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[quote=Anonymous]I was with a woman for several years who has a dd much like yours OP. When I met the little girl she was 7 and weighed 22lbs and wore a size 18-24mos clothing. She was very, very small and at age 8 it was recommended she have a feeding tube as she was diagnosed as failure to thrive.
Sarah (the little girl) would eat in a day perhaps 10 grapes and a cracker and be full for the entire day. Sarah also suffers from anxiety and because she had always eaten so little to begin with and then even less than that, her stomach felt full with almost no food. Sarah’s mom was in agreement about the feeding tube but Sarah begged and pleaded not to get one. So she didn’t, and at one point stopped eating entirely. She had been so chronically malnourished that her brain just stopped signaling that her body was in need of food. 
When she was almost 9 Sarah only weighed 25lbs. But she also started therapy- talk therapy as well as physical therapy for possible sensory issues. It was a long, long road but eventually the therapist convinced Sarah’s mom to stop talking about food with Sarah. The therapist created a 100% hands off approach by mom. Sarah was in charge of her own body and that included food intake. 
And within 6mos Sarah gained 10lbs. She’s going to be 13 this year and while still on the small side, Sarah weighs 67lbs. She’s menstruating (which can be a problem for chronically starved females), and has just started to get a little definition to her body, versus the very concave look she had before. She’s come a long way.
I say all of this to offer my experience with a very underweight child and that there is some hope and a light at the end of the tunnel.
I wish you and your dd well.

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