Eating

[Guest guest]

You know those baby books you get that you write down in it when your kids started doing their first things and saying their first words. Well, under the part where it says started eating with a spoon is still blank. Maybe at age 20 I can finally fill in that blank. Wouldn't that be something. Laha1960@... wrote:

In a message dated 6/11/05 4:00:58 A.M. Central Daylight Time, Autism and Aspergers Treatment writes:

Oh, a new topic, EATING!!!! My 13 year old AS eats like a slob, He shovels his food in so fast, he literally inhales it and there is usually one of everything that he has eaten all over his pants and shirt, (and the floor). By the time we have eaten one bite of a hambuger or whatever, his is already gone, seriously, I sometimes so shocked by this, it seems almost impossible someone could eat

* ********* HI

I think you have cameras planted at my house ..... and my 16 year old son is being watched! HEHEHEH

Yes, it is the same here. However, my son is improving with the age and maturity thing and nightly reminders! I can not wait for the day the reminders sink in!!!

I sit down to eat, and he is done!!!! Been there done that! :_)

hugs

in IL

[Guest guest]

Oh, I hear that! Same here. Cookies around here last about 15 minutes tops. I stopped buying them. I make them homemade once in awhile and that makes it a big treat for them. M Strahlendorf <pgnsht@...> wrote:

this goes for my 10 year old son as well.. I cant have snacks in the house because they will be gone in a day...... I have to keep fruit readily available because the boy can really pack it away.... and messily at that...LOL.... no cookies in my house..... he would be 1000 lbs if their were......lol

in Lancaster, CaLaha1960@... wrote:

In a message dated 6/11/05 4:00:58 A.M. Central Daylight Time, Autism and Aspergers Treatment writes:

Oh, a new topic, EATING!!!! My 13 year old AS eats like a slob, He shovels his food in so fast, he literally inhales it and there is usually one of everything that he has eaten all over his pants and shirt, (and the floor). By the time we have eaten one bite of a hambuger or whatever, his is already gone, seriously, I sometimes so shocked by this, it seems almost impossible someone could eat

* ********* HI

I think you have cameras planted at my house ..... and my 16 year old son is being watched! HEHEHEH

Yes, it is the same here. However, my son is improving with the age and maturity thing and nightly reminders! I can not wait for the day the reminders sink in!!!

I sit down to eat, and he is done!!!! Been there done that! :_)

hugs

in IL

Discover Stay in touch with email, IM, photo sharing & more. Check it out!

[Guest guest]

HAHAHAHA What a great topic!!

My 16yr old still uses a fork and a hand and wears most of his food. My 13yr old has problems as well. Then with (6), lololol it's not uncommon to see him with his face in his plate.

MISSYSAHM to some special kids!!!

I am who I am because that's who I am--, 6, Aspergers

All kids are gifted; some just open theirpackages earlier than others.

-- Carr

EATING

In a message dated 6/11/05 4:00:58 A.M. Central Daylight Time, Autism and Aspergers Treatment writes:

Oh, a new topic, EATING!!!! My 13 year old AS eats like a slob, He shovels his food in so fast, he literally inhales it and there is usually one of everything that he has eaten all over his pants and shirt, (and the floor). By the time we have eaten one bite of a hambuger or whatever, his is already gone, seriously, I sometimes so shocked by this, it seems almost impossible someone could eat

* ********* HI

I think you have cameras planted at my house ..... and my 16 year old son is being watched! HEHEHEH

Yes, it is the same here. However, my son is improving with the age and maturity thing and nightly reminders! I can not wait for the day the reminders sink in!!!

I sit down to eat, and he is done!!!! Been there done that! :_)

hugs

in IL

[Guest guest]

I just bought Disney fruit snacks and my 2 boys are currently whiddling away the whole box.... Thank God it only comes with 6 pouches.....LOL.... I don the same thing.... I will occasionally buy them cookies or chips and its like a HUGE treat...... good for bribes as well..LOL

in Lancaster, Ca Weber <shell.belle@...> wrote:

Oh, I hear that! Same here. Cookies around here last about 15 minutes tops. I stopped buying them. I make them homemade once in awhile and that makes it a big treat for them. M Strahlendorf <pgnsht@...> wrote:

this goes for my 10 year old son as well.. I cant have snacks in the house because they will be gone in a day...... I have to keep fruit readily available because the boy can really pack it away.... and messily at that...LOL.... no cookies in my house..... he would be 1000 lbs if their were......lol

in Lancaster, CaLaha1960@... wrote:

In a message dated 6/11/05 4:00:58 A.M. Central Daylight Time, Autism and Aspergers Treatment writes:

Oh, a new topic, EATING!!!! My 13 year old AS eats like a slob, He shovels his food in so fast, he literally inhales it and there is usually one of everything that he has eaten all over his pants and shirt, (and the floor). By the time we have eaten one bite of a hambuger or whatever, his is already gone, seriously, I sometimes so shocked by this, it seems almost impossible someone could eat

* ********* HI

I think you have cameras planted at my house ..... and my 16 year old son is being watched! HEHEHEH

Yes, it is the same here. However, my son is improving with the age and maturity thing and nightly reminders! I can not wait for the day the reminders sink in!!!

I sit down to eat, and he is done!!!! Been there done that! :_)

hugs

in IL

Discover Stay in touch with email, IM, photo sharing & more. Check it out!

Discover Stay in touch with email, IM, photo sharing more. Check it out!

