Saturday, February 28, 2015

Wow!


Daddy is doing a seminar this weekend locally, so he has been gone all day and I am solo parenting.  Which is usually somewhat trying on my patience.

We ran errands - including the dreaded Walmart on Platte.  Dominic kept a hand on the cart the whole time with no prompting, and while we did have to spend some time surfing the toy aisle, he had zero issues with being told he only got to pick one toy.

We met up with a friend who handed down snow boots her son had outgrown (Thanks Ruth!!!) and after lunch we went sledding.  The hill by Dominic's elementary school is perfect and safe for this....  And there was the rare combination of warm enough to play outside for  awhile and also snow on the ground. Doesn't happen very often.




Then the most amazing thing happened.  I shouldn't have been surprised, given that this is right by his school, but another child came up and said "Hi Dominic".  And they played together.  For a good half an hour.

Spontaneous, appropriate peer play

Do ya'll get how big that is????



 Turns out this other child and Dominic probably know each other pretty well, they both have an autism diagnosis and have been in peer groups at school.  And this kid's father went to my Alma Mater.  We realized this when we discovered a common facebook friend.



And now Dominic has been invited to take part in the scout troop that this gentlemen is the scoutmaster for and that this other child is in.  He is the scoutmaster because he wanted an inclusive group for his son.  We will discuss, but the very fact that he invited Dominic completely blew me away.


THEN

As if that wasn't enough

Some friends stopped by who we see a few times a year.  Dominic was AT THE DOOR talking to them, showing them his new dragon toy right when they walked in.  They were distinctly shocked when i pointed this out to them.   And when they left, he gave them a hug.

And we are only halfway through with our footbath protocol. 
AMAZING stuff, I Tell you.


Thursday, February 26, 2015

First Aid!!!!!

Most of you who've been around awhile know that Dominic is NOT a fan of receiving first aid when he hurts himself.  This has been the case since he regressed.  He is not a fan of anything more than slapping a bandaid on things.  So when he's had stitches, its taken 4 adults to hold him down, when he burned himself that one time he wouldn't allow cold water, etc.   Don 't even talk to me about blood draws.

Thats why what happened this morning is huge enough for me to write a SECOND BLOG today.

I had gone outside to sweep snow and when i came in, before breakfast, Dominic was crying and saying owie.  We have no idea what happened, but he had a goose egg on his forehead and Kama was nowhere to be found so i'm willing to bet there was puppy wrestling involved.

So, I broke out the essential oils I knew would help (I layered valor, lavender, frankencense, peppermint and panaway.).  Then i did a layer of Arnica gel.  Then i handed him an ice pack and gave him a bowl of chocolate chips.  I told him he could have the chocolate chips as long as he left the ice pack on.   He did leave the ice pack on while he ate the chocolate, but I don't think it was on more than 5 minutes. 

About half an hour later the bulk of the goose egg was gone (check my essential oils tab at the top of the page if you are interested in signing up for Young Living.  LOVE THESE OILS), and I had *him* reapply the arnica.   He did it. No problem.  So 20 minutes after that, I had him do it again and got video documentation.


The dancing, ants in the pants, fish, clap and jump are a Dora routine.  He was not watching Dora at the time he just likes to script the routine and i'm THRILLED that he is now articulating the steps so much better.



Wednesday, February 25, 2015

On mandated vaccines....

So many news stories lately pushing mandatory vaccines... encouraging states to pass laws revoking personal and religious exemptions. 



Many of my fellow vaccine injury moms are shaking in their boots having PTSD moments around the idea even of being required to allow someone to give their baby a shot which they already know will further injure them.




To all of you I say start the process of finding someone to sign a medical exemption.  We have one.   And in the state of Colorado, naturopaths can sign the medical exemption form.  I know that chiropractors are soon to be required to offer vaccines which means they also, hopefully, will be able to sign exemptions.   You will have better luck getting that medical exemption from a stand alone doctor vs. a conglomeration.  Rules ya know.  Insurance liability. 




