I have 28 year old son who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, mental retardation and he is developmentally delayed . He also has tourettes. He is thriving very well. He is high on the social scale. The question that I have is in regards to his weight. He has alway been thin. He is 5ft. 9inches tall. His weight flucuates on a regular basis from 116 to 118 to 119 to his highest 120. He has a good appetite. I was wondering is it because of his cp that his weight reacts the way it does? His last blood works was excellent. It showed no problems at all.
2007-03-09 09:56:19 · 2 answers · asked by goodness123 1 in Health ➔ Mental Health
Those with CP (cerebral palsy) usually have a problem with weight gain so your son is fortunate that it isn't an issue for him. If all his lab testing is fine, it is totally possible that you son just has a high metabolism. He could also be thin due to heredity.
If you are concerned about his weight, talk to the doctor about a dietary supplement to boost his weight. Since he eats well, his tests were excellent and he is exhibiting no problems, there is probably nothing to worry about.
2007-03-09 11:49:21 · answer #1 · answered by ilse72 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
It's normal to a person's weight to fluctuate even within the course of a single day depending on how much they've eaten, how much water they've had, and other factors. Regular flucations within a range of four pounds is perfectly normal, and not cause for concern. It's not a symptom of anything, or a consequence of congenital disorders. It's normal. I can make my weight change by that much just by adjusting where I stand on the cheap scale I have, so it may not even be an actual change in weight. But even if it is an actual change (measure by an acurate scale), it's nothing to worry about.
It sound's like he's otherwise healthy, so don't worry about him being thin. If he's eating enough, and not showing any symptoms related to his weight, it's fine. Maybe it's related to the CP, or maybe he just has a fast metabolism. People with CP often have thin bones, which obviously would weigh less than thicker bones, and so could contribute to a lower weight. Depending on how much the CP limits his physical activity, he might also have smallish muscles if they're not being used as much, which again would result in lower weight. But it could also be totally unrelated to the CP, and just how his metabolism is - lots of people are thin with no obvious cause.
2007-03-10 18:01:33 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