[Guest guest]

How alike and how different our kids can be!!! ~laughing~ I have never ever

seen as slow of an eater as Tyler. Each bite is chewed thoroughly and you

would think mostly digested by the time he gets around to swallowing it. We

have to set limits on how long he can eat; otherwise, his meals would run

together and he would just eat all day long! I think his came about due to

the suck, swallow, breath reflex not working when he was young. He choked on

everything, even formula. He couldn't ever seem to get the baby food thing

down. He went from formula to things with corners and substance (like

squares of meat, corn, toast, etc) because he couldn't seem to push the mush

back in his mouth far enough to swallow it without choking (and then he

wouldn't take another bite due to fear). He finally learned to eat

applesauce and mashed potatoes at about 5 1/2. He still didn't do chocolate

or peanut butter until 4th grade. With all of this, you would think he

didn't eat much... Well, since he eats so slowly, I don't think he ever gets

that full feeling! The kid, left to his own devices, could eat us out of

house and home! (his recent growth could have something to do with it too,

but he has always been this way!) Tyler is on dishes duty. Rather than clean

the plates into the garbage, he " snacks " on everything everyone left behind.

That is after he made sure to eat anything that would have been considered

leftovers. Thank goodness, he walks to and from school daily and we are

keeping him active. Otherwise, he would also be HUGE! Instead, he is a 14y/o

who is 6'2 " and 157lbs. I suspect that weight will eventually catch up with

his height when he isn't growing an inch a month... Anyway, I got a kick out

of this string!

~hugs~

Rabecca

[Guest guest]

Very cute!!!! Laha1960@... wrote:

In a message dated 6/12/05 3:42:30 A.M. Central Daylight Time, Autism and Aspergers Treatment writes:

You know those baby books you get that you write down in it when your kids started doing their first things and saying their first words. Well, under the part where it says started eating with a spoon is still blank. Maybe at age 20 I can finally fill in that blank. Wouldn't that be something.

** Funny , sounds like my case and my son , who is 16, Aspergers and still loves to use his fingers always says, " Well fingers were invented first!" HAHHA

Laur in IL

[Guest guest]

I am so glad we all have so much in common, without you guys I would probably loose my sense of humor!! Laha1960@... wrote:

In a message dated 6/12/05 3:42:30 A.M. Central Daylight Time, Autism and Aspergers Treatment writes:

You know those baby books you get that you write down in it when your kids started doing their first things and saying their first words. Well, under the part where it says started eating with a spoon is still blank. Maybe at age 20 I can finally fill in that blank. Wouldn't that be something.

** Funny , sounds like my case and my son , who is 16, Aspergers and still loves to use his fingers always says, " Well fingers were invented first!" HAHHA

Laur in IL

[Guest guest]

My son always eat with his fingers, I have to remind him that we

have ustensils. He goes to school with his lunch with no utensils.

He says that in the medieval times, people were not using ustensils.

It was great when we went to Medieval Times...

He is very sloppy, always more food on the floor and everywhere

else,on himself than where it should be. I gave up...a long time ago.

Lolo ))

>

>

>

> In a message dated 6/12/05 3:42:30 A.M. Central Daylight Time,

> Autism and Aspergers Treatment writes:

>

> You know those baby books you get that you write down in it when

your kids

> started doing their first things and saying their first words.

Well, under

> the part where it says started eating with a spoon is still

blank. Maybe at

> age 20 I can finally fill in that blank. Wouldn't that be

something.

>

>

>

>

>

> ** Funny , sounds like my case and my son , who is 16,

Aspergers and

> still loves to use his fingers always says, " Well fingers were

invented

> first! " HAHHA

>

> Laur in IL

[Guest guest]

My son always eat with his fingers, I have to remind him that we

have ustensils. He goes to school with his lunch with no utensils.

He says that in the medieval times, people were not using ustensils.

It was great when we went to Medieval Times...

He is very sloppy, always more food on the floor and everywhere

else,on himself than where it should be. I gave up...a long time ago.

Lolo ))

>

>

>

> In a message dated 6/12/05 3:42:30 A.M. Central Daylight Time,

> Autism and Aspergers Treatment writes:

>

> You know those baby books you get that you write down in it when

your kids

> started doing their first things and saying their first words.

Well, under

> the part where it says started eating with a spoon is still

blank. Maybe at

> age 20 I can finally fill in that blank. Wouldn't that be

something.

>

>

>

>

>

> ** Funny , sounds like my case and my son , who is 16,

Aspergers and

> still loves to use his fingers always says, " Well fingers were

invented

> first! " HAHHA

>

> Laur in IL

[Guest guest]

Hi, welcome! Yes, we are mostly U.S. here so I guess use the

American terms for the medications and perhaps diagnoses too!

GAD = generalized anxiety disorder

PANDAS = Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated

with Strep

Many kids seem to get OCD abruptly after having strep throat.

Here's one link on PANDAS:

http://www.worrywisekids.org/anxiety/pandas.html

If you also look at the " anxiety types " at the above site, you will

see about GAD.

It does seem like OCD and eating disorders together can be common.

A few parents here have dealt with this (or are now dealing with

this) and I hope they see your post!

My son has food texture problems. He's 16 now. It was back in

early school years that a speech therapist and an occupational

therapist (ST and OT) both mentioned he had " food texture "

problems. That term/problem was new to me, I just knew he was a

picky eater! I haven't had a lot of luck with getting this area to

improve with him, he's still very limited. We try to go through

periods where he'll try something new once a month, twice a month or

something, just a bite, but it's been quite a while since he found

something he liked; the last was a taco! And he prefers the soft

taco to the hard shell.

He's got a twin too, not identical. And different as night/day,

those two!

I might have missed this in your post - is your daughter on any

medication? You did mention an MH nurse, that's good that there is

some help for her/you!

