Ready or Not...

For the past several days, I've been noticing something unusual with Brian.  He developed red under eye circles that get worse as the day goes on.  

He's constantly itching his nose and his eyes.  

And he's sprouted red patches behind his knees.

I knew instantly these were the tell-tale signs of allergies... but to what?  I started thinking of all the things that were new - Halloween candy being at the top of the list.  Brian really didn't eat candy before this Halloween.  Maybe it was sugar.  Maybe it was dyes, which I also try hard to avoid.  And then I wondered if it was leaves - and mold.  I knew that our acupuncturist, Dr. Kang, would help me figure it out quickly.  So today, Brian and I headed to her office.

I'm not going to lie.  I was a nervous wreck.  We had been at Dr. Kang's office when Gavin started to act a little funny on April 10th - and we left that office and headed straight to the Emergency Room.  I probably could have benefitted from acupuncture during this whole pregnancy for a variety of reasons, but arranging appointments while Brian was in school was tricky - and I was trying to be sensitive to him.  I feared that he would be anxious going back there - so I just didn't go.  I wasn't sure how he was going to react when I told him that we had an appointment today.  But when his face lit up and he said he couldn't wait to get a lollipop...I exhaled.

Dr. Kang is a genius.  Before we even got back to a room to test him, she had it figured out.

You can read more about how she tests - and how she helped Brian with previous allergies - in THIS post.  She started with my theories:  sugar, dyes, leaves and mold... and dust.  All negative.  Then she handed Brian a jar filled with weeds.  Bingo.  He's allergic to weeds.  Unfortunately, even the Gavin wishing kind...which he uses to blow wishes to Heaven.  Oh boy.

But have no fear.  We've been there, done that with allergies.  I will be collecting weeds and placing them in a sealed glass jar.  Then I will do his back massages every night until we desensitize him.  I'm not one to jump into medication...and I know this works.  And Brian is thrilled that he'll get "tickled" every night!!

On Tuesday I had another ultrasound of Hope!  I'm currently 32 weeks (Saturday will be 33).  My Mom and sister came along to the ultrasound, which was a lot of fun.  They had never seen 3D images and were completely stunned.  Who wouldn't be??  Look at this precious little face!  If you're wondering who I think she looks like so far...I think she looks like Brian in this photo:

And I think she looks like Gavin in this view:

We shall see!  They were able to tell me that she currently weighs 4lbs, 4oz which just amazed me.  If I go to term (which is unlikely) she could weigh a little over seven pounds.

The doctor showed us her hair again on the ultrasound.  The white spiky lines above the arrow.  Watching it on the ultrasound was cool as you could see it flowing back and forth in the amniotic fluid.

This morning while folding laundry I had the TV on and two different Christmas ads came on.  It was shocking, but not for the reason you might think.  When Gavin died - and I found out I was pregnant - and was told my due date would be Christmas time - it all seemed so far away.  And I liked it that way.  I wanted this pregnancy to go slow...to drag on and on... because I love being pregnant and this will definitely be the last time.  But mostly I hated the idea of rushing away from the last day Gavin lived.  The last day I held him.  Kissed his sweet face.  Held his hand.

But it did go fast.  Just as his five and half years went fast.  And now, it's almost Christmas time...and we will meet the little sister that I know he's already prepped to join our family.  Tomorrow, Miss Sara will be here to help us put up our Christmas tree.  It's very early, I know.  But you just never know when our tiny dancer will make her arrival.  And even though I didn't want to be "here" so soon...

...I'm ready.  

The Peanut Butter Challenge...

Today was the final test for Brian.  The allergist wanted him to go through a three hour (more, actually!) peanut butter challenge before she officially declared him "allergy free."  She didn't expect anything to happen - but had to test him with real peanut butter just in case.

I am thrilled...and relieved...and, to be honest, freaking PROUD!...to tell you - Brian is no longer allergic to peanuts!!!!  Our allergy elimination technique worked!  It took a lot of dedication and patience, but we did it.  

