Judah has been gluten-free for nine days.
I have a friend who's son basically started talking overnight after being on a gluten free diet for a while (I don't know how long). I have another friend who's baby had a bad rash on his face. She was still nursing him. She took gluten out of her diet without even realizing it & suddenly the rash was gone, and has been gone ever since then. Some of the thoughts behind gluten-free are that we aren't eating the same wheat anymore. The new wheat has been chemically treated & bleached, not to mention other things. Since wheat isn't wheat anymore, it's obviously going to affect us differently. The kids above may have had gluten intolerance or modern wheat sensitivity. I'm reading that allergies to modern wheat are not too common, but that could have been a possibility as well (especially with the rash). Thankfully there are gluten-free sections slowly growing at grocery stores & other places. This will make it easier for those affected by wheat & those choosing gluten-free diets to transition.
We aren't a family that diets well. Scott can do it. He gave up sugar & caffeine for months once. I lasted a month (which felt like a year). When the doctor told us a gluten-free diet might help with Judah's constipation I was nervous that we wouldn't be able to follow through 100%. But for 9 days we have, especially thanks to the support of Mom & Dave. His constipation pains are still there, usually about every 10 minutes. I really feel like we need to take him to a gastroenterologist. We saw the doctor less than a week ago & have called for assistance twice since then. Today they basically told me to give him piles of Miralax, crush a laxative & hide it in his food & then go back to the Miralax until the doctor says to stop (which she said could be a very long time). Worst case scenario was to use an enema. So the 9 days of gluten-free hasn't shown a huge effect on his bowels. He did poop twice today & was in pain much less frequently, but the fact that he is still not even close to okay (in my opinion) makes me feel that there may be a deeper issue. I hate seeing him in pain. This has to end soon.
So the gluten-free hasn't done much (if anything) for the constipation, however, it may have done something for his development. I swear he was understanding instructions today like I have never seen before. It wasn't a dramatic change in understanding but it was enough to make me cry. He really seemed to understand quite a bit. But you never know if it's a coincidence or if he is really understanding. There are many things that he consistently understands, but today was far better. For example, we were walking up the sidewalk to a building & were still pretty far from the door. I told him to push the button. When we got to the door he went directly to the button & pushed it. In the elevator I asked him to push the number 3. He pushed the number 3. ???!? He was very engaged in a television show & I said his name twice & then asked him to come eat. He turned around & came to the table. He was definitely responding to his name well today. He was laying on the changing table & I told him we could do the potty next time. I asked him to say potty, repeating it a few times for him. At that point he said, "Pa - dee" probably 4 or 5 times. I began enunciating the "t" very clearly & he looked at me & said, not once but twice, "Potty", clear as day. Tears of joy.
So I'm questioning.. was it the new diet or is he just progressing? Of course there is no way of knowing. We will stay on the gluten-free though, I'm not risking it!
The microwave went off tonight and Willow said, "Boffee!!", because she knew my coffee was in it. She is so funny. Scott & Sebastian went to the dentist today. Sebastian let the hygienist know that Daddy does not floss, ever. Sebastian got his teeth cleaned today. It took over an hour. Scott was with him. Apparently Sebastian would curl up in the chair & refuse to open his mouth. At one point he got up and tried to run away. The hygienist (who used to work at a dental office specifically for children) tried everything. Finally she suggested that Scott leave the room. What do you know, Sebastian was done in no time! The hygienist's daughter is in Sebastian's class at school. He had a sub at school today. She was a little, old Asian lady. I asked Sebastian if the sub knew Spanish (the last one barely did) & he said he never heard her speak any Spanish during the entire class. Very frustrating. Their snacks are frustrating - parents bring in cookies, gummy candies, etc. on their snack days. His old school required at least one fruit or one veggie & a gallon of water. These kids don't get anything to drink & snack is distributed to them 5 minutes before they leave for the day. They can stay & eat or take it with them. Why are we bringing snack if they are just running out the door with it? Why aren't they eating together & acknowledging the kid who brought the snack? He is learning a lot of Spanish. I suggested we do a craft with my magazines this evening. He cut out anything he saw in the magazine that was blue & said it was his "azul" page. It's really cool. He worked on it for hours. So there is definitely motivation coming from school. He also read with Daddy tonight. He worked hard today.
Again, another un-edited entry. We've just got some important stuff to get done tonight. Tomorrow I'm meeting with Judah's teacher for a bit so she can explain the new curriculum they are going to start using. We talked on the phone today for quite a while. I told her I plan on spending a day there to see Judah in action. She was pleased. We somewhat agreed to a time of the month to have a team meeting. Apparently every member of Judah's team is new this year. She said it's like that every year. So much for consistency huh. These new people don't even know Judah, how are they going to help write up an IFSP containing things like his goals, the amount of time he should get with certain therapists, etc.? I'm planning on reading up on IFSP's before we actually have our meeting. Dad is sending me books. That way Scott & I can be prepared & able to direct our son's school time in the most productive manner. His teacher is actually his new case manager. From talking with her on the phone I was much relieved to discover that she had a pretty extensive knowledge of how to work with the students. She seems to know her job & seems anxious to get plans into action. I was pleased.
Daddy is home with Taco Bell.. goodnight.
