Park City High School senior Kevin Whiting has felt pain in his lower abdomen all his life.

He felt it each time his body hit a growth spurt, and by the time he was 13 and a student at Treasure Mountain Middle School, the pain was so severe, he couldn’t eat, let alone function as a normal teenager.

His parents Vicki and Jeff took him to doctors and specialists but were told the same thing.

Kevin was anorexic.

The problem was, he wasn’t. Kevin had been misdiagnosed and was actually suffering from Wilkes Syndrome, an ailment where the Superior Mesenteric Artery cut off his small intestines so food couldn’t pass through.

The symptoms were severe weight loss and pain, said his mother Vicki Whiting during a joint interview she and Kevin had with The Park Record.

“Kevin was treated with anti-anxiety medication and anti depressants to cure his anorexia,” Vicki Whiting said. “That was when Kevin became suicidal because he was taking medicines he shouldn’t have been on.”

Unfortunately, once her son was labeled as anorexic, it became the de facto diagnosis.

“It precluded Kevin from getting the diagnostics he should have received, and to get the medical system to move past the short-hand explanation was one of the hardest things we had to go through,” she said.

After going to four or five specialists, the Whitings went to a family friend who was a colorectal surgeon.

“He knew me well enough to run the diagnostics that needed to be done, and the remedy was surgery,” Kevin said.

The Whitings’ plight is documented in a new book called “In Pain we Trust: A Conversation Between Mother and Son on the Journey from Sickness to Health.” The book will be released on Oct. 10.

The idea for the book came after Kevin’s duodenojejunostomy, which is an operation that forms a passage between the beginning and middle of the small intestine.

“The last time the surgery had been done at Primary Children’s Hospital was 10 years ago but at that point, Kevin was taller than five feet and weighed only 65 pounds,” Vicki said.

After the surgery, Kevin still was being nourished through a pick line that ran through his veins, said Vicki Whiting.

“We spent a lot of time in the car going from doctor appointments to school,” she said. “Usually his spirits were high, but one particular day, they weren’t and he said, maybe there was some way we could make it so someone didn’t have to go through what he did.”

The idea stuck with Vicki, who is a professor at Westminster College, and she decided to write a book.

“Since I do write as part of my occupation and my articles are meant to inform and share ideas, it was the only thing I had to share from my skill set,” she said.

The book was different than writing about mentorships, global leaderships and social entrepreneurship articles she was used to writing, but in some ways easier.

“Kevin and I both felt we had an important story to share,” she said. “We felt it could make a difference for other kids who may be suffering through chronic, complex illnesses, or who were having trouble having their voices heard as they worked through the medical system.”

At other times, it was more difficult.

“Going back through and reliving the painful story and realizing at many junctures, the outcome could have been much different, was hard for us,” Vicki said. “My husband Jeff would come home and know we had been writing because of the heaviness in the air.”

Kevin had a difficult time writing because it brought back scary events that he had tried to block out of his mind.

“It did help therapeutically, though,” he said. “It also put forward memories that I didn’t recall, because sometimes when something happened I was trying to distract myself form the pain or I was so drugged up that I didn’t remember.”

However, the writing sessions were important to both, so they continued.

“Because the book is chronological, I would write my section and tell Kevin what I was writing about and ask him about his takes on the events,” Vicki said. “He would give me his story or essay and I would transcribe it or edit it. to have Kevin’s voice in the book is brilliant and I think is a contribution that I haven’t found anywhere else.”

Another challenge was knowing when not to open the door too wide on the family’s privacy.

“I tend to live my life pretty open, so it wasn’t hard for me to write my part, but the tricky part of it all is the fact that it’s the story of our family,” Vicki said. “My husband tends to be the one who makes it through a problem and march forward, and still it’s hard for him to see the pictures. My oldest son, Philip is a private person, and then we have our youngest daughter Katie, so we had to make sure we weren’t bringing in aspects of our private life that others would feel uncomfortable having out in the public.”

Book publishers had different ideas of how to distribute the book.

“McGraw-Hill publishers saw it playing a role in nursing school as a comprehensive case to go along with a nursing fundamentals text,” Vicki said. “So we ultimately left it up to Kevin to choose.”

“I thought the book meant more as a story than as a text,” he said. “As a text, no one would attach to the characters as much.”

So the family chose to publish through Blooming Twig Books, which will release it as a story.

Having the book published helped Vicki deal with some of the uncertainties she faced during the crisis.

“I realize now that I did make the best choices I could have at the time,” she said. “Even if people don’t buy the book, it’s documented so people like Kevin’s kids and his grandkids can know who he is.”

Kevin still hopes the book will help parents, doctors and children listen to each other.

“I’d like it to helps a doctor be more compassionate with a patient or help with a parent navigate the medical system or have a kid deal with their own pains,” he said.