(North Carolina)

single mom, 3 sons

, 16, with OCD, Aspergers/autism

>

> Hi. Been spying under a differant name for sometime now.

> Yo'all speak a different language? What's GAD? & please tell lots

> more about PANDAS,dont know what it is.

> Becky (a very KIND & GENEROUS child)has OCD but the worst ritual

> (getting out of the house) is much better.We cheat( " don't have to

do

[Guest guest]

Hi!

I've been reading that eating disorders are a form of

OCD (which was a big surprise for me!). Food texture

sensitivty is part of tactile defensiveness (Sensory

Integration Dysfunction)... which, from this list, I'm

beginning to think may sometimes lead to OCD in

children.

Is your daughter on medications or in therapy (I'm

probably repeating someone else's questionss here! I'm

just slightly behind on emails -- as usual!).

Tess

--- lesleyuksinglemom <lesleyuksinglemom@...>

wrote:

> Hi. Been spying under a differant name for sometime

> now.

> Yo'all speak a different language? What's GAD? &

> please tell lots

> more about PANDAS,dont know what it is.

> Becky (a very KIND & GENEROUS child)has OCD but the

> worst ritual

> (getting out of the house) is much better.We

> cheat( " don't have to do

> it all coz only taking the new dog a walk but have

> everything ready

> in car so on return to house she can wait in car for

> upto 20 mins

> rather than enter & have to do it all " )I use LOTS of

> avoidance, &

> distraction,occasionally having calmed her I can get

> her to touch

> whatever she's avoiding, and occasionally I just end

> up taking the

> toothbrush off her. Things were awful until she

> stopped staying

> overnight at her dad's,so now rather than lengthy

> rituals(still some

> milder 1s) there's LOTS of smaller things-mainly

> still door handle

> touching in a pattern or doorhandle & doorway

> avoidance,

> teethcleaning!,kissing, COUNTING etc.

> But now she only sleeps at home & I have to be

> there. Once weather is

> better I'll continue to try to work on these.Hates

> travelling, being

> away from home etc. Claustraphobia & afraid of dark

> etc. Some MILD

> sensory stuff.

> PANIC ATTACKS, general anxiety, whacks & pinches her

> self,talk of

> killing self when down,violent at times coz of

> frustration,poor self

> confidence,poor self esteem- you know the picture.

> She did excellant

> in build up to staying at her dads last weekend

> (first time since

> summer & a 1 off to see how she coped) but dad was

> in a REALLY bad

> mood when she got there(how helpful?) so she reacted

> badly during

> this week.

> Problem is -at the end of all this waffle-when I

> create a little OCD

> stress for her to learn to deal with OCD, it affects

> her eating which

> is already a huge worry to me. She is 13,32kg &

> still losing; her

> twin is average weight. To try to desensitise the

> " people are looking

> at me " we go to restaurants, McD's etc & she is

> starting to feel more

> comfortable if only with me & twin. MH Nurse says

> borderline,either

> OCD or onway to anorexia- doesn't finish food even

> when she's

> enjoying it eg cake;doesn't want to grow up, leave

> me, doesn't like

> eating, still wants pink flowers on school shoes

> etc. Doesn't like

> fact that in baby photo's she's the chubby twin ETC

> but definately

> not anorexic coz although she doesn't eat much she

> only eats

> fattening things. As she isn't just a fussy eater

> I've been told to

> let her graze on junk she likes-just keep her

> eating.(becoming

> vegitarian in Oct=disaster coz obviously not

> replacing meat with

> anything)

> Can you PLEASE tell me about OCD & eating, food

> texture sensitivity

> (someone mentioned raisins in mouth) ANYTHING to

> help.

> Hope it's ok to join in from England. X

>

>

>

>

__________________________________

Start your day with - Make it your home page!

http://www./r/hs

[Guest guest]

From what you've described, my guess would be Sensory

Integration Dysfunction (tactile defensiveness).

Avoiding shirts for bed is definitely tactile

defensive. Also chewing on things is sensory seeking.

Eating disorders are (from what I've been reading) a

type of OCD. Although from what you've described it

could have much more to do with SID since she doesn't

like swallowing. You might want to find out about OT

for her swallowing difficulties. Also, consider liquid

nutritional high-calorie drinks in the meantime (to

keep up her weight and vitamin intake). For depression

you might want to talk about meds, explain how they

could help her feel better for now until things calm

down. Another option is 5-htp (a vitamin supplement)

which helps increase serotonin which in turn helps

with depression and anxiety.

Tess

--- lesleyuksinglemom <lesleyuksinglemom@...>

wrote:

> Thanks SO much for replies and Tess.

> Becky may not have GAD coz her symptoms may not be

> sever enough, but

> she has the symptoms. When I read out what

> WorryWiseKids site(great

> site Thanks)said about lots of the differant

> problems, both girls

> agreed it often described them. SAD is a real

> problem(more to me than

> her)

> She has counselling weekly(but counsellor off sick

> for last 3 weeks)

> and we saw a psychiatrist once -next appt mid

> Dec.She hated it,

> talking to a stranger for an hour+when told she

> hates travelling

> further than an hour away from home & our friends

> had moved 100s of

> miles away he told us to " just go " - before agreeing

> to build

> distance up etc. I didn't accept Sept appt (on her

> birthday!)coz at

> the time she already felt that life wasnt worth

> living so I felt a

> good B'day was important.I have seen the

> psychiatrists MH nurse a

> couple of times to discuss strategies etc.They say

> there's not much

> else they can do at mo for the eating unless she

> starts to see them

> regularly. But we dont want to overload her coz

> already sees

> cousellor weekly & she's happy with counsellor.I'm

> Meeting councellor

> with Becky soon to see if she thinks she can deal

> with it all or

> whether we should start to use the MH sevice more.

