Re: Update after first trip to psychiatrist

October 24, 2009

I agree he didn't sound like he was giving you much information.

How frustrating to wait so long and than not get information.

I had a hard time finding a doctor my daughter would cooperate with.

I had to ask the doctors will you just play games

and talk about my daughters interest so we could get her into the doctors office

(she refused). I only found 1 out of 6 I visited

over 2 years that agreed to be this supportive. My daughter is especially

fearful of any medical stuff. It was so costly. It delayed treatment so long.

They were all out of network too.

I would be worried about the weight lose too. But did it just occur

with the increase in anxiety or on the medication. At first on zoloft my

daughter did not want to eat until about 7pm each day when she first started

medication. It went on like this for about a month or more.She would eat in the

evening though. I have heard long terms kids

on SSRIs gain weight. My daughters appetite is back to normal now.

She's not taking a stimulant right?

The peditrician checked for diabetes I bet.

Is it that she isn't eating at school lunch. My daughter didn't

gain weight in 3rd grade due to high anxiety at school.

She was evening having panic attacks at lunch. I still had

had her thyroid checked by an endocronologists and they tested

for other issues like metabalsim issues with certain foods.

It was all ok.

So I started picking her up at lunch and having her eat in the car

and it helped put some weight on. I was bringing her high calorie

foods.

I hope you figure this out soon.

Pam

------------------------------------------------------

>

October 25, 2009

Thanks, Pam.

Yes, the weight loss started many months ago, before meds, and seems connected

with increased anxiety. That's one reason we started the meds. But the stomach

aches continue, so next we're headed to the pediatric gastroenterologist,

hopefully for some answers.

She doesn't hardly eat at all during school lunch. They only give them 20

minutes, and it seems at other mealtimes that it takes her about that long to

get " distracted " enough to even eat a bite (we play table games, whatever it

takes...she said last night that if she thinks about the food she's eating, it

makes her worried that her tummy will start hurting, and she will start

vomiting...so obviously some OCD thoughts in there too).

Thanks for your support!

Dobbs, RVT, CVPM, PHR

Subject: Re: Update after first trip to psychiatrist

To:

Date: Saturday, October 24, 2009, 6:40 PM

I agree he didn't sound like he was giving you much information.

How frustrating to wait so long and than not get information.

I had a hard time finding a doctor my daughter would cooperate with.

I had to ask the doctors will you just play games

and talk about my daughters interest so we could get her into the doctors office

(she refused). I only found 1 out of 6 I visited

over 2 years that agreed to be this supportive. My daughter is especially

fearful of any medical stuff. It was so costly. It delayed treatment so long.

They were all out of network too.

I would be worried about the weight lose too. But did it just occur

with the increase in anxiety or on the medication. At first on zoloft my

daughter did not want to eat until about 7pm each day when she first started

medication. It went on like this for about a month or more.She would eat in the

evening though. I have heard long terms kids

on SSRIs gain weight. My daughters appetite is back to normal now.

She's not taking a stimulant right?

The peditrician checked for diabetes I bet.

Is it that she isn't eating at school lunch. My daughter didn't

gain weight in 3rd grade due to high anxiety at school.

She was evening having panic attacks at lunch. I still had

had her thyroid checked by an endocronologists and they tested

for other issues like metabalsim issues with certain foods.

It was all ok.

So I started picking her up at lunch and having her eat in the car

and it helped put some weight on. I was bringing her high calorie

foods.

I hope you figure this out soon.

Pam

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- ------

>

October 25, 2009

Hi , well that does sound like a letdown for me too. I'm surprised he

only said to seek the medical route for the eating. Anxiety itself can affect

that. Sigh, but at least that is something you can rule out and maybe put it

all back on the anxiety, OCD alone. Wonder what the psych will say then?!

's psych wasn't that great either. I just looked at it like we only

needed him for the medication and monitoring and that's all I wanted from him.

Only 3 weeks into the Prozac, I'm sure you'll see lots more benefit later as the

weeks go by.

>

> Hi All,

>

> Just an update on my dd9, with OCD and GAD, who started Prozac three weeks ago

(and for whom Melantonin has been a saving grace!).

>

> After waiting months, being rescheduled another three weeks out, we FINALLY

saw the pyschiatrist yesterday. I'm trying not to be bitter, but it felt like a

waste. I guess in all honesty, we had everything already spelled out for

him--neuropsych test results, OT assessment,

October 25, 2009

Thanks, and he said that since anxiety can certainly cause a physical

issue (i.e. ulcers or gastritis, for example), then it would be beneficial to

pursue medically.

One day at a time! :-)

Subject: Re: Update after first trip to psychiatrist

To:

Date: Sunday, October 25, 2009, 2:53 PM

Hi , well that does sound like a letdown for me too. I'm surprised he

only said to seek the medical route for the eating. Anxiety itself can affect

that. Sigh, but at least that is something you can rule out and maybe put it all

back on the anxiety, OCD alone. Wonder what the psych will say then?!

