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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Early signs of anorexia...?

105 replies

TabbyTigger · 22/11/2017 13:47

I don’t know if there’s a more specific area to post this (I couldn’t find one?). I think this is going to be long so please stick with me, I just want to give the full picture and not drip feed Smile

I’m concerned DD might be showing early signs of anorexia. She’s 12 and in year 8. Her dad recently re-married and moved in with his wife and her daughter, who is DD’s age. They’ve never got along - they’re in the same year at school. This girl sends DD all sorts of mean messages when she’s hear but speaks in a babyish voice and is sweet to her face (although can break out into screaming/kicking, even at nearly 13). DD as a result has become increasingly reluctant to go to her dad’s - fairly sure she was faking having a migraine last weekend to avoid it, and has decided to stopp going midweek because she says it disrupts her routine. I accepted this at face value until she started confiding more about not getting on with ex-H’s DSD. I’m also pregnant (due in Feb) and DS moved out in September (to study, not because of anything dramatic), so it’s been a relatively big year for her.

She’s always been relatively slim and very sporty - trampolining and dance both in and out of school, a martial art out of school and part of the school netball team. This year she’s suddenly taken on much more dance after getting into a few companies, and has also started going to boxing twice a week before school, and going to badminton and volleyball at lunch. She has packed lunches and her lunchbox always comes back completely empty which it never used to. She’d often leave orange peel/wrappers/tinfoil/clingfilm in there. On weekends she doesn’t eat lunch - she has breakfast (sometimes as small as an orange, the past week I’ve convinced her to eat a (plain) croissant on most) but very rarely will eat her lunch. She used to always just eat what I made for younger DC and we’d sit around the table and eat it together. Over half term she asked to make her own, but I would repeatedly call her and remind her of lunch and she’d keep saying she wasn’t hungry and would wait for tea, or would get some crackers and take them up to her room. I found about 10-12 crackers in various places her room this morning, not even hidden. The only days when she ate a proper lunch were those when her friends were round and I made them the same as the whole family. She has packed lunches on weekends because she is at dance rehearsals all day, which if I’d known she was going to take up so much during the week I absolutely would not have allowed. (I let her do it on the basis that she quit her out of school trampolining and did just one session of her martial art a week). And again, the lunch box comes home totally empty - like the contents has just been disposed of.

Now onto tea: she does eat tea, but never all of it. She used to eat all her tea and have pudding. Now she often rejects pudding and just eats sort of half. For example, last night (after a day in which she’d done boxing and trampolining at school and had a dance class later in the evening) we had nachos with tomato sauce/lots of cheese, peas, and garlic bread. She ate all of the peas, I think two pieces of garlic bread (I didn’t manage to count but it was no more than two), and very much picked at her nachos - probably ate about half. When she got back from dance I offered her soup as a sort of supper (because she’d not eaten a lot of tea) and she said no. She also used to always have a snack first thing when she got home - not any more.

So. Am I being paranoid and overreacting? And if I’m not, what do I do? Who do I speak to? How do I manage it better? I’ve told her she has to quit 3 activities after Christmas (she said she had to do the whole term because she’d signed up - I’m skeptical so might ask the school), but she definitely does love dancing so much so I’m reluctant to make her cut down on that.

Sorry that this is so long, and please be gentle. This is really new and scary territory.

OP posts:
streetlife70s · 23/11/2017 04:38

Ignore samebasic. He/she seems to pop up on threads about kids, says something nasty and spiteful without reading the thread and fucks off. The person has issues.

Good luck op Flowers

Basecamp21 · 23/11/2017 09:35

You have some great advice here. I think you are doing exactly the right thing - you have some concerns and are looking for advice so you can decide how seriously you should take these concerns and educating yourself so you know when escalating your concerns would be appropriate.

The reality is many young girls go through this just as many people start over using drugs or drinking too much. The vast majority recognise it themselves after a while and pull themselves back before it gets too serious. So do not scare yourself!! And going in all guns blazing could make things far worse and i would be slightly wary about talking about this to friends or officialdom until you know this is a major issue. Talking about her doing too much is one thing raising ed is another.

However a few do go on to develop long term serious issues so you are doing absolutely the right thing in getting advice, monitoring and finding out far more about what is going on.

Keep working on making her feel good about herself and keep those channels of communication open and just watch watch watch. Chances are things will work themselves out but you are doing everything right.