If you've never heard of or gone through a "peanut butter challenge" (or any challenge with an allergist), I'll explain how it worked.

A nurse at the office started Brian off with the tiniest smear of peanut butter on a stick - she put it right on his tongue.

We supplied the food - I brought peanut butter, crackers, cookies, pretzels and milk.  They supplied lollipops, stickers and fancy pencils.  I supplied the wonderful Miss Sara (who is back from her vacation - WOO HOO!), movies, toys and books.

Brian entertained us by drawing on his Doodler and asking us to guess each drawing.  Sara guessed rhinoceros for this one - good guess, eh?

Oh, and I also supplied a super-supportive brother to cheer Brian on.  Usually it's Brian waiting on Gavin at the doctors...so Gavin was more than happy to wait patiently.

Every ten minutes the nurse would come in with increasing amounts of peanut butter.  For a long time, she didn't want Brian to have anything else - no other food and no milk.  He never complained.  And - to make me even MORE proud, he peed on their potty three times while we were there!!  That's a big deal - there was so much going on to distract him.

Soon the peanut butter started to appear on a cookie...

...and then some crackers.

Brian gobbled it all up with a smile.  He smiled even bigger when she said he could have some milk finally!!  The largest amount was two tablespoons - which looked like four peanut butter sandwich crackers she made.

After the last food challenge, we waited a half hour until it was time to be checked by the doctor.  After examining Brian's back and chest and listening to his lungs - she gave us the official good news!

I'm always so happy when I can take one less thing off my children's plates.  Or - in this case - add one thing back ON my child's plate!!

To celebrate, I'd like to give away three wonderful children's books to any of you who have a child with a peanut allergy.  "Food Allergies and Me," "The Day I Met The Nuts," and "The BugaBees - Friends With Food Allergies."  They are especially good for newly diagnosed kids as a way to explain their new way of living to them.  I have three books to give to three different readers.  Leave a comment with your peanut allergy story and I'll get in touch with the first three to respond!  The one requirement - the comment has to be on my blog.  Don't leave your personal contact information there - just your story!  And also, be sure to tell me that you want one of the books.

We're Nuts About Brian!...

WE DID IT!!!

Today was Brian's allergy testing to see if the "allergy elimination technique" I've been doing with the help of our Acupuncturist, Dr. Kang, worked.  He was retested on his back for peanuts and tree nuts.  Nothing showed up.

Seriously - nothing showed up!!

To quote the allergist, "Wow.  This is a surprise!"

To say that I'm happy is the biggest understatement of the year.  I really needed this good news!!

Here was the timeline of events.  You can click on each date to read the posts from that day:

January 29th (of this year) he had his first incidence of hives after eating peanut butter.  He had had peanut butter before...and was getting a cold.  The pediatrician thought the hives were caused by the cold virus and not the peanut butter.

February 9th - his next experience with hives after eating peanut butter - the first peanut butter he had since January 29th due to my fear.  This time the hives were much worse and very itchy.

March 9th - the official "diagnosis" by the allergist (along with a compassionate hug and an epi pen)

March 22nd - we officially started treatments using NAET.  I put the nuts he was allergic to in a glass jar.  Every evening before dinner, Brian would lay down on his belly and I would put the jar up one of his pant legs so it touched his skin.  Then I'd perform the percussion massage down his spine - stimulating up and down the meridians.  I was very diligent Monday through Friday.

We would go back to Dr. Kang for her to check our progress using muscle testing (completely non invasive - you can read all about the technique in THIS POST.) until last week when she said she thought the peanut allergy had cleared.  I immediately made an appointment to get tested by the allergist  which brings us to today...

July 16th - GONE!

Four months from his diagnosis.  Six months from his first hives outbreak.  I can't wait to tell Dr. Kang.  The allergist told me that she'd like Brian to come back, just to be on the safe side, to do a "peanut challenge."  It's an all morning appointment where they'd slowly feed him peanut butter to make sure he doesn't react.  The "final test."  Although she shared with me that I could probably do it myself at home - she really doesn't expect anything to happen.