> I dont believe she would swollow meds. She wont take

> omega 3 for me,

> and now more reluctant to even take

> Calpol(paracetamol soln)

> Food diary showed she eats eg 1/2 piece toast or 1/2

> crepe for

> breakfast. At school 1/2- 3/4 bag crisps,3/4 choc

> biscuit bar for

> lunch, couple biscuits & /or most of a small cake

> when she gets home.

> Main meal could be biteful or so of fish or part

> slice pitza with a

> few chips. 1/2 - 3/4 small cake or biscuit. Then

> cake or biscuit for

> supper. A couple of sweets, slice fruit perhaps

> during day. At mo

> eating pistacio nuts, soon it will be something

> else. I was just

> really surprised and so disappointed when she lost 2

> lbs (?4 gs)last

> week. I thought she would at LEAST be same weight.

> She LICKS inside her tops,she says she does it when

> she feels

> stressed. She doesn't like swollowing. Very

> noticable usually(big wet

> patches on front of clothes)but fortunately doesnt

> show much on black

> school sweatshirt.Just have to wash & dry it every

> night.

> Previous sensory stuff was mild. At onetime we went

> through a whole

> drawer of socks before getting near acceptable

> seams. She still

> preferres to be topless, not wear pyjama top in bed,

> shower too hot

> but wash in cold water " its refreshing " .Held pencil

> too tight,pressed

> so hard nearly wripped paper. Rectified self and

> though naturally an

> untidy writter she can be VERY neat if tries. Still

> reversed letters

> in uk year 4 but sorted by year 5. POOR speller, I

> was told that its

> as if they've missed basic blocks of learning

> spelling, but never

> enough to get help. I'm a Parent Partnership Officer

> so I knew that

> she wasn't bad enough for help to kick in( if i knew

> Then what i know

> now I might have pursued it more.) So I will

> probably pay for private

> Education Psychologist report next year( shouldn't

> hav to pay over

> here-pay enough tax and no insurance schemes for

> this stuff)

> School not aware of probs. She doesn't want to be

> seen as

> having " problems " ( & her sister already embarrased

> by her at times)

> She works very hard at hiding it(though i think this

> effort may be

> lessoning) but I've found out that she has now

> started to feel

> panicky at school.

> Enuf for now ! please just tell me how to make her

> eat well. Thanks

> again. I'm not allowed to watch the news- far too

> worrying

> apparently! but thoughts are still with Katrina

> survivors. x

>

>

>

>

__________________________________________

DSL – Something to write home about.

Just $16.99/mo. or less.

dsl.

[Guest guest]

I read a middleschool/highscool book called Second Star to the Right -

a true story of a girl telling about her years with an eating

disorder - I was fresh to the ocd scene and I admit that her story at

many points on many levels was way too creepy close to home for

me.....things she described rang bells throughout my life - I've

never quite passed into a really bad eating disorder, but what I was

doing with food for a few years there just can't be explained outside

the context of ocd or an eating disorder!!

And, it wasn't just what she did with food - it was the way she

described how she felt about certain things and her reaction to them -

I'd be very surprised to find out that there is absolutely no

relation between ocd and eating disorders!

Well anyway, it was a good book and I'd recommend it!

>

> > Hi. Been spying under a differant name for sometime

> > now.

> > Yo'all speak a different language? What's GAD? &

> > please tell lots

> > more about PANDAS,dont know what it is.

> > Becky (a very KIND & GENEROUS child)has OCD but the

> > worst ritual

> > (getting out of the house) is much better.We

> > cheat( " don't have to do

> > it all coz only taking the new dog a walk but have

> > everything ready

> > in car so on return to house she can wait in car for

> > upto 20 mins

> > rather than enter & have to do it all " )I use LOTS of

> > avoidance, &

> > distraction,occasionally having calmed her I can get

> > her to touch

> > whatever she's avoiding, and occasionally I just end

> > up taking the

> > toothbrush off her. Things were awful until she

> > stopped staying

> > overnight at her dad's,so now rather than lengthy

> > rituals(still some

> > milder 1s) there's LOTS of smaller things-mainly

> > still door handle

> > touching in a pattern or doorhandle & doorway

> > avoidance,

> > teethcleaning!,kissing, COUNTING etc.

> > But now she only sleeps at home & I have to be

> > there. Once weather is

> > better I'll continue to try to work on these.Hates

> > travelling, being

> > away from home etc. Claustraphobia & afraid of dark

> > etc. Some MILD

> > sensory stuff.

> > PANIC ATTACKS, general anxiety, whacks & pinches her

> > self,talk of

> > killing self when down,violent at times coz of

> > frustration,poor self

> > confidence,poor self esteem- you know the picture.

> > She did excellant

> > in build up to staying at her dads last weekend

> > (first time since

> > summer & a 1 off to see how she coped) but dad was

> > in a REALLY bad

> > mood when she got there(how helpful?) so she reacted

> > badly during

> > this week.

