this girls parents should be shot.....

[James]

I was starting to wonder whether the parents were doing it for attention.

I understand that the child was 200 pounds at 5 years old, but then after all that media attention the parents fed the child so much food it put another 200 pounds on in 2 years.

Thats like deliberate over feeding.

Maybe the mother, consciously or unconsciouly, enjoyed the notoriety of being "someone." Media attention can be seductive. And everyone in America seems to want their 15 seconds.

Aren't there mothers that deblierately make their kids sick for attention?

Originally Posted by Phigirl04

I can't believe these parents let it get so bad and that no one stepped in before the child got to 400lbs. These parents should not be allowed to have children. I just can't imagine letting this happen if I had a child.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by James

I was starting to wonder whether the parents were doing it for attention.

I understand that the child was 200 pounds at 5 years old, but then after all that media attention the parents fed the child so much food it put another 200 pounds on in 2 years.

Thats like deliberate over feeding.

Maybe the mother, consciously or unconsciouly, enjoyed the notoriety of being "someone." Media attention can be seductive. And everyone in America seems to want their 15 seconds.

Aren't there mothers that deblierately make their kids sick for attention?

How can someone get that heavy just by a disease alone, without a tumor being involved? I mean, some major over-eating has to be going on. I think the only reason why the parents still have custody of this girl is the fact that this is a rare case. I though protective services take kids away from parents in circumstances that can be hazardous to them. They are slowly killing this kid.

[blueangel]

With Prader Willi Syndrome, the child has a reduced need for calories. The really cruel part of the disease is not only do fewer calories make them fat, but they also have a flaw in the hypothalamus which make them constantly hungry. They never feel full. They have a continuous need to eat.

No appetite suppresant has been found effective in this disease. They have to be kept on an extremely low calorie diet just to stay at a normal weight.. and parents have sometimes resorted to having to lock the cabinets and refrigerators.

[Drolefille]

The girl can't get to the cupboards... she couldn't walk. There's no excuse.

[blueangel]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

The girl can't get to the cupboards... she couldn't walk. There's no excuse.

Did you not read the part of how people with this disease must be kept on an extremely low calorie diet just to stay at a normal weight? And did you not read the part about how people with this disease can not turn off the hunger pains?

We do not know if this is what this child has, but if it is.. the blame shouldn't go to the parents.

[CutiePie2000]

Originally Posted by James

Aren't there mothers that deblierately make their kids sick for attention?

Munchausen is what you're thinking of.

[James]

The girl has been in the hospital Blueangel, and has responded to a forced diet. We would have ehard if she had this disease.

If we on Greekchat can think of it, the doctors are not going to overlook it.

[James]

For those not familiar with PWS.


http://www.thearc.org/faqs/pwsynd.html

What is Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS)?

PWS is a complex genetic disorder that includes short stature, mental retardation or learning disabilities, incomplete sexual development, characteristic behavior problems, low muscle tone, and an involuntary urge to eat constantly, which, coupled with a reduced need for calories, leads to obesity.

Does the eating problem associated with PWS begin at birth?

No, newborns with PWS are typically described as "floppy" and are unable to suck well enough to get sufficient nutrients -- due to the low muscle tone (hypotonia). Often they must be fed through a tube for several months after birth, until muscle control improves. Sometime in the following years, usually by preschool age, children with PWS develop an increased interest in food and quickly gain excessive weight if calories are not restricted.

Why do people who have PWS eat so much?

People with PWS have a flaw in the part of their brain (the hypothalamus) that determines hunger and satiety (fullness). These people never feel full enough, so they have a continuous urge to eat. To compound this problem, people with PWS need considerably fewer calories than normal to maintain an appropriate weight. The obesity that results is the major cause of illness and death in this disorder. As in the general population, obesity in PWS can cause high blood pressure, respiratory difficulties, diabetes and other problems.

Can anything be done to control the eating?