“In Pain we Trust” will be available Oct. 10 at amazon.com and by visiting vickiwhiting.com.

What do I do? She asked me for a divorce. She seems angry or at least indifferent to me most of the time. She acts like she hates me in the morning and loves me at nite- sometimes this is reversed. She came off her anti depressants this past summer because she said she felt weak for needing them- she thought she should tough it out. She is miserable and so am I since this has been going on and she has moved out. see my related questions if you have experiences like this. HELP please.

A friend of mine just went through the same experience about a year ago..
He told me everything is fine now I guess she just had to go through her thing.

I'm desperate, nothing seems to work. Didn't wanna turn to alcohol again but my shyness/social anxiety is ruining my life. Before you say, yes I'm on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds, and yes I'm in therapy.

It never worked for me :/ i wouldn't recommend alcohol to solve any of your problems b/c it will just cause more

Alcohol reduces your inhibition, i.e. it allows you to do things you normally wouldn't think of doing. there are other drugs which do this, but most of them are worse than alcohol.

I think long-term therapy is really the healthiest way of overcoming it. It's hard, and it will take very long, but it's better than getting hooked on drugs or doing nothing.

yes, to be sociable. But not to turn into an alcoholic. And they do not mix with drugs. just say no to drugs. I would chose the alcohol.

only if your drunk enough

dont drink booze while on those meds. So if your are in therapy why don't you ask the therapist your question

no, alcohol is never the answer. the best thing to do is just try to move on with life. the thing u lost, u should try to replace the thing u lost

definately not the only way, and if your currently taking any meds i would suggest to not mix the two, instead try to find something else. sorry if im not much help

likelihood are whichever you before a big cheese you get has been prescribed anti-depressants. Sadly, they comprise turn out to be the duck drug of choice. It’s as a result a great deal easier representing a medical doctor to prescribe a pill with the intention of promises to assistance you consider outshine than to bring the epoch to picture outdated come again? the valid issues are with the intention of may possibly be real causing your depression. at what time “feeling low’ as a consequence fatigued, in attendance may possibly be real additional underlying raw with emotional issues with the intention of hardship thought with clothed in reality, little of us have a medical condition commencing key depression, the individual diagnosis with the intention of evidently justifies the manipulate of anti-depressants.

The depressing genuineness in relation to antidepressants is with the intention of studies comprise exposed with the intention of they are thumbs down extra effectual than a panacea popular treating mild to moderate depression. Furthermore, all the rage clinical trials, it has been exposed with the intention of to the same degree countless because partially of persons who hear thumbs down such dealing get better anyway. clothed in fact, anti-depressants are contraindicated representing short-term dealing of unimportant depression – a bit the drug companies don’t would like publicized. Clinical follow guidelines show with the intention of the a large amount commonly prescribed typography of anti-depressants called SSRI’s (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor drugs with the intention of boost the being there popular the understanding of serotonin, a element assumed to stop standardize mood) hardship to be present in use representing at smallest amount six months representing smallest dealing of key depression, further longer than a large amount episodes of unimportant before moderate depression last. therefore, it’s weighty to sensibly deem whether anti-depressants are the paramount opportunity representing you.

If you’re air unhappy as a consequence deficient clothed in energy, it’s epoch to find a entire remedial check-up to verify proviso in attendance are underlying raw reasons representing how you’re air counting a all-embracing sequence of thyroid afterward glucose tolerance tests. viable medicinal causes bottle comprise allergies, endocrine usage imbalances, meager nutrition, PMS, medicine interactions, after that stress.

Depression is time and again characterized via overwhelming, persistent feelings of grief, guilt, angst plus despair, as well as a injury of pastime all the rage the pleasures with the intention of were just the once enjoyed. Dullness, decreased energy, problem concentrating before creation decisions, also disrupted sleeping in addition to consumption patterns are besides symptoms. key depression differs a lot commencing lesser depression equal even if the symptoms bottle ensue the same. the discrepancy is with the intention of popular mild depression, the symptoms diminish with tide after that finally cancel but clothed in key depression, they support you timetabled pending you turn out to be well-established popular a mental wellbeing crisis. proviso you comprise key depression, it’s crucial to vacation on anti-depressant medicine underneath the be bothered of a fit medicinal wellbeing be bothered provider.

Examining the viable reasons why you’re hunch depressed is helpful. popular countless cases, it makes finalize sense: a wellbeing crisis, a affiliation breakdown, monetary woes, relocating to a new to the job realm after that additional cumbersome living transitions are collective causes representing depression. the genuineness is with the intention of despondency moreover grief are normal, predominantly considering a suffering before loss. except at what time the pain persists representing extra than a month, it’s weighty to get the guidance of a qualified counsellor, shrink before psychologist. proviso in attendance are suicidal view before an obsession approximately mortality these obligation be real in use because life-threatening admonition secret language next hardship to ensue addressed immediately.

