Detox diet - Blogging our journey

[cory2605]

I wonder if something happened at practice they made him upset or anxious? I know it's hard to know for sure because my son will hardly talk to me about feelings at all. Is he pretty good about not eating/drinking anything unless you give it to him or could he have gotten so thirsty he drank something he should not have? Sometimes I think my son is fibbing about whether or not he accepted a treat or some 'not allowed' food from a friend at school. I don't think he completely understands what is 'dairy' or what is 'gluten', and might use this excuse to eat something he's not suppose too. I have told him I WILL talk to his teacher and the lunchroom staff if I feel he is not being truthful. I knew I could trust him at first but now I can tell he is getting tired of all of the restrictions. Another thought, is there an upcoming meet they might have discussed at practice and it triggered some anxeity? Just a thought. I hope tomorrow sees more improvement.

 

Sincerely,

 

Trish

[Chemar]

Kevin, have you tried doing epsom salts baths when he gets back from gymnastics?

 

is there a lot of woodwork in the gymn? any new woodwork there? paint? pesticides? new carpeting?

[KevinInMA]

I don't think anything unusual happened at gym. Hed have told me. He also has no time to eat anyhing while he's there so I'm not too concerned about that. The thing I've always wondered about was the chalk. It's EVERYWHERE. It consists of Magnesium Carbonate so I'm not sure what affect that has. I've always wondered.

 

This morning he woke up with minimal coughing but eye rolling more than I'm comfortable with. It's possible were just in a transition period.

 

Breakfast was a fried egg, uncured bacon, and millet toast w goat butter. Lunch is turkey Sandwitch like yesterday. He just didnt want the soup.

 

He's trying out for the drama club after school. Hope he remembers to go to it and isn't waiting in the pickup line for me where I won't be!

[KevinInMA]

Oh. I haven't tried Epsom baths after gym. There's just no time. He gets to sleep so late as it is. I may give it a shot after a Friday practice to see how it goes though.

He hates baths. Finds them boring.

[Cj60]

Oh. I haven't tried Epsom baths after gym. There's just no time. He gets to sleep so late as it is. I may give it a shot after a Friday practice to see how it goes though.

He hates baths. Finds them boring.

 

For what it's worth...

I rank epsom salt baths right up there with the magnesium.

Most every day. If not, I definitely won't skip two days.

- Chris

[KevinInMA]

 

For what it's worth...

I rank epsom salt baths right up there with the magnesium.

Most every day. If not, I definitely won't skip two days.

- Chris

 

 

Really.... Is it instant gratification? How much epsom do you use?

[Cj60]

Really.... Is it instant gratification? How much epsom do you use?

 

 

When it finally dawned on me that night time often brought with it a noticeable increase in my son's tics, that when he was wearing down his tics kind of presented themselves more easily, I went from giving an occasional bath to giving a bath every night (along with, I should add, a second dose of kids calm, which I had previoulsy only administered in the morning). I no longer notice the increase. What's telling to me is that even when I'm too tired to get a bath going, and suggest waiting till the next day, my son wants it. He likes it. I think even he thinks it helps him.

 

I wouldn't call it instant. With my son, I think it's kind of like providing a daily supply of something his body is not getting itself (sulfate). So its the continual, as opposed to immediate, absorption that seems to put his system a little more at ease.

 

Today, after a couple of weeks of trying and failing, I finally got a urine sample in the mail (it wasn't uncomplicated--at least not for me...). This test is to check out his methylation pathway. An easing up of the tics when sulfates are introduced through the epsom baths makes me think that something isn't going right in the methylation pathway (perhaps that sulfites aren't getting converted into sulfates like they should be... we'll soon see).

 

Chris

[KevinInMA]

Really.... Is it instant gratification? How much epsom do you use?

 

Today, after a couple of weeks of trying and failing, I finally got a urine sample in the mail (it wasn't uncomplicated--at least not for me...). This test is to check out his methylation pathway. An easing up of the tics when sulfates are introduced through the epsom baths makes me think that something isn't going right in the methylation pathway (perhaps that sulfites aren't getting converted into sulfates like they should be... we'll soon see).

 

Chris

 

I don't understand a word of that.

 

[KevinInMA]

Chris- How much epsom do you add to the bathwater?

 

 

 

 

Well, we had friends over for dinner tonight so I made a chicken. I love my Advantium. Makes cooking a whole chicken a PIECE OF CAKE (which my son is no longer allowed to have, by the way).

I coated the chicken with goat butter and we had corn with it and since he doesn't like mashed potatoes he had a baked potato while everyone else had mashed.

 

All of that is perfectly within his diet. Dinner is easy.