Unfortunately, no appetite suppressant has worked consistently for people with PWS. Most must be on an extremely low-calorie diet all their lives and must have their environment designed so that they have very limited access to food. For example, many families have to lock the kitchen or the cabinets and refrigerator.

it possible for people with PWS to lead normal lives?

People with PWS can accomplish many of the things their "normal" peers do -- attend school, enjoy community activities, get jobs, and even move away from home. However, they need a lot of help. School children with PWS are likely to need special education and related services, such as speech and occupational therapy. In community, work and residential settings, adolescents and adults often need special assistance to learn and carry out responsibilities and to get along with others. In all settings, people with PWS need around-the-clock food supervision. As adults, most affected individuals do best in a special group home for people with PWS, where food access can be restricted without interfering with those who do not need such restriction. Although in the past many died in adolescence or young adulthood, it is thought that prevention of obesity will allow a person with PWS to live a normal lifespan.

Does early diagnosis help?

Early diagnosis of Prader-Willi syndrome gives parents an opportunity to manage their child's diet and avoid obesity and its related problems from the start. Since infants and young children with PWS typically have developmental delays in all areas, diagnosis may facilitate a family's access to critical early intervention services and help identify areas of need or risk. Diagnosis also makes it possible for families to get information and support from professionals and other families who are dealing with the syndrome.

[James]

Thank you.

Originally Posted by CutiePie2000

Munchausen is what you're thinking of.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by blueangel

Did you not read the part of how people with this disease must be kept on an extremely low calorie diet just to stay at a normal weight? And did you not read the part about how people with this disease can not turn off the hunger pains?

We do not know if this is what this child has, but if it is.. the blame shouldn't go to the parents.

She 5 years old. She cant exactly roll in the kitchen and make herself an omlette and a few dozen hot pockets whenever she pleases. Her parents are the ones who make her meals - therefore the blame SHOULD be on them.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by James

Thank you.

Munchausen by proxy actually. One is making yourself sick and sympathetic, the other is doing it to your kid.

She 5 years old. She cant exactly roll in the kitchen and make herself an omlette and a few dozen hot pockets whenever she pleases. Her parents are the ones who make her meals - therefore the blame SHOULD be on them.

Exactly. If the parents keep feeding her because she's hungry they should be smart enough to take her to the doctor, syndrome/disease or not. She probably couldn't get INTO the cupboards or pantry much less make anything.

[Jimmy Choo]

What I'm really shocked by is that this has gone on for this long! Didn't a red flag go off at any of this child's checkups with her doctor?

[blueangel]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

She 5 years old. She cant exactly roll in the kitchen and make herself an omlette and a few dozen hot pockets whenever she pleases. Her parents are the ones who make her meals - therefore the blame SHOULD be on them.

HOWEVER-- With PW Syndrome, a child must be put on an EXTREMELY limited low calorie diet. Feeding her normally will make a child obese.

Have you ever skipped a few meals and felt what it's like to have hunger pains? To have such a need to eat that it's painful? That's what people with PW feel like all the time.

Now, imagine you have a child with PW who is in pain all the time because she always feels like she's being starved. Then add to that -- that you must only feed her a few hundred calories a day. Do you realize how difficult that can be for a parent?

If the parents are just over feeding her, and nothing is medically wrong with the child.. then yes, I agree.. that is abuse. However, if she has PW or another disorder, then I wouldn't be so quick to put blame on the parents.

[Drolefille]

If she has a disorder, the parents STILL let her get this heavy. You'd think they'd have put her on a reduce calorie diet before now. But no, gotta give their little rolling angel as much as she wants. Letting your child get that heavy without intervention, disorder or no, is the parents fault.

Placing blame on a disorder is just one more instance of people failing to take responsibility for themselves and, in this case, their children. It's not like she was slightly overweight. She ROLLED. A doctor would have picked up on it before she needed admittance to a hospital, if they'd actually gone and seen one.

[CutiePie2000]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Munchausen by proxy actually. One is making yourself sick and sympathetic, the other is doing it to your kid.

Yes, that's right. I just went on Wikipedia and dug a lil' deeper.