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No desire to eat- any suggestions
Tue, 08/14/2007 - 13:39Topic: Parents & Caregivers
Good afternoon! My daughter has petit mal (absence) seizures that are fairly well controlled on Ethosuxamide. She has had these since at least the age of two. She is now five and is getting ready to start preschool. She has never been a good eater. But at least prior to starting a school program, I could baby her appetite by offering a second breakfast, if you will, an hour after our regular breakfast and sometimes get her to eat a little more. But now with preschool schedule and meds having to be taken before school, I am very concerned about sending her to school hungry. We do get her to drink the Carnation Instant Breakfasts but I want her to have something in her belly that will get her through a couple of hours. If she is hungry, her seizures act up even more, causing her to eat even less it seems. How do I get her to eat? The other problem is that based on her weight, she cannot up her meds again until I get her to gain 3-4 pounds!! I really do not want to switch meds since this one has been working so far with little side effects.
We have tried: fancy dishes to eat off of, irregular food for breakfast (eg P and B sandwiches with Cheetos), bullying, rewarding, begging and pleading. She just does not seem to have an appetite, especially in the morning.
Thanks!
Jean
Comments
Re: Re: No desire to eat- any suggestions
Submitted by Daronides on Fri, 2007-08-24 - 14:30
My daughter is 7 now and on Depakote too...Her eating habits have really changed, she is so picky with what she eats. Some days itll only be mashed potatoes or something with mayonaise in it. She'd ask for this over and over. I used to be like you with the one dinner thing. I ended up giving her vitamins to make sure that she's getting everything from A to Z. She also did loose some pounds because of this eating habits. The vitamins worked, she gained slowly back her weight. Is it the meds? I soon found out on her recent blood work that her t3 and t4 where high (thyroid) Which also could have contributed to her weight lose. She sees the doctor next week on that too. You should check on her thyroid levels. I'll post something up on my daughters results. GOOD LUCK with the weight gain
Re: Re: Re: No desire to eat- any suggestions
Submitted by Seruzies on Fri, 2007-08-31 - 01:33
I have problems with my appetite all the time, I never feel like eating. I drink too much soda which has a lot to do with me "feeling full" all the time. I do better eating smaller meals more often than I do sitting down eating big meals. I have been trying to sit down and eat larger, full meals more often, and am putting on weight fast. I tend to eat more junk if I eat more often than full meals all at once. I don't tend to gain weight that way. This is more eating on the go rather than 3 square meals a day. Then, anything I snack on is very small and usually not good for me.
Re: No desire to eat- any suggestions
Submitted by NoEsFacil on Wed, 2007-08-15 - 20:21
This is a great topic, thank you for adding it. My daughter (11yo) is having the same issue with Depakote. She has lost 12 lbs since April. So far we have tried the following... 1. Protein shakes/smoothies with the powder purchased from the health food store. I mix with juice, yogurt & frozen fruit. Problem with them is that I haven't figured out how to make small portion and she doesn't like the way it tastes if I freeze it (oh well). 2. ChildLife multi-vitamin and vitamin c (liquids) I add these to her juice in the morning. 3. I had her make a list of all the foods she likes. Now I used to be the kind of mom that made only one dinner and if you didn't like it, too bad. But now I make sure I have at least something she likes with every meal. She is eating a lot of scrambled eggs, peanut butter toast and mashed potatoes. 4. Today at her Ped appointment I asked for a referral to a nutritionist. Her energy is low and she really can't stand to lose anymore weight. I'm hoping they will be able to give us some good options. Good luck and I wish you the best. d I'm Molly's Mom and Proud of It!