That all said - mandatory vaccination is a Freedom of Religion question because there ARE indeed religions that are against vaccines. It is a libertarian hot button - it takes away our individual freedome over our own bodies.  




If states start passing laws removing all but medical exemptions, I predict lawsuits and a supreme court battle over the infringement of personal liberty.   Which would tie the issue up for YEARS.


~~~


Then there's the explosion that will come when those adults who are ALL in favor of all these childhood disease vaccines being given to children realize that they now will be LEGALLY mandated to get boosters of all those shots, plus a large number of their own shots every year.   Maybe when the breadwinners are unable to work anymore because they were brain damaged from vaccines the doctors will stop telling us parents that we're crazy.


Then there's the follow on... if we lose our right to choose what we put in our bodies to heal them (or not), we lose the right to say no to ANY medical procedure.  Don't feel like that colonoscopy this month?  Tough shit, do it anyway.  Can't afford the exact prescription the doctor wants you on - oh well, use a credit card.


The shockwaves from taking away the rights of people over their own (and their children's) bodies would be astronomical.


And that doesn't even get into the nightmare of enforcement

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Dragon


For quite a while, Dominic has been spelling things randomly.  A few weeks ago, he added making the shape of the letter he said with his finger.   Its been random letters, mostly his name, unless he was tracing something.


Today, I was standing looking out the window at the snow when he came up to me and said "Dragon!!" then proceed to spell and trace onto the window sill the letters D R A G O N.


I know that he is actually talking about his How to Train your Dragon 2 movie, and that he has likely memorized the letters.


If he can do that, he can read.  We are ***this*** close. 

And here is a re-enactment for your viewing enjoyment.




Monday, February 23, 2015

current protocols, snapshot

We are constantly tweaking Dominic's regime, under guidance of a doctor and based upon other things we learn.

Here's what we are doing RIGHT NOW

1.  Footbaths.  The IonCleanse by AMD.  We are 28 footbaths in and have decided this will remain a cornerstone of Dominics (and my) routine.

2.  A Modified version of Kelly Dorfman's dyspraxia protocol.  Everything except the Vitamin E

3.  Endurocell.  This is broccoli sprout powder high in sulfurophanes.

4.  Red Reishi Mushrooms

5.  Adrenal support.  We finally realized the reason that Dominic was getting such dilated pupils at night after his bath was that he was in adrenal fatigue. 

6.  Intestinal support (it changes the pH of the intestines and makes them less hospitable to parasites,etc).

7.  A smattering of legacy supplements that he does very well on:  DMG, D3, L-Carnosine, Lactic acid Yeast, Theralac, oil of oregano, Melatonin.


We are getting ready to add in AdvancedTRS, a nanotechnology innovation containing zeolite, which claims to clean the synapses in the brain. As with all things we have done, we are doing this based on anecdotal stories of healing from other parents.

We also sent of a saliva sample and are getting genetic testing back hopefully within the month. Once we have that roadmapped, we will customizing a specific protocol for Dominic with the wonderful folks at Pathways.

While we are currently taking a break from the CD protocol, it will always remain a tool in our toolbox as there's nothing better for dealing with pathogens.

edited to aedd, we started Advanced TRS on 2-24-15

Thursday, February 19, 2015

People!!! We have a Giant FIRST

For the first time in his life, as in EVER, Dominic tonight put his dishes in the sink after dinner, ran his own bath, and got in.  All while I was sitting in the living room doing my own footbath.

Let me reiterate.

For the FIRST TIME EVER,He was told to turn off the TV, put his plate in the sink, use the bathroom, run a bath, and get in.

And he did.

All by himself.  With no hand over hand help and no  supervision (unless from 2 rooms away counts).

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Red Flags!

I am featured over at TMR this morning, in our new series on Red Flags that parents should be aware can indicate potential problems down the road.


For me... no one told me cracked and bleeding out the outside, meant cracked and bleeding on the inside.




http://thinkingmomsrevolution.com/thinking-moms-guide-red-flags-eczema/

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Random pictures from the last week

From Dominic's birthday dinner, when he asked to go to red Robin and eat french fries.