Erinsboroughrocks · 23/11/2017 10:56

Might be worth having a chat with her dance teacher? She would likely notice if she is getting thin or lacking energy. I think a lot of dance teachers are quite knowledgeable about eating disorders and may have suggestions or be able to help (especially if your DD looks up to her).

musicposy · 23/11/2017 12:22

Agree with Erinsboroughrocks, speak to the dance teacher. They will see a lot of this. Dance teachers are often well placed to help pupils overcome anorexia and can do a lot of good and keep an eye, working with the child to help them gain weight. Sadly I speak from a lot of experience here with more than one child and more than one dance school (one of mine, much older than your DD, is being professionally trained full time in London and anorexia is rife due to the pressures of the industry but the staff are incredibly vigilant and very helpful).

Someone outside of the family keeping an eye out and talking to your DD can be a huge resource. Beat, mentioned earlier, run many groups across the country for which you don't need a referral. Some are for parents so if there's one nearish you (it's well worth travelling to) you might find that helpful without necessarily having to involve your DD or worry about labelling her as ill at this stage.

Finally, there's an eating disorder section on here. Replies are slower but there are many posters who have been where you are. Worth a look.

samebasicsize · 23/11/2017 15:03

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Gilead · 23/11/2017 16:54

samebasics your last post was (quite rightly) deleted. I imagine this one will be too. Somebody came for help, you proffered spiteful judgement, and appalling grammar. If you want to judge, make sure you're perfect first. Whose, not whom and certainly no apostrophe, possessive or otherwise. The possessive may well apply to family though...
If you've nothing helpful to say, keep quiet.

TabbyTigger · 23/11/2017 22:40

I didn’t get the chance to see samebasic’s second post but i’m quite sure I’m not missing out...

Thank you to everyone else for the helpful messages. DD’s favourite styles of dance are contemporary and hip hop and she thinks she might want to try and make a career out of it, so I might be able to persuade her to drop at least a few ballet classes. DS is training in contemporary dance at a competitive conservatoire and did only the minimum ballet required, but she currently does just over 5 hours a week (far more than I would like). She has a few different ballet teachers - some are pushy (one tried to make her audition for some boarding schools a few years ago when she didn’t want to) but there are two lovely ones, so I’ll have a word with one of them maybe, see f they’ve noticed. You’re all right of course - dance teachers will (unfortunately) be experts at spotting this.

I’m reluctant to speak to the school against DD’s wishes so I’m going to try and ease her into the idea. As a PP said - it’s paramount that she has faith in me and we remain open. I don’t have any pictures but I could take some any night and I’ve told her to never delete the messages (and she doesn’t) - just block the sender. We’ll have plenty of evidence when DD’s ready to report it all, and she’ll have plenty of friends to support her and back up what she’s saying.

Today I persuaded her to eat a pain au chocolate and a cereal bar and an orange for breakfast, which was a seriously lovely shock! (The most receptive she’s been to breakfast in a long time - I made sure we had all the favourites). The lunch box came back the same (think next week I’ll send her off with yoghurts and a spoon - see what comes back. I know she may outsmart me and dip the spoon then throw the pot, but if it’s subconscious she might not think and just leave the clean spoon. Either way it’ll make it more noticeable to her friends hopefully.) and she again picked at tea despite me repeatedly nagging her to eat more. She was chatting ten to the dozen and just playing with her food until it went cold. Probably ate about half again. I don’t want to tell her off/ be too forceful and draw too much attention to it yet. Maybe that’s wrong - there seems to be a divide on this thread regarding that (some people saying clamp now/ some saying be gentle). I tried to get a GP appointment this morning but they have a new online system that I just don’t understand so I’ll try again tomorrow Confused contacting charities will come on Saturday morning when everyone is out for a heavenly 2 hours!

Re seeing her dad - my current plan is to speak to DD about not going to his house for a little while and instead meeting up once or twice a week to go to the cinema/a cafe/park. Although she’s got such a crazy schedule I’m not sure when she’ll find the time, but it will hopefully give her and the step sister some space. Just school to face her in Sad so feel for her - they’re in the same maths set and sit essentials back to back. Might drop the teacher a note asking to rearrange the seating plan so they’re opposite ends.

At least her mood isn’t different. She doesn’t seem unhappy.

