Gluten Free...Me?

Picture is me (post gluten free) with my Dad in Colorado

What truly amazes me in this autism journey is how much I am constantly learning about myself. A little over a year ago we switched Aleks to her special diet which included taking all gluten out of her diet. Over the past year I've stumbled onto articles about gluten allergies/sensitivities and celiac disease being hereditary. It got me thinking, "Could I have some of the same food sensitivities that Aleks does?" Once again it was an interview with Jenny McCarthy that changed me and sent me to the doctor. For years I have suffered 'stomach problems.' I won't go into many details, but let's say I was constantly bloated, running to the bathroom and ate Tums like they were my favorite candy. Most nights I would lay in bed complaining, holding my stomach and saying something just isn't right. Then I'd have a meal and for some reason all would be fine and I convinced myself that I was fine. For some reason this year my stomach took a turn for the worse. I actually think it was getting worse last year, but honestly I had no time to deal with me since we had just found out about Aleks.

Fast forward to two months ago and I'm driving home from the station. I am exhausted, bloated and generally not feeling well. I remember going around the lake near our home wondering if I should pull over and sleep because I didn't know if I'd make it. I told Bill and he said I had to see the doctor. Instead of calling my OB/GYN I decided to call Aleks' doctor, Dr. Spore. I had been in to take Aleks a few weeks before and commented to her that I wasn't feeling well. She looked at me and said you don't look well. So that day, after almost falling asleep driving home, I made the appointment. On top of being exhausted with stomach issues I was also depressed and not dealing with coming off of Zoloft well at all. (Side note: I went on Zoloft a few weeks after finding out something was wrong with Aleks because I simply couldn't function. It was wonderful, did the job it was supposed to but for me the side effects were causing a few other problems. ) Dr. Spore ran the full food sensitivities/allergy testing done, a depression panel, urine, spit, etc. I won't share all the other stuff, but what I did find out from the food testing shocked me. My IgG test showed that I had gluten intolerance and egg intolerance higher than my daughter's! The cure, take out ALL gluten.

Let me say this, it is one thing to remove gluten from a 3/4 year old's diet. It is completely different when you're a 38 year old Midwestern girl who has grown up on homemade breads, cookies, buns and all things gluten rich, including BEER! It wasn't easy, but I kept looking to my daughter and realizing that if she could do this I could do this. Thanks to my husband, I even found gluten-free beer that I like. It's now been about 6 weeks on my gluten free diet and I feel like a different person. I'm not exhausted and I'm not holding my stomach in pain or running to the bathroom. In fact I'm now so accutely aware of gluten in foods that if I have it I now experience what Aleks does and the 'spacey' feeling she gets in her head. It usually takes just a bite and I'll look at Bill and say this has gluten in it. Going gluten free has been amazing in my life. If any of this rings a bell with you, get tested. I know it's a huge life changing event, but to feel well and be a healthy mom is the best thing I could do for my daughter.

xo

Melissa

One Year and a Million Memories & Lessons

It is incredible to believe that we are now a year into learning that Aleks has autism and a year on the GFCF+ diet. I think back to a year ago and it seems hard to imagine my life without autism. I remember a woman telling me that I'd just joined a group that I never asked to join and one that I never would want to, but a wonderful group all the same. How very true that statement is today.

Here are a few things I have learned this past year.

1. No matter what our struggles are as parents, what our children go through is always harder. The difference is that they just don't know a life without autism.

2. You will feel like you are broke $$ from autism more than a few times, yet God finds a way to provide what you need.

3. You will find an inner strength that you never knew you possessed.

4. You will become your child's biggest advocate and that role will be challenged on a regular basis.

5. You will learn to celebrate the small victories because you know that they really aren't small at all.

6. Your marriage will feel the strains of having a child with a disability but you will also see unexpected growth.

7. You will feel an instant connection to other parents of children with autism.

8. You will be able to name your child's food allergies and identify them in any food/any ingredient within seconds.

9. You will be able to identify autism in other children within a few seconds.

10. You will realize just how hard special education teachers and therapists work and what special people they are. They will also become part of your family.


