Weight, that is. Shaun's gaining weight. He's come a long way since last spring, when were were switching meds and having blood tests to see what was up with his weight loss. Since then, a lot has changed.
As most of you know, we've changed Shaun's (and our!) diet to accommodate his food sensitivities. This means that, for the most part, we are : wheat-free, milk-free, high fructose corn syrup-free, MSG free, food dye-free, white potato-free, grape-free, additive-free, preservative-free...and...medication-free! Since May. Yes, it has been tricky. And a pain. We've had screaming matches in the car over where we were NOT going to eat. And I'm sure I've hurt a few well-meaning people's feelings along the way. But it is so worth it.
He is a different child. He has self-control. He can control his anger. He no longer has seizures or mood swings. He isn't extremely hyperactive (most of the time! He's a boy...a little hyperactivity comes with the territory!) He's more out-going.
I wish Chris hadn't lost our camera cord so that I could post a picture of him. His skin tone is healthy. We can no longer count his ribs! He actually eats! His cheeks aren't sunken. He looks great! We've had to buy new pants because he couldn't button the old ones. What a wonderful problem to have, especially when I remember last spring, when he would literally not eat a bite all day long. He weighed 52 pounds back then. So skinny! I just weighed him and now he's up to...74 pounds!
He's healthy, too! Only one cold so far this winter. A huge improvement over winters past, when he'd have a runny nose and cough pretty much the whole winter. I'm so excited to take him in for his 10 year checkup in February. We haven't had the need to visit our doctor since May. I can't wait to see his reaction to all these improvements.
I owe it all to Dr Chris, our homeopathic specialist. And prayer. Of course prayer. I remember praying with Chris last spring for an answer. An answer that didn't involve adding new meds. We were literally watching our child waste away. I didn't realize just how bad he looked until a few weeks ago when I came across some old pictures. Anyway, we prayed hard for God's guidance on what to do. A few days later a friend gave me Dr Chris's name. We went for an appointment, and the rest is history.
I still have trouble believing that Shaun is on no medications and his "symptoms" are still being controlled. At one point he was on seven medications. SEVEN. No wonder he had no appetite! He was being treated for ADHD, Epilepsy, Bipolar Disorder, anxiety, and a sleeping disorder. Turns out the issues he was having were just reactions to certain foods.
Now, I know this may sound bad. But I'm so happy that those lablels are not attached to him anymore. I praise God for it every day. I also get irritated at doctors. Psychiatrists, especially. I don't understand why medication is always the first step in finding solutions for behavior disorders. My child is proof that there are better ways. More complicated ways, perhaps, but better for children. And parents....just because a doctor tells you your child needs medications does NOT mean that you have to do it! Especially psychiatrists. I had to learn this the hard way. Now, I know that some conditions do require medications, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. But sometimes, you need to go with your gut. I was told by our psychiatrist that Shaun would never be able to function normally without medication. And look at him now.
At the beginning of last year, I had started to research alternative solutions for behavioral issues. When I brought it up to Shaun's doctor, she laughed at me. That's right. She laughed and said that homeopathy was ridiculous and didn't work. If I had time, I would love to take Shaun for a visit. I wonder what she would have to say. But, I don't have the time to drive to Buford and wait three hours for a ten-minute appointment. So I'm thinking of sending her a letter instead. Nothing mean, just informative. But I probably will never find the time to do that, either!
So there you have it. I'm off my soap box now. But give me a little time and I'm sure I'll be right up back on it again!
Showing posts with label homeopathy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeopathy. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
What's for lunch?
I begin hearing these words around 10:00 am every day. Months ago, I had a ready-made answer: Sandwiches!
But not anymore. Shaun's wheat allergy has changed all that. Oh, I tried to keep making sandwiches work as a suitable lunch. I bought the rice bread. The rice bread that's really thick and dry and gritty. And costs 4 dollars for one small loaf. And that the kids wouldn't eat. So, no more sandwiches for us.