OP posts:
elephantoverthehill · 23/11/2017 23:22

TabbyTiger, just to say I think you are being the mostest a Mum can be ATM.

bunbon · 23/11/2017 23:29

I'm only speaking from my own experience but I personally would beg you not to nag her or force her to eat, and certainly not to weigh her at this stage or invade her online privacy if that's not part of your normal agreement. If this is an eating disorder she is very much craving control and she will find a way to control this - forcing things on her will just make her more sneaky. It's not as simple as making the girl eat, that won't make her better. This is an extremely delicate situation and you need real advice from experts which I'm thrilled to see you are looking into. Giving her some control over seeing her dad will hopefully help some.

I'm sorry you're all going through this but kudos to you for being so on the ball. It's early days and this is fixable. You sound like a wonderful mum.

TheDonald · 23/11/2017 23:52

This sounds so awful for you and her.

Is there any way you could look at her moving schools? I know it's drastic and it shouldn't be her that has to move but the stepsister problem is unlikely to go away and it would be better to do it in y8 than later.

I hope her dad will agree to meeting her separately. Good luck.

UmmKultum · 24/11/2017 06:05

Bonbon
Sorry but you're completely wrong and your advice is simply dangerous.

Yes, it often Is as simple as getting your child to eat and weight restored. This is the only way the brain can heal itself. Anorexia is a biological brain disease, it is not about control, that's a symptom.

And in anorexia tresatment you HAVE to make your child eat and weigh them. Food is medicine for anorexics and the same way you wouldn't let a child refuse chemotherapy if she had cancer you don't let a starving anorexic child refuse food. One of the hallmarks of anorexia is an inability to recognise the illness and resistance to treatment. That's why it's so hard to treat adults, thankfully children don't have that choice and have parents to make decisions for them.

Once the child is weight restored then you can maybe look at underlying issues or triggers to build resilience and prevent relapse. But you don't do that with a starving adolescent, there's no point.

Family based treatment- refeeding the child at home with the family - is the treatment with the highest success rates and the first line of treatment in any treatment programme based on the latest evidence.

user1471462115 · 24/11/2017 08:20

What ummmKultum said.......

See your GP as soon as you can and get her referred. Eating disorders in children have to be seen and have treatment started within four weeks now. Starvation has to be treated by food as soon as possible.

And you have to take her for treatment even if she hates you now. She will be grateful in the future.

And do NOT see a nutritionist, she needs a very specialist dietitian who is working as part of an eating disorders team in Camhs. NICE guidelines say nutritional counselling alone is not a treatment for anorexia........

BeautifulWintersMorning · 24/11/2017 08:54

I actually feel really annoyed reading about the behaviour of the nasty piece of work
step sister. Sounds like she is making your dd's life a misery and her dad is being useless about it. It's such a horrible situation for her. I think the school being told about it is the only thing that might help or your dd moving schools. Could you ask the school.about how it would be dealt with before telling them who it is?

TabbyTigger · 24/11/2017 09:21

I’m not sure about moving schools - she’s got such a good network of friends (lots who have been her friends for most of her life) I can’t help feeling moving would just be unsettling.

GP appointment booked for 2.10 today so hopefully that’ll lead to some concrete advice/ action. I am trying my best to maximise her eating - lots of options for breakfast and lunches, big portions at tea. Luckily it’s also easy to nag her at tea because 5yo plays with her food (gives the potatoes names and everything) so I can ask her to stop shuffling food without it seeming targeted and make it a little lighthearted.

Beautiful makes me so angry too. I felt sorry for the girl at first because I thought she was just struggling to adjust and it’d shake down. Now she just seems nasty. Asking the school is a good idea - depending on what the GP says I think I’ll arrange a meeting with DD’s tutor at least about the eating so I could bring it up vaguely there, then speak more with DD.

OP posts:
TheNoseyProject · 24/11/2017 09:27

This book is excellent and might help

‘Just a little too thin: how to pull your child back from the brink of an eating disorder’ By
Michael A strober (phd) and Meg Schneider (MA csw)

UmmKultum · 24/11/2017 10:36

I highly recommend 'help your teenager beat an eating disorder' by James Lock as the most important first book to read.
Look here too
www.maudsleyparents.org/whatismaudsley.html

kateclarke · 24/11/2017 14:18

Good luck for today.

You sound like a lovely mum, and I’m glad your dd has you in her corner.

It is so hard, and it can feel like everything you do is wrong.

Look after yourself as well as her.

NinonDeLenclos · 24/11/2017 14:36

First of all screen shot those messages from SD and any more than come in.

