I have a niece that turned 11 last month that has had on-again/off-again problem w/eating for several years. She has lost 7 lbs over the summer but recently gained 3 back. She is 4'11'' and weighs 70 lbs per doctor appt last week. She has had problems with saying her stomach hurts and she doesn't want to eat for a long time. She will be fine for weeks and then start this stomach problem. It appears to be always associated with her being worried about something (school, travel, etc). She will start crying about her stomach and then throw up. My brother who is now 37 was like this until he got into high school. He was so thin and my mother worried about him but the doctor told her that he had a nervous stomach and he would grow out of it.

Today, all you hear about is eating disorders but we never heard of this 25 or 30 years ago. The doctor is going to run some test on her to rule out anything physical. Two weeks ago my sister, niece and my 3 girls were shopping and went to lunch. She said she wasn't hungry and refused to eat anything but a few bites of dry lettuce, even though she hadn't eaten all day. Later I heard the girls in the car discussing their legs. My daughter said her legs were big and my niece was saying her thighs are fat. My girls were saying no your thighs aren't fat you look great.... Now my sisters husband (step-dad) is forcing her to eat and she starts crying, stomach ache etc and my sister and I think it is making things worse. We are all concerned about my niece and want her to be happy and healthy but maybe some of us are over reacting and making things worse. After the docter runs test and if there is nothing physically wrong w/her what are some of the better ways to approach getting her to eat sensibly? Sorry this is so long and I really appreciate any info!!

Jo -