During the summer, I would cook a great meal for my boys at lunch time. Then, when our home school year started, I realized that I was wasting over an hour of my precious time cooking and cleaning up. Since my children still need to eat, despite how crunched for time I am, I came up with some quick, simply recipes that my children love. They're healthy, and I don't have to give the kids anything they shouldn't be eating. I'm really quite proud of myself. Here they are:
Mexican Beans and Rice (I made up this title)
white rice (kids are allergic to the brown)
black beans
salsa
Monterey Jack cheese
I just mix it all together and then top the mixture with some additional cheese. Then I bake it for awhile and its done. The kids eat this like its going out of style. I make a big casserole dish full, so we can eat on it for at least 2 days.
Pizza
Bob's Red Mill Gluten/Wheat Free pizza dough
flax mill and water (as an egg substitute for the dough)
tomato sauce (made without high fructose corn syrup)
ground beef
onion
Mozzarella cheese
I just make the dough, sautee the beef and onion, spread the sauce, sprinkle the cheese and bake. One bag of Bob's Red Mill dough mix is enough for 2 huge pizzas. So, once again, we can eat this meal for more than one day. The great thing about this dough is that it tastes almost like thin-crust dough made from what. Its actually pretty good. And again-- my boys eat it like its going out of style.
Veggies and Mac and Cheese
2 boxes of rice mac and cheese mix
green beans (fresh or canned)
crowder peas or black eyed peas
any other kind of vegetable I have in the house
Mac and cheese has been a favorite food of Shaun's since...um...I guess since he could eat. Ditto on the crowder peas. My granny has fed him crowder peas from her garden since he was about 9 months old. They're delicious and full of protein. I was so thrilled to find boxes of quick mac and cheese made from white rice noodles. Just like Kraft, only the kids can eat it. Its also really good. You can detect a difference in the noodles. Not a bad difference, just a difference. I also mix in some ground flax seed for additional nutrition. Served with vegetables, this is a quick and nutritious meal.
There you have it. What we've had for lunch this week. Not quite as easy as slapping some ham and cheese sandwiches together, but not too difficult either.
But not anymore. Shaun's wheat allergy has changed all that. Oh, I tried to keep making sandwiches work as a suitable lunch. I bought the rice bread. The rice bread that's really thick and dry and gritty. And costs 4 dollars for one small loaf. And that the kids wouldn't eat. So, no more sandwiches for us.
During the summer, I would cook a great meal for my boys at lunch time. Then, when our home school year started, I realized that I was wasting over an hour of my precious time cooking and cleaning up. Since my children still need to eat, despite how crunched for time I am, I came up with some quick, simply recipes that my children love. They're healthy, and I don't have to give the kids anything they shouldn't be eating. I'm really quite proud of myself. Here they are:
Mexican Beans and Rice (I made up this title)
white rice (kids are allergic to the brown)
black beans
salsa
Monterey Jack cheese
I just mix it all together and then top the mixture with some additional cheese. Then I bake it for awhile and its done. The kids eat this like its going out of style. I make a big casserole dish full, so we can eat on it for at least 2 days.
Pizza
Bob's Red Mill Gluten/Wheat Free pizza dough
flax mill and water (as an egg substitute for the dough)
tomato sauce (made without high fructose corn syrup)
ground beef
onion
Mozzarella cheese
I just make the dough, sautee the beef and onion, spread the sauce, sprinkle the cheese and bake. One bag of Bob's Red Mill dough mix is enough for 2 huge pizzas. So, once again, we can eat this meal for more than one day. The great thing about this dough is that it tastes almost like thin-crust dough made from what. Its actually pretty good. And again-- my boys eat it like its going out of style.
Veggies and Mac and Cheese
2 boxes of rice mac and cheese mix
green beans (fresh or canned)
crowder peas or black eyed peas
any other kind of vegetable I have in the house
Mac and cheese has been a favorite food of Shaun's since...um...I guess since he could eat. Ditto on the crowder peas. My granny has fed him crowder peas from her garden since he was about 9 months old. They're delicious and full of protein. I was so thrilled to find boxes of quick mac and cheese made from white rice noodles. Just like Kraft, only the kids can eat it. Its also really good. You can detect a difference in the noodles. Not a bad difference, just a difference. I also mix in some ground flax seed for additional nutrition. Served with vegetables, this is a quick and nutritious meal.
There you have it. What we've had for lunch this week. Not quite as easy as slapping some ham and cheese sandwiches together, but not too difficult either.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
What we've been eating lately
My, how our appetites have changed! Seriously, we're different people.
