I have been reading a lot lately about picky eaters. I've heard many stories from other parents about their problem eater kids who refuse entire food groups, those who dissolve in a puddle of tears at the sight of vegetables (any vegetable!) and even one who subsisted for an entire year on grilled cheese sandwiches, blueberry yogurt and starfruit. "I swear," his mother assured me "it gets better." Well I certainly hope so. The thought of my son entering the junior high boys locker room at his current 19 pounds and 30 inches is a bit worrisome.
After all this reading, the stories, the sharing...I sympathize, I do. No one feels good that their child won't embrace veggies. Nobody wants to fight over the shred of cheese that inadvertently contaminated the plate of otherwise perfectly acceptable pasta and marinara sauce. Let me assure you, however, that Roo's eating issues go way beyond picky. One blueberry, sans skin, does not a breakfast make. Unfortunately until about a week ago, that was a typical meal for Roo. And that one blueberry? It took effort to get it in him.
I imagine there are others out there dealing with severe food/eating issues with children of all ages. The failure to thrive kids. Those who cringe at the sight of a spoon. The g-tubes. In fact I KNOW that you are indeed out there. But beyond our medical team of a nutritionist, GI doctor, and speech therapist who all specialize in eosinophilic esophagitis, I have had a heck of a time finding resources and support for dealing with more generalized food aversion in young children. So here I am.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Yael and I received your blog info through Beth. I wanted to let you know that there are many of us with children with Eosinophilic Diseases out there. We have a large group on Facebook, we have support groups around the country and two wonderful organizations APFED (www.apfed.org) and Kids with Food Allergies (www.kidswithfoodallergies.org) have amazing educational info, support forums, and also annual conferences for our population.
If you want more info please contact me yweinst@gmail.com and I can help you get in touch with a lot of families!
Yael
Hi,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Maria and I found this blog through your sister. I wanted to let you know that I have a 5 yr old son with multiple food allergies (wheat, eggs, dairy, peanuts, treenuts, coconuts, rye, certain spices, and most raw fruits and veggies). He is so sensitive that these foods can't even touch his skin without a reaction. We have been dealing with these allergies for over 4 yrs now.
I am so glad you started this blog. I can relate to what you are saying on so many levels. My passion in life has always been food and wine and this has been the roughest road for me. We also don't go out to eat or travel. And making meals to please everyone (or even something for just my son) has been a huge challenge. I have a 7 yr old daughter with no allergies. My heart aches for you, but I am so glad you are starting to find some answers and are sharing it with us. It's comforting (albeit sad) to know that you are not alone. I look forward to reading your stories.
Thanks so much for the support and kind words, ladies! Despite the less than ideal circumstances, I'm thrilled to meet others going through similar experiences. I sincerely appreciate the words of wisdom and sense of comaraderie. I'm hoping this might become a forum where we can all share ideas, successes, advice, and maybe just vent frustration every once in a while too.
ReplyDeleteYael - APFED is a wonderful organization and we are members. I've yet to find a local support group here in Chicago but maybe it's time to get the ball rolling myself!