It’s freaky really.
In a good way, but still freaky.
Nearly two weeks ago, Nate’s pediatrician agreed to put him back on the
antibiotics and antifungals that he was on in December when he had a big burst
of language and joint attention. In the
past two days, several people have told me they see a huge difference in him.
First up today was the speech pathologist at the private practice where he is
now being seen. He wouldn’t cooperate
with what she wanted him to do, but he used several words, and more importantly
he was paying attention. To the point
where he did such a typical little kid thing that I almost laughed out
loud. He was screaming because he was
angry that I picked him up early and took him somewhere as offensive as
SPEECH. Eventually he started to smile
and play with the speech pathologist, and then he would realize what he was
doing and his face would crumple and he would start screaming again. He had enough focus to remember that he was
supposed to be upset, not having fun. I
see little kids do this all the time- just never mine. The speech pathologist noticed it too, and
mentioned the fact that he wasn’t running laps like he had been before. When she handed him a ball he stared at it
(it was translucent) and said ball. He
did play with the ball and a little bird for a couple of minutes, but the
session was only 30 minutes.
Again this evening, when I picked up Nate at Cisco Center
one of the teachers mentioned that Nate seems different (and no she did not
know about the medication changes). In
fact she said this- “remember like a month and a half ago when Nate was
repeating everything we said and really making progress? He seems to be acting like that again this
week.” I told her about the medication
changes, and thanked her for letting me know what she saw. It’s just so encouraging when people who aren’t
aware of any changes in his treatment notice these differences. It’s also confirmation that I am headed in
the right direction. I did, however,
already notice it myself.
He is definitely repeating, he is definitely stimming less,
although he still grinds his teeth painfully frequently. And two days ago now, while I was changing
his diaper before school he picked up his brother’s stuffed bird, handed it to
me, and said “bird”. I freaked- this
child only names food objects, and usually not even then. Usually it’s “more” “go” “bye bye”, etc. He said bird!
Appropriately. Then- while still
holding the bird he said “bird fly”.
That’s all it took to turn me into a snotty mess. He repeats this on command now, which is
great, but the fact that he used the terms in the correct context means even
more. He has had several other new words
with us in the past few days, and he is definitely more aware of his
surroundings. Get a load of this!
One other thing that I started with him about a week ago was
grapefruit seed extract.
Grapefruit seed extract is a highly concentrated fungal
and microbial balancing extract. Grapefruit seed extract exerts these effects
within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, promoting healthy microflora and gut
ecology. A preliminary clinical trial reported that grapefruit seed extract
supplements helped support healthy GI function and comfort. An in vitro study
using human skin fibroblast cells indicated that grapefruit seed extract
promoted healthy gram-positive and gram-negative balance. Other studies support
these findings, citing that grapefruit seed extract promotes a healthy
environment when exposed to a wide range of bacterial biotypes.
We have tried this one other time in the past without much
effect, but this time he is also on the antibiotic and antifungal. I also ordered another natural supplement to
try- CD Herbal
CD-Herbal™ is a powerful hypoallergenic blend of herbal
components that support gastrointestinal health by helping control undesirable
gut flora. This product was formulated to be used with CD-Biotic™, a specialty
probiotic designed to support healthy gastrointestinal flora when certain difficult
bacteria have populated the gut.
Under certain circumstances and very frequently among
sensitive individuals, certain strains of bad bacteria become concentrated in
the gastrointestinal tract and are very difficult to eradicate using
conventional probiotics or drugs. This is especially true if the strain of
bacteria is a spore-forming organism. Spores of these types of organisms can
lie dormant in the gut following various types of control procedures, only to
repopulate when conditions are right.
CD-Herbal™ contains thyme, oregano and curcumin
(turmeric) herbs, all of which can exhibit inhibitory support on harmful gut
flora. It also contains cumin, an herb which stimulates the growth of the
probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum, which is also present in CD-Biotic™
and instrumental in helping crowd out undesirable flora.
This hasn’t arrived yet, but it should soon. Nate has also been on curcumin in the past
with a little improvement, so I am wondering how he will do with this
combination. As you can see from the
ingredients, it’s all very benign stuff.
I am doing these things while waiting for an appointment with Dr.
Usman. We submitted our paperwork last
Friday, and thus far received an email response of two words- thank you. That’s pretty much what I expected, knowing
how busy the practice is. I guess I will
have to start my stalker mommy calls in the next week or so. I feel like we at least have a reasonable
plan in place until we get in to see her.
On that note, I just want to mention how incredibly touched
our family has been by the donations we have received toward our trip to
Illinois. I mean, some donations are from
people we have never met, people that I have never even spoken to. We have also heard from people that we should
not be hearing from, people who have enough on their plates without worrying
about us. There’s really nothing else I
can say except thank you for your kindness and generosity. And thank you for having faith that I am
doing my very best for my children. That
is what means the most.
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