Ash,

I am the mother of a 6 year old boy with SW CAH. Based on our experience and my research I believe, as others have said, there is a definite link between meds taken for CAH and weight gain. I won’t go into alot of details because I know a 6 yr old boy’s situation is far different from yours, but I can tell you time and time again his med changes have affected his weight.

Also, I have read many articles that link weight gain to cortisol (or its replacement steroids like pred. or cortef). It makes perfect sense to me that just like our bodies react differently to stress, our bodies react differently to replacement stress hormones. I bet we all know people who live through a stressful situation (maybe a break up with a boyfriend/girlfriend), get "depressed" and lose 20 pounds. I bet we also know other people in the same situation who get "depressed" and gain 20 pounds.  Stress hormones also affect where your body stores fat - excess weight is stored in the middle of your body - not arms and legs.

Besides dealing with the med issue, I think it might really help you to find reassurance that you are valuable as a person, regardless of your size or shape. I am reading a wonderful book about building body esteem. It was written for parents to help their children build body esteem, but I think it is very helpful for any age. I started it to help my son, and am finding many good lessons for myself. The author talks alot about the messages we receive from the media, how and why even models find fault with their bodies, and why dieting is a horrible and ineffective thing to do to your body. She has a lot of good information about healthy eating, exercise, and coming to terms with the body you were given. The book is Real Kids Come in All Sizes by Kathy Kater.

Ash, I hope you feel supported and hang in there. Being a teenager can be very rough. I remember feeling just like you many times. If you hang in there and work to help yourself, you will find you have a power you never knew existed. I remember reading something that included the phrase "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars, and you have a right to be here." For some odd reason that gave me great comfort. The universe couldn’t be wrong, I had a right to be here. I am now a strong, happy 36 yr old with more blessings than I can ever count. You won’t know how wonderful your life can be if you don’t keep fighting.