 

I think we're starting to see the cough as the first victim of this diet. It seems, even through last nights annoying recurrence, that the cough is really easing up while some other tics remain. That, to me, is very promising.

 

He's chomping on some mango before bed. That, to me, means one thing. I'll be smelling mango everywhere I go for the next 24 hours.

 

It's all worth it, though.

Nite, everyone.

[Chemar]

Glad you are going to bed feeling positive Kevin

 

we use 2 cups of epsom per tub of hot water for a 20 min full body soak, or 1 cup in a deep footbath (my son has a Homedics Foot Spa that does a foot massage while soaking)

[Cj60]

From http://www.knowyourgenetics.com:

 

 

What is the methylation pathway? Methylation acts as an on/off switch that allows the body to learn how to respond to environmental change. It represents the only cellular pathway that effects both adaptability and structural integrity of the body. Like the simple water molecule, methyl groups are necessary for life. This pathway is directly related to most major chronic conditions. Using our knowledge of the methylation cycle, we assess your results and provide suggestions to help support a healthy body and mind.

 

For a nice visual:

 

http://www.nutriwest.com/articles/homovmsm.htm

 

 

(This is how I spend my "free" time...

 

Cheers

[KevinInMA]

Thanks Chris. I've got some light bedtime reading to do, I guess.

 

 

Well, today was interesting. I'm having a hard time balancing my desire to see him through this with my feeling bad for my kid.

Breakfast was cereal, if I remember right. Same cereal as he usually has.

Lunch was soup. Yup, I got him to voluntarily eat soup at school.

Dinner was baked millet/chicken fingers. Even better than fried. I can't wait to make those again.

Various snacks- Cashew butter on banana nut millet toast, Popcorn w/ goat butter, Mango

 

All day long he was quiet and I've noticed when looking at him that during many of the times when I'd expect to see an eye-roll (Yup, I know what it looks like when it's "supposed" to happen). he didn't roll but he blinked a couple times. I see that as an improvement. Almost no coughing at all when I was with him.

 

Then 4 hours of gymnastics practice. Still waiting to hear how his focus was tonight. When he got home (about 8:45pm) he said "Someone was eating something with syrup and it smelled SOOO good! I NEED something sweet!!!"

He was so distraught. Started to cry a little. He went over to where the candy is kept and said "I just want to look at what I wish I could eat" (I need to throw that stuff out, I know)

and he was standing there just all upset.

Then my seldom seen empathetic dad side kicked in and said "Do you want to just chew on a tootsie roll to get the taste on your tongue then spit it out?"

He immediately said "No. I can't do that. I can't cheat but I need something!"

 

I said "Lets have a bowl of cereal and watch a movie. Once you get something in you, you'll forget about it."

 

He hasn't said a word since.

 

Oh! That reminds me! I bought unflavored (no stevia) Natural Calm. Gave it to him this morning in water and he literally gagged it down. It tastes like unflavored Alka-Seltzer. YUCK.

So this afternoon for his second dose I gave it to him in a little pear juice (the first juice that he will eventually be allowed). It was so little, like a shot size.

 

He said "What is this?" and I told him it was a little juice.

He replies "No. NO NO NO. I'm NOT cheating!" and he pushed it away as far as he could.

 

This kid is SO committed. I admire him. I really do. I wish I had the strength of my own kid.

 

 

 

Anyway, He's home from gym. Coughing a little. Not as bad as Wednesday night. 4 hours of straight gymnastics will wipe a kid out and when he's wiped out the tics get worse so I can't complain right now.

 

I still think it's working...

Edited October 16, 2010 by KevinInMA

[KevinInMA]

Thu-Fri = two steps forward. Today started out with several steps back. He's coughing a lot... More than I'm comfortable with.

Great.

[Chemar]

Kevin

 

it seems to me you are seeing an increase after gymnastics each time? that would indicate to me that something either in the gymn, or following the exertion, is triggering him. The fact that it is coughing that results does make me wonder about that chalk (which I note from a Google search can be an allergen for some people)

Did you try the epsom bath after gymn last night?

 

I did notice that there don't seem to be any other fruits and veggies in his diet apart from mangoes? or perhaps I missed it. My concern is that he is possibly not getting all the necessary nutrients he needs to sustain that kind of activity? Just a thought.

[KevinInMA]

Good points, Cheri.

You're right. We need to add more variety to his fruits and veggies. Should start on that today. I need to grab the "approved veggies" list and go shopping.

 

He's in an epsom bath right now. Haven't heard a peep from him. The other thing that happened this morning was he was reprimanded a few times (for various things) almost as soon as he woke up. Since tics are exacerbated with anxiety this may be the cause of the problem this morning.

 

Still not going to discount a problem with chalk at the gym, though. Something to investigate, I think.