Thought I'd comment a bit on the weight gain issue. I recently looked through some photos and could see the changes my daughter went through. When she was diagnosed at 3 yrs, see was considered underweight for her height. After she began taking cortef (hydrocortisone)her appetite increased tremendously. It is not easy to deny food to child who is hungry. We were very fortunate that the ped endo was certainly on top of things. She referred us to a dietitian at the hospital. For several years, when my daughter had an appointment with the the ped endo, we saw the dietitian as well. This dietitian was fantastic and made a great impression on my daughter. She ate popcorn instead of chips, and consumed more than her share of carrot sticks and pickles. My daughter really tried hard to stay away from the fatty foods. (Not easy with a Hungarian grandma.) Even at that, she was a bit on the heavier side. She enjoyed sports especially swimming, so we saw that as a way to help keep things in check. She registered in a synchro swimming team and 2-3 times a week had a great 2 1/2 hr workout. Even with all of that, at 11 yrs she almost 5' and weighed as much as me. I was 5'2 and 120 lb. She was also sick frequently that year and on numerous occasions had tthe meds doubled. Her appetite soared and she began to weigh more than me. The next few years were not easy. We were satisfied if her weight remained stable and her height increased. I do not believe that it is a good idea for a child to go on a weigh losing diet. I was also aware that she was self-conscious about her weight. I know she had her share of some schoolyard taunting. I did not want to make a big issue of it, but I did try to help her keep a good perspective of herself and abilities. I actually allowed myself to gain about 20 lbs because I knew she compared herself to me. The turning point began when she turned 13. She was 5'2 and 143 lbs. She was still on cortef. The endo determined that she was close to her maximum height and switched her to prednisone and eventually added florinef. We noticed that a lot of the puffiness subsided. Her appetite was also more easily controlled. She continued with the sports and at one point was on a girl's hockey team, as well as soccer and basketball. At that time, I also joined Weight Watchers to lose the 20 lbs I put on. My daughter basically ate what I ate although she was not restricted to any amount. The biggest change in the diet was the huge increase in veggies and downsized the portions of meat. She also cut back on a few things she realized were very loaded in fats. Over the past 10 months, she began to slim down very gradually. Now at 14 yrs old, she is 5'3 and 125lbs and looks great. She really watches what she eats but still allows herself the occasional treat. Anyway, I thought I'd put this down because I'm sure that some of you are concerned about weight gain. The best advice I can give is not to panic. As long as the weight gain is not overly troublesome, try not to make a big issue of it, especially in front of your child. Keep your child's self-esteem intack. The weight can eventually be lost, but self-esteem is much harder fix. I won't say that all of this was easy.....but it is do-able. The next step that I am working on is seeing that my daughter can responsibly manage her own meds. This summer, I will see that she gets training in administering the injectable solu-cortef. Take care.....Peg D.