Fight FOR Them Not WITH Them

April 3, 2010

In the natural course of aging, it is common to lose your appetite. But, it is not natural for you to get so hung up on losing weight that you refuse to eat. This is a problem that we have been fighting with Mom for a while now. She was diagnosed as having an eating disorder. Back in Sept. she weighed in at a healthy 159. By the first of the year, she was down in the lower 120’s and was thrilled about it. By Feb., she had dropped to 112 (that’s the lowest she got to). I sought help from the doctors. No matter how many times and ways we tried to explain to her that losing weight was putting a bigger strain on her heart, she still refused to eat much. Most of the time she claimed her dentures were bothering her.

They tried a couple of different medications (that did NOT work at all). Every morning we weigh in, and every morning, she got more and more excited as the numbers went down. Every day, she began to eat less and less.
In desperation, her general practitioner finally prescribed liquid Estrogen. Now think about this for a second. It makes sense. The #1 side effect in women on birth control pills is weight gain. So, when all else fails, drastic measures must be taken.

Within 48 hours of beginning the new med, she started developing an appetite. She insisted food suddenly tasted good. Ironically, we haven’t heard the dentures mentioned since we started the Estrogen.
Now, bear in mind, a month ago I was lucky if she ate a total of 2 cups of solid food a day. Now, I can’t get her to stop eating. Here is an example… this morning she ate a bowl of cereal and a piece of toast but was still hungry. I made her 4 pancakes that she promptly inhaled. She wanted more, but I told her she couldn’t have them unless she finished her pills (this is still a constant struggle with her). As soon as I said it, she devoured the pills and ate 3 more pancakes. Her weight is up to a solid 130 and she has more energy than she has had in months.

I have discovered that the will to live gets stronger when you are eating a healthy diet. I have also discovered the art of compromise works well. I don’t fight with her because it drains my energy and makes her twice as stubborn. Instead, I fight for her (sometimes with her knowledge and sometimes without).