CHAPTER 76

Original: 2008-10-02

Rewritten: 2026-07-20

Lun needs to take psychiatric medication to stabilize his emotions. One of its side effects is a greatly increased appetite, which caused him to gain weight continuously.

Fortunately, Lun eventually succeeded in losing the excess weight and returned to a healthy body shape.

In mid-December last year, Lun experienced significant emotional fluctuations, and his psychiatric medication had to be adjusted. The new medication successfully stabilized his mood, but within just two weeks he gained six pounds.

Lun is small in stature, standing at less than 5 feet 3 inches tall. Since childhood, he has been a picky eater with a small appetite and little interest in exercise. He has a slight build, and because he has difficulty falling asleep and sleeps very little, he has always been thin. When he moved into the group home two and a half years ago, he weighed only 96 pounds.

Thanks to the attentive care of the group home, he received balanced meals, a more varied diet, and regular mealtimes. His weight gradually increased, and by mid-December last year he had already gained more than ten pounds. The additional six-pound gain suggested that the upward trend was far from over.

Every weekend we took him out for meals, and he truly ate with an astonishing appetite. The three of us would order four afternoon tea sets, and he would keep his hands and mouth busy until every last bite was gone. Afterwards, we would stop at the supermarket to buy snacks. Although he was limited to choosing only two items, the first thing he did upon returning home was open the refrigerator in search of more food. Cookies, instant noodles, leftover fried rice, luncheon meat—he would eat one item after another. My wife and I had to keep up with him while staying busy for another two hours.

He ate until he let out loud sighs of satisfaction. Watching him was both shocking and worrying. It was as if he had lost the ability to control his appetite and remained in a constant state of hunger.

Each week when we helped him bathe and change clothes, we noticed his belly growing larger than before. His face had become chubby, and his whole body looked much heavier.

At first, we were delighted. Parents naturally like to see their children looking a little plump and well-fed. But gradually we realized something was wrong. We began to wonder what Lun would eventually become if this continued.

By that summer, he weighed nine pounds more than I had at the same age, even though he was three inches shorter. In total, he had gained 30 pounds.

After discussing the situation with his psychiatric team, we all agreed that Lun's emotional condition had remained stable for quite some time and that it would be appropriate to reduce his medication to prevent further weight gain and the health problems that might follow.

After his medication was reduced, Lun remained emotionally stable, but his appetite gradually decreased. When we took him out to eat, he would finally stop eating on his own.

At the group home, he also began regulating himself. If he ate more at one meal, he would naturally eat less at the next. Day by day, his belly became smaller, and his handsome appearance returned. Seeing this gave my wife and me great peace of mind.

The old saying, "Every medicine carries some degree of toxicity," has never felt more meaningful than it did this time.

Postscript: At this moment, eighteen years later in July 2026, Lun is asleep in a ward at the new psychiatric building. Over the past two months, he has endured overwhelming anxiety, pacing back and forth throughout the day, and he has been steadily losing weight. It is heartbreaking to watch. Reading this article again, I can only place my hope in the medical team to guide him safely through this difficult time.This translation preserves the original tone and narrative while reading naturally in English.