The Dentist and Sensory Issues

Our afternoon was spent at the dentist office.At his previous cleaning visit, my son saw the tools on the tray and he told them which ones they were NOT allowed to put in his mouth. Today he was getting cavities filled and was given prescriptions meant to give a sedative affect in order for his work to be done. (I really drug my feet on the sedative drugs... I just hate giving him prescriptions and things.) He was also given the laughing gas stuff. We were there for quite some time before he calmed down somewhat. (After I suggested they put the heavy vest on him that us usually used for the x-rays.) The dentist somehow got one little filling done, and that was it. He never was sedated enough for the work to get finished.

The heavy x-ray vest helped calm him down because the extra input feels good to his slightly malfunctioning nervous system. ("oh, I can feel where I am because of this extra weight on me. I don't have to constantly wiggle to be able to tell where my body is in space right now.") He has a weighted vest that was handed down to him. He wore it to school one day. His mainstreaming teacher said it was the best day that he ever had in her class! Once the special ed teacher saw it, however, she told me that to protect the school they needed a behavior plan written by the OT in order to use it. The vest went home, and he has not gotten to take it back since because said OT is so spread out among schools that said plan has not been written. Poor kid.

Why does my child need fillings anyway? I sometimes wonder that, but as the dental hygienist today so kindly reminded me that brushing and flossing are important. In spite of my efforts, for years it has been difficult to get a toothbrush in his mouth. I often had to get new toothbrushes when he was 5 and under, because he would bite down on them so hard when I was trying to brush his teeth, they would get ruined. (Trying to brush is teeth was just a scene, of course.)

What this whole thing boils down to is some serious sensory issues. I have for sure heard of worse, and my son has been worse off in the past where those are concerned. Often people with autism have sensory issues, and they are not all the same. My son has always been sensitive with his hearing. Even now he sometimes runs from the room when his baby brother cries. Of course he is super sensitive with his mouth. When the one filling was finished, the dentist was speaking to me and my son just fell right to sleep. He had no response to a little pinch I gave his ankle. We thought perhaps we could do some more work, but when they started going at his mouth again, he woke right up again. Poo, now we have to take him to a special pediatric dentist and have him completely sedated just to fill some cavities.

Autism Awareness Month and GFC

I am so excited for April to come this year. Ever since we have found special diet and medical helps for our son, we have enjoyed sharing with others in hopes that they will take the information and encouragement, run with it, and gain some recovery for their own children. April is my big chance to have my biggest sharing audience to date... I have written a short version of our story for The Gluten Free Consumer. Some of our readers have children with autism, and all of them know someone who has autism, so I am so excited for this opportunity. Those who order during this month not only get a great publication for a year, but they also get to have a portion of the sale donated to the Autism Research Institute's Million Dollar Puzzle Piece Challenge. For those who order during April, their April issue will come with a paper puzzle piece from ARI as a token for their donation.

Here is a sneak preview. Awww.... Doesn't my little one look sweet? This is my son at age 3, with alittle marker on his nose, so cute!
I also included one of my son's favorite recipes at the end of the article. I am looking forward to hearing feedback on it from our readers.

Happy Spring! I pulled out the flip-flops today. That makes me so happy!

Don't forget to check us out at www.GFConsumer.com!

My Valentine

Eli's expressions of love are often not verbal. Over the last two years, we have had more hugs that he has initiated, but it does not occur to him to verbally express love often. I am always pleased with a hug or kiss on the cheek at bedtime when I tell him how much I love him and say goodnight. On a very rare occasion, "I love you, too, Mom." Most often the "I love you's" come in the form of notes, which I treasure. This time, around Valentine's Day, he had me come into the living room to show me a surprise. He wrote me a love note out of his building blocks.