's psych wasn't that great either. I just looked at it like we only

needed him for the medication and monitoring and that's all I wanted from him.

Only 3 weeks into the Prozac, I'm sure you'll see lots more benefit later as the

weeks go by.

>

> Hi All,

>

> Just an update on my dd9, with OCD and GAD, who started Prozac three weeks ago

(and for whom Melantonin has been a saving grace!).

>

> After waiting months, being rescheduled another three weeks out, we FINALLY

saw the pyschiatrist yesterday. I'm trying not to be bitter, but it felt like a

waste. I guess in all honesty, we had everything already spelled out for

him--neuropsych test results, OT assessment,

October 26, 2009

I missed your post about a possible eating disorder, so I'm not sure how

long your dd's weight loss has been going on.

I believe one of the common side effects of Prozac is decreased appetite

(and nausea)... I wonder if that could be part of what's going on?

Dobbs wrote:

>

> Hi All,

>

> Just an update on my dd9, with OCD and GAD, who started Prozac three

> weeks ago (and for whom Melantonin has been a saving grace!).

>

> After waiting months, being rescheduled another three weeks out, we

> FINALLY saw the pyschiatrist yesterday. I'm trying not to be bitter,

> but it felt like a waste. I guess in all honesty, we had everything

> already spelled out for him--neuropsych test results, OT assessment,

> language assessment, months of therapy results--so he had very little

> to do...and that he did (very little, that is). We told him we " think "

> things are better now with the addition of the Prozac, but I was

> already nervous knowing that our assessment would be the biggest bit

> of information to give him. And truthfully, it does seem like we're

> seeing less meltdowns, easier transitions, less " drama " , and our

> daughter seems to not be mentioning her main symptoms, " bad thoughts " ,

> less often. So, although he said he would not have chosen Prozac first

> (we finally got a script from pediatricia when his office postponed

> our appointment), he said to stick with it and we just might find we need

> higher and higher doses...she's on 10mg, and at 40-50 mg he would

> suggest changing meds.

>

> Maybe I'm old fashioned, but it didn't start off of the right foot

> because he didn't even introduce himself to us, shake hands, smile,

> nothing...and we were referred to him BECAUSE he's supposed to be so

> personable with the kids! My daughter had very high levels of anxiety

> from the moment we walked in the lobby, but we distracted her by

> playing games.

>

> Anyways, I mentioned to him our major concern now is that she's still

> losing a pound a week, not eating much (I'm the one who posted about

> possible eating disorder), and constant stomach pain. After he was

> done jotting down some notes, he looked at US and said " well, what do

> you want to do now? " WHAT???? I don't know, isn't that HIS area of

> expertise! Anyways, he almost begrunedly (sp?) said to come back to

> him for a recheck in a month, since I explained that I don't think our

> pediatricia wants to be the one in charge of the prescription. When I

> finally asked about the eating thing, our major concern we told him

> just ten minutes before, he said to pursue medical diagnosis, that he

> didn't see anything else pointing to an eating disorder. Luckily our

> pediatrician the day before gave us a referral for a pediatric

> gastroenterologist, so we'll head that way.

>

> Basically, all the psychiatrist did was say he agreed with everything

> thus far. Yes, I do feel better that he gave us the green light so to

> speak, and I suppose our case wasn't very " fun " for him since we had

> all the tests already done, but even our daughter felt let down

> afterwards. Ugh...

>

> Thanks, as always, for listening. Sometimes just writing this stuff

> down and sending it out to the world helps us feel better! :-)

>

> ~ (fyi, in Appleton, WI, if anyone else out there is close by!)

>

October 26, 2009

Hi -

I was reading this post again, and thought I'd comment. Our daughter, with

PANDAS, started stomach ache & feeling like she would throw up - each time in

near exact timing to the OCD onset. We thought just anxiety, but same thing -

she was afraid to eat for fear of throwing up. This was especially an issue at

school, where she could not sit for 45 minutes doing distractions at the same

time. We did an Endoscope with our GI, and she has Peptic Ulcers. Her

Neurologist thinks this is another sign of an autoimmune disorder - whatever

it's cause, it is easily treated with Prevacid, and the feeling of " throw-up "

has passed completely. This was compounding her OCD by adding a constant

trigger. Hope the GI appt goes well. in NC

>

> Subject: Re: Update after first trip to psychiatrist

> To:

> Date: Saturday, October 24, 2009, 6:40 PM

>

> I agree he didn't sound like he was giving you much information.

> How frustrating to wait so long and than not get information.

>

> I had a hard time finding a doctor my daughter would cooperate with.

> I had to ask the doctors will you just play games

> and talk about my daughters interest so we could get her into the doctors

office (she refused). I only found 1 out of 6 I visited

> over 2 years that agreed to be this supportive. My daughter is especially

fearful of any medical stuff. It was so costly. It delayed treatment so long.

They were all out of network too.