My thanks for all of the support we have received this past year. I wouldn't trade going back a year for anything and I am just so thankful to be where we are today. It has been one of the hardest years of my life, yet one of the most fulfilling. Thank you and God bless.

Melissa

My little mermaid...

This past weekend I had the privilege of watching Aleks pretend to be a mermaid swimming in the lake...

Right before Memorial Day, Bill and I made the decision to buy a travel trailer.  We're not campers, but we do love to get away with just our little family.  Before Aleks 'got sick' we use to travel more often.  Since moving to MN and Aleks being diagnosed with autism we haven't gotten away like we would like to.   For our Disney trip in March I had to ship a box of her food and pack several pounds of her organic/nitrate free frozen meat in my suitcase.  Then we had to get a hotel suite with a kitchen so that we could cook.  Needless to say it is a lot of extra work and a lot of extra money.  Hence, the travel trailer with 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and a great kitchen.  This combined with her love of the outdoors has made camping a great decision for our family.  

Now onto my little mermaid.  Friday evening was absolutely beautiful here in MN.  We were camping for just one night at a campground on a lake with a swim beach and a huge playground. Soon after we got there, we got Aleks in her bathing suit and headed on over to the beach.  As soon as she saw the water and beach she was happy and running towards it.  The beach was packed with other kids and families.  The great thing is that now Aleks will run right up to any child and say 'hi' and introduce herself.   One of the best memories is a very simple one.  Aleks made a new friend at the beach.  They played in the sand together and swam in the shallow water together.  Bill and I sat holding hands in awe watching her sit in the lake, side by side with this little girl named Brianna.  The two of them were in just a few inches of water, the sun was on their backs and they were just talking and laughing together.  Then they took off in a crab like crawl in the water.  I yelled for Aleks to be careful and not go too deep.  To which she turned around and yelled, "It's okay Mommy, we're just pretending to be mermaids."  I tear up as I write this for so many reasons, but the big ones are for new friends and pretend play.  A concept so many autistic children struggle with and one she had no skills with just a year ago. Not the case today, today she is my little mermaid who makes new little mermaid friends.  

xo

Melissa

MN DAN! Doctor & Seminar in June

I am asked constantly about Aleks, her health and what we think of her DAN! (Defeat Autism Now) doctor. I have said it before and I'll continue to say that Dr. Spore is an amazing part of the healing puzzle for Aleks. We found her before Jenny McCarthy listed her in her last couple of books and I am just so thankful to her for all that she has done.

If you are interested in hearing more about the biomedical therapies she offers and hearing her talk about the diet, HBOT and all that she offers you should plan on attending an upcoming seminar. The seminar is Saturday, June 13th from 9am-noon, it's only $25 dollars and it's in Woodbury, MN. Plus, it's open to anyone. Dr. Spore is doing it in partnership with Great Plains Labs , which is where all of Aleks' bloodwork & mine, have been done. You should also know that she is donating her time for this. That's just another reason I really like her!

Click here to learn more and sign up.

xo

Melissa

Amazing Race & Amazing Healing!

On May 2nd  our family had the opportunity to be a part of the local TACA (Talk About Curing Autism) first ever Twin Cities 5K Run/Walk.  I was asked to come out and emcee the opening ceremonies and do a couple of quick interviews.  Bill was running the 5K and Aleks was just being a four year old little girl.  The really cool thing is that she really was just being a four year old little girl.   This picture is what happened when I set the mic down and Aleks came up behind me and just picked it up and started singing.

What you don't see or hear in this picture is the progress Aleks has made in the last year.  A year ago we still didn't have our autism diagnosis.  A year ago Aleks couldn't be in front of a large crowd.  She couldn't have people singing 'Happy Birthday' to her, let alone a large crowd watching her sing and applauding her.  A year ago there were no songs, no long sentences and no way she could have memorized two songs and sang both in their entirety.  Her singing these songs was a miracle for us to watch.  I'm sharing it because I also want to share hope.  The diagnosis of autism is not the end.  Healing and recovery look different in every child, but this is just a glimpse of what it has looked like in our family.

