The last few weeks have been rough on our family. Two weeks ago Saturday I came home from work to find Hayden struggling to breath. He honestly scared me shitless. I must add that I don't scare easily or hardly ever panic, but this did it. The poor little guy was breathing 66 times a minute, grunting, retracting, and looked like life was being sucked out of him. I hurried and gave him a breathing treatment, had Brandon pack us a bag and off to the ER we went. I seriously drove 90 mph down I-69.
We got to the hospital and spent 4 very long hours in the emergency room until Hayden's room was ready in the PICU. Hayden improved quickly with steriods, breathing treatments, and oxygen. We stayed 3 days in the hospital and then went home on oxygen, breathing treatments, and steriods. I think I slept a total of three hours the whole time we were there. I was so proud of Hayden in the hospital. He was such a good boy and took everthing in stride.
Hayden was doing well and went back to school later that week. Friday evening I noticed that he was starting to cough and was a little short of breath. I gave him a breathing treatment and he improved. We went to bed. I got up in the morning for work and Hayden woke up coughing and short of breath again. He improved with his treatment and I left detailed instructions with Daddy and went to work. When I got home from work that evening Hayden's breathing was a whole lot worse. I put him on oxygen, gave him several treatments in a row and called and got him more steriods. He improved and we went to bed. He slept through the night so I thought that was a good sign. I checked his breathing and breath sounds before I went to work and he seemed to be doing okay. I called and checked on Hayden a few times that morning and called our peditrician to see if I could get him seen. My awesome co-workers sent me home at 10am.
I got home and took Hayden to the ER again. He now has a horrible cough, snoty nose, and is breathing in the 60's again. I suspected that he caught RSV while we were in the hospital and sure enough he tested postive. We waited 5 hours in the ER this time before our room in peds was ready.
Hayden's nurse had no buisness taking care of sick children. She didn't think that he was retracting and refused to call the respiratory therapist to give him a treatment when I asked for one. UGH....imagine my anger towards her!!! So being the smart Mommy that I am I packed Hayden's breathing medication and gave him a treatment. I guess she didn't get the memo that when a child has a chronic condition / special needs you listen to the Mom.
Life on peds sucked this time around!! We couldn't leave the room because we now were in isolation for RSV. I think 5 milllion people came in our room that night. When I finally fell asleep at 3am I was woke up at 3:15am by our nurse saying that we were getting a room mate. What???? I calmly made my point and they agreed to wait until morning to bring in our room mate.
Morning came and I talked to the charge nurse. I can't believe they were going to bring in another patient that's parents stunk like they just smoked a case of cigarettes. Let me tell you how great that would be for my autistic, asthmatic child that has RSV. I talked to the manager of peds and she told me it was okay because the beds are three feet apart and she understands how I feel. BITE ME!!! I have not been that angry in a long time, but this lady sure pushed my buttons. I was prepared to block the door way, becuase those people were not comming anywher near us. Luckily I was able to talk the dr into discharging us and that whole me blocking the door situation was avoided :)
Home again, home again, back on oxygen, around the clock every three hour breathing treatments, an oximeter, twice a day steriods, and an inhaler twice a day. That does even cover the 23 vitamins, probiotics, and digestive enzymes that Hayden gets a day and his hyperbaric oxygen therapy. I feel like all I did was give Hayden meds. I sure the heck did not sleep.
Hayden's behavior has horrible this week!!! He peed in my water cup, the dog bowl, the pretend cooking dishes, and in his sisters ride on toy. He colored all over the walls, table, himself, the dog, and his sister. He flooded the kitchen and poured a cup of water over his sisters head. He threw his sisters poop out of the tub and hit me in the head with it....I must say this was the icing on the cake. He was stimming left and right, poor eye contact, temper tantrums like you would not believe, and was not talking like he had been.
I admit I was scared that autism was pulling him back in. I can't even describe to you what it is like to watch your child back slide. All of the hard work we have done in the last year to pull him from the grasps of autism and it was sucking him back in. I knew that it was only temporary and he would return to his baseline, but man there was some doubt there.
I am happy to report that Hayden is much like himself today :) I sure hope Daddy can keep up with all his needs this weekend.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Meeting at Hayden's School
Last year this time I was on a quest to find the best school possible for my son and our family. On my crazed quest I visited nine different preschools. I spent countless hours searching the Internet, talking to parents, making phone calls to schools, and then visiting nine different preschools.
Out of the nine I visited there was only one that I felt comfortable sending my little Hayden to. There was one preschool that I left shaking and in tears at the horror that I had just witnessed!!! Is it ever okay to strap a three year old to a chair because they are not doing what they are told?? I feel sick that people are okay with their autistic children being treated that way. My heart still races thinking of this. One of the preschool asked me if I thought of putting Hayden on behavior medication at the tender age of two and a half. I squealed my tires getting out of that parking lot. Okay not really, but I wanted to.
