HELP! Sudden weight loss in 19yr old

amother

Mon, Oct 10 2011, 11:58 am

My son just came home from yeshiva for bein hazmanim and I can see that he has lost a lot of weight.
he has been complaining for a few weeks already of weird sensations with his digestive system and has gone to the family doctor three times already but has been brushed off.
I took one long look at him today and I am horrified at how thin he has become.
I am petrified to think of what it can be.
OTOH we are travelling for three weeks and I am wondering if to put off the trip in order to sort this out first, or if we see a doctor abroad whether it would be included in travel insurance - since he visited a doctor here first for the condition.
I have no idea what to think and I am really scared.
Any suggestions? Any ideas what it could be that may alleviate my concerns????

sima

Mon, Oct 10 2011, 12:02 pm

hugs to you, it must be so scary to see this happening to a child. Please please take him to another doctor ASAP, any doc who brushes this off is a quack. there are many tests that can be done, blood, stool, urine, colonoskopy etc. it can range from nothing serious to very serious medical conditions a sudden weight loss like that. also you must have an honest talk with your son about the yeshiva and what he is doing etc. although rare in males but they too can get anorexia, sudden weight loss can also be related to drug use. I don't want to scare you at all, but there are so many possibilities and again could be nothing and maybe he just doesn't like the food there. but you must talk to him and get doctors and tests

amother

Mon, Oct 10 2011, 12:13 pm

Thanks Sima 4 answering so fast.
Drugs, T"G, aren't even a remote thought - a more balanced, mature and B"H, B"H "amazingly happy in yeshiva" kind of bochur one rarely finds. Anorexia did go through my mind - I thought it might be a symptom of stress, but I have watched him eat today and he seems to have a great appetite.

I am happy I can rule those things out - but on the other hand it makes me even more worried, because it seems like it must be medically related. Since he is actually such a special boy the one thing that concerns me is that he might be suffering as a result of ayin hara., Ch"V, however crazy that might sound.

We are flying as a family and I can't cancel the trip now on a whim, I shall have to take him to be seen by a doctor at our destination and I hope it is nothing serious.

Bea21

Mon, Oct 10 2011, 12:13 pm

Why don't you first call your doctor? I know you said he brushed off the concerns of tingling sensations (or however you described it) the stomach, but he might not be as quick to brush off concerns of unexplained weight loss. First call the doctor and say that you know he didn't think it was so concerning, but you've noticed a lot of unexplained weight loss from the last time you've seen your son (tell him, it's only been one month--or however long it's been); could he look into this more?

(If the doctor still doesn't get concerned, I would get a new doctor--for the whole family! Any doctor that does not get concerned about unexplained weight loss over a short period of time is not a good doctor! )

Dolly Welsh

Mon, Oct 10 2011, 12:21 pm

For some reason I thought of TAPEWORM. This is a worm that lives in the body, and eats its food, causing weight loss. It is curable with meds.

Anybody can get that from eating raw meat, or touching raw meat and not washing hands. (Did your kid help out in the kitchen?) Its eggs are in the soil. If you dig in a garden, don't wash your hands, and put your hands to your mouth, you can get it.

Do NOT delay addressing this, please.

Google it, so you are up to speed, in case that is what it is. The docs may not think of it. Print out the information, keep it with you, and ask for the specific medications for this. Know how it is tested for. Probably a stool sample.

I am not diagnosing. It could certainly be something else. But your kid should not have sudden weight loss.

Wait a minute. Is your kid EATING? Does he hate the food at his school? Is he living on potato chips and coca cola at school even though he eats well at home? Young men do stuff like that. I knew of a case of scurvy... chas v'sh.

But it doesn't sound like that. I don't like those tingling feelings.

Last edited by Dolly Welsh on Mon, Oct 10 2011, 12:39 pm; edited 1 time in total

eatingbagels

Mon, Oct 10 2011, 12:43 pm

This might be far-fetched, but if you live in America, apparently listeria is going around from cantaloupes...I heard that the symptoms could take a while to come out and vary in extreme. Probably doesn't hurt to bring it up to the doc, so he can test for that.
May your son have a speedy recovery from whatever he has!!!

yaeli83

Mon, Oct 10 2011, 1:47 pm

could it be that the food in yeshiva is not agreeing with him? Is he in EY? maybe he is drinking the tap water there and it gave him a stomache bug. I know these would be simple solutions that you probably thought of, but ask him about his eating habits in yeshiva. sometimes the food just wont agree and maybe he isnt eating as much in yeshiva as he normaly would at home.

although, it would worry me that after a long yom tov he didn't gain back any of the weight he lost from all the big meals.

ElTam

Mon, Oct 10 2011, 1:48 pm

Refuah shleima. Please keep us posted. It could be a million things, but the most important thing is to get him seen quickly by a doctor. And call your insurance company to get guidance on where to go for care--it could make a big difference on how much is covered. (Check with whoever is providing your travel insurance also.)

OOTBubby

Mon, Oct 10 2011, 2:45 pm

sarachana wrote:

could be crohns disease.

Yes, we had a very similar experience with 18-year old DS in yeshiva who lost a lot of weight (we saw him at a wedding after not having seen him for many months).

Turned out to be Crohns.