Refeeding | Imamother

dankbar

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 1:27 pm

Kiwi13 wrote:

NO. It's not similar at all. It's a medically fragile situation that needs expert, individualized attention. If a person develops refeeding SYNDROME, chas v'shalom, they can die. This happened to many survivors immediately after the Holocaust.

We were just advised to make him eat to gain weight he shouldn't need to go on feeding tube.
My child at 7.5 weighed 37 lbs ( after the weight loss)
Now at 8.5 he weighs over 50 lbs

Kiwi13

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 1:43 pm

dankbar wrote:

We were just advised to make him eat to gain weight he shouldn't need to go on feeding tube.
My child at 7.5 weighed 37 lbs ( after the weight loss)
Now at 8.5 he weighs over 50 lbs

If that's what his doctor said, fine. But it's not true in all cases. There's usually a lot of blood work and other testing to find the right plan for each person.

dankbar

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 2:02 pm

Kiwi, sorry.

Now I am remembering that while he was in hospital, his bloodwork was taken daily, & he kept getting infusions of whatever component he was missing in his blood but it wasn't solely for weight, more of responses to the treatment he was getting.
So yes, some things went low which weren't the typical things he would be low in.
He was there for 3 months in critical situation, one week he didn't have a morsel of food into his mouth as he was sleeping entire time. Just when he came home, we were told to try to encourage him to eat the most he can so that he can regain the weight he lost

amother

Amethyst

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 2:10 pm

If compliance is an issue then you really need to work with professionals
A psychologist and dietician will work together to make it work. Please, please speak with someone who specializes in treating anorexia or eating disorders.
Sometimes medication is prescribed to increase appetite..
For sure a regimen of vitamins.
PLEASE don’t go through this alone

Pamela

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 2:14 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

It's about anorexia. Did anyone have experience refeeding their teen and what are some good ideas to make it work better?

You should really, really, really (sorry I can’t stress it enough) see a professional. Refeeding is delicate on so many levels. You should be talking to professionals

amother

Wheat

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 2:24 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

It's about anorexia. Did anyone have experience refeeding their teen and what are some good ideas to make it work better?

I was anorexic and then got into bulimia because I was so overwhelmed by how much I was expected to eat.

The most important thing is for your teen to develop healthy eating habits. So it's not only about weight gain. You want to think long term. Stuffing them with chocolate and fatty foods will cause weight gain but might terrify the teen and trigger old habits (or new).
I would advise shopping for food together. Listen to the fears (scared of carbs etc). Take them seriously. Watch documentaries about healthy diets. People with anorexia are often obsessed with food. They know the calories of every single food. Maybe cook together, find new recipes. Be creative. It can take away the fears of " the enemy".
Hatzlacha !

amother

Mistyrose

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 3:07 pm

Don't do it alone. Get a professional to help you out. Eating disorders are so tricky. Your teen could say they want help but then once they start eating again even if they originally really wanted to get better there are such strong urges to fight it. (It's also possible they will say they want you to help them just so you will stop bothering them about it or worrying about them). Deception is a major part in it. Struggles. You can't get enough help on here to deal with it propperly. Ask her for recommendations of which professionals to contact.

amother

Mistyrose

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 3:10 pm

avrahamama wrote:

If you haven't called the Renfrew center. Try them and see if they can put you in touch with people local to you.

Unless it has changed a ton in the past years I am really not a fan of Renfrew.
OP post where you are located and maybe someone will be able to suggest someone in your area to contact.

(Just want to add if you can't get any other recommendations don't let what I said stop you from contacting Renfrew. They do have a ton of experience and I'm sure they've helped plenty of people out).

Kiwi13

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 3:42 pm

The reputation of these places (Renfrew, etc.) changes over time. Renfrew underwent a lot of changes in the past several years. I don't know much about it currently, but they transitioned to a more evidenced-based approach recently. I was there in 2007 (before all these changes) and it absolutely saved my life. The biggest factor was the team I was assigned, though. My therapist was AMAZING. She doesn't work there anymore, though.

Regardless, calling them for referrals is different than calling to seek their services. Renfrew has an extensive database of referrals all over the country. It's definitely worth a call.

amother

Blue

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 5:08 pm

OP, I'm so sorry you're going through this. I've had to do refeeding too and it's one of the hardest things to do, but also the most rewarding. You need very qualified professionals WHO SPECIALIZE IN EATING DISORDERS to oversee the refeeding process. It's not something you can do alone. You and your husband need a lot of support to learn how to help your daughter recover from this deadly illness.

That being said, I actually refer a lot of people with eating disorders to professionals. I mostly know the NJ professionals, but I can reach out to others to get other competent names. You really need to know what to look for in an eating disorder professional and bH, I am able and have the time to research and interview potential specialists.

(No. I do not work for Relief. This is something I do because I don't want anyone else to suffer like I did.)

If you're more comfortable going this route, contact Devorah Levinson at Relief. She will help you find evidence based practitioners in your area. She's excellent and I trust her 100%.

I would love to help you. I know you'll probably want to keep this anonymous (at least on imamother) so I would be happy to share my email on this forum. If anyone else is struggling, feel free to reach out to me too. There's enough suffering in this world. BH there is help. If I can help you get that help, I would feel so honored.

amother

Blue

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 5:44 pm

amother [ Mistyrose ] wrote:

I second that. Renfrew in NYC is okay, but the ones in NJ and Philadelphia are not.