I have a friend who's son basically started talking overnight after being on a gluten free diet for a while (I don't know how long). I have another friend who's baby had a bad rash on his face. She was still nursing him. She took gluten out of her diet without even realizing it & suddenly the rash was gone, and has been gone ever since then. Some of the thoughts behind gluten-free are that we aren't eating the same wheat anymore. The new wheat has been chemically treated & bleached, not to mention other things. Since wheat isn't wheat anymore, it's obviously going to affect us differently. The kids above may have had gluten intolerance or modern wheat sensitivity. I'm reading that allergies to modern wheat are not too common, but that could have been a possibility as well (especially with the rash). Thankfully there are gluten-free sections slowly growing at grocery stores & other places. This will make it easier for those affected by wheat & those choosing gluten-free diets to transition.
We aren't a family that diets well. Scott can do it. He gave up sugar & caffeine for months once. I lasted a month (which felt like a year). When the doctor told us a gluten-free diet might help with Judah's constipation I was nervous that we wouldn't be able to follow through 100%. But for 9 days we have, especially thanks to the support of Mom & Dave. His constipation pains are still there, usually about every 10 minutes. I really feel like we need to take him to a gastroenterologist. We saw the doctor less than a week ago & have called for assistance twice since then. Today they basically told me to give him piles of Miralax, crush a laxative & hide it in his food & then go back to the Miralax until the doctor says to stop (which she said could be a very long time). Worst case scenario was to use an enema. So the 9 days of gluten-free hasn't shown a huge effect on his bowels. He did poop twice today & was in pain much less frequently, but the fact that he is still not even close to okay (in my opinion) makes me feel that there may be a deeper issue. I hate seeing him in pain. This has to end soon.
So the gluten-free hasn't done much (if anything) for the constipation, however, it may have done something for his development. I swear he was understanding instructions today like I have never seen before. It wasn't a dramatic change in understanding but it was enough to make me cry. He really seemed to understand quite a bit. But you never know if it's a coincidence or if he is really understanding. There are many things that he consistently understands, but today was far better. For example, we were walking up the sidewalk to a building & were still pretty far from the door. I told him to push the button. When we got to the door he went directly to the button & pushed it. In the elevator I asked him to push the number 3. He pushed the number 3. ???!? He was very engaged in a television show & I said his name twice & then asked him to come eat. He turned around & came to the table. He was definitely responding to his name well today. He was laying on the changing table & I told him we could do the potty next time. I asked him to say potty, repeating it a few times for him. At that point he said, "Pa - dee" probably 4 or 5 times. I began enunciating the "t" very clearly & he looked at me & said, not once but twice, "Potty", clear as day. Tears of joy.
So I'm questioning.. was it the new diet or is he just progressing? Of course there is no way of knowing. We will stay on the gluten-free though, I'm not risking it!
The microwave went off tonight and Willow said, "Boffee!!", because she knew my coffee was in it. She is so funny. Scott & Sebastian went to the dentist today. Sebastian let the hygienist know that Daddy does not floss, ever. Sebastian got his teeth cleaned today. It took over an hour. Scott was with him. Apparently Sebastian would curl up in the chair & refuse to open his mouth. At one point he got up and tried to run away. The hygienist (who used to work at a dental office specifically for children) tried everything. Finally she suggested that Scott leave the room. What do you know, Sebastian was done in no time! The hygienist's daughter is in Sebastian's class at school. He had a sub at school today. She was a little, old Asian lady. I asked Sebastian if the sub knew Spanish (the last one barely did) & he said he never heard her speak any Spanish during the entire class. Very frustrating. Their snacks are frustrating - parents bring in cookies, gummy candies, etc. on their snack days. His old school required at least one fruit or one veggie & a gallon of water. These kids don't get anything to drink & snack is distributed to them 5 minutes before they leave for the day. They can stay & eat or take it with them. Why are we bringing snack if they are just running out the door with it? Why aren't they eating together & acknowledging the kid who brought the snack? He is learning a lot of Spanish. I suggested we do a craft with my magazines this evening. He cut out anything he saw in the magazine that was blue & said it was his "azul" page. It's really cool. He worked on it for hours. So there is definitely motivation coming from school. He also read with Daddy tonight. He worked hard today.
Again, another un-edited entry. We've just got some important stuff to get done tonight. Tomorrow I'm meeting with Judah's teacher for a bit so she can explain the new curriculum they are going to start using. We talked on the phone today for quite a while. I told her I plan on spending a day there to see Judah in action. She was pleased. We somewhat agreed to a time of the month to have a team meeting. Apparently every member of Judah's team is new this year. She said it's like that every year. So much for consistency huh. These new people don't even know Judah, how are they going to help write up an IFSP containing things like his goals, the amount of time he should get with certain therapists, etc.? I'm planning on reading up on IFSP's before we actually have our meeting. Dad is sending me books. That way Scott & I can be prepared & able to direct our son's school time in the most productive manner. His teacher is actually his new case manager. From talking with her on the phone I was much relieved to discover that she had a pretty extensive knowledge of how to work with the students. She seems to know her job & seems anxious to get plans into action. I was pleased.
Daddy is home with Taco Bell.. goodnight.
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