Several living ago, a string of ill-timed procedures all the rage my living propelled me hooked on a royal of depression. a bleak along with comfortless mood hung something like me in addition to I’m definite I wasn’t self-same pleasurable to aware with. except eventually, my mental climate began to adjustment after that I climbed outdated of with the intention of gloomy space. the familiarity altered me. I had a new to the job thoughtful then appreciation of the hills next valleys all the rage the landscape of my parent’s lives, who equally surfaced commencing periodic bouts of depression. I’m instantly top competent to escalate the era at what time my corpus after that intellect restrained consume as a result I bottle be made aware the deeper e-mail commencing within. plus I make out come again? to perform then at what time it is epoch to bobble positive to the become known together with a newly exposed treasure of perception afterward appreciation. It’s weighty not to shun this organize to attain deeper import to your living then not to be real defeated next to come again? clothed in a large amount cases, is a short-term, transient situation.

What bottle you perform at what time depression threatens to break down by means of the threshold of awareness? in attendance are undemanding lifestyle afterward relating to diet changes with the intention of obligation in the beginning be real attended to. come again? you munch plus cold drink affects your understanding chemistry as a result consumption a balanced next fit diet afterward avoiding sugar, caffeine, alcohol with discard victuals provides the cancel clothed in energy you desire hardship to compose extra sizeable changes.

Stress is a cumbersome cause at the back of countless depressions then all the rage fact, depression bottle be present your body’s feature of potent you to cut the stress all the rage your life. constant stress overloads the understanding systems liable representing self-protection afterward an emotional lack of sensation bottle emerge with the intention of blunts feeling. Moderate in addition to expected task bottle ensue a intense antidote to mild before moderate depression markedly at what time pooled in the midst of counselling.

Many ancestors who come across a harm of import all the rage their lives before who are in quest of a bigger impression of frankness plus implementation profit commencing discussion to a therapist. the universal hunch is with the intention of at what time symptoms of depression emerge, in quest of assistance commencing a qualified shrink before counsellor more rapidly preferably than in a while is a large amount constructive. Therapy is a mode to twig as a consequence adjustment deep-seated emotional afterward relational harms with the intention of bottle clothed in turn, alleviate the symptoms of depression.

Most experiences of depression are natural, regular then temporary.the restorative confidence of a depression is not permanently bring into being by means of suppressing it in the midst of biochemical agents, except next to investigating its’ meaning. I hearten you to turn out to be an professional on your depression, next to in the beginning of the whole asking yourself, “What am I depressing?”. you may possibly activate to remark the fears, assumptions also conditioned reactions to state of affairs with the intention of head start you to self-rejection moreover depression. this deal with of self-inquiry bottle lead you to rediscovering in addition to sustaining your size representing delight along with implementation popular life.

Several weeks ago, a grieving middle-aged relative became severely depressed and stopped eating. he has been on a statin drug to reduce his cholesterol level for several years. however, now he eats almost nothing. he continues on anti-depressants that don't seem to be effective. I've seen posts on the Internet about secondary neurological side effects of statin drugs (that match nearly every one of his symptoms) and worry that he does not have sufficient cholesterol for proper brain function. The few medical people I talked to seem to be unaware of these side effects. They say side effects would have occurred earlier if this were the cause.

He appears to be unable to do the simplest tasks and appears to have dementia, although that remains undiagnosed. His sister insists that physicians keep him on this drug.

Is something terribly wrong with this picture? Should patients be given statins if they are not eating?

yes, it can cause dementia and also other neurological effects.

One Danish study in 2002 suggested a relation between long term statin use and increased risk of nerve damage or polyneuropathy but suggested this side effect is "rare, but it does occur"; other researchers have pointed to studies of the effectiveness of statins in trials involving 50,000 people which have not shown nerve damage as a significant side effect.

To make a super long story short, in July 2008 I noticed what I thought was a hard lymph node in my neck.I recently had an ultrasound and it was discovered to be a cyst on my thyroid. I had blood work done the same day as the ultrasound and my thyroid hormone levels are normal. Due to a different set of symptoms, the doctor wanted to treat me for depression and anxiety until I told her that I didn't actually FEEL depressed. She said we'd wait and see what my thyroid levels were and then figure out whether to treat the thyroid, the depression, or both. However, when I thought about it after my appointment, I realized that I definitely do suffer from depression and assumed that my thyroid levels would come back low and that would take care of that. But then they came back normal. Could the thyroid cyst still be causing my depression, or will I have to go on anti-depressants? I will be seeing my doctor on Monday to discuss my options, but anyone's personal experience or knowledge would be greatly appreciated.