IMPORTANT:  Please - do NOT try ANY of this with your child on your own without consulting with a doctor.  This worked for Brian, but I don't know enough about nut allergies to know if it would work with your child.  Nut allergies are no joke - it's a very serious and scary allergy and could very easily be life threatening.  The statistics I found say that tree nut allergies are the second leading cause of fatal food anaphylaxis, with peanut allergies being the first!  I also read that only 9% of kids with a tree nut allergy will outgrow it by their sixth birthday.  

Gavin, Brian and I left the allergist office and headed right to the toy store to celebrate.  

Brian picked out a bongo, of course.  

Gavin got a cool magic magnet board that he used in therapy this morning with Miss Janna and loved.  We had to have it after that!!  

I'm not going to lie - I feel really proud.  I left the allergist feeling so empowered.  I so wanted this to work - and it did!!  Now I feel like I can handle this Lyme disease crap.  Just yesterday I was feeling rather defeated.  Today gave me the boost I needed.  And with this success, I'm motivated to move on to other allergens.  I'll be getting a new glass jar and filling it with Wheat Gluten flour.  The next jar? Eggs.  Followed by dog hair.  Can't hurt, right?

There's so much more I could share with you about our weekend and Gavin and therapy and Brian's speech - but I don't want to share this post with any other news.  Today is such a big day for Brian...and for me!! 

Allergy Update...

As you know, we deal with several allergies and sensitivities in our house.  Brian is allergic to nuts...and he's sensitive to gluten and wheat.  Gavin is also sensitive to gluten and he's allergic to eggs...and detergents...and, unfortunately, dogs.  We had a wonderful dog named Lucy that we had to gift to our friends when we were told about Gavin's allergy.  So today was a treat for Brian!  Miss Sara was dog sitting a sweet "Goldendoodle" named Daisy.  She brought her over at the end of the day so she could have a good run in our yard.

It was nice to see Brian interacting with Daisy.  It kinda sorta made me miss having a dog.

Until I remembered rainy days and muddy paws and hair everywhere.  But besides that...

This afternoon I took Brian to see our Acupuncturist, Dr. Kang.  She has been treating him, and I have been treating him at home, to hopefully eliminate his peanut allergy.  I wrote about it in THIS POST.  Each time he sees her, the allergy appears to be reduced.  Today, it seemed to be eliminated.  I will soon make an appointment with the allergist to have the skin testing repeated - that will be the true test.  I'm very anxious to see if it comes up negative for a nut allergy.  He is still sensitive to Gluten and Wheat, so I will begin the home treatments using Wheat Gluten Flour I bought at Wegman's.

Who knows?  Maybe I can one day say goodbye to Gavin's dog allergy...

...and hello to another cute dog like Daisy!

Working My Way Back To Life...

I didn't blog this weekend...in case you didn't notice.  I was busy doing something simple - trying to get my life back in order.  No big deal.

I feel like I have blamed a lot of things on my Dad's death this past November.  It is possible, though, that my "I'll get to it later" "I just don't care" and "Who really looks at the clutter and the chaos in my house anyway?" type of attitude could have been a slow-building event.  It has been a rough couple years, eh?  The bigger the pile on my dining room table (which we obviously don't use), the less I cared.  The bigger my 'to do' pile, the worse my anxiety became.  The more promises I made to myself that I would stick with a project...the more I failed at doing so.  I'm not sure why - but that's the truth of it all!

So...this weekend, I decided to start somewhere.  To put one foot in front of the other and try to get back to some sort of something.  I'm still not exactly sure what.  I'm also not exactly sure I'm making sense, but I'm going to keep typing and then press 'publish' anyway.