> > Problem is -at the end of all this waffle-when I

> > create a little OCD

> > stress for her to learn to deal with OCD, it affects

> > her eating which

> > is already a huge worry to me. She is 13,32kg &

> > still losing; her

> > twin is average weight. To try to desensitise the

> > " people are looking

> > at me " we go to restaurants, McD's etc & she is

> > starting to feel more

> > comfortable if only with me & twin. MH Nurse says

> > borderline,either

> > OCD or onway to anorexia- doesn't finish food even

> > when she's

> > enjoying it eg cake;doesn't want to grow up, leave

> > me, doesn't like

> > eating, still wants pink flowers on school shoes

> > etc. Doesn't like

> > fact that in baby photo's she's the chubby twin ETC

> > but definately

> > not anorexic coz although she doesn't eat much she

> > only eats

> > fattening things. As she isn't just a fussy eater

> > I've been told to

> > let her graze on junk she likes-just keep her

> > eating.(becoming

> > vegitarian in Oct=disaster coz obviously not

> > replacing meat with

> > anything)

> > Can you PLEASE tell me about OCD & eating, food

> > texture sensitivity

> > (someone mentioned raisins in mouth) ANYTHING to

> > help.

> > Hope it's ok to join in from England. X

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

> __________________________________

> Start your day with - Make it your home page!

> http://www./r/hs

>

[Guest guest]

I really am hoping that the lack of eating is a sensory issue coz I

feel that that can be better treated than the A word. I know that

when I was a nurse the supplement drinks had an after taste & were

usually milky- will try but VERY doubtful she would drink them. They

do make some water based ones, like fruit drinks, which I will try to

dilute in her drinks. Hope to speak to her counsellor tomorrow

(counsellor has been very reluctant in past to talk to me,esp without

Becky, due to wanting Becky to feel incontrol,confidentiality etc! )

but I need to talk to her,with Becky too, to decide whether to use

the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service(CAMHS)instead. The MH

nurse & pdoc(yes I've learnt the terminology!)both work within CAMHS,

& I'm hoping that the MHN will ring me tomorrow. Thanks TESS.

Daughters wont go on school trips so want me to let them scive next

Monday while rest of class visit a German Market in Birmingham. Twin

wants me to take them to seaside for the day(trying it on I

think).I'd decided to make them go to school that day, so that I dont

encourage not going on trips, but this morning Becky was REALLY

panicky, & stressed about " if I get ill at school " " if I panic at

school etc " so I think a day away would do them good. I know she'll

protest that she didn't volunteer to travel the distance require(only

been to seaside once this year-after months of building upto it) but

i believe I can help her to do it so that is another possitive reason

to let them scive the day, esp as she will be building up stress of

seeing pdoc next week. Can someone please just reassure me that I'm

right, ready for if their dad disagrees. I really appreciate this

site. Many thanks X

[Guest guest]

I'm not sure this is much advise but my son too has a severe food

issue. I don't have to worry about his weight since he drinks a lot

of milk it keeps the pounds on. My son will only eat bland, simple

foods like mac and cheese, crackers, cereal, speg. with butter and

salt (NO red sauce), plain cheese pizza, chicken noodle soup (no

chicken). The only meat he will eat is chicken nuggets. If it " looks

weird " he won't eat it. If I insist he take a bite to try it, he

will gag and actually vomit. With things like the mac and cheese, if

it's not cooked " just right " he won't eat it. He doesn't eat fruit -

too much texture, no veggies except corn. I'm afraid of nutrition

issues but I guess at least I know his bones will be strong. Does

your daughter like milk, vitamin D has a lot of benefits. The only

protein my son gets is thru scrambled eggs and peanuts. We do what

we can.

I've been there on that sock issue too - LOTS of patience and a lot

of socks. I do laundry all the time to keep up. My son is also

sensitive to the water. Insists on washing his hands in COLD water

but takes really LONG HOT showers??

Is your daughter afraid to eat? Or how does she express why she's

not eating?

Best of luck! We are here for you.

[Guest guest]

stacyjpoe wrote:

> I'm not sure this is much advise but my son too has a severe food

> issue. I don't have to worry about his weight since he drinks a lot

> of milk it keeps the pounds on. My son will only eat bland, simple

> foods like mac and cheese, crackers, cereal, speg. with butter and

> salt (NO red sauce), plain cheese pizza, chicken noodle soup (no

> chicken). The only meat he will eat is chicken nuggets. If it " looks

> weird " he won't eat it. If I insist he take a bite to try it, he

> will gag and actually vomit. With things like the mac and cheese, if

> it's not cooked " just right " he won't eat it. He doesn't eat fruit -

> too much texture, no veggies except corn. I'm afraid of nutrition

> issues but I guess at least I know his bones will be strong. Does

> your daughter like milk, vitamin D has a lot of benefits. The only

> protein my son gets is thru scrambled eggs and peanuts. We do what

> we can.

> I've been there on that sock issue too - LOTS of patience and a lot

> of socks. I do laundry all the time to keep up. My son is also

> sensitive to the water. Insists on washing his hands in COLD water

> but takes really LONG HOT showers??

>

> Is your daughter afraid to eat? Or how does she express why she's

> not eating?

>

> Best of luck! We are here for you.

>

>

>

--were you writing about MY son? My 7 yr. old is the exact same

way--you really described it well. How old is your son. Has he always

been like this? Mine has. Does he say why he eats like this? My son

(Jack) just says he doesn't like anything else.

Dina

[Guest guest]

Hi, my thoughts are that YOU know your child best.

Although with OCD, giving into avoidance isn't advised/good, when

the person is dealing with a lot of behaviors, you don't work on

them all at one time. Pick an issue (or 2 or 3) and work on them.

What some do, therapists too, is have the sufferer create a

hierarchy list, listing OCD problems, and rate them, say 1-10, with

1 being the least anxiety-causing, 10 the most. Then they can work

on the lower issues first.

And you wouldn't be the first parent to allow a " skip " day from

school, she's going to see pdoc next week, you know how panicky

she's feeling, etc.

Gotta get to work!

