Jump to content
ACN Latitudes Forums

What do you make of this?


Recommended Posts

This is kinda new... he doesn't take the shirt off that he wore the day before, he puts a new one over it! The other day when I picked him up from school (I had left early in morning) he had not one, not two, but THREE shirts on. Plus a heavy jacket (it's not cold here).

 

This morning I saw him looking in the mirror sideways and then he said he needed to wear a different shirt. Up he went and came down with a much looser fitting shirt. He then asked for a sweatshirt or coat (it was hot this morning). Finally, he asked me, "Am I fat? I look horrible don't I. I'm fat." That went on for a little bit into the car ride to school. He's 11, and has had some distention due to g.i. infections, and he is not "lean" like he used to be. But, nobody anywhere (maybe Africa) would call him fat.

 

Sound like normal pre-teen boy issue, or the P word?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would be inclined to think this is normal, especially if you say he has some belly protruding? of course he is going to be concious of it at that age. my son is skinny as a rail, and I have had him not want to wear a puffy coat at 8 or 9 because he said it makes him look fat (basically to them I guess that means 'uncool'?)...

 

that said, the part about the two or three shirts sounds more sensory of some type, not sure what that's about. but it sounds like he may be trying to just hide the way he looks in some type clothing? again, my skinny rail wears very large t-shirts to mask his skinniness, because if he wears his size, he thinks he looks 'small' or too skinny, ...again, basically 'uncool'....

 

Now the "P" word.....is that a cuss word?..... :) I'm ust being facetious, but I think we should name the 'symptom' first, and then decide if it is 'due to PANDAS'. not every crazy thing our kids do should be considered a sign of disease.....unless of course it is....... :lol:

 

 

Faith

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is kinda new... he doesn't take the shirt off that he wore the day before, he puts a new one over it! The other day when I picked him up from school (I had left early in morning) he had not one, not two, but THREE shirts on. Plus a heavy jacket (it's not cold here).

 

This morning I saw him looking in the mirror sideways and then he said he needed to wear a different shirt. Up he went and came down with a much looser fitting shirt. He then asked for a sweatshirt or coat (it was hot this morning). Finally, he asked me, "Am I fat? I look horrible don't I. I'm fat." That went on for a little bit into the car ride to school. He's 11, and has had some distention due to g.i. infections, and he is not "lean" like he used to be. But, nobody anywhere (maybe Africa) would call him fat.

 

Sound like normal pre-teen boy issue, or the P word?

 

I agree with EA mom. I would start tracking this and looking for other symptoms. Is he taking his shirt off to bathe or to put on PJs, or is he sleeping in it too? The multiple layers could have to do with body image, but it could also be sensory. Neutral warmth from many layers can be very calming. I would journal everything for a while and look for patterns.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is kinda new... he doesn't take the shirt off that he wore the day before, he puts a new one over it! The other day when I picked him up from school (I had left early in morning) he had not one, not two, but THREE shirts on. Plus a heavy jacket (it's not cold here).

 

This morning I saw him looking in the mirror sideways and then he said he needed to wear a different shirt. Up he went and came down with a much looser fitting shirt. He then asked for a sweatshirt or coat (it was hot this morning). Finally, he asked me, "Am I fat? I look horrible don't I. I'm fat." That went on for a little bit into the car ride to school. He's 11, and has had some distention due to g.i. infections, and he is not "lean" like he used to be. But, nobody anywhere (maybe Africa) would call him fat.

 

Sound like normal pre-teen boy issue, or the P word?

 

My son does some similar stuff. He actually has a hard time with clothes. Sometimes he will wear the same clothes (no socks or underwear) for a week or two. He has meltdowns if I wash his clothes-I can only do this on weekends. He throws shoes down the street gutter and on neighbors roof tops. Sometimes he cuts up his clothes. They must be oversized. Other times he can handle underwear and socks and he starts piling on the clothes like your son even when it is hot outside and he has no problems. I think its a sensory thing. Andrea

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you do have a PANDAS sensory thing going on, but the "am I fat?" could be an OCD thing. Like Kim B. said, I would watch him closely and keep a journal.

 

I would also keep track of what he is eating, just in case the "am I fat" turns into something more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I entirely agree with EAMom-- this is not normal kid behavior. My d did this type of thing as she slipped into OCD/PANDAS/anorexia, it needs to be watched carefully -- do you know what he weighs now, so you can determine if he is restricting intake-- don't make a big deal out of it, just try to observe would be my thoughts--for now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ok, thanks folks. I don't want to make a mountain out of a mole hill, but this too comes and goes and seems not quite right. He has told me that he doesn't want to eat stuff that I give him, but it is the junk stuff he's turning down, not regular food. So maybe he actually does have a concern about getting fat. I will watch this, along with all the other stuff, lol. (not really laughing) It is really hard having an only child, and not being around a ton of kids such as nephews, etc., to get a good feeling of what "normal" is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...