Appointment Went Well!

Hayden saw the Developmental Pediatrician on Tuesday and I am feeling very optimistic.  She feels that we can get Hayden "healthy."  I am not trying to fool myself into thinking he will get rid of all his autistic tendencies and be "cured", but I do feel that we should be able to manage them and hopefully see some of them fade away.  

Let me start by saying that Hayden's autism is mild.  Many people have told us that he appears to be "high functioning."  I believe this as well.  To most, he may not even appear to be autistic.  I will go into more detail about Hayden's autism and his symptoms in a later blog.

Dr. Megson is a Developmental Pediatrician who treats autistic children with biomedical/non-drug supplements.  Her treatment protocol is to:

1. Restrict (Implement a gluten free-casein free diet) (We have already been doing this for almost 4 weeks and have noticed a big difference!)
2. Restore a normal gut environment with probiotics, nutrient intake and treating yeast overgrowth if present.
3. Repair using multiple supplements and giving Epsom's salts baths to draw out the toxins in the body.
4. Reconnect (Combining aggressive educational support, OT, ST and the above should result in improvements in multiple areas of function including language, cognition, vision, and social interaction.)

While it is difficult to point a finger at a specific reason for autism, she, along with many other doctors, believes it to be a combination of the following:

• Nutritional deficiencies
• Gut dysfunction due to multiple factors including suboptimal nutrition, infections, antibiotics etc.
• Microbial overgrowth including viral infections in susceptible children after certain vaccines, intestinal parasites or bacterial and yeast overgrowths in the gut.
  
• Toxins from environmental sources and certain childhood vaccines
• Food intolerance, including intolerance of gluten and casein
• Abnormalities in detox chemisty and immune function

We will be treating Hayden with nutritional supplementation, by trying to purify his environment (as much as we can within reason...you would not believe how many toxins are in our everyday environment.), and with dietary intervention (the GFCF diet is already making a difference.)  Some people do not believe in this treatment, but it was a "no brainer" to me.   We are not giving him prescription medicine, we are giving him natural vitamin and mineral supplements.  We are adjusting his diet and checking his body for toxins.  We are following this up with a structured preschool, speech therapy and occupational therapy.  What is there to lose?  The supplements and foods for his special diet are pretty expensive, but you can't put a price tag on your child's health.  Hayden is worth it!

Hayden's prescription consists of a specific dosage of the following vitamins and supplements.  They will be added one at a time waiting 3-4 days before starting the next one.

• Cod Liver Oil
• 2 Multivitamins
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Zinc
• Probiotic
• Digestive Enzymes
• Melatonin
• B12
• Intestimend
• Glutathione Cream

Dr. Megson ordered many tests including blood, urine, stool and hair samples.  This will tell us what toxins Hayden may have in his body, what his body is lacking, what it may have too much of, etc.  Once all the test results have come back, she will make adjustments to his supplements.

I want to thank my Aunt Pam and Uncle Alan for letting Hayden and I stay with them in Richmond.  They also went to the appointment and to the lab with us to have blood drawn.   The lab drew 7 tubes of blood from Hayden and had to stick him 3 times.  They had a lot of trouble because his veins are so small.  Everyone in the waiting room could hear him screaming and we were both crying when we came out.  I was so thankful to have someone there!  It was a long and emotional morning.  Thank you Pam and Alan for being there for us!  (Dill's 1st day of school was Monday, so it was impossible for him to take off and go with us.)

When we left Richmond, we drove down to Va. Beach to surprise Granny for her Birthday.  It was a very short visit, but we enjoyed seeing Granny, Grandpa, Gigi, "Zachawee" and Uncle Josh.  I think Hayden needed a quick dose of his "Virginia Family."  We came back home yesterday and Hayden was excited to go back to school today.  Again, I am amazed at how well he has adjusted to school and how much he loves it.  Tomorrow, his class is taking a field trip to Steppin Heaven.  This is a horse farm where they offer therapeutic horseback riding.  We can't wait!

*Information about Dr. Megson's treatment protocol and possible factors were taken from Allison Trotter's book, The Biomanagement Field Guide for Autism Spectrum Disorders.  Dr. Megson gave me this book at the appointment on Tuesday.  Very informative!