Nutritional Consult

Thanks for sticking around, even though my posts have been minimal as of late.  It is for good reason.  I am soaking up every moment that I can with the fam - and enjoying the glimpses of warm weather we have  had!  I hope you have too!

As I noted in a recent update, we decided to meet with a nutritionist (Dr. Shaw).  We sent away a hair sample as this the superior way to determine if heavy metals are present.  Here is what D's sample yielded:

• No significant heavy metal levels
• Very low mineral levels
• Very low Chromium levels
• High Iodine levels

It's a mix of good news and not-so-good news.  With no heavy metals in the toxic levels, there is no need for oral chelation.  That's the good news.  The concerning news is that all the major minerals are low, indicating that he is not absorbing minerals as he should.  Of most concern is chromium, which is a very important mineral in regulating blood sugar levels.  The high iodine levels in the hair suggest that it is NOT being absorbed elsewhere.

So, what does all this mean? 

The fact that D's chromium levels are so low indicates that he already has trouble regulating blood sugar (it spikes then drops rather than a slow, controlled burn off).   The malabsorption of minerals is likely due to inflammation in the intestinal tract, which is likely due to an allergy/sensitivity to gluten and/or dairy.  And we were given a diagnosis for D regarding the nutritional findings - hyper-reactive hypoglycemia. 

The remedy is pretty simple. Yet it is requiring us to re-evaluate a lot of things we eat and do as a family.  Here's our plan:

• Supplement chromium to help regulate blood sugar
• Continue with current multi-vitamin and Omega 3's
• Add Vitamin D
• Add "Attention Gels", which is a supplement to help, well, you guessed it...attention!
• Remove the common high allergy foods - wheat and dairy
• Remove sugar (ouch, hard one!!!)
• Make sure that all meals/snack have protein component
• Buy Iodized salt for use at home

We have emphasized making D a part of this process, from candidly talking about the results (in 5 year old terms) to taking him to the store to pick out foods.  And he seems to be okay with it.  But, he hasn't been faced with much temptation yet... 

Dr. Shaw has treated PDD with much success, and is confident that we will see a 30-50% improvement in his behavior within 30 days, if not sooner.  

Much of the findings make sense as we often see episodes of anger/frustration that were probably occurring when his blood sugar was crashing.  We are anxious to see if this new diet helps - and I think we will all feel better as we really focus on eating better foods.

We have not stopped pursuit of an "official" diagnosis because he will need it to get help in the school system.  D is scheduled for testing on May 4th.  We would so appreciate your prayers as this day approaches.

xoxo,

Chele

Reward 2 and an Update

As promised, I am here to share with you an update on our work with the child psychologist, specifically regarding the use of rewards for behavior modification.  I know, I know...it's been a long time coming.  And I have a general update on all things D-man since it's been so long!

At one of our recent visits, I spoke candidly to the psychologist about rewarding D's behavior.  She heard me through all the concerns that I had.  If you missed it, you can find it here.

Her response was encouraging.  Of course she gave me the "why" behind it and a bit into the science of it, but was absolutely willing to meet us where our parenting decisions stand.  Actually, the behavior chart helped us to narrow down the biggest issues that D was having.  So, at this time, we have shifted our focus to trying to handle D's difficulty with transitions and aggression.  This is not any easy task at home during the day with 3 little ones to care for alone.

For the most part, I have a handle on things when we are at home and he functions pretty well as he knows what to expect here.  But, it's important that he be able to function outside of this bubble.  When something comes his way that is unexpected, its meltdown city, and it leaves me feeling helpless (and feeling the weight of staring eyes when we are in public).

In talking with others, it came to my attention that D might benefit from wrap around services, which would be provided in our home and/or in the classroom.  THAT is really what he needs.  Going into a room to talk about how he feels just isn't providing the change we desire.  In fact, he often becomes frustrated, asking me "why do I have to go to all these appointments?", which tugs at my heartstrings for sure.  I am pursing all kinds of paperwork to get that going.

Occupational Therapy is going exceptionally well.  The focus of each therapy session is largely channeling his sensory issues and to a smaller extent, working on his fine motor deficits (hand strength, handwriting, visual attention, etc).  We have lots of "homework" from therapy, which keeps us busy during the day.  We are doing the Wilbarger Brushing Protocol daily in an effort to help calm him. 

And lastly, we have consulted with a clinical nutritionist, with whom I have worked with in the past.  I have heard others using this approach with children with PDD (pervasive developmental disorder, which is his medical diagnosis at this time) and have seen success.  I firmly believe that food can directly affect how good or bad we feel.  I have had my own success story working with dietary changes to reduce tinnitus in my ears. The ringing is distracting - I can hear it right now!  And it can be awful sounding like you just left a loud rock concert every night while trying to go to sleep.  When I eat the foods that can influence the inner ear, the ringing is worse and vice versa to make it better.  

The first step was to test for heavy metal toxicity.  We are awaiting the results.  And those results will help the doctor create a plan for D.  I expect to have another appointment with him in the next week or so.  As Dr. Shaw explained, we all metabolize things differently.  And D may not be able to excrete the heavy metals as well as some other kiddos.  He also felt that D was a good candidate for nutritional intervention because of his personality and the fact that his "episodes" of anger/frustration are not constant.  

That's about all the excitement happening around our abode!  Most days are busy and exhausting, but we count ourselves blessed to be together as a family.

xoxo,
Chele


*I realized that a nutritional approach is not fit for everyone, nor in line with everyone's beliefs.  Thus, I have disabled comments at the end of this post.  My heart is to just share with you what we are doing.