I am a father of a beautiful young lady, 10 years old. My wife and I have been struggling with her eating over the past 10 days. She had an encounter with a piece of chicken (choked of a piece) 10 days ago an ever since my wife and I have been stuggling with getting her to eat a complete meal. We have taken her to the family doctor and she is in tip top shape physically (ie the throat).
I have tried every posiible angle from compassions to threats of taking away her privalages and to no evail we still struggle to get her to eat. She complains about being afraid of chocking on her food; that her troat hurts; she tries to swallow but she can not do it. We have found that she has started to lie about what she eats and how much she eats. Her poor brother(5years old) has been consumming her food and not knowing he is only helping her sister avoid eating her meals. All He knowa he has been enjoying her kindness.
My wife is afraid as am I because our beatiful daughter has it in her head that she is going to chock on food. I have been attempting to research "Fear of Eating", Stress with young children, Anxiety and so on......
The only thing I have come close to an answere is Globus Hystericus (lump in the throat sensation).
As a father of a 10 year old I do not believe in medicating children because it is the easy way out. Any input would be greatly appreciated!
We are currently seaking a counselor/therapist for our daughter but sometimes the best solutions/answeres come from those that are living with the same anxiety/stress.
Our family went through something very similar several years ago with our son. It was the summer between his 2nd and 3rd grade and he choked on a piece of hot dog. I had to use the Heimlich manuver to dislodge it. Needless to say it was pretty tramatic for all of us. His eating changed drastically, eating only very small bites, only chewing with his front teeth because he didn't want the food to get too far back in his mouth. Also, he would turn down social invitations because he didn't like eating away from me. From someone who has been there I can tell you that I think the two ways you can be the biggest help to your daughter is to practice patience and give her a huge amount of support. Ten days is a relatively short amount of time so I wouldn't expect her to finish a complete meal right away. Maybe include some soft foods without making a big deal out it, such as mashed potatoes or pasta, something she can fill up on without worry. Try to make meal time as normal as possible, and even though I know it's hard try not to monitor her eating too closely. This will let her know you still trust her ability to eat normally. I think at this age it's tough because they've heard stories of people choking to death, and at 10 it's pretty hard to deal with the thought of your own mortality. Let her know you understand that she's going through a hard time, but that you'll be there to help her. Fortunately the guidance counselor at our son's school had a mental health background and was able to give him some helpful "tools" to use when he got anxious, so I see nothing wrong with seeking professional help. Lastly let me say that my son is now 18, stands 6 foot 7, and has no trouble putting the food away. Hang in there.