Emerging...

Brothers...

For those of you closer to us, you know that we have had a struggle this last few months with yeast...and David's behavior. We saw a more prevalent come back of yeast once we finished the Ampho(anti-fungal) and also stopped gut support for a week prior to getting a new stool sample.

We will not do that again.

The Dr. even agrees that we know the iGg powder is working and the probiotics are essential, so the next stool kit we do will not be as comprehensive, we'll just check for yeast and stay on the gut support.

Thank God. I've asked for a few months to breathe, where things are back to "normal" and we can adjust to new school year and having another sibling going to school.

We recently learned that David's younger brother also has a few sensory issues and have addressed those, also needing to make dietary changes to help his system. Our whole home may be gluten free soon, it was recommended from the start, but I didn't go for it. It's not that it's that hard but...well, it's hard. Worrying about what David may have gotten a hold of...and now that Gregory is presenting with a bit of an intolerance too.

I am having an iGg panel done on myself and if I present with similar intolerances, we have outnumbered my husband and our household will go gluten free.

I know I make yummy breads and cookies, so I'm not worried there. I'm actually worried about cheese, you see, I'm a Tillamook girl, through and through. But enough about me...

We are making good headway with David, he starts school next week. We'll finish Nystatin in the next week and move to fluconozole (Diflucan) to bump up the attack on the yeast remaining in his system.

We've had pretty good success starting to limit the sugar in David's diet, and still trying to lessen the carbs and increase protein. I am grateful for Vegalite chocolate powder, it has really helped... and thanks to my husband, he has made it even more fun for David in this great sunny weather we are having. He mixes David's chocolate "shake" and then freezes it... making a chocolate slushy that David really enjoys.

One of our next endeavors is "pill swallowing training". Yeah!

David has a strong gag reflex, I'm not looking forward to this really, but I'm going to keep a positive attitude and try and help David understand that if he can swallow pills/capsules there will be less "icky juice" to drink. Hopefully he makes the connection and complies.

Please let him comply.

We actually received a pill swallowing training kit from the Dr's office! It comes with a bottle full of cellulose capsules to practice with and a list of helpful literature and tips for learning and teaching how to swallow pills.

We will also be going after that methylation pathway and working on additional support with more 5-MTHFR (Methyl Folate). We are going to increase it 2 weeks in to the diflucan and praying we will see a good response. We will then start adding in folinic acid. Supporting focus and attention, speech and language centers.

I can't wait to see major changes in David. We know that since he is getting daily B12 injections that he needs additional support because we didn't see major changes with just the B12... we are taking the next step and are prayerful to see God's handiwork.

I will say that folks in church notice how he engages a bit more, how talkative he is and that his eye contact is much better...and I love that feedback.

I'm going to go after reading comprehension...which is a whole other obstacle to tackle that most of our kids on the spectrum struggle with...

...so I'll leave that for another post.

A few steps back...

All I have to say is it has been one rough summer.

We have basically been treating David for yeast for a couple of months. Since school has been out.

David has struggled with the lack of schedule.

We finished that last dose of Amphotericin, waited one week off of iGg powder and decreased probiotics to do the stool sample and... all hell breaks loose.

David regresses, looses fine motor skills for buttoning, snapping, zipping pants. He won't wash his hands and when you try to help he's all "wobbly" and squirming all over the place!

Oh, did I mention he is not using the toilet? Yeah, he's back in diapers! (Yeast makes stool so soft/runny, I don't blame David here- but man, the laundry!)

He's chewing on his shirt.

He's defiant.

But hey, he's sleeping later!

He's craving carbs and sugar, of course.

And what does that feed...?

YEAST!

Argh- it is back with a vengeance. We gave it more ground when we took away gut support with iGg powder and probiotics...and any sugar he ingests just feeds it more. :::SIGH:::

Luckily, a few days after this behavior starts, Dr. lets me come in early to talk about David (when I'm supposed to be getting Gregory's allergy test results) and we both felt the yeast was back.

She immediately called in Nystatin before we get the stool sample because she knows we've got to make some headway.

Well, the pharmacy gets the Rx yesterday and once shipped we wouldn't get until Monday.

No! I can't do this craziness all weekend.

I tell you, I struggle when David is "below" his "normal". It really stresses me out, then I feel like a bad Mom because my patience is gone sooner in the day then it should be.

My wonderful family... the Plumbs.

Well, we took an almost two hour trip to Snoqualmie Falls yesterday to go and pick up that medicine, the pharmacy is right by the Falls themselves and it was a gorgeous drive.

Well, we immediately gave David his first dose once I received it...and was it just me or was he so calm on the way home?

The kids did pretty well, for the most part and we enjoyed some sightseeing too!

David checking out Snoqualmie Falls.

Well, we are on our way to beating this yeast again.

Now I know what die-off looks like in MY child. I also know what his behavior is like if yeast comes back.

I guess there is a silver lining.