We changed our food choices this past Monday to comply with Shaun's new found food allergies. What an adventure its been. Because we live in G'ville, our choices were severely limited. So, mom and I made the trek to Natural Foods Warehouse last weekend. My new favorite store! We had planned to also visit Whole Foods Market, but we ran out of time. Plus we really really REALLY wanted to eat dinner at the Mellow Mushroom that's in the same complex as the Warehouse. Ahem. Anyway. Here's what we've been eating:
I knew I was in for a challenge. Shaun is a snacker. He doesn't care for sweets, but he could eat salty goodies such as chips, dip, peanuts, etc all day long. I knew I had to find a replacement for potato chips first thing, since they're his favorite food and potatos are one of the worst foods for him. The solution? If you can believe it, dried sugar snap peas. Really! They taste just like potato chips, and they're so healthy. A huge thanks for Wendy for telling me about them. I paired these up with milk-free french onion flavored cream cheese by Toffutti, and viola-- chips and dip. Snack crisis solved. We also found some delicious sweet potato chips that were a big hit.
Rice is also now a big thing with us. And, mind you, that's white rice, since he's allergic to the brown. We're now big fans of rice bread, rice crackers, rice spaghetti, rice flour- who knew you could make so many things out of rice? Its true- rice products are a dream come true to a boy with wheat allergies...and to his mom, too! They're actually pretty tasty, once you get used to it.
Almond milk. I'm not a huge fan of this, but the kids love it. They'll happily guzzle glass after glass at the same rate they guzzled plain old cow's milk. I can't do it. Not sure why. Its not that almond milk has a bad taste. Its just different, but I can't tell a difference when I cook with it.
Grilled chicken nuggets from Chick fil a. A big hit with everyone. They're so good. Thanks Amanda, for telling me about this. I had no idea that you could request your nuggets to be grilled instead of fried. All the taste without the what breading. And we can still eat out, which we have to do several times a week.
Fruit. Lots and lots of fruit. And vegetables. Absolutely no MSG and high fructose corn syrup.
And I've lost 4 pounds, just from not eating junky, chemical laden food. Life's good.
We changed our food choices this past Monday to comply with Shaun's new found food allergies. What an adventure its been. Because we live in G'ville, our choices were severely limited. So, mom and I made the trek to Natural Foods Warehouse last weekend. My new favorite store! We had planned to also visit Whole Foods Market, but we ran out of time. Plus we really really REALLY wanted to eat dinner at the Mellow Mushroom that's in the same complex as the Warehouse. Ahem. Anyway. Here's what we've been eating:
I knew I was in for a challenge. Shaun is a snacker. He doesn't care for sweets, but he could eat salty goodies such as chips, dip, peanuts, etc all day long. I knew I had to find a replacement for potato chips first thing, since they're his favorite food and potatos are one of the worst foods for him. The solution? If you can believe it, dried sugar snap peas. Really! They taste just like potato chips, and they're so healthy. A huge thanks for Wendy for telling me about them. I paired these up with milk-free french onion flavored cream cheese by Toffutti, and viola-- chips and dip. Snack crisis solved. We also found some delicious sweet potato chips that were a big hit.
Rice is also now a big thing with us. And, mind you, that's white rice, since he's allergic to the brown. We're now big fans of rice bread, rice crackers, rice spaghetti, rice flour- who knew you could make so many things out of rice? Its true- rice products are a dream come true to a boy with wheat allergies...and to his mom, too! They're actually pretty tasty, once you get used to it.
Almond milk. I'm not a huge fan of this, but the kids love it. They'll happily guzzle glass after glass at the same rate they guzzled plain old cow's milk. I can't do it. Not sure why. Its not that almond milk has a bad taste. Its just different, but I can't tell a difference when I cook with it.
Grilled chicken nuggets from Chick fil a. A big hit with everyone. They're so good. Thanks Amanda, for telling me about this. I had no idea that you could request your nuggets to be grilled instead of fried. All the taste without the what breading. And we can still eat out, which we have to do several times a week.
Fruit. Lots and lots of fruit. And vegetables. Absolutely no MSG and high fructose corn syrup.