>

>

> I really am hoping that the lack of eating is a sensory issue coz

I

> feel that that can be better treated than the A word. I know that

> when I was a nurse the supplement drinks had an after taste & were

> usually milky- will try but VERY doubtful she would drink them.

They

[Guest guest]

Hi Lesley,

About eating and ocd, and a 13 yr old daughter losing weight. I would

say this is a time to be very proactive and that this could easily

spiral into a serious eating disorder.

Not to unduly alarm you, but anorexia can come on very suddenly and

go out of control. A girl with ocd and odd eating habits, entering

puberty, perhaps in a growth spurt, is very vulnerable to the

biochemical effects of sudden weight loss/starvation and an increase

in ocd, which snowballs the eating disorder behavior.

I wish I had the information I needed at the time my daughter began

getting concerned with nutrition, to see that it could very

unexpectedly turn into an eating disorder. I would have much more

agressively pushed the eating right away instead of " playing it cool "

so as not to upset her. Of course, I also did not anticipate a big

weight loss due to illness, right on the heels of a nutrition hyper

focus.

The illness may have been sort of the staw that broke the camel's

back with my dd, triggering a nearly impossible eating disorder (I

have never much called it anorexia b/c she never fullfilled criteria

of fearing fat, or weight gain, or dealing with body image

dissatisfaction).

The combination of a slender child, growth spurt, pubertal changes,

restricting food (even if it is not true dieting and there is no

weight concern) can together with a gastrointestinal viral illness

create a sudden starvation effect. The starvation-biochemical effect

causes the hyperactivity (theoretically) so excess exercize is added

to the picture, then the downward spiral is very quick. The fasting

and excercise actually reinforces not eating (theoretically- I am not

claiming to be an expert but it seems very plausible based on my

experience with my dd) b/c of the endorphins that are released with

fasting. If you add the pre-existing tendency to ritualize,

especially under stress, all b/c of ocd, then you have a loaded gun

for a serious case of anorexia.

After her her viral ilness and loss of nearly 12 lbs (about 5 lbs

lost pre-illness) my daughter was afraid to eat anymore and began

developing lots of ocd rituals to make eating 'safe' (a " voice " told

her how to eat " safe " otherwise she could not eat at all) but the

rituals made it nearly impossible to keep her eating enough.

We have been working for a year on undoing the rituals with a an erp

approach with little headway. My dd is too afraid to not use the

rituals (voices scare her) and for me (and her sister) to not

acommodate the rituals means no eating. Now I've submitted to using

the rituals (which involves her older sister, thus the dillema-but

we've maged to extricate her ister as much as possible) to help her

eat, and she may be in a real gaining phase now (really loading up

the calories finally) and I just hope to get her to enough weight to

restore health, so we can get a foothold to deal with the ocd behind

the eating disorder (rather than using the rituals to gain weight).

All along I have dealt with critiques and my own doubts, but finally

said to myself I have to work with my intuition and how I know my

daughter best (she is a pretty unusual girl) since no one else is

living this right in the trenches (not even my Dh who has taken a

detached approach b/c it is so painful).

We have tried hospitalization (twice) but due to my dd's high

functioning autistic profile and severe sensory defensiveness, she

also has a degree of PTSD now with flashbacks and spells of violence,

since her traumatic hospital (psychiatric ward) admission.

This parenting group

(http://www.eatingwithyouranorexic.com/pages/7/index.htm)

has helped me alot in having confidence and persistence to work with

my dd at home (she also is an outpatient at a local clinic but will

not attend) b/c anorexia can often confound most professionals, and

really wear away at your spirit and hope. The approach that involves

parents as a team rather than blaming them or implying that family

dynamics are the root cause, and which puts feeding first and

psychological issues later, is more like CBT, imo, so more like how

we treat ocd.

Even with severe ocd onset at age 8, and another older daughter with

ocd, I could not have prepared for how draining and frighteningly

awful it is to deal with starvation in your child and wondering if

anyone can help when death may be around the corner. Sorry to be so

dramatic, but you can be pro-active. There is a mom in the group

beginning to refeed her daughter who has lost only 6 lbs, and is not

deeply in the anorexic mindset yet.

Another online site that is helpful:

http://www.edsurvivalguide.com/

Best wishes,

nancy grace

>

> Hi. Been spying under a differant name for sometime now.

> Yo'all speak a different language? What's GAD? & please tell lots

> more about PANDAS,dont know what it is.

> Becky (a very KIND & GENEROUS child)has OCD but the worst ritual

> (getting out of the house) is much better.We cheat( " don't have to

do

> it all coz only taking the new dog a walk but have everything ready

> in car so on return to house she can wait in car for upto 20 mins

> rather than enter & have to do it all " )I use LOTS of avoidance, &

> distraction,occasionally having calmed her I can get her to touch

> whatever she's avoiding, and occasionally I just end up taking the

> toothbrush off her. Things were awful until she stopped staying

> overnight at her dad's,so now rather than lengthy rituals(still

some

> milder 1s) there's LOTS of smaller things-mainly still door handle

> touching in a pattern or doorhandle & doorway avoidance,

> teethcleaning!,kissing, COUNTING etc.

> But now she only sleeps at home & I have to be there. Once weather

is

> better I'll continue to try to work on these.Hates travelling,

being

> away from home etc. Claustraphobia & afraid of dark etc. Some MILD

> sensory stuff.

> PANIC ATTACKS, general anxiety, whacks & pinches her self,talk of

> killing self when down,violent at times coz of frustration,poor

self

> confidence,poor self esteem- you know the picture. She did

excellant

> in build up to staying at her dads last weekend (first time since

> summer & a 1 off to see how she coped) but dad was in a REALLY bad

> mood when she got there(how helpful?) so she reacted badly during

> this week.