I cleaned out my closet.  Took a deep breath and got rid of clothes I had no business keeping.  I will never be a size 4...and maybe never a 6...again.  Shoes from 1997?  In the garage sale pile.  Purses from 1999?  Tossed in the same pile.  Once I knew what I had - and what I needed (a lot), Brian and I went shopping.  It should be noted that I really don't enjoy clothes shopping.  Hate it, actually.  I half wished that bringing Brian would end the trip early.  But the opposite happened.  Brian and I were out from 1pm until dinnertime.  He was in and out of the dressing rooms four times with me.  When other children were whining and throwing tantrums, he looked at me and whispered, "Mama - too loud!"  He was such a sweet partner and so, incredibly patient, that we made a special stop to buy him a new stuffed "Angry Bird" for his collection.  I came home with a huge bag of clothes, including a few items from the "Jennifer Lopez" collection.  I feel like I have arrived.

Gavin stayed home with Ed.  He had a rough weekend with allergies and I really didn't want to bring him outside.  His eyes were puffy and watery...he was dazed...and somewhat stuffy.  To make matters worse, he developed a rash on his face.  It was at it's worst on Friday afternoon into Saturday.  By Sunday it had gone down and I thought we were in the clear.  Unfortunately, I was wrong.  It was back again today.

You can see the bumps in the photo on the left.  And you can really see the rash in the photo on the right.  It doesn't seem to bother him - but Gavin isn't really one to complain much.

             

My guess is that it's a food allergy.  I pureed some of a baked ziti I made, so my first thought was tomatoes.  But I also made my veggie stew different this go around - I added sauteed onions and mushrooms.  We didn't make any other changes - detergent, sheets, etc.  I'm hoping to get him an appointment with Dr. Kang, our acupuncturist, to see if she can test him for these new foods.

He's also been doing something rather worrisome.  Gavin has been purposely falling. He will be kneeling (low or high) and will just let himself fall backwards (never from standing) with no care of what's behind him.  He's banged his head into toys...the book display...the carpeted floor...the hardwood floor...you name it.  Tonight I noticed a goose egg on the top of his cute little head.  He's gone through this phase before.  I don't think it's a medical thing - something he can't control.  I do think it's a sensory "let me see what I can do with my body" type of thing and I'm hoping it's a quickly passing phase.  It is one of those behaviors that really bums me out.

On the bright side - Gavin is very interested in what his body can do!  That part I love!  He continues to want to try to stand independently.  I'll get him in the standing position and soon I feel him slowly and deliberately letting go of my hands.  It's pretty awesome.  I think it's only a matter of time before this child is not only standing - but walking on his own.

Miss Janna, Gavin's teacher, was here today.  She introduced us to a new app called "Fluidity" which Gavin LOVED.  She used it as a reward after each activity.

Janna has arranged for me and some of Gavin's other therapists to re-visit a preschool that I toured almost two years ago.  I had a pretty strong reaction to the school back then - hating so many things about it.  I pretty rarely change my mind when I feel that strongly so I surprised everyone, including myself, when I recently decided to give this school another look.  I was in a different place then and so was Gavin.  Seeing this school with a fresh perspective and a new set of eyes can't hurt.  When I found out that Gavin's previous Occupational Therapist, Miss Marianne, who was with him from infancy until he turned three took a job at this school - it was a big plus.  I respect Marianne a lot and I'm sure she wouldn't work in a school that she didn't feel good about.  So in a few weeks we're going to take a look.  It's possible that I may be sending Gavin to preschool - I don't know when or how often.  But it's possible.

Maybe letting go a little more will help me with this "get my life back in order project."  We'll see.

Brian's speech is exploding.  Ever since Easter when he spent the day with his cousins.  I'm not sure if there's a connection, because he spends every day with his school friends - all of which are great talkers!  Maybe it was a coincidence that something "clicked" on Easter.  Either way - it's so wonderful to see him trying so hard.  

Here's his latest - something we had fun with all weekend - counting backwards to blast off...

And in this video you can hear how he says his own name, which is so adorable...

I'm so grateful to Brian's teachers and his wonderful speech therapist, Miss Maggie.  I was so nervous about sending him to school.  Seems so silly now, looking back.  He's doing SO well...which is another reason why I'm leaning towards sending Gavin.  The thought that I might be holding him back is something that weighs heavily on my heart.

