Beyond Medical Understanding: Iowa boy has no urge to eat, nor drink

Landon Jones-12 from Waterloo-Iowa has not felt hungry nor thirsty over a year. A condition which has defiled all medical history.

According to Dr. Marc Patterson-child neurologist at the Mayo Clinic, Landon’s case be the only one of its kind in the whole world.

Before Landon's condition in October 14, 2013. He had gone to bed on a full stomach of pizza and ice cream the night before-October 13, 2013, but woke up with lost of all sensation of hunger and thirst; which had left him and dizzy ever since.   

Landon’s parents-Mr. and Mrs. Jones are still baffled by his condition; having no idea what is wrong with him or how to help him. They have taken Landon to doctors in different cities – Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Madison, and the world renowned Mayo Clinic in Minnesota – but none has been able to give the Jones’ any answers.

As speculated by Experts, the boy might be suffering from a malfunctioning hypothalamus – the portion of the brain which regulates hunger, thirst, body temperature, blood pressure and sleep cycles, yet there isn’t any conclusive evidence to suggest this. 

Mr. Jones said, “They could do blood work, they could do all these tests, and those are all going to come back normal. But they cannot do a test for the hypothalamus.” 

 

 Following Landon's medical history, Doctors are now wondering if there is a link between the drug (Depakote) he took at age 9 for the treatment of absence seizures-- a condition where he sits and stares into space, oblivious to the world around him--and the suppression of his appetite. That isn’t the most likely explanation because Depakote has been typically linked to increased hunger and weight gain.

Landon is unable to more than a bit sandwich. Lack of nourishment has caused his weight to drop from 104 lbs to 68 lbs, and he continues to lose 2 lbs each week.

Airing out their fears, the Jones said: 

“Sometimes, we feel like we’re failing as parents. And the reason we feel like we’re failing is because every time we put him on the scale, he loses. We could do weight gainers, we could do steroids, we could tell him to take a bite or a drink, but he either maintains, or he loses. This is no longer an animal or mice study,” he pleaded. “This is now with a human being. And it’s the first case, supposedly in history. We’re going through it. We don’t want recognition, we just want input. I think the medical field needs to collaborate and work with each other and try to figure out this weird situation.” 

However, Landon’s next appointment will be at the National Institutes of Health, where they only examine the rarest of cases. Hope they find the cause and solution to his problem.

via: Des Moines Register