At a friends wedding on Friday the 13th. It was an outdoor backyard wedding and they got really lucky with the weather.

Mommy and daddy at a hockey game for Valentine's Day. Very romantic.

A screenshot from a quick video I caught. Dominic, out of the blue yesterday, spontaneously and independently brushed his own hair while looking in the mirror. This is a first. Usually he will bring me a hairbrush and say help me. Or simply be told it was time to brush his hair and have me do it. To do it himself spontaneously and independently was huge.



Monday, February 16, 2015

When you have a baby....

When you have a baby, you are full of excitement and hope. You - at least I didn't - don't worry about the advice you get from doctors being negative.  You expect everyone to be full of that same excitement for you.




This last week, the Colorado Springs Autism community lost a very special young man.  Whose mother was one of the first ones to help us when Dominic regressed.  He and his brother are the reason that Alpine Autism Center exists.   He regressed at 15 months into Autism following his vaccines, and developed seizures with puberty as 25% of autistic children do.  He died from seizure complications a week ago.   His mom is my hero -she spent his entire life trying anything and everything to help him, and I am heartbroken for her.




When you have a baby, you celebrate new life and look forward to milestones.  You expect big and amazing things.  You wonder at the awe of the baby rolling over.  Taking first steps.  Smiling.




This morning, I put this post in a group on facebook. Dominic is 10.  These are the inchstones that we have fought tooth and nail to get
"So... D doesn't have school today and I'm attempting to work from home. I brought his clothes up to where he was watching Dora for 98 millionth time, told him to get dressed, then went in my office and started work. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him, fully dressed in clothing OTHER than what I brought him LOOKING IN THE MIRROR AND BRUSHING HIS HAIR!!!!! spontaneously and independently. Holy wow!"




When you have a baby, you happily take on the responsibility of taking care of them - making sure they have what they need.  You don't think about the services that child will need if/when they are vaccine injured, and how much of a pain those services are to maintain. 




In the last week, we've had to go through certification renewals for 2 of those services.  Piles of paperwork and signatures and spending FAR too much time focusing on the negatives.  So that we can keep him enrolled in the programs that pay for his therapies.




When you send a child to school, any child... you believe that School will keep them safe.  I have no words to describe this, other than if it were Dominic, I would be in jail.

Saturday, February 14, 2015

A simple question


Why is it that I, as a parent, can spend $99 on a genetic test that will tell me what genetic mutations my child has, which if expressed (always an if), could cause the inability of my child to appropriately detoxify environmental assaults but we don’t screen for these at birth with the foot prick test?


We have zero studies showing which mutations mean a child is more likely to have a vaccine reaction.  So we’d have to, as a culture, admit that there is a subset of children who have a chance to have a negative vaccine reaction.  This is a cultural problem.  The media is going bonkers trying to convince the country that Vaccines Are Safe.  Good luck there, too many of us now have had the same thing happen, and too many other parents have watched it happen to our kids.  They cannot shut us all up.  And they cannot deny something that seems to be happening at an accelerating rate.

So – a first step would be a large genetic mapping of autistic children to see what mitochondrial issues they have.

Then, doctors have to be retrained to screen patients.  This seems simple, but I think its really not.  I do not know a single person who goes into medicine who does not on some level want to heal people.   That’s the motivation.  So what happens to these healers if they admit that they were doing something so damaging to a potential segment of the population.   I envision heads imploding.  The guilt alone would be crippling on a personal level to true healers who meant it when they swore to first do no harm.  I really think this is why as a whole doctors insist vaccines are The Way – because if its not, they’re going to have a really hard time sleeping at night.

The CDC then has to be transparent.  They have to publish those conclusions that they’ve buried about potential timing issues.  They have to acknowledge that one of their primary researchers in the field, Paul Thorsson, is fugitive in the US.  They have to get out of bed with the pharmaceutical industry.

