We have been very busy with new diets, NAET, Neurology appointments, DAN! appointments, and I had the opportunity to attend the Austim Research Institute’s Fall Conference in Las Vegas. When I say, “I had the opportunity,” I should clarify that I begged my husband to withdraw more money from our savings account because I knew I would gain new information to benefit Aidan. And I did.
Low Oxalate Diet
A little over a year ago, our nutritionist asked me if Aidan had an issue with oxalates. I had no idea what an oxalate is! When I read about the symptoms associated with eating high oxalate foods, it didn’t sound anything like Aidan. Then, in September, I started to notice that Aidan would come home from school and go to the bathroom three times within a forty-five minute period. I thought this was odd, and I asked his teachers if he was doing this at school and they said no. Yet, every day when he came home he would pee three to four times within an hour. His mood swings had also become a problem again, and his bloated tummy and stomach pain would still come and go. I remembered that many parents who used this diet, had the same concerns- mood sings, constant uncomfortable urination and stomach bloating. When I looked over the list of high oxalate foods, all of Aidan’s favorite foods were listed as “high” or “extremely high” in oxalates. I decided to give the Low Oxalate Diet a try.
The first two weeks brought non-stop diarrhea. Apparently this is very common. After two weeks on the diet, my husband and I definitely noticed a change in Aidan’s mood. He was happy and engaging with much fewer meltdowns and mood swings. His stomach became FLAT. His tummy stayed this way for about a month, but now we are back to alternating Buddah Belly with a flat tummy. Most importantly, he began having such easy bowel movements. Aidan has always been a constipated kid (aside from the diarrhea experienced in the beginning of the diet), so this has been a wonderful improvement.
Our biggest obstacle now is trying to following a GAPS/SCD style diet while sticking to low oxalate foods. I am beginning to think this may be impossible. Right now, I am still making some things with rice and corn noodles. Hopefully I can figure out enough good alternatives after I finish ready Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Natasha McBride!
NAET
I love NAET. Aidan has completed four treatments, and his face and eyes look brighter. The dark circles are not as pronounced as they used to be. Even our practitioner was blown away by how healthy he looked at our last appointment. We have also been able to reintroduce eggs without any issues. Now, I can’t say for sure if these changes are due to NAET or our recent diet (low oxalate) changes, but I really believe it is the NAET.
I have also completed four NAET treatments, and I feel really great. The biggest improvement (that still amazes me) is after seventeen years of getting eczema any time I consumed dairy, I can eat cheese with no eczema at all!
Neurology
Not much to update on here. Aidan successfully (I am still SO proud of him) completed a one-hour EEG with no sedation. The Neurologist wanted him sedated and when I told him I didn’t feel comfortable with sedation he said, “I’ll humor you. You can try it without sedation, but most kids with ASD need to be sedated.” Aidan was a trooper! He sat patiently while the tech put all of the little electrodes on his head. I was pleasantly surprised. We are still waiting for the results.
Our new DAN! Doctor
About nine months ago, I told Aidan’s doctor that I did not feel comfortable with IV chelation or high dose chelation. At that point, he told us that we could follow the Andy Cutler protocol, but that he could not support us, and he didn’t feel like it would pull enough metals to make a difference. Then, (after my worms in the poop incident), I told Aidan’s practitioner what had happened and said that Aidan also fits many of the symptoms of having parasites. He told me I would have to do another stool test to see if parasites showed up. Huh? If you read even the most basic book on parasites, you would know that chances are it ain’t gonna show up in a stool sample. So then I asked if I could put Aidan on a natural parasite tincture and he recommended things that are normally used for treating bacteria. No mention of Black walnut, wormwood, pumpkin seed, etc. That was the turning point. I knew we needed a new doctor. I didn’t care if we had to fly half way around the world and pull more money from our savings, I wanted the BEST doctor for Aidan. Someone who knows about all of the things that I am interested in exploring with Aidan- Andy Cutler chelation, homeopathy, natural antivirals, energy testing…
After asking people who had recovered their kids, “Who is your doctor?” I found that the majority gave two names. However, one of the two really stood out because their practice supports Andy Cutler chelation, homeopathy and energy testing. Since we starting working with a local Naturopath that does energy testing, I have realized how beneficial it is for Aidan. It helps give me guidance on what his most pressing issues are and what supplements are a good fit for him. I know this sounds a little hippy dippy and spacey, but it works!
So, we had our first appointment with our DAN! Doctor. I say “we” because she is now my doctor too : ) and it was exactly what I hoped for. She asked us so many questions, and really seemed to listen (and truly hear) all of our concerns. The appointment concluded by energy testing every supplement that she thought would help Aidan (and myself). During our visit Aidan and I were both tested for Cerebral Folate Deficiency. I decided to take the test with Aidan because I want to have more children and thought it would be helpful to see if I show any abnormalities in this area.
Things we found from Aidan’s appointment:
- Aidan still has major yeast/bacteria/gut issues and is also believed to have parasites. We cannot treat the parasites until yeast/bacteria is better under control. We have a new protocol to address this, and the doctor recommended looking into a GAPS diet.
- Some of Aidan’s energy testing came up positive for Lyme. I told the doctor that this was always a suspicion of mine since Aidan’s regression.
- Aidan’s Urine Toxic Metals challenge are “higher than any other patient I have seen!” This is now the second doctor to tell us this : ( We really need to get the lead OUT!
- We are going to continue to put chelation on hold until his gut is in better condition.
- We need to treat his adrenal fatigue with natural supplements