I saved the school that I felt was a top contender for my last visit. That school was Oak Farm Montessori School in Avilla. I honestly can not put in words what an amazing school it is and what a perfect fit it has been for our family. Hayden is thriving and I feel as a family we are thriving. Oak Farm has given my tools and opportunities to better myself not only as a parent, but as a person. I work closely with his teachers and feel that we are a cohesive team striving to give Hayden the best future possible.
Hayden is doing well at school and continues to make great strides. The problem is that they are unsure that he will be ready to move up to the next grade level next year and that he needs more than what the level he is in next year. Which means Hayden's journey at Oak Farm may be coming to an end. I have full faith that Hayden will be ready come fall. I look at all that he has over come and I can't help to be completely optimistic that he can and will thrive in the Primary class.
I have monthly meetings at his school to make sure that we are on the same page. His teachers are so proud of him. Today I got chills as they were talking of the huge growth Hayden has made in the last several weeks. They are as excited and proud of Hayden as I am!!! A teacher that has been working with him even questioned his diagnosis of autism. I must say that was music to my ears!!! I know his diagnosis is correct, but also know that Hayden will not be autistic all his life.
Then came the bad news..................The dean of the school does not approve of Hayden having a private aid in primary. This is something that has never happened at Oak Farm and at this time they are not ready to implement private aids in the classroom. I started to tear up. I am heartbroken. Deep down to my core I know that Oak Farm is the school for our family. So what is next??? I am going to write a letter to the dean begging her to allow a private aid for Hayden and schedule a meeting with her. I need to do some research and find some concrete evidence supporting Hayden having a private aid and it's effect on the whole classroom. I also have to continue looking at schools in hopes of finding a back up plan.
Brandon, Ruby, and I visited a school in Fort Wayne this week and it was a NO!! I have another Montessori school in Fort Wayne I need to visit. I don't know what to think or do!!! I wish I could just home school him, but know that Hayden needs more than what I can offer.
I can't stand not having control and not having a plan. I have to put my faith in God and pray that he guides me down the right path.
Out of the nine I visited there was only one that I felt comfortable sending my little Hayden to. There was one preschool that I left shaking and in tears at the horror that I had just witnessed!!! Is it ever okay to strap a three year old to a chair because they are not doing what they are told?? I feel sick that people are okay with their autistic children being treated that way. My heart still races thinking of this. One of the preschool asked me if I thought of putting Hayden on behavior medication at the tender age of two and a half. I squealed my tires getting out of that parking lot. Okay not really, but I wanted to.
I saved the school that I felt was a top contender for my last visit. That school was Oak Farm Montessori School in Avilla. I honestly can not put in words what an amazing school it is and what a perfect fit it has been for our family. Hayden is thriving and I feel as a family we are thriving. Oak Farm has given my tools and opportunities to better myself not only as a parent, but as a person. I work closely with his teachers and feel that we are a cohesive team striving to give Hayden the best future possible.
Hayden is doing well at school and continues to make great strides. The problem is that they are unsure that he will be ready to move up to the next grade level next year and that he needs more than what the level he is in next year. Which means Hayden's journey at Oak Farm may be coming to an end. I have full faith that Hayden will be ready come fall. I look at all that he has over come and I can't help to be completely optimistic that he can and will thrive in the Primary class.
I have monthly meetings at his school to make sure that we are on the same page. His teachers are so proud of him. Today I got chills as they were talking of the huge growth Hayden has made in the last several weeks. They are as excited and proud of Hayden as I am!!! A teacher that has been working with him even questioned his diagnosis of autism. I must say that was music to my ears!!! I know his diagnosis is correct, but also know that Hayden will not be autistic all his life.
Then came the bad news..................The dean of the school does not approve of Hayden having a private aid in primary. This is something that has never happened at Oak Farm and at this time they are not ready to implement private aids in the classroom. I started to tear up. I am heartbroken. Deep down to my core I know that Oak Farm is the school for our family. So what is next??? I am going to write a letter to the dean begging her to allow a private aid for Hayden and schedule a meeting with her. I need to do some research and find some concrete evidence supporting Hayden having a private aid and it's effect on the whole classroom. I also have to continue looking at schools in hopes of finding a back up plan.
Brandon, Ruby, and I visited a school in Fort Wayne this week and it was a NO!! I have another Montessori school in Fort Wayne I need to visit. I don't know what to think or do!!! I wish I could just home school him, but know that Hayden needs more than what I can offer.
I can't stand not having control and not having a plan. I have to put my faith in God and pray that he guides me down the right path.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
I eat, breath, and sleep autism
Autism is always on my brain!! I eat, sleep, and breath autism. There is never a moment in my life that I am not evaluating treatment paths, planning every bite of food that goes in my children's mouths, over analyzing my sons behavior, reading and researching, looking at Ruby for any hint of a "red" flag, or feeling every emotion there is towards autism.
