Letter To A Fictitious Teen
Letter To A Fictitious Teen
By Brian W. Donnelly, M.D., F.A.B.M.
Yesterday on The PediaBlog, we learned about new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics for evaluating and treating overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. Today, Dr. Brian Donnelly puts those lessons into practice.
Dear Emilio,
I understand your mother had lost her job, and then her apartment, and so couldn’t afford the phone service right now.
Sorry for that inconvenience. I hope this e-mail helps explain some of the things we had talked about the other day in the office.
I know you were very upset about your recent weight gain, and I know how you feel. I know that things have been pretty crazy in your household lately with all the changes going on. All of this is very hard for you. But I think we can help with your weight.
We had talked about your getting bloodwork. Because of the amount of weight you gained since last year, I just wanted to make sure your liver and other organs were working well. As you told me, some of your relatives have diabetes, so we need to check on that, too. When I get the results we can discuss the numbers. I know last year we talked about the extra increase in your weight gain and decided to watch and wait. This year, with the much larger weight increase, we have to take some action.
Speaking of action, I was serious about you needing to move more. I know going to school can make you tired, and I know playing video games is a good release for you, but you really need to get some exercise. Even walking around the block or riding a stationary bike for 20 minutes can help you.
You asked about getting better sleep, which was a great question. With better sleep, you can feel more energized the next day, which will help you listen to my encouragement to give that exercise thing a go. I hope the things we talked about (like limiting screen time, not eating before bed, and keeping it dark and quiet in your room) can help you get the good sound sleep you need.
As you recall, we talked quite a bit about your diet. I am glad you are interested in that subject. It’s so important for long term health. As we discussed, decreasing the amount that you eat, and making better choices of what you consume are both important. Fresh fruits and vegetables are your friends. Drinking water is better for you than drinking those sports drinks and energy drinks. Remember to call the nutritionist, who can give you even more specific guidance about that.
We had also talked about seeing a therapist who can do Motivational Interviewing. You had been somewhat reluctant to go, which I understand. But think of that therapist as you would think of a coach. Suppose you could talk to Mike Tomlin every week about your progress, and he was able to turn your losing season around. (In this instance, losing really means over-gaining.) Therapy is the same idea, just in a different sport.
I know you were nervous about the idea of medication. Some of the medications can work pretty well, because they can decrease your appetite. But we should wait on the results of the blood tests, then re-visit the medication option.
And I know you were really scared about the thought of surgery, because your cousin had a lot of complications after his operation. Remember we wouldn’t consider that unless the other approaches we discussed failed. Hopefully, we will be successful without surgery.
I hope this helps reinforce what we talked about. Call me when you get service if you or your mother have any questions.
Be well,
Dr. D
source https://www.thepediablog.com/2023/01/24/letter-to-a-fictitious-teen/
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