Deep breaths.  We'll get there...

Unleashing My Inner "Momtographer"...

This morning I attended a workshop given by a local photographer. It was geared towards Moms with cameras that have mysterious and intimidating settings - and Moms like me who probably didn't read the manual after they got the camera. Mine is mostly on "sports" for every shot.

While I was gone for those four hours or so, Ed kept the boys entertained and took some pictures as proof. Although these photos seem to prove that THEY entertained HIM more...

Meanwhile, I looked just like these women - my classmates from today - learning new things about our cameras 75 other settings besides "sports". I can't wait to test out my new knowledge!!

I got home just in time for Gavin's 3:00 snack. This past week I made a pretty big decision. This 3pm "snack" has been a full meal for quite some time - mostly in an effort to keep Gavin's weight up and pack in more nutrition. So he ends up eating four big meals a day...and he looks forward to that mid-day meal! But last week I decided to take it away. It has been replaced with a snack that is "solids only" - "take it or leave it" - and if he doesn't eat, he doesn't eat. I really want to push him more to try to eat un-pureed food. So this afternoon he successfully ate some melon and some "Pirates Booty". I'm sure he would have loved more - but he didn't complain!

Soon after, Brian woke up from his nap and I did his massage - just as Dr. Kang taught me in his session last week. I filled an old baby food jar with nuts - specifically ones that he is allergic to.

I put it up his pant leg where it rested against his skin.

He laid on our "Mush Lounger" and played a game on my iPad...

...while I massaged up and down both sides of his spine - almost like a karate chop. Then I rolled his skin up and down his back which caused him to laugh hysterically. The grand finale was four different acupressure points. All very easy to do.

He sat quietly for twenty minutes - and that was that!

If you are reading this and have no idea what I'm talking about, read yesterday's blog entry. We are basically trying to eliminate Brian's nut allergies through Acupressure and Acupuncture techniques.

Ed and I have started the process of putting Gavin's special needs bed together! We're hoping to have it finished by tomorrow.

Enjoy the weekend!!

Healing My Children...

Today was so, so busy. Here was the lineup:

Drop Brian off at school.

Come home and work on organizing sale items for an upcoming consignment sale.

Go back to pick Brian up from school.

Wave to Mr. Don, the bus driver that Brian HAS to say hi to every day...

Go from school right to Dr. Kang, the Acupuncturist's office for Brian's allergy treatment.

Head right home in time for Gavin's therapy with Miss Janna...

Get Brian set up for lunch so I can join the therapy...

Say goodbye to Miss Janna - and hello to Miss Maggie for Gavin's speech therapy...

Say goodbye to Miss Maggie and a hello to Miss Patti! Patti was Gavin's very first Physical Therapist when he was just an infant. She was with us for three years! She recently started working for the school district and was so excited when she was randomly assigned to evaluate "Gavin Leong" for Kindergarten!

As I'm sure you can imagine, she was quite impressed with his progress. When she left us, he was only crawling and had just started learning how to crawl up the stairs (which he didn't master for months afterward!).

Today was a no nap for anyone...running from one thing to another...realizing at 4pm that you hadn't eaten all day and that must be why you feel faint...and an early bedtime for two tired boys.

But it was a great day. I am very excited to start a new treatment program with Brian and our Acupuncturist. We are hoping that we can eliminate Brian's peanut allergy. I've been getting lots of private messages lately asking questions about Dr. Trish...and Dr. Kang. People asking if they really think that these type of doctors - these types of treatments - can really help Gavin and Brian. Especially Brian with something as serious as a nut allergy. My answer is - I really do think so.

If you've been around here for a while, you know I'm a big believer in alternative medicine, therapies and, well, thinking. When Gavin was toddler age, we did Craniosacral therapy once a week. We also had Brian treated several times to help him with some breastfeeding issues. When Rheumatoid Arthritis hit me severely after Brian was born - and for a while they thought I had Multiple Sclerosis - I found almost complete healing with Dr. Trish, an energy healer. And when she started treating Gavin once a week, we saw HUGE improvements with him after each session...in many areas. I give the boys Fish oil and Aloe Water. I put Baking Soda in their bath water. For a long time, I liquefied coconut oil and massaged it into their skin after baths. Most recently I started seeing an Acupuncturist for my fertility issues...and she then diagnosed the boys with their food allergies and sensitivities. And we famously did a family Shamanic ceremony which was quite amazing. I am a little bit...out there.

