difficult child ...... thoughts on how to handle?

[Jena]

hi

soo since easy child moved out i've noticed a decrease in intake at mealtime with difficult child. she's def. shoving down any other junk she can find, minimal we had some for easter chocolate etc.

yet she's stopped completing meals, two weeks ago complained of throat to me. i just listen i dont' react, than again last week one night, and again tonight to me. she said it's not like i'll stop eating or anything it's just well i think i need help again. I said why's that if your still eating? she said well i forget how to chew and it gets annoying lately my throats been getting dry and thats' why i chew quick and drink alot of liquids with each meal. which she does.

this could just be anxiety increase due to easy child moving out, and hence throat again. attention seeking, event though now she's in the spotlight.

i guess what i'm asking is maybe trying lamictal now wasn't such a good idea. i'm wondering how would you handle? i think just continuing to reassure her all's well, she doesnt' need help listening to her vent a bit is the right thing to do. things are intense right now, tutor times' increased so she has 2 hours per day of work. which for her is alot, easy child gone, hoping we'll graduate.

thoughts?? yea i know who wants to go down this road again.............. sooo not me!!!!

 

[pepperidge]

Jena,

I really don't see why you would think about d/c Lamictal. I would find it really hard to believe that it is contributing to the eating problem. It seems like everyone feels that you need to get a MS in place so you can try a SSRI again. You need to stick with the gradual increases of Lamictal, and give it a couple of months. Yes it is frustrating that it takes so long, but do it right one time or mess around and you will never know without going through the whole bloomin' thing again.

If anything, increase the Zyprexa. I would imagine that difficult child has got to be feeling an incredible amount of upset of various sorts about easy child leaving even if she doesn't verbalize it. Look at how angry you are feeling.

Hopefully now you have the skills to help her after psychiatric hospital in Oregon. Can you limit the junk food so at least she is getting some nutrition.

Sorry it is so long and complicated. medication trials stink.

 

[smallworld]

I wouldn't think of her return of non-eating benaviors as attention seeking. I would think of them as maladaptive coping strategies. It is not uncommon at all for eating disorders to resurface at times of intense stress.

And I agree with Pepperidge -- this is a child who needs more medication, not less. As you're waiting for Lamictal to take hold and as her anxiety is high about easy child, ask the psychiatrist if he thinks an increase in Zyprexa will help with her eating.

Hang in there.

 

[Jena]

hi

i have doctor appointment soon i hope they haven't gotten back to me yet......... my little difficult child is def. a gain from illness girl even hospital said so. so you can't look at it black and white with her, sometimes there's that grey area. so i'm just listening for now, making healthy meals, trying to cut her back on junk and also forcing myself for mos now to eat healthy infront of her.

the whole role modeling the right behavior thing........... i'm afraid to increase the zyprexa at this point we're topping 140 now. she's morbid about weight and only has two things that fit her a pair of stretchies and a pair of sweats. and i refuse to buy more clothes till she loses it hopefully.

she starts dance tmrw maybe that'll improve her mood over weight, lower anxiety etc.

 

[GoingNorth]

Just as a note. Incoordination of the involuntary muscles involved in swallowing can be an extremely rare side effect of the atypical antipsychotics, including Zyprexa.

Your daughter is old enough to describe to her psychiatrist exactly what is happening when she has trouble swallowing. It is NOT a 'lump in the throat' feeling at all.

Have her describe this in detail to psychiatrist.

BUT, the AP side effect does not effect everything but junk food, LoL.

I only bring this up because I'm one of the 1 in 10 thousand who gets this side effect from the APs and has to take an old time antipsychotic as a result (Haldol in my case)

If she can scarf down junk food this isn't an issue_

 

[HaoZi]

Got to agree, a kid that fills up on junk generally won't eat much at proper meals. Only way to end the junk food thing is to ditch it and stop buying it. If memory serves, Kiddo also craved more junk on Zyprexa, carbs and simple sugars.

 

[1905]

I know from experience that when you're in an eating disorder facility you are on a very specific meal plan. I know the nutritionist works with you , puts in only things you like and will eat and sends you home on a meal plan as well. Also, they set up appts with a nitritionist for when you're home, even if home is in another state. What happened to her meal plan, does she follow it? Maybe she can get a new meal plan from a nutritionist, since now her needs are different. Is her p-doctor an eating disorders specialist? Where they weigh you each time? They usually won't send you home unless you have this aftercare all set up. The nutritionist will work with her and put snacks in it.

 

[Jena]

hi yea haozi we tossed the choc. remaining last night. only have reduced fat stuff in house and healthy stuff. she ate last night well at dinner, just gonna keep playing it this way listen when she talks, put minimal attention to it, go back to what i was taught give attention to when she completes a meal, ya know the positive attention.

her eating disorder is over, so no we do not go to docs for that anymore. i just wanted some feedback on how to walk this tightrope with her in conversations. yet i think i'll just keep doing what i am doing. she's hurting over easy child deep down, we dont' speak of it often. that's the brunt of her anxiety right now i think. it's a huge shift for her.