And I've lost 4 pounds, just from not eating junky, chemical laden food. Life's good.
Monday, May 25, 2009
I WILL overcome
I've been down lately. I hesitated to write about this, but I know I'll overcome it and wanted to have something to look back on. When I do. Overcome this, that is. And I know I will, because God's promises are "Yes" and "Amen". Thanks, Pastor Richie!
What's got me down? Life, in a nut shell. Shaun is still hyper, Jordan won't obey, Chris has been working (and working and working) and traveling, I can't get the house cleaned, the yard looks like crap, I'm tired of worrying about money, I'm tired of feeling unappreciated, I'm tired of feeling as though my kids are being compared to others, I'm tired of this special diet we're trying with Shaun-- even though we haven't officially started it yet, and (warning: this is REALLY selfish) I'm tired of everyone making such a big fuss over my husband. Seriously. People at church act as if he hung the moon. And I'm stuck at home dealing with this mess. While he travels across the country and gets told over and over how awesome he is. And, to top it all off, he just got home from his last trip, came up and started telling me about his plane ticket was updated to first class last night. Yay for him.
Okay, I don't want to sound bitter. At least not TOO bitter. The point is, he IS awesome. He has amazing talent, he's a wonderful worship leader, and there's no doubt in my mind that he's doing exactly what God wants him to do. Which means that I'm doing what God wants ME to do-- supporting him and making it possible for him to work his ministry. But its tough here at home in this season we're in with the kids. I know God has it all worked out and He's going to use Shaun (and Jordan, too) for His glory. I sincerely believe there will be a day, if the Rapture doesn't happen first, that I will be able to look back on all of Shaun's accomplishments and say..."Wow. Lord, you really knew what you were doing all along. How foolish I was to freak out over silly things like medical reports and psychologicals".
I know the devil is a liar. I know its him whispering in my ear all day long that : I'm a failure with my kids; my kids will never succeed in anything; I'm a crappy wife and my marriage will never withstand the pressures that its under; my family's finances will never be cleared up; there's no way we can afford to eat the way we need to eat for Shaun's allergies; this diet won't make a difference, so he'll have to go back on medication anyway, so we'll be better off to go ahead and medicate; I'll never break free from my food addiction; I'll always have weight problems; I'm terrible because I can't manage to keep my house cleaned; I'm never going to be able to home school a child with a learning disability; its so unfair that Chris gets to go out and get all kinds of glory and attention; Chris doesn't appreciate me; I should just leave him and let him see how far he'd get without me; my family is disappointed with me; everyone is judging me; and no one understands what I'm going through.
Like I've said before, I know these are lies. So I'd like to take this moment to say: "SHUT UP, SATAN! GET OFF MY BACK. YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY OVER ME, MY LIFE, MY CHILDREN'S LIVES, MY HEALTH, MY KIDS' HEALTH, MY MARRIAGE, OR ANY OTHER THING YOU MAY BE PLOTTING AGAINST ME.
There now, that feels so much better! Now that he's under my feet, I can get on with my day.
What's got me down? Life, in a nut shell. Shaun is still hyper, Jordan won't obey, Chris has been working (and working and working) and traveling, I can't get the house cleaned, the yard looks like crap, I'm tired of worrying about money, I'm tired of feeling unappreciated, I'm tired of feeling as though my kids are being compared to others, I'm tired of this special diet we're trying with Shaun-- even though we haven't officially started it yet, and (warning: this is REALLY selfish) I'm tired of everyone making such a big fuss over my husband. Seriously. People at church act as if he hung the moon. And I'm stuck at home dealing with this mess. While he travels across the country and gets told over and over how awesome he is. And, to top it all off, he just got home from his last trip, came up and started telling me about his plane ticket was updated to first class last night. Yay for him.
Okay, I don't want to sound bitter. At least not TOO bitter. The point is, he IS awesome. He has amazing talent, he's a wonderful worship leader, and there's no doubt in my mind that he's doing exactly what God wants him to do. Which means that I'm doing what God wants ME to do-- supporting him and making it possible for him to work his ministry. But its tough here at home in this season we're in with the kids. I know God has it all worked out and He's going to use Shaun (and Jordan, too) for His glory. I sincerely believe there will be a day, if the Rapture doesn't happen first, that I will be able to look back on all of Shaun's accomplishments and say..."Wow. Lord, you really knew what you were doing all along. How foolish I was to freak out over silly things like medical reports and psychologicals".
