wheat free). that way at least i get some nutrition, and he can also supplement this with when he DOES eat to really pack on extra calories.

if he gets to a really unhealthy weight there are options like having a feeding tube, or receiving TPN (total parenternal nutrition) via iv. the tpn can be done at home overnight after he gets a special iv called a picc line placed.
both of those suggestions are more drastic clearly, but are necessary in some cases.

good luck!
 
The thing that tends to save me from losing too much weight in a flare is prednisone...It's not a fun med. And it doesn't always get me out of a flare like it should. But if it's good for one thing, it's for getting my appetite and some weight back.

But, if your son is out of his flare, then there's really no reason to deal with a med like prednisone. Also, is he on meds for anything besides the Crohn's? Other meds, like certain migraine meds for example, could make him lose his appetite/lose weight, depending on what they are.
 
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