>

> I would be worried about the weight lose too. But did it just occur

> with the increase in anxiety or on the medication. At first on zoloft my

daughter did not want to eat until about 7pm each day when she first started

medication. It went on like this for about a month or more.She would eat in the

evening though. I have heard long terms kids

> on SSRIs gain weight. My daughters appetite is back to normal now.

>

> She's not taking a stimulant right?

>

> The peditrician checked for diabetes I bet.

>

> Is it that she isn't eating at school lunch. My daughter didn't

> gain weight in 3rd grade due to high anxiety at school.

> She was evening having panic attacks at lunch. I still had

> had her thyroid checked by an endocronologists and they tested

> for other issues like metabalsim issues with certain foods.

> It was all ok.

>

> So I started picking her up at lunch and having her eat in the car

> and it helped put some weight on. I was bringing her high calorie

> foods.

>

> I hope you figure this out soon.

>

> Pam

>

> ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- ------

> >

October 26, 2009

For years my daughter ate with the TV on. And it

really helped distract her and eat. I don't know if you want

to get started with this. But once my dauhgter's anxiety

was under control she didn't have to have the TV on anymore.

Best luck with her care.

Pam

>

> Subject: Re: Update after first trip to psychiatrist

> To:

> Date: Saturday, October 24, 2009, 6:40 PM

>

> I agree he didn't sound like he was giving you much information.

> How frustrating to wait so long and than not get information.

>

> I had a hard time finding a doctor my daughter would cooperate with.

> I had to ask the doctors will you just play games

> and talk about my daughters interest so we could get her into the doctors

office (she refused). I only found 1 out of 6 I visited

> over 2 years that agreed to be this supportive. My daughter is especially

fearful of any medical stuff. It was so costly. It delayed treatment so long.

They were all out of network too.

>

> I would be worried about the weight lose too. But did it just occur

> with the increase in anxiety or on the medication. At first on zoloft my

daughter did not want to eat until about 7pm each day when she first started

medication. It went on like this for about a month or more.She would eat in the

evening though. I have heard long terms kids

> on SSRIs gain weight. My daughters appetite is back to normal now.

>

> She's not taking a stimulant right?

>

> The peditrician checked for diabetes I bet.

>

> Is it that she isn't eating at school lunch. My daughter didn't

> gain weight in 3rd grade due to high anxiety at school.

> She was evening having panic attacks at lunch. I still had

> had her thyroid checked by an endocronologists and they tested

> for other issues like metabalsim issues with certain foods.

> It was all ok.

>

> So I started picking her up at lunch and having her eat in the car

> and it helped put some weight on. I was bringing her high calorie

> foods.

>

> I hope you figure this out soon.

>

> Pam

>

> ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- ------

> >

October 26, 2009

Thanks, and Pam,

I'm going to push for endoscopy as well. We've learned lots of " table games " to

play over dinner to help her distract enough to eat, and she has breakfast with

Spongebob Squarepants each morning, lol.

in WI

Subject: Re: Update after first trip to psychiatrist

To:

Date: Monday, October 26, 2009, 11:46 AM

For years my daughter ate with the TV on. And it

really helped distract her and eat. I don't know if you want

to get started with this. But once my dauhgter's anxiety

was under control she didn't have to have the TV on anymore.

Best luck with her care.

Pam

>

> From: Pamela <susanonderko@ ...>

> Subject: Re: Update after first trip to psychiatrist

> To: @ yahoogroups. com

> Date: Saturday, October 24, 2009, 6:40 PM

>

> I agree he didn't sound like he was giving you much information.

> How frustrating to wait so long and than not get information.

>

> I had a hard time finding a doctor my daughter would cooperate with.

> I had to ask the doctors will you just play games

> and talk about my daughters interest so we could get her into the doctors

office (she refused). I only found 1 out of 6 I visited

> over 2 years that agreed to be this supportive. My daughter is especially

fearful of any medical stuff. It was so costly. It delayed treatment so long.

They were all out of network too.

>

> I would be worried about the weight lose too. But did it just occur

> with the increase in anxiety or on the medication. At first on zoloft my

daughter did not want to eat until about 7pm each day when she first started

medication. It went on like this for about a month or more.She would eat in the

evening though. I have heard long terms kids

> on SSRIs gain weight. My daughters appetite is back to normal now.

>

> She's not taking a stimulant right?

>

> The peditrician checked for diabetes I bet.

>

> Is it that she isn't eating at school lunch. My daughter didn't

> gain weight in 3rd grade due to high anxiety at school.

> She was evening having panic attacks at lunch. I still had

> had her thyroid checked by an endocronologists and they tested

> for other issues like metabalsim issues with certain foods.

> It was all ok.

>

> So I started picking her up at lunch and having her eat in the car

> and it helped put some weight on. I was bringing her high calorie

> foods.

>

> I hope you figure this out soon.

>

> Pam

>

> ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- ------

> >

October 26, 2009

Thanks for the thought...but she's had this chronic tummy pain for a long time

(on and off since she was small, but most intense the last 6-8 months) and only

started the Prozac and Melantonin 3-4 weeks ago.

But thanks for the input!