Three things:

Because I'm in a Lovely Listing (otherwise known as Energetically Enumerating) mood, here goes:

1. Having had NBear on biomeds under the care of one Dr. Mielke, it's become easy for us to see when a yeast overgrowth is occurring. (3 things to remember, as per Dr. Mielke - stimmy, silly, spacey) So, it looks like we'll be following what Jenny put in her book - To remove Evan's candida, we did start him out on a prescription of Diflucan but after a few weeks, I switched him to a natural supplement that did the same thing. It is called ThreeLac, and if you Google it, you will find many places that carry it. (page 200, Louder than Words)

2. We went to my mom's apartment yesterday, and - for the first time EVER - we both noticed that NBear had NOT once rewound the Blues Clues video she was watching. (Mind you - this is her routine as soon as she enters the door: say hi to grandma, rush to the TV and VCR *yes, VCR - remember those?*, pop in the video, and rewind certain scenes numerous times until we leave.) It was a good day!

3. This post was beautiful. It features a teenage orator named Soeren Palumbo, taken during a speech he makes during (I'm assuming) a student body assembly. He doesn't talk about autism specifically, but about disabilities as a whole - and how the world (as we know) can be a cruel, unforgiving place. I won't tell you anything more, in hopes that you will watch it in its entirety. Don't let the shaky camera in the beginning turn you off to the rest of the video!

What are YOUR three things? :)

tidbits

* today NBear got her NINTH B-12 shot

* it has been 34 days since we started her on biomeds - including the diflucan - and 26 days of taking the full dose of supplements (had to introduce one supplement a day to make sure she wouldn't have any adverse reactions)

* her follow-up appointment is THIS FRIDAY @ 9:30am, with Dr.Mielke (see her website on my list of links), which we're really excited/anxious/nervous about because it's "let's-discuss-her-lab-results" day *breathe!*...thanks for agreeing to watch NBear and SBear, grandma - and an advance thank you to S.I.L.- G for agreeing to have MBear at the bakery! (You don't know what you're getting yourself into, but thanks!)

*and a great big thanks to my friends and family who read this - I trust you will tell anyone who is going through a similar situation that this BLOG is for them too! :)

reactions

Ok, let's cut straight to the chase.

When you put your kid on ANY type of new medication or supplement, you must brace yourself for reactions and just PRAY that they won't all be bad ones.

The very first day we started NBear on diflucan, there was definitely a reaction. Within half an hour of administering it to her, she became unfocused and a bit hyper. (It was pretty similar to how I act after a grande serving of my favorite SBux treat.) Ken found her sitting at our bedroom door at 4am, unable to sleep.

Days 2 and 3 were even worse. We were warned about possible die-off symptoms, (page 34) and that it gets worse before it gets better - but it's nervewracking nonetheless. Autistic children often show regression, a period lovingly called the "healing-regression" phase. :) During this time, NBear's speech became slurred, and she became belligerent in situations she would've otherwise been okay in / with. Her tantrums - though not as bad or as constant as when she was younger - returned. She struggled even more with eye contact, and seemed to have forgotten how to answer simple questions. Echolalia and "TV talk" (much to my dismay) also returned:

Me: NBear, what do you want for your birthday?
NB: Want for your birthday?
Me: What do you want, sweetie?
NB: Nbear's birthday!
Me: Yes, so what do you want for your birthday?
NB: SURPRISE?
Me: I want....
NB: I want.....a....
Me: white.....
NB: White rabbit!

(Before Diflucan:)
Me: What do you want for your birthday?
NB: I want a white rabbit...pleeeeaaaassssseeee?

* By the way, if you have ANY idea where Ken and I can find a floppy-eared or dwarf rabbit before the 29th, DO TELL! :) *

Today is her one-week mark on diflucan. She's gotten better, that's for sure. I'd say she's pretty much back to normal. My normal Nbear:)

Time to go. Her glutathione iontment and supplements call. Twice daily.

...and then, the starting pistol was fired...

My daughter has autism.

She is six - will be seven at the end of this month.

I do not want to start telling her story from the beginning, simply because she is not the same person she was when she was two, or three. The day of her fateful diagnosis, the times she would grunt and throw uncontrollable tantrums, and the devastating moment we realized she had stopped saying words - and would stop saying words for almost a year - are no longer relevant to the story that her life is telling now.

Cured? No - not at all. Far from it. This is not going to be a story of immediate rewards or lightning-speed miracles - though one may hope for them, of course ;) Instead, I hope (like many parents out there) to GIVE hope, and to open more eyes to what you may want to explore if your child has autism. (My newfound mantra is "Leave no stone unturned!")

This all sound familiar? It should. From the depths of my heart I thank Jenny McCarthy for writing "Louder than Words" and sharing her experiences with her son, Evan - and for the many friends who told me about the book's existence. (And to K, who bought it for me...do you realize how precious it is to us now?) See it here.
http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/jenny/

In the past few months, we (hubby and I) have done the following:
* visited Dr. Mielke - a DAN! doctor in Pleasanton

* watched NBear get blood drawn both at that lab and at Kaiser
* collected urine, hair, and the ever-favorite stool sample for her biomedical testing
* started her on an anti-fungal called Fluconazole (Diflucan)
* began her biomedical treatment with an arsenal of supplements, which include: Probiotics, Cod liver oil, Nu- Thera, (she's not on the SUPER Nu-Thera, as the link shows), Trace minerals, Magnesium powder, and Calcium powder. The last of which will be the infamous B-12 shots, which we'll have to administer pretty much like an epi-pen.

* started a journal to note any reactions or changes NBear experiences during her treatment

* said goodbye to a lot of our savings.....without caring ;)

......SIGH.....

My energy is drained right now. Time is 11:43 pm. I promise to continue as soon as I can.

The important thing for everyone to know right now is that we've awakened to the sound of the starting pistol.

Our marathon has begun.