> Problem is -at the end of all this waffle-when I create a little

OCD

> stress for her to learn to deal with OCD, it affects her eating

which

> is already a huge worry to me. She is 13,32kg & still losing; her

> twin is average weight. To try to desensitise the " people are

looking

> at me " we go to restaurants, McD's etc & she is starting to feel

more

> comfortable if only with me & twin. MH Nurse says borderline,either

> OCD or onway to anorexia- doesn't finish food even when she's

> enjoying it eg cake;doesn't want to grow up, leave me, doesn't like

> eating, still wants pink flowers on school shoes etc. Doesn't like

> fact that in baby photo's she's the chubby twin ETC but definately

> not anorexic coz although she doesn't eat much she only eats

> fattening things. As she isn't just a fussy eater I've been told to

> let her graze on junk she likes-just keep her eating.(becoming

> vegitarian in Oct=disaster coz obviously not replacing meat with

> anything)

> Can you PLEASE tell me about OCD & eating, food texture sensitivity

> (someone mentioned raisins in mouth) ANYTHING to help.

> Hope it's ok to join in from England. X

>

[Guest guest]

According to an online conversion program, that's about 70 lbs. My very skinny

13yo son, just under 5 ft. tall, weights about 85 lbs. I can't even imagine how

emaciated he would look at 70 lbs. I'm not a doctor, but this does not sound

healthy!

P.

stacyjpoe <stacypoe@...> wrote:

Actually I don't how low your daughter's weight is... 32kg is how

many pounds?? Is she being pressured at school to be slim or is she

afraid if she eats certain things or too much something bad will

happen?

>

> Hi

> Thanks for reply. No, ofcourse she doesnt like milk ! That would

be too

> useful. She licks the inside of her tops to avoid swollowing, she

doesn't like

> it, but she is 13 and never had this problem, or many others, till

this year. I

> have worried about the amount & what she eats for years, but

nothing major -

> a low key concern, to be " kept an eye on incase she gets a problem

when shes

> 15 or so " , wishful thinking, naivaty or just plain stupid? She

will have

> " normal foods " , fussy, but its the AMOUNT she eats. A teaspoon of

jacket potatoe,

> 3 peas, 2 teaspoons tuna etc. She is living on cake and sweets -

but still

> rarely finishes even what shes enjoying. Pulls some things

apart, " plays "

> with it etc. If eating a choc cake she likes to eat the outside

choc & then

> separate the 2 layers or sponge etc.etc. (mind you I like todo

that to some

> biscuits too-but only occasionally) It worried me that when after

a day out we

> were all STARVING & decided to get fish & chips (proper " fries " , not

thin " french

> ones " ) from the chippy (take-out?) She was REALLY pleased. She

put what she

> wanted onto her plate, a good amount for her, but ate only a few

chips(fries)

> and didnt touch the lovely fish. When I gently asked her why, she

sadly said

> that she didnt know why, but I think that she wished that she

could have

> eaten it. ? Shes about 32 kg, apparently thats in the

unhealthy range

> but......... which i think meant not extreme. Any idea where 32kg

stands at 13 ?

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi. Thanks for reply. I can tell that you know what I'm on about, Hadn't

used to weigh her lots, but i know she was approx 70 lbs before June, lost

some,

got back to 70, and slowly increased to 73 lbs 9/23/05, 72lbs 10/9/05 &

10/31 but 70lbs on 11/30. She cant be " anorexic " coz she too isnt obsessed with

fat & kcals, body image etc but as you imply, it all adds up to the same.

Interestingly she is good at cross country running & sports & likes exercise.

Her

dad, my ex, used exercise for his depression, it didn't work for him.

What is dd & dH ?

We've only seen pdoc once & She hated it, talking about personal stuff to a

stranger for an hour-her worst nightmare. So she REALLY doesn't want to go

again next week so I've told her that if it gets too much she can say that she

needs the loo & excuse herself, but she's still unhappy as she cant go to the

loo for an hour! Anyway, she said last night that she feels more

uncomfortable now, indeed hates, that her counsellor, dad, nan & granddad & i

are all

" nagging " her, & that she isnt eating more or is eating even less since we

started " nagging " - true. So she wants us all to ignore it, like we used to, &

just let her get on with it. Ofcourse " she'll eat more if we do " . I explained

that for a long time we did as she asked & ignored it, but she still didnt eat

much, & that i wasnt willing to do that again. When we can we are gonna have

tea as soon as she gets in from school as she is really hungry then as she

says she cant eat at school. When she promised to eat well if we eat then &

not nag or see drs, I explained that she SHOULD be able to eat at school- so

altho she didnt like it she knew i had a point.

PS she has an issue with grandparent's comments about how much she eats &

doesnt appreciate dads comments & encouragement, but i believe that she knows

that counsellor & i dont " nag " . x

[Guest guest]

Hi. I don't think it's because she's pressured to be thin coz when I

look back, it gradually started way before she was aware of such

things. She's about 4' 9 " , but her twin is much taller now, and, tho I

say so myself, has a lovely figure for her age. She doesnt seem to like

being the chubby twin in baby photos tho, & doesnt want to grow up or

leave home as she wants to live with me for ever.

She will let food be presant at parties etc,doesn't know she could

prevent it, she will just put a tiny bit on her plate and move it

around. Maybe eat a few crisps (chips?)

No,her weight can't be healthy, & i fear for her bones and developing

femle body. My mom & i both hav arthritis as it is.(I'm 41, not

disabled but its painful at times)

Well, we see her pdoc & MH Nurse next week, & i see her counsellor on

Tuesday too, so we'll see what they say.