Congress needs to repeal the law that gives the pharmaceutical industry a free pass.  The 1986 VICP law states that vaccine manufacturers cannot be held financially liable for injuries from their products.   There’s no accountability, only a big giant wallet for us to fill.    If they were held accountable, perhaps they’d do better testing up front. Imagine that.

Friday, February 13, 2015

I had another post ready to run... but...

I need to get this off my chest.


Its asinine that a medical injury resulting in undeniable physical symptoms - is slapped with a behavioral diagnostic code.


This is what is at the root of the division in Special Needs families.  We have children who, like Dominic, experienced a vaccine injury that is CLEARLY a medical problem.  They have severe gut dysbiosis, they have seizure disorders, they have brain swelling, they have rampant food allergies, they have obvious histamine reactions, they have physical symptoms.   Unfortunately for us many of those "symptoms" are written off by the medical field as "autistic children just are wired differently".  Further,  some of those comorbid diagnoses are fatal.  A young man in our local Autism community who had a long term seizure disorder passed away this week unexpectedly, which is heartbreaking on many levels.


We also have children who have "classic" autism, from birth, who don't seem to have had any sort of injury.  These kids are truly "just different". 


And both sets of kids have the same Diagnostic code under the DSM.  ITs 299.0.  Autism.  A Mental Health disorder.


The reason this causes such discord between parents is that those of us who know our children are physically ill are doing the logical thing - trying to get them well, fix their immune systems, heal their guts, give them the chance for their brains to reroute.   And those who know their child is just different resent the implication that their child is somehow broken, which infuriates the ones who feel like if we say our child with a 299.0 is healthy we are lying.   Further, there is a growing contingent of high functioning autistic young adults who are equally infuriated by the inference that they are unwell. 


I am blessed to be friends with someone in the latter group of parents - her child was autistic many years before being vaccinated.  She fully agrees (because she watched it happen) that Dominic is clearly a vaccine injured child.  And encourages me to use that terminology because that is less offensive to her than me wanting to fix his autism.  My issue is that even if I call it vaccine injured, Dominic's diagnosis code remains 299.0.


So we have a nomenclature problem

Compounding that nomenclature problem is that due to the people who hold the red tape, only certain diagnostic codes are eligible for resources.  Autism is eligible.  "Vaccine injury" is not because its not a formal diagnosis.  So in order for me to get appropriate funding and therapies both in the school district and privately for Dominic, he MUST have a diagnostic code of 299.0.  When we first started at Alpine, I was able to get away with a dx of Acquired Aphasia.  That lasted 4 months before my company changed insurance providers and the only way that the new provider would cover therapies was with a 299.0 code.


Further interesting information is that on all IEP forms, there are boxes to check the type of disability a child has.  Autism is considered a physical disability by the school district even thought the ICD-9 code of 299.0 is a mental health code.


So we have to change both culture and coding.   Anyone know where to start to unravel this ball of yarn?

Thursday, February 12, 2015

he did what????

So yesterday, Dominic's OT told me that she got him to tie his shoes.

And brush his hair 100% independently.

And his speech therapist told me that in the last 6 weeks she's seen a noticable increase in his verbal abilities, particularly with -ing words and plurals. 

Go Team IonCleanse by AMD!!!!

(now I need to go buy him some lace up shoes and start working on these skills at home. He generally wants HELP, so we're going to have to get stern)

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Presents!!

10!!


10 years ago, My life changed irrevocably.

After 42 hours of labor, I gave birth to the most perfect human being ever.





Happy 10th Birthday, Dominic. 2015 is your year.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Debbie Downer


Its really hard to play the What if game.  So I try not to do it very often. It’s a downer. 


