I think you all are missing the point about an NG tube. When a child hasn't eaten for a long period of time, she loses her appetite and ability to eat. Obviously, this child must be assessed medically, but she may very well be at the point when an NG tube must be placed for nourishment. That's what happened with my daughter at age 8, and she needed to stay in the hospital for 5 days until she was stabilized medically and her anxiety medications started to work. At that point, she was admitted to a day treatment program for intensive feeding therapy and I was taught to do her NG tube feedings overnight. The NG feeding tube stayed in a month until she was taking in enough by mouth to sustain herself. These sorts of food phobias are very serious and need to be addressed seriously.
