Yesterday we finally were able to get Hunter in to see a Pediatric Gastroenterologist. I've asked his pediatrician for years about his weight, or lack of it, but was always told that I was little therefore my kid was too.
Last year I switched pediatricians and the first thing she said to Hunter when she walked in was, "Whoa- you are one skinny kid"- she saw it right away. The first thing she did was send us to see a dietician/nutritionist. All of that checked out, so the next step was the GI doc which took three months to get into. I knew in the back of my mind what the diagnosis would be, but seeing it in black and white took my breath away...
Failure to thrive.
He is 4'10 and weighs in at 67#. The doctor suspects that his stomach does not empty as fast as it should. A large breakfast for him can hold him over until the next morning. We saw for years that breakfast was his best meal of the day, but the rest of the day he barely touched anything to eat. When he was in public school he was on high doses of ADHD and anxiety meds- all which have weight loss as a side effect. For years we wrote off his low weight to that, but now that he's been home and off meds for almost two years we are still not seeing any weight gain.
He will be going in to have a nuclear gastric emptying test performed, followed by a endoscopy/colonscopy. Not only am I complete wreck at knowing there is something wrong with my son, it is further compounded by the fact that we were dropped from our medical insurance when the strike went into effect. Hunter being the good natured kid that he is said that maybe they'd find money coming out his wazoo. I love that boy.
When it rains it pours, right? But the sun has to peek out at some point...
Good Luck with your journey. I sincerely hope that they will be able to pinpoint what is wrong and do something about it. My heart goes out to your son. Those tests are not pleasant.
ReplyDeleteHow frustrating! Here is to finding the cause and a cure real soon. Will be praying for Hunter and your family during this traumatic time.
ReplyDeleteJudy
My son had the emptying test
ReplyDeletewhen he was little and had a lot
of stomach issues. Thankfully,
between that test and and upper
and lower GI scope, they were
able to get to finally figure out
the problems. He was SO skinny
during those years, too. Now
he's 16, nearly 6'4", and slim,
but not skinny. (He even went
through a chubby stage in 6th
and 7th grade!). Hang in there--
the answers will come and you'll
have a plan to get your son back
on track with his health!
xo Suzanne
I have have that test. They told me I was to walk around after they gave me the meds. I walked all over the place. Then I read later you should really lie still. I wonder which they will ask him to do. When I checked in for the test the receptionist made a big deal to ask me if I knew this was a very expensive test. I didn't feel it was a conclusive test. I hope it is for your son. You have to be worried. My friend's son is painfully thin. It's good they are doing all the tests the same day. Poor guy. My son had stomach problems starting in middle school. Finally as an adult he has Celiac and so do I. All of his tests were negative. If your son isn't ill or having problems than the weight I would think that was a good sign. Good luck. Will say some prayers. When I was about ten, I was really thin as well.
ReplyDeletesending prayers...... for you all
ReplyDeleteGood luck to Hunter. I will say prayers for a quick recovery. So glad that you found a good Dr for Hunter.
ReplyDeleteMary
Hi there! Reaching out to you as I have a son who was also diagnosed as FTT. It was such a stressful time, so I completely understand! (And really, the "Failure To Thrive" label is horrible for a mama's guilt! What an awful label!) We went through tons of testing to find out why he was having so much trouble gaining weight, and through a gastric emptying study discovered it was due to gastroparesis (delayed gastric emptying). We are in Katy but see GI teams at Texas Children's. We still do the gastric emptying studies every 2 years. (There's more to our story, but I won't overwhelm you!). I hope you are able to get some answers soon! We've done everything under the sun to help my kiddo gain weight-he's 7 now and 45 pounds. Still barely on the weight charts, but doing great! Best of luck!
ReplyDeletePraying for your son to get answers and the insurance to cover everything when it get started again and for the job. Just praying over it all.
ReplyDeleteJust seeing this... and I haven't followed your whole journey or what may have been posted before... but they did test for Celiac disease right? (symptoms very similar) It's a blood test - but also usually needs a biopsy of the small intestine. (that would be so much easier to treat). Wishing the best for you!
ReplyDelete