But I am a firm believer that these types of therapies and treatments and medicines work. Which is why I am turning to my Acupuncturist to help eliminate Brian's nut allergy. And once we do, we will work on the gluten issue for both boys. And when we're done that, we will deal with Gavin's other allergies - seasonal, dogs, detergent and eggs.

How?

The technique is called Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique - or NAET. I'm going to attempt to explain it to you here...

Muscle-response testing is the first part of the NAET treatment used by more than 400 practitioners in the United States to eliminate reactions that a surprising number of people have to common foods, as well as to chemicals, plants, animal dander and other substances.

During the muscle test, Dr. Kang asks the patient to raise his or her arm and hold it tight. She pushes against the uplifted arm, which normally remains strong. Then she gives the patient a vial containing a solution of the allergen, or in some cases, the actual allergen, to hold in the opposite hand and repeats the muscle testing procedure. This is a case of her vials that represent each allergen...

If the patient cannot resist the pressure, she knows an allergy is present. In our case, she tested Brian through me. First she tested me while I held the vial of "nuts" so she could see how I responded. She was not able to push my arm down. Then, she had Brian hold the vial and hold my hand. She tested my strength again and I couldn't resist the pressure - which told her that an allergy was present.

She then does a simple five-minute acupressure treatment along the spine while the patient continues to hold the vial. Brian laid on his belly with his face through the face holder and I read a book to him from below. The experience felt good to him- like a massage! Next, six acupuncture points are stimulated either with needles or acupressure, which works just as well. With children, she only uses acupressure.

Once that was done, Brian had to remain in the room as calm as he could for the next twenty minutes. During that time, the vial with the nuts was in his sock. We read books and talked and laughed. We laughed so much that we heard people laughing at us laughing from the other side of our door. 

Brian does have an infectious laugh.

When the twenty minutes was up, she came in and repeated the muscle testing. First on me - negative. Then she had Brian hold the vial again and hold my hand. This time, it was negative! I was able to resist the pressure whereas I wasn't able to before!! I can't say I truly understand it...but that's what happened.

The theory behind NAET is that allergies are the result of energy blockages in the body due to contact with opposing energy of other substances. When energy is freely flowing along the energy pathways, an allergic reaction is impossible. The goal, therefore, is to simply open the energy pathways through acupressure.

NAET works between 80 and 90 percent of the time, according to practitioners who use it – and the results are usually permanent. All patients start with an initial 10 treatments that clear groups of allergens. Sometimes, additional sessions are needed to eliminate specific allergies.

I've had a lot of people telling me in their private messages (the number of messages all of a sudden took me by surprise!) that they were nervous to comment here - or on my Facebook - for fear that they (or I!) will get attacked for this. I can understand that to a degree - people get nervous with unconventional things. And, as you know, I've been a target of haters lately so anything is possible. But I will tell you that most of me doesn't understand hesitation with things like this. With any of the treatments or medicines or therapies we've tried with Gavin and/or Brian - none of them were invasive. None of them put them in any harm whatsoever. My philosophy is - if it doesn't hurt them, we'll try it. And believe me - that philosophy has served us very well.

Dr. Kang left us with instructions between today and next Friday's appointment. I need to get a glass jar or vial and put nuts or smear peanut butter inside - and seal it shut. Then, with it tucked safely in Brian's sock, I am to do the back massages up and down the sides of his spine that she taught me. Every day. When we go back next Friday I will be so interested to see if he tests positive for a nut allergy again. I don't know how many treatments he'll need to eliminate the allergy...but we're committed to this journey! And we won't leave you behind. 


Stay tuned...