Mother of teen with Crohn's -- new here

Hello; I found this forum while doing a google search for weight GAIN with Crohn's disease. My poor 13 yr. old daughter has gained 50 lbs. since going into remission Nov. 2009, and she's only 5' 1"...

Yes, much different experience for an adult with the internal resources to manage food/weight/exercise/metabolism. She does not have great eating habits, and is very sedentary; however, I would never expect her to gain so much with the amount that she eats...wondering if metabolism post-remission (after near starvation for many months) slows down?

Hello and Welcome. I am sorry you have to be here, but you will find lots of support.

I was not diagnosed until I was 23, but I self diagnosed at 13. My mom had CD and I was sure I knew what was going on with me, obviously now I was right and the doctor was wrong (no tests were done). When I was just a little bit older than your daughter, when I had figured out what I needed to stop eating to make the pain stop, I gained a ton of weight. I am only 5' and I probably put on about 35 - 40lbs in my freshman year of high school. I think it was just a case of eating things that didn't cause pain. Eventually over the next year my eating regulated and the weight dropped off. By the time I was done with my sophomore year I was a much more reasonable 110lbs.

Have you discussed this with your daughter's doctor to make sure that there isn't anything going?

Thanks to all of you for replying, and so quickly!

We have confirmed through bone age scan that she has stopped growing (maybe she will eke out another inch). She is no longer prepubescent (she "completed" the stages of puberty quite some time ago). Her BMI is 29.3, which is considered obese or nearly so for a girl her age.

We have spoken with her GI about this, who gave her some nutritional advice, and met with an endocrinologist, who did not feel there was anything wrong hormonally. We also met with a nutritionist. However, my daughter is VERY resistant to any suggestions, or even attempts at discussing this sensitive issue. She is convinced that the weight gain happens "no matter what she does"... which certainly is denial...but a part of me also wonders if there is something physiologically going on to put on the weight, because it just keeps coming, and she really does not eat all that much...

There IS a genetic component involved in weight gain/loss. It's not so direct as flipping a "fat" or "not fat" switch, but it's still there. I don't really remember how it works, but it has something to do with the way your body stores energy. Exercise and dieting help, but if your body likes to store its energy as fat, it makes it a lot more difficult. It may be that Crohn's triggered a change in that gene.

Short of a lifestyle change, it doesn't sound like theres much you can do. If the weight isn't a danger to her health and she doesn't mind it, I'd say just drop it. Best you can do is keep an eye on it, encourage physical activity, and make sure it doesn't become a health hazard. Then, if she decides she wants to work on it, do what you can to help. It needs to be her idea, though.

Actually... thinking about it, I have a paunch of my own because I generally dislike exercise. It's boring and feels like a waste of time (also my active Crohn's makes it painful). But... I don't mind working, even if its physically demanding. She's in remission now, try finding her a job! She's too young for the general workforce, but maybe a friend could use some help planting a new garden or something. And, there's always lawn-mowing. I made good money doing that, and with a push-mower, even one with self-propulsion, it's good exercise.

Post Edited (Bane) : 4/13/2011 11:00:44 PM (GMT-6)

kazbern said...
Well, what she eats and what you SEE her eating are not the same.

-- so true; although I have a pretty good handle on it, as there is no food to purchase as school, and she leaves the evidence of what she's eaten in her room and around the house :(

I appreciate the advice about leaving her to own the issue herself...and to just encourage healthy nutrition and to add activity in her life without making it a diet issue.

I guess I came here wanting to explore whether Remicade or Pentasa (her meds, working perfectly) have been known to induce weight gain, whether remission induces a change in metabolism (and whether it normalizes after a period of time), and whether this is a common phenomenon -- among teens, or people in general who go into successful remission.

...But I think, really, that I'm looking for a justification for this weight gain to give my daughter, who is really torn up over this, so that I can tell her that it's not her fault!!!!!!

Kazbern -- thank you so much for taking the time to talk about this. Much appreciated.