B12

     For about three years now, I have been sneaking up to my son's room at night and sticking him with a needle. For most of that time I have just hated doing it. Now it is so routine, I get more upset when I can't do it, like if we accidentally run out, or if he isn't asleep enough to stay still enough, even after the numbing cream. The reason being that he is doing so very well, and changing the therapy routine can really throw things off. No B12 can mean emotional melt downs the next day. It can mean climbing under desks at school.
    I describe our routine to others as "B12 by injection." The pharmacy that I order it from calls it methylcobal. Every month I spend about $35 dollars on it, and I have it delivered to our door, because the pharmacy we get it from is over an hour away. It comes in a small Styrofoam cooler, which is still really big for how tiny the little bottle is. The bottle is about 1 inch tall. I always have to remember to order syringes, because once I forgot, and I found out that Rite-Aid will not sell them to me. Duh.
   I have to keep on a schedule with giving it to him. Every third night, about 20 minutes after bedtime, he is usually in a deep enough sleep that I can put a tiny circle of numbing cream on the injection site and he won't roll over on it. I then go downstairs and set a timer for 20 minutes. At the end of the 20 minutes, I draw the dose up myself, because it is cheaper than getting the syringes pre-filled. I go up to his room, wipe off the numbing cream, and administer the injection just how his doctor's nurse taught me. He does not even know that I do this. If any of you were wondering if I was crazy, why yes, yes I am. I stick my son with needles in the dark.

Carly

What a gift this girl has been given. She is a voice to the world through her typing although she has no verbal voice of her own. How amazing and wonderful that she has the ability and willingness to share and help others. See the YouTube video here

No Bake Carob Bar

It makes me laugh to look back and see how much I have changed. The title of this food alone would have been enough to make me leery not too long ago. It is free of all of our allergens, except that it does have the 1/2 cup sugar that we are sensitive to, so I am trying to save this one for really special occasions. Right now my son is on a yeast protocol diet to get the yeast in his gut under control, (translation: no sugar or fruit juice on the diet,) but he would probably like these on this birthday in March. I have honestly never had anything so rich and chocolaty that was not chocolate. Maybe more experimenting will yield a more naturally sweetened version.


No Bake Carob Bar

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (slightly rounded) carob powder
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups gluten free oats

Melt oil and sunflower seed butter together in saucepan. Stir in carob powder and sugar. Dissolve and cook, stirring, to thicken. Remove from heat and mix in remaining ingredients. Pour into 8 by 8 inch dish and chill for 1 hour or so until they are cool and look "dry." 

New Year's Resolutions

     My New Year's resolution is basically the same every year. It is always to be happy with who I am, but to not be content or settle, because I can improve myself in ways that help me function as a person and in ways that help my family. Included on the list are "mini resolutions,' such as more study, meditation, and prayer. Others are connected to health; being more active, and eating more whole foods. One thing my journey with my sweet little Eli has taught me is that the body dictates how the mind feels and functions. Taking care of Eli requires constant strategy for behavior plans, memory for all the daily supplements, and mental endurance for all the "why" questions! (He seems to currently be going through the question asking stage he largely missed when he was 4.)

     As far as the health resolutions go, I have already loaded up on some valuable tools. One is Zumba for the Wii. The other is an ebook that I came across by Kim Wilson called, "Good and Easy Eats." This book is unique in so many wonderful ways. All the recipes included are gluten free and vegan, meaning that there are no pesky dairy products that need substituting. All the recipes included focus on whole foods. Not only that, but Kim teaches you WHY whole foods are better. There are so many tools included, such as menu planning and links to online rescources. The recipes included are versitile enough that a family could eat exclusively out of this book with its simple recipes.

     Oh and I almost forgot to mention another reason I am loving this book: The recipes are simple! They even use minimal amounts of kitchen utilsels and dishes to prepare, which makes my life easier and my goals more attainable. I would recommend taking a look at this ebook. It is only about $5, which is not much of a risk compared to buying a hard copy and paying shipping, and then waiting for it in the mail. "Good and Easy Eats" is generally delivered to your email box within 24 hours.

I am so excited for what 2012 will bring. Good food, more peace, and more energy. WhooHoo!