I know the devil is a liar. I know its him whispering in my ear all day long that : I'm a failure with my kids; my kids will never succeed in anything; I'm a crappy wife and my marriage will never withstand the pressures that its under; my family's finances will never be cleared up; there's no way we can afford to eat the way we need to eat for Shaun's allergies; this diet won't make a difference, so he'll have to go back on medication anyway, so we'll be better off to go ahead and medicate; I'll never break free from my food addiction; I'll always have weight problems; I'm terrible because I can't manage to keep my house cleaned; I'm never going to be able to home school a child with a learning disability; its so unfair that Chris gets to go out and get all kinds of glory and attention; Chris doesn't appreciate me; I should just leave him and let him see how far he'd get without me; my family is disappointed with me; everyone is judging me; and no one understands what I'm going through.
Like I've said before, I know these are lies. So I'd like to take this moment to say: "SHUT UP, SATAN! GET OFF MY BACK. YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY OVER ME, MY LIFE, MY CHILDREN'S LIVES, MY HEALTH, MY KIDS' HEALTH, MY MARRIAGE, OR ANY OTHER THING YOU MAY BE PLOTTING AGAINST ME.
There now, that feels so much better! Now that he's under my feet, I can get on with my day.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Allergies
Who ever heard of someone being allergic to corn? I hadn't. But Shaun is. We visited a homeopathic specialist today and found out that (among other things) Shaun is also intolerant of wheat, gluten, MSG, milk, eggs, brown rice, and a whole slew of sweeteners and preservatives.
I was surprised. I suspected the gluten and already knew he was sensitive to dyes, but wheat? Milk? Who knew. Dr Chris is pretty sure that if we change Shaun's diet, a lot of his...um...how should I word this...unfavorable symptoms should be eliminated.
We're in for some major changes over here!
I was surprised. I suspected the gluten and already knew he was sensitive to dyes, but wheat? Milk? Who knew. Dr Chris is pretty sure that if we change Shaun's diet, a lot of his...um...how should I word this...unfavorable symptoms should be eliminated.
We're in for some major changes over here!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Not Me! Monday
Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.
I did NOT have a really really REALLY rough week last week. My husband did NOT work for 36 straight hours, leaving me home to take care of our kids all by myself. And I do NOT realize how entirely and utterly selfish that sounds!
Anyone who knows me knows that I used to sing the praises of ADHD and other mood disorder medicines. So I did NOT make an appointment for Shaun to see a homeopathic specialist who will test him for food allergies before I result to medicating him again. NOT ME!
At Tae Kwon Do last week, Jordan went to the rest room. I did NOT become so engaged in a conversation with another mom that I didn't notice when Jordan waltzed out of the restroom minus his underwear and his shorts. I did NOT quickly scoop him up and sprint back to the restoom only to discover that he had locked his clothes inside the bathroom. I also did NOT have to walk to the front desk with my half-naked baby to obtain the key to the restroom. And all the other parents definitely did NOT have a huge chuckle at my expense.
After the same class, I did NOT load the kids into the van and decide to eat from a box AGAIN. I also did NOT forget, in my tired and frustrated state, to place the van in "park" when I got out to give the kids their KFC meals. My van was parked on an incline and should have rolled backwards, into KFC. So, my guardian angel was NOT working overtime when he gently nudged my van in the opposite direction...forward and into the parking lot curb. After all this, I did NOT silently thank God for always taking care of us and cry quiet, happy tears the rest of the way home.
I did NOT need a break from all of this drama by Friday night. So I did NOT send my tired, overworked husband (along with Shaun) back to church for a Children's event. I did NOT lay a guilt trip on him, saying how much he was needed there, and I also did NOT mention how much those little kids absolutely love him. When he (finally) left, I did NOT give Jordan half a dose of Benedryl to tire him out so that he'd go to sleep early. And when he did, I definitely did NOT collapse on the couch for 2 hours without moving a muscle. And it did NOT feel absolutely wonderful.
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