I have been digging through very old pictures because Tomorrow is Dominic’s 10th Birthday.   A decade.  The baby pictures, and pictures up to age 2 ½ are really hard to look at. Its SO CLEAR that he was perfect – he has NONE of the red flag signs that I now know would’ve given anyone a clue that we had issues. No red cheeks, no gooey eyes, no histamine circles, no w sitting no head banging, flapping, sound sensitivity, constant screaming, etc.  NONE. Until that damn Flu virus activated the latent measles which had taken up residence in the speech center of his brain and over the course of 2 weeks we lost him.


And for 7 years, we have been fighting to get him back.


I’m tired.


We are so close.  SO VERY CLOSE.  I simply do not have time to be tired right now.  We have cleared layer after layer of gunk out of his overloaded system, created new detox pathways and seen lots of things that help get us closer.    I strongly suspect our final answer lies in somehow rerouting the pathways of Dominic’s brain around the injured area.  We saw such great things with hard chamber Hyperbaric that is really hard for me to know that due to proximity and cost that is currently not an option for us.  I really believe if we could do 40 – 80 hours in a hard chamber, we would give him his best chance at becoming truly conversational.


So barring the sudden availability of a Hard Chamber at a price we can afford within driving distance  (or the gift of a place to stay near one and the time  off work and money for dives to do so), this next decade is going to be dedicated to finding another way to create these pathways.  And I am ENTIRELY open to suggestions.  It’s the parent led, grass roots efforts that have gotten us this far, and it’s the same that will get us the rest of the way.





Monday, February 9, 2015

Helping cook

This is a gratuitous picture post. Dominic wanted to help cook breakfast this morning. First who let him get so tall - this just isn't right. Second look at how well he did, all I had him do was melt coconut oil.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

We had a good day

Today we went to a birthday party for a 5 year old friend of ours.  It had a candyland theme, complete with bouncey house at the end of the rainbow road.

Dominic did AMAZING.
He interacted gently (he was the oldest by 5 years, and there were babies - he was very conscious of being careful around them), had appropriate eye contact and no meltdowns even though over stimulated.

We allowed a dietary infraction and had ZERO signs of it - no dilated eyes, no hyper, no tears, no diarrhea... NONE.  Healing guts are amazing;. I didn't even need the activated charcoal we brought.  (this is not to say we are giving up on the diet, we are just loosening it occasionally in a controlled setting).

My friend who hosted the party for her daughter was moved very nearly to tears twice when Dominic had not one, but TWO conversations with her.  They were short, but they were very much appropriate back and forth conversation with eye contact.

~~

THEN

We went out for drinks with a college friend of mine who is in town and Dominic not only sat appropriately in a very formal setting, he managed with only one slight meltdown that we headed off with Angry Birds on Daddy's iPhone.  My friend is a doctor.  He said to me - looking at Dominic, he is a normal, healthy child.  He doesn't present with any behavioral issues.    Which I know - as soon as we get the speech back, he will be indistinguisable from his his peers.

And you know what - its coming.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Moments....

All from tonight.... writing them down because they are indicative of the kind of progress we are seeing around here.  :)

~~~~~

Dominic had just gotten out of his bath and was toweling off.  Daddy had left his pj's hanging off the extra towel rack in the bathroom, and form the living room I heard a metallic clunk and "UhOH".  I got up and went to discover Dominic in the bathroom, holding the no-longer-attached to the wall towel rod".  He said "Sorry" when I came in and I about died from the cute.

~~~~

We came downstairs, where Daddy was watching TV.  Daddy gave Dominic a hug, lifted up his shirt and raspberried his belly.  After Laughing, Dominic *for the first time ever* lifted up Daddy's shirt and raspberried him back.  We celebrated!!!!  I didn't even realize he had the oral motor ability to make a raspberry. 

~~~~~

Dominic was holding onto Kama in his bed when I called him into the bathroom to brush his teeth.  He came in, holding the dog and out of the corner of my eye, I saw one little foot extend to the toilet, and push down the toilet lid, upon which he placed the dog and told him firmly to STAY. 

~~~~


These moments brought to you in the midst of Measlesgate by those people working so hard in the background to heal our kids.   Special note to the folks over at www.amajordifference.com - these amazing interactive moments come to you after footbath #18