Recovery

It's a big thing around here. It's all the buzz. I took Kai to the neurologist yesterday and he no longer qualifies under the DSM IV as having autism. His speech will get better, I mean, we're working miracles over here and he just started talking in October. Yet, I don't know what to make of it. He's always going to have other issues, we don't know what yet, like anxiety, he still gets angry if I take him the "wrong" way home, etc.

My husband asked me today, "so, how do you feel".

"what do you mean?" I said.

"Do you feel like those people that get cancer and once they find out they're in remission, they get all upset about it."

"I think you've watched one to many episodes of breaking bad," I replied.

Honestly though, I really don't know what to make of it. The neurologist is keeping his label until next year or the year after that, when i see him again. He doesn't want to take it off until we're done with all therapy.

Honestly for speech. He's only behind a couple of months...which is crazy since he just started speaking.

ABA, we're taking him out. Even his BCBA agreed. He did exceedingly well on his ABLLS.

We have an OT eval this Wednesday. I'm not cancelling any evaluations, I've been waiting to long, I figure, if we need anything, get it while we can. The only thing he might need help with is riding a tricycle (really) and his handwriting. He's still ambidextrous. Which might be the reason why he has problems drawing. He uses both hands equally.

We would still like to do Floortime, just for some social work. It would be a group setting. Honestly though, once he warms up to you, he has no problem asking you to play. Yes, he has friends and he call them over to play...he even asks for them when they are not around.

Anyway, we'll see where this all takes us, I'm still treading cautiously though.

Folow-up DAN! doctor.

Okay, so today was the follow up. I have to say it went really well!! There wasn't too much going on except for an inflammation in his intestines, which we all kind of new because of the horrible diarrhea he had been having. He did show high levels of certain toxins, mainly arsenic (there were more, but that was the highest). That was all they found and his doctor said that it was probably caused by toxins in the food that he used to eat and he should be fine (you excrete it when you urinate).

I have to say that since we've gone, Kai has been talking up a storm. I mean sentences and answering questions. I don't know what exactly is doing it, but all these extra supplements isn't hurting. Not only that, honestly, he loves his vitamins. He asks for them every morning and night. "vitamins!vitamins!...mommy, vitamins please!" They must be making him feel better, or he wouldn't be so insistent on taking something that quite honestly makes me cringe. And yes, I've tried everything he's taken. I'm on the diet with him.

Having said that I thought perhaps a good idea to list the supplements he's taking and what it's for...primarily for my own use and also so I have a good reference for my own personal reference, should I need it one day.

So, this is what he prescribes all his patients.

Couple of minutes before breakfast and taken together

• B-12
• Lipoflow forte

During breakfast

• IgG SD
• Probiotic
• Fish Oil
• Minerals

At night

• Calcium Magnesium Zinc

Follow up breakfast supplement (added 7/10/09)

• DMG-125

****THE LIST*****

Calcium and Magnesium- Calcium is important for bones and with a child on a gf/cf/sf diet, it's important. Magnesium is important in methylation and sufation. the processes that correct heavy metal overload. sypmtoms of magnesium deficiency are depression or anxiety, comstipaiton, tics, spasms, and poor appetite. (Bock)

DMG-125-increases methylization. Facilitates toxins through the urine. (Bock)

Fish oil- rich in vitamin d, vitamin, a and essential fatty acids. Everyone should be taking this.

Methyl B-12-methylcobalamin--detoxifying heavy metals (Bock)

Vitamin/mineral-who doesn't need these?

Probiotics-healthy bacteria that promote good digestion and help control dysbiotic gut flora, such as candida (Bock)

Zinc-"no zinc no think" helps cognitive functioning. Zinc deficiency impairs digestion, methylation, and immune response. Often occurs because of GI dysfunction (Bock)

Well, that's all for now. We go back in three months. He also said that we would do one more hair and stool sample. After that, he would start taking some supplements away. You know, all this would have been done along time ago had our pediatrician just sent us to a gastroenterologist two years ago. Shame on them. It took us this long....it would have been sooner, but hurricane season striked and unfortunately our appt coincided with Ike. Better late then never.

Turning green.

Okay, so this is where my husband thinks I'm going nuts.

So, my son and his sister have both been on the gf/cf/sf diet. Great, he's eating food he never would have touched before. His bowel movements are solid...for the first time ever!! He's saying sentences like crazy. He's more stubborn then ever, however i do think that's a symptom of being three though.

So, here's the issue. The kids, and myself, are gf/cf/sf. We don't do any artificial coloring or flavorings (if you want info..look at studies that the UK have done in relation to how kids act). I'm also incredibly strict on NO MSG!!! I swear, they hide that stuff everywhere! We eat all organic and I don't do substitutes, I make everything from scratch. Seriously, what's the point of trying to keep your kids' brains healthy if you're still feeding them the same stuff that's not nutrient dense. We're also ordering a cow that eats organic grass only, no grain fed cow for us. The cows have never been given unnatural food, pesticides, chemicals, and have never been vaccinated. This company is rare in that respect.

So fine. My husband says he's starving (which is funny, because he's gained 20 lbs). But he also thinks I've lost it.

I read a lot. Yes, I used to be vegan and i used to be in earth club in high school. I was one of those people, i wen to demonstrations, did the whole thing. Fast forward to now, i'm totally different. I don't recycle (my husbands weird about it and i didn't want to fight the battle), I eat meat, and I don't take into consideration what effects everything in my household may have on our children.

So, what did I decide...we're going green!! Maybe not off the grid..but we're starting.

The more I thought and thought and read and read...the more I'm just appalled at the lack of thought that I've been putting into our health and our daily lives. For this apathetic way of life, our kids our suffering. We don't know the effects that all these chemicals are having. I knew about the NJ study they did on the water and the souring autism rates. I know there is clusters of autism around refineries. I even heard about the less boys being born and the rates of sterility in men. All this because of synthetic chemicals. Chemicals that haven't even been tested. The more I thought about it, the more I thought, this has got to change in our household. My daughter has horrible eczema, which several of her doctors just said that it was some sort of allergen, change your detergent. Thanks guys...the same doctors who said there was nothing wrong with my son when i was asking to get him evaluated for autism and made me wait for a year. I digress.

In any case, I'm doing it. I plan on having chemicals out by the end of the year. I'm going to have to make some sort of itinerary list for my husband so he doesn't freak out. *Yes, he needs itineraries and lists or he freaks out big time. He can't handle change. I would like to see where this leads in regards to my kids skin issues. I'm also going to begin buying all their clothes organic. I know, I'm going overboard, a bit, but that's just how we are in my family...it's all or nothing. I know it's going to be a slow process, but eventually, it will become second nature.

If anything, it will teach my kids how to respect the environment, but more importantly, to respect themselves. Everything we do comes with a consequence. My son is just now beginning to learn that. For the first time in a year, he head banged, only once. He started to laugh and then looked shocked. He didn't expect it to hurt I suppose. Yesterday he started slamming his little sisters head against the shopping cart, I stopped him. He got said because I was mad and tried to lay his head on his sister. She bit him. Natural consequences. I don't condone biting...but every action has a reaction. I think he's just now figuring that out in his own little way...no matter how painful.

I hope my husband finally gets over the inconvenience of it all and realizes that this is for our health. Most importantly for our children's health. (^_^)