The Newest Food Issue.

K, my 8 year old, is currently medicated to help her control the symptoms of bi-polar disorder. One of these medications is a stimulant for the ADHD component of this. One of the sad side effects is that it suppresses her appetite. As a result of this, is she has lost sixteen and a half pounds over the last ten months. If you've done the math that's 1.65 pounds a month, and when you're barely 50 inches tall that's a whole lot of weight to lose.

She's just a few pounds away from being considered underweight and thus being taken off her medication. So now we have to increase her caloric intake in a way that is healthy and does not make an issue out of food. She already has a strained relationship with the stuff, and this is sadly only making things worse.

With the Sensory Processing Disorder she was diagnosed with at a four, she has a difficult time with food smells and textures, that limits her dietary options, and on top of all that we have her on a mostly GFCF diet. It seems to me the odds are stacked against the poor kid.

So then we have to figure out how to increase the calories in the small amounts of food we can get her to eat. I am open to any suggestions any of you might have. We did change her yogurt from regular to greek style, and we have relented on the rice milk and give her whole cow's milk. She drinks a protein shake every day, and I try to give her calorie dense foods at each meal.

But she is still losing weight. Any help any of you might have would be awesome.

~S