Blessings!

xo

Melissa

Kindergarten Shots

Having seen all the talk about the flu vaccine, the swine flu scare and such I feel the need to share a true story with you. I heard this story firsthand from the little boy's mother while at the grocery story last Fall.  I think it is an important story to share if for no other reason than to make you think.  For me, her story has made me think about every vaccine that every person considers getting.

Last Fall I was shopping at our local natural/organic grocery story when I met this amazing mom.  I was in the baking aisle doing the usual of picking up boxes and reading labels to see what I could take home for Aleks.  I noticed a mother with a little boy around 8 doing the same thing yet seeming really frustrated and lost.  I asked her if I could help.  She told me that she was just started the GFCF diet for her son and was overwhelmed.  We started talking about the diet and I shared with her our success with it.  She then asked about Aleks, her autism and doctor.  I told her all about Dr. Spore and how much we loved her and believed in the biomedical therapies. I gave her one of our doctor's business cards and told her to think about calling.   She then got teary eyed and told me what a rough few years it had been.  What she told me next shocked me and I will never forget what she shared.  

The mother told me that the little boy I saw with autism wasn't always autistic.  In fact he was a typical child until one trip to the doctor right before kindergarten.  She said she took him in for his Kindergarten shots and by the next morning he was gone.  He had gotten all his shots for Kindergarten and in the process she lost her little boy.  The happy go lucky, 'typical' little boy disappeared within 24 hours of receiving his vaccines.  The mother desperately called their pediatrician to tell them something was wrong.  They kept telling her that nothing was wrong and he was fine and just tired from the vaccines.  She kept calling, for weeks.  Same answer or lack of answers.  No doctor would every tell her that her son had a vaccine injury.  It was unheard of, a little boy becoming autistic at five.  The mother told me that their doctor tried to convince them that he had been autistic before the shots and she just didn't realize it.  As she told me, she was the mother of four and she would have KNOWN if he would have been autistic.  I believe her.

The woman had no idea that I hosted a radio show for a living.  She didn't know anything except for the fact that I was the mom of a little girl with autism who believes that there is hope.  I don't know what has happened since last Fall.  I do know that my doctor's assistant told me they got a phone call that afternoon from a mom who met a 'Melissa' in the grocery store and wanted to make an appointment.  The woman was sitting in the grocery store parking lot when she called them.  I love how God puts people in our paths for a reason.  

Blessings-

Melissa

The Birthday Party

                         It feels like this past month has been a whirlwind of activity.  We got back from 'Spring Break' and dove into the usual school, therapy and Aleks 4th birthday!  I kept going back and forth between a party with a lot of her school friends and something smaller.  For an autistic child, birthdays can be very upsetting.  For example; for Aleks' first two birthdays we had big pool (lived in Florida )parties with lots of friends.  She loved the parties and loved the attention.  Then a year ago it was all different.  She wasn't making eye contact and ran screaming when we started to sing 'Happy Birthday'.  A year ago she was hiding in a corner, screaming and holding her ears.  I was in shock and totally confused.  At this point we had no idea that it was autism and this can be typical behavior.  Now fast forward a year and you can understand my birthday party dilemma.

I knew that she was doing exceptionally well in school and with her therapies.  She had gone from one or two word answers to sentences and having conversations.  She loved her friends at school and really wanted a party.  Yet, could she handle it or would it be too much?  It is amazing how God works everything out.  Planning our Disney vacation was extensive and I just never got her school friends party done.  Her birthday was only a week after we got back from Disney.  A few days after we got back I started thinking about what she really wanted and I knew what to do.  We have some neighbors/friends that we are close to.  Aleks calls their 3 kids her 'brothers and sister.'  When I thought of a party it just seemed perfect to have her 'MN family' for a family party.  That is what we did and it was PERFECT.  The amazing miracle is that she sat at the table, took in all the attention and loved having everyone sing Happy Birthday to her.  I made a GFCFSFRFEFYF chocolate cake with fudge icing and it was also a huge hit.  What an amazing day of miracles for us and for her.  

Thank you Jesus.

xo

Melissa