I feel as though in the quest to save my son from the secluded world of autism I have lost my self to it. It consumes every part of me deep into my core and I feel so broken and lost. I am no longer Brandi, I am Hayden's Mom healing him from autism. All the things I use to enjoy have went to the way side.
I need to find balance and I have no clue how. How do I stop my obsessive compulsive behavior towards autism?? Hayden is doing so well and with out a doubt in my mind is going to live a productive happy life. I feel like I need a twelve step program to detox from being so consumed with Hayden's illness. Why can't I just let go and relax?
I need to make time and re-connect with myself and my husband. I have put us on hold and focused every bit of energy I have into my kids. I feel that I would be a better Mom if I would take time for myself and strengthen my relationship with my husband. I want my kids to know the "real"me not the crazy lady obsessed with autism. I want them to know how much I love and value their father and set a positive example of a healthy relationship.
I feel as though in the quest to save my son from the secluded world of autism I have lost my self to it. It consumes every part of me deep into my core and I feel so broken and lost. I am no longer Brandi, I am Hayden's Mom healing him from autism. All the things I use to enjoy have went to the way side.
I need to find balance and I have no clue how. How do I stop my obsessive compulsive behavior towards autism?? Hayden is doing so well and with out a doubt in my mind is going to live a productive happy life. I feel like I need a twelve step program to detox from being so consumed with Hayden's illness. Why can't I just let go and relax?
I need to make time and re-connect with myself and my husband. I have put us on hold and focused every bit of energy I have into my kids. I feel that I would be a better Mom if I would take time for myself and strengthen my relationship with my husband. I want my kids to know the "real"me not the crazy lady obsessed with autism. I want them to know how much I love and value their father and set a positive example of a healthy relationship.
Monday, February 21, 2011
What a well behaved little boy :)
Today was a big day for me as a Mom!! For the first time ever a complete stranger complimented me a told me what a well behaved little boy I had. I must admit I had to pause and look around and make sure that she was talking to me. She said that she was impressed when Hayden accidentally knocked over some boxes at the store and he picked them up with out me even asking him too. It felt so good to hear a complete stranger complete my little man. I am so use to getting the "stink" eye from people and horrible advice on parenting. Once Hayden and I got in the car I broke down and cried!!
I can't believe how far we have come. Our lives have changed so much in the last year my head is still spinning!! I wish I could take all the credit for all of Hayden's progress but I can't. We have been blessed with amazing people that have helped our son more than I could have ever dreamed. He goes to an amazing school that loves him for who he is, embraces his differences, and pushes him harder than any other child in his class. The way his teachers look at him and treat him amazes me. You can just see it in their faces how much they love him and care about him. They want to see Hayden succeed just as much as I do. So hear is a huge shout out to Oak Farm Montessori and especially Candy, Lori, and Nefy you are our angels and have made a huge impact on our family!! There are many others in our support system that are amazing, I wanted to focus on his school today :)
All in all Hayden had a good check up. We are holding off on detox for another month (some lab results are still pending) and switching up his supplements a little bit. His food sensitivities have changed.......grrrr. It is good and bad news. He is now sensitive to almonds. For the life of me I don't know why this caught me off guard, but it sure did. This is the one food that he eats every day. He loves almond milk, almond ice cream, and almond chocolate. I now have to transition him off almonds...joy, oh, joy. On the bright side he can have corn, pork, strawberries, and lemon again!!! Woot, Woot.....I am excited!!!! I have missed strawberries greatly!! I don't think we are going to eat pork. We don't miss it at all and it is hard to get organic.
At Hayden's appointment his doctor looked me in the eye and told me she is 99% percent sure that Hayden is going to make a full recovery!!!! It took me a very awkward minute to process what she said. I was speechless. I have always thought that Hayden will live a happy, fulfilling life, but to be recovered from autism fully WOW. I believe her, she has been right on about Hayden this far. I honestly don't think she would say with out meaning it and she has treated hundreds of autistic children.
I know that there are a lot of people out there that think what we are doing with Hayden is a hoax. There is a slight part of me that cares what they think. All I have to say is, "The results don't lie." If you would have known my son at the age of 18 months and meet him now you would totally get it!!!
Autism is treatable. There is help out there. Every day that you wait to get treatment is a day in your child's neurological development that you can't get back!!!
I can't believe how far we have come. Our lives have changed so much in the last year my head is still spinning!! I wish I could take all the credit for all of Hayden's progress but I can't. We have been blessed with amazing people that have helped our son more than I could have ever dreamed. He goes to an amazing school that loves him for who he is, embraces his differences, and pushes him harder than any other child in his