Second, you need to go and talk to the school about the bullying - irrespective of what DD thinks she wants. And you need to insist on a non-negotiable meeting with your ex. You must warn him that he has been not simply oblivious but negligent wrt the situation developing between DD and his SD. That DD is not only extremely distressed but potentially developing mental health issues, and that you may be forced to cut contact if he doesn't pull himself together.

I think you should stop DD's contact with dad for the time being, while you sort out what's going on. I wouldn't stop with the dancing until you've spoken to mental health professionals - certainly the level of exercise seems excessive - but if DD enjoys it I think she might continue for the moment until it's necessary to stop. She may prefer to ditch other sporting activities first.

NinonDeLenclos · 24/11/2017 14:38

I’m not sure about moving schools - she’s got such a good network of friends (lots who have been her friends for most of her life) I can’t help feeling moving would just be unsettling.

If the school and your ex can get on top of the bullying (I don't hold out much hope for your ex tbh I think he'll take the easy road with his new partner), all well and good. But if the school don't and your ex doesn't step up it may be something you need to consider further down the road.

NinonDeLenclos · 24/11/2017 14:39

^doesn't

Thermostatpolice · 24/11/2017 14:54

Oh goodness, your poor DD. In your position, I would concentrate on stamping out the bullying. This must be horrendous for her and she probably feels like there is no escape.

I agree with PPs: screen shots of everything and send them to her father. Definitely speak to the school whether or not your DD wants you to. She's only 12 and needs you to decide this on her behalf.

Tell her father that you cannot allow her to visit until the bullying stops. You could kill two birds with one stone here by dropping a couple of dance classes to make time for her to meet with her father.

IceMagic · 24/11/2017 14:56

Good post Thermo

NinonDeLenclos · 24/11/2017 15:45

In your position, I would concentrate on stamping out the bullying

Agreed.

londonmummy1966 · 24/11/2017 16:05

Sorry that you and DD are going through this OP - horrible situation.

I would definitely speak to one of the dance teachers she has a good relationship with about keeping an eye on her weight as they see her in a leotard.

I would also speak to the school - do they have an IT code of conduct that pupils are expected to sign? Both of my DCs secondaries have these and have used them effectively to counter out of school cyber bullying. Might also be worth getting the school to call a meeting for both you and her father together to discuss the issue? He is far more likely to take it seriously if it is raised by a third party?

TabbyTigger · 24/11/2017 16:22

Many thanks for the book recommendations.

GP was lovely and so helpful (we’ve had her a number of times before and DD really likes her too which will be a bonus!). She’s booked a follow up appointment for DD to come with me to in just under two weeks’ time (I think for weighings, measuring, and some survey style forms to make her mindset more clear), and has given me lots of leaflets and resources in the mean time to help me talk to her/ encourage her to eat more and drop a few activities. I’m hoping she’ll drop badminton and volleyball (lunchtime sports) as soon as in the next week once we have a good chat, and then maybe drop a ballet class or two, at least one session of boxing (she does it on a Tuesday and Thursday before school...) and maybe jazz company in the next term if things don’t improve. Netball, contemporary, and street dance are the three that I’m not going to suggest dropping yet - if things deteriorate the story will change.

And you’re all absolutely right about the bullying being the main issue. It’s just a difficult think to broach because it does involve criticising ex-H and his new wife. If it was any other child we’d have reported it a long time ago, it’s just hard when that connection is thrown in. Ex-H and his DW really kicked off at me when I suggested they put off moving in together for a few months (maybe from April to summer) until the 3 DC were more adjusted to the idea (DD and the step daughter at this time just didn’t know each other that well and the step daughter seemed to mildly dislike DD - a few bitchy comments but nothing severe, while DS really couldn’t get on with the new wife or her daughter and refused to be involved) and accused me of all sorts. But DD’s health is more important than keeping the peace so if it causes WW3 then so be it. Just before coming on here I emailed her form tutor about meeting to speak to her one day next week or the week after. I’ll just be totally upfront and ask for where to go for the next steps - regarding both the bullying and the eating.

As for ex-H, text going out later tonight regarding skipping next weekend, and starting a discussion on future access. Just thinking about the wording. I’m almost scared he won’t care Sad (which is how he has been about DS refusing to see him).

Thanks so much for all the advice. It’s really good to be able to talk things through and hear different perspectives. A stressful time Sad

OP posts:
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