Just good to know you're all out there. X

[Guest guest]

PpsLesley@... wrote:

> just want to say Becky lost another 3lbs this week, thats 6 lbs in 2

> weeks.

> Her legs are " wobbly " , she smells of ketones but has started to drink

> lots of

> Lucozade & is at least picking a little food again. She's 64 lbs, BMI

> about

> 13.8 Seeing pdoc next Fri coz he wants to ref to paediatrician to

> check no

> physical reason. Couldn't go to school today, felt legs were too

> wobbly(not

> suprised). She refused to see her counsellor today. Supposed to see

> MH nurse

> next week to start work with Becky & I (if she'll go), but wish

> someone would

> do something NOW. She can't start med coz she's struggling to

> swollow. Im

> trying to hide it, etc

>

> Don't know why Im posting, but cant stop worrying, & wishing they'd

> somehow

> help her to eat NOW !

I just wanted you to know that I know what you're going through! It is

an awful feeling to watch your child weakening and losing weight. I

wanted to badly for my daughter to eat--anything! She just couldnt'.

She was medically unstable when she was finally admitted to the hospital

and tube fed. There was such a difference in her after 3 weeks of being

refed and the addition of Zyprexa to her SSRI. With some therapy, she

was able to turn it around. In believe that when they are so

malnourished, their brain gets used to it somehow and they just can't

start eating. Probably similar to an anorexic. It is a scary thing to

watch. I really feel for you! My daughter is now thriving, healthy and

normal weight. There is hope!

One thing, looking back, is that I wish we would have been able to

intervene and hospitalize her earlier. It seemed like everyone just

kept saying, Well, try this, try that, we'll see you next week. Her

pediatrician, her pdoc, the family therapist. It got to a desperate

situation before they said that they wanted to hospitalize her. I think

she suffered needlessly for months and I wish they would have been more

proactive. I'm much better informed now, so I wouldn't let that happen

again. 6 lbs. in 2 weeks should be sending warning signals to ALL of

her Dr.s, I would think. I'm sorry things are so bad right now!

Dina

[Guest guest]

Can you go to see the pediatrician today? I don't think you should

wait a week. It sounds as if she is suffering from malnutrition and

needs immediate intervention. If you cannot get to see a

pediatirican, I would even consider going to an emergency room. She

may need to be admitted or at least rehydrated today. I don't want to

scare you, I just think it is important. I know it must be hard for

you to see this happening - I'm sorry that you are going through it.

Hugs,

Bonnie

>

> just want to say Becky lost another 3lbs this week, thats 6 lbs in 2

weeks.

> Her legs are " wobbly " , she smells of ketones but has started to

drink lots of

> Lucozade & is at least picking a little food again. She's 64 lbs,

BMI about

> 13.8 Seeing pdoc next Fri coz he wants to ref to paediatrician to

check no

> physical reason. Couldn't go to school today, felt legs were too

wobbly(not

> suprised). She refused to see her counsellor today. Supposed to see

MH nurse

> next week to start work with Becky & I (if she'll go), but wish

someone would

> do something NOW. She can't start med coz she's struggling to

swollow. Im

> trying to hide it, etc

>

> Don't know why Im posting, but cant stop worrying, & wishing they'd

somehow

> help her to eat NOW !

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, can't recall - has she been tested for diabetes?

>

> just want to say Becky lost another 3lbs this week, thats 6 lbs in 2

weeks.

> Her legs are " wobbly " , she smells of ketones but has started to

drink lots of

> Lucozade & is at least picking a little food again. She's 64 lbs,

BMI about

> 13.8 Seeing pdoc next Fri coz he wants to ref to paediatrician

[Guest guest]

Hi. As someone who watched her 5'-4 " daughter dwindle to 80 lbs right before

her eyes

because she (my daughter) was afraid her food was contaminated with animal

products

and so wouldn't eat it, I want to give you some heartfelt advice.

Take your daughter to the emergency room NOW. She needs to be admitted. She is

in

medical danger, but more than that, she needs the kind of help she will only get

in a

hospital. She can't even be helped mentally, at this point, until she is fed;

her brain won't

process anything the way it should.

Don't wait for a pediatrician or any other doctor to tell you. I completely

understand why

you would do this, because it is exactly what I did. Finally I took her to a

psychiatrist at an

eating disorder program at a local hospital (at this point we knew it was OCD,

but we knew

we had to treat her medically first, before she could do CBT). He talked to

her, and then

told her to start the program the next morning. As she walked out of the office

ahead of

us, I grabbed him by the coat sleeve and pulled him back. I said to him through

tears,

" You can't let her leave. I can't take her home. " He took her to the emergency

room and

had her admitted right then. It was the best move I could have made, and it was

based

purely on the instinct that I didn't want to loose my child, and there was

nothing I could do

for her at home.

Let us know how she (and you) are doing...

Alene

>

> just want to say Becky lost another 3lbs this week, thats 6 lbs in 2 weeks.

> Her legs are " wobbly " , she smells of ketones but has started to drink lots of

> Lucozade & is at least picking a little food again. She's 64 lbs, BMI about

> 13.8 Seeing pdoc next Fri coz he wants to ref to paediatrician to check no

> physical reason. Couldn't go to school today, felt legs were too wobbly(not

> suprised). She refused to see her counsellor today. Supposed to see MH nurse

> next week to start work with Becky & I (if she'll go), but wish someone would

> do something NOW. She can't start med coz she's struggling to swollow. Im

> trying to hide it, etc

>

> Don't know why Im posting, but cant stop worrying, & wishing they'd somehow

> help her to eat NOW !

>

>

>