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Should I push harder on this (dd weight loss)?


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Dd, 18, has some sort of undiagnosed thyroid issue but we can’t get in to see an endocrinologist for another six weeks (made appointment in Oct).

We knew she was losing a little weight but four weeks ago she started doing a weekly weigh in because she could actually tell she was losing. In four weeks she has lost three pounds and is down to 118 pounds. That’s 10 pounds total since March but it seems to have sped up. She is just under 5ft 7in so she doesn’t need to be losing any at all. 

We have six weeks to go until she can even be seen and then I’m sure there will be more tests ran before any treatment will begin. The endo and pediatrician don’t seem all that concerned with trying to get her seen earlier. 

I have some people in my life saying I need to be pushing harder and I’m trying to figure out if I’m over concerned or the doctors aren’t concerned enough. I have a family member who can bump us to the front of the line with a different endo but that feels icky if I don’t really need to be as worried as I am. Covid is just making everything harder right now because I know they’re all probably doing the best they can.

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3 minutes ago, kand said:

That seems like a concerning weight drop in someone her size. Is she concerned about it? Is she eating just the same? Any attempt to increase food intake to prevent continued loss? I would want to make sure their wasn’t a disordered eating component to this. According to our pediatrician, they are seeing a notable uptick in eating disorders recently. That doesn’t mean the thyroid piece isn’t still urgent, just that in susceptible people, losing some weight can trigger the disorder and make it hard for them to stop. 

No, she has been eating normally. When she realized how much she was losing, she even started adding in a Naked juice every morning and more snacks through the day. There is nothing she is actively doing to lose weight.

ETA: It is causing her some anxiety as well. She does not want to be losing weight.

Edited by Joker2
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That is WAY skinny for her height. I might start making some phone calls and try to get bumped to the head of the line. Is she eating normally? I'd start keeping a food diary so at the least, I could tell the dr specifics "She's eating 1900 calories a day and still losing weight."  I would start getting worried because 1. I've dealt with eating disorders in girls before and it's awful to try to remedy. 2. Things happen to one's mood when metabolic processes are not working properly. (can you tell I've dealt with some mental health stuff with my kids? Traumatizing for a mama to watch, I promise!) 

I have a very petite dd who loses weight easily and is very picky about food. I add things to her diet like pouring whipping cream in her coffee, etc. just to get some calories in her.

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My weight tends to yo-yo between 43kg and 46kg, so basically a 6.6lbs difference in less than a week. To maintain my weight, I have to up my protein and down my carbohydrates. 
 

I am seeing an endocrinologist in March (video call) but she specializes in osteoporosis since that’s what I was referred to endocrine department for.

Could you drop a message to her endocrinologist and see what they say? I would keep a food diary in the meantime.

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6 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

My weight tends to yo-yo between 43kg and 46kg, so basically a 6.6lbs difference in less than a week. To maintain my weight, I have to up my protein and down my carbohydrates. 
 

I am seeing an endocrinologist in March (video call) but she specializes in osteoporosis since that’s what I was referred to endocrine department for.

Could you drop a message to her endocrinologist and see what they say? I would keep a food diary in the meantime.

I called them this morning and they put us on the cancellation list, but said not to count on it. I also called the pediatrician this morning and he seemed unbothered and said to wait for the endo appointment.

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I wouldn't panic, but I'd encourage your dd eat high healthy fat and protein. I'm 5'7" and went down to your dd's current weight last year for a month or so. No ill effects. It's a low weight, but not starvation low.  I was able to turn it around and am back to normal weight now. I didn't have a thyroid issue.

Is your dd very physically active? She may need to slow down until the appointment. 

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I think it is weird your pediatrician won't run a basic blood test to check for diabetes and thyroid function?  Or has the ped done that. 

I will say some girls will slim down as older teens/young adults.  I did. My 16 year old daughter is right now.  No health concerns.  But I'd certainly want it checked out.  I might try pediatrician one more time if you haven't had any blood work and say listen my kid is really anxious about this issue and we need to wait 6 more weeks.  Can we at least do a basic blood draw to rule things out?  I would think if your daughter knew things looked ok it might give her some ease about waiting.  And if something pressing was going on, you would know.  

ETA - anxiety and/or depression can lead to weight loss even without a major change in diet.  Some teens/young adults lose weight when they're NOT active too.   Just a couple other considerations.   

Edited by FuzzyCatz
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1 minute ago, FuzzyCatz said:

I think it is weird your pediatrician won't run a basic blood test to check for diabetes and thyroid function?  Or has the ped done that. 

I will say some girls will slim down as older teens/young adults.  I did. My 16 year old daughter is right now.  No health concerns.  But I'd certainly want it checked out.  I might try pediatrician one more time if you haven't had any blood work and say listen my kid is really anxious about this issue and we need to wait 6 more weeks.  Can we at least do a basic blood draw to rule things out?  I would think if your daughter knew things looked ok it might give her some ease about waiting.  And if something pressing was going on, you would know.  

Yes, we already know something is going on with the thyroid based on lab work. It just seems the weight loss has sped up this past month so we’re concerned about waiting another six weeks to see the specialist.

 

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https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/data/set2clinical/cj41c072.pdf  She's still on the charts. My ds has had a 50%ile spread like that, so that might be why they're not worried yet. Clearly something is going on, sigh. I have no experience to help you there, but have you tried guacamole cups or pbutter or things that are higher density foods? Walmart sells guacamole premade in cups. You can get it that way or in tubs. It's actually really decent. Kroger's is not, but Walmart/Sam's Club guacamole is.

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