Long Time No Blog

My bad. Well so much to update. Brady is glasses free for at least 3 months. He had an opthamologist appointment last week and she found his eyes had actually improved...I was shocked & thrilled!! I did not think nearsightedness ever improved, so I was just beyond happy.

Next is Dr. Durand....he wants more blood tests (IgG food antibody) to determine what, if any, other allergies are in Brady's system. The bad thing is most allergists don't believe in this test so he sends it off to a specialty lab which, of course, is not covered by our insurance...the test is over $700...what to do, what to do. I put a call in to our allergist to see if she could possibly do this test. If not, I will call our geneticist and our primary to see if anyone else is willing to order the test at a local lab...if possible. We are also taking him off his calcium, doing another elimination diet, adding B6/magnesium, and adding Singulair (Dr. Durand RARELY does prescriptions so I was shocked he wanted to try this). Overall he thinks he is doing ok...aside from the fact that he isn't sleeping well, his eczema is flaring, and his diapers have increased again...lol.

We were on vacation last week & overall it was a good time. We went to a Fisher Cats game and they allowed us to bring in outside food so Brady could eat while we did...he was upset he couldn't have our snacks, but he is starting to understand that they make his tummy hurt. We also went to the movies (Horton Hears a Who) and Brady loved that (we didn't even ask to bring food, we just did). We went to Roger Williams Zoo in Rhode Island and the kids LOVED the animals so that was a huge success. We took a couple trips to the lake (Elm Brook and Manahan) and they are like little fish. Brady is so much braver this year...perhaps a little too brave! Hillsborough's annual Balloonfest was last week as well. We loved going to see the balloons go up...it was amazing to see them!

Next week we go to the ENT and dentist, then no appointments until October (I hope) which will be a nice little break. School will start again before you know it!

I think that is about it for now!!!

Skin flare up/Food rejections

We have put Brady back on the rice and almond milks as it seems, perhaps, his skin is related to outside allergies. The weather is, finally, warming up and we have spent more time outside, and had the windows open. We are seeming a dermatologist, but not until mid-May.

We have been having a lot of food battles lately. Brady is finally realizing he isn't eating what everyone else is (lunch time) and he doesn't appreciate it. He screams for mac & cheese and spaghettios...it is killing me!!! I know that they upset his stomach, but I need more options...peanut butter on a tortilla aren't cutting it anymore!!

At the moment he is fighting some kind of bug. He is coughing & has had a fever off & on. Last night was a long & tiresome night...hopefully tonight will be better! He had to miss school today, hopefully he can return on Thursday.

Gluten & Casein Free

2 Weeks ago we removed casein from Brady's diet, in addition to gluten and soy. Wow is all I can say. His diapers have never been so amazing (knock on wood). While not every one is great, we have come a long way already. His skin, for the most part, is a lot better. After the first week he did seem to be reacting to either the rice or the almond milk, so at the moment we are totally milk free (he is getting his calcium through supplements). I hope to be able to find a milk he can tolerate, but in the meantime we will deal with everything else first.

Brady has been adjusting amazingly well to preschool. He just finished his third week and is really enjoying it. Although it is only twice a week, for 2.5 hours a day, he enjoys the routine of it. He is still asking, daily, for his early intervention therapist and carries her pictures around. I have let him talk to her on the phone, but he really misses her.

Spring is officially here, though you wouldn't know it by looking outside. We still have a ton of snow!

New attitude

Can it be true? Has going gluten free really adjusted Brady's attitude? It seems to be the case. He is much more easy going, happier, and sleeping better....seems to good to be true!!!!!

I'm still struggling with reading labels and find myself questioning the ingredients...I know it will get easier, but right now it is still so hard...on the wallet too!!!! The prices of gluten free stuff is outrageous...they are leaving stuff out, so shouldn't it be cheaper!!!!! I know it takes more work, so I'm really just kidding, but it is nice to dream!!!

Brady is turning 3 on 2/28, which means he will no longer get in home speech services, but he does qualify through our school district, which means he will go to preschool 2.5 hrs twice a week. It breaks down to an hour of speech a week, but he will also have much more peer interaction. Thankfully going in on an IEP does not require Brady to be potty trained...we are not even close!!!

GF Update

It has been over a month are things are really slow. I am slowly learning all the labels and what he can eat. However, labels can be deceiving. I just discovered that a package of cookies I had reserved for him, which I had been so excited since it said Wheat Free on the package (**note to self don't forget to read the label more carefully**) although they are wheat free, they are not gluten free....Idiot!!!!! No wonder progress has been slow. Of course I feel so guilty that I have been feeding him these cookies, now back to the drawing board for cookies that he likes.

Why do companies have to be so unhelpful...I am getting such round about answers to such a simple question...is your product gluten free? Why is that so hard...I am supposed to be able to figure it out & I am not a manufacturer...why can't they figure it out????? Thank goodness for fresh fruit & fruity pebbles!!!!!

Nutritionist

I met with the nutritionist yesterday & was overwhelmed with the amount of information. It is all so confusing....malt (usually contains barley) is bad, but maltdextrin is usually ok. This is going to be a struggle for both Brady & myself. He is such a huge bread lover, that I do not know how I am going to get him to eat bread that does not taste as good. I am hopeful that others with Celiac, or parents of kids with Celiac, can give me pointers as to what brands have worked for them. Because the cost of gluten free (gf) foods are so much more, a loaf of bread can run upwards of $7...we don't have that kind of money to waste!!! Thankfully Brady is a big fruit lover...and fruits are gf, as are vegetables. We did get lots of alternatives that will hopefully be similar to things Brady likes, ramen noodles contain gluten, but there are broths and other noodles that are gf that I am hoping I can make into a noodley soup he will eat!

In addition to going gf, the doctor wants us to go dairy free after 2 weeks. I really hope going gf makes enough of a difference that we do not have to go dairy free...that eliminates so many of our other options & then I would need to figure out a whole new menu!!!

We have not started the diet yet as I want to have enough variety of things for him to eat in the house prior to starting. I also need to purchase a new toast as to not "cross contaminate" his bread with bread that has been in our other toaster. I also need to clean out a cabinet for all his other food supplies, flour, oil, peanut butter, etc., again the "cross contaimination" is something we need to avoid.

I need to call all the shampoo, toothpaste and body wash companies to see if their products contain gluten...if so I need to find gf alternatives to those as well.

It is a long road, but **fingers crossed** we will all make it through healthier....is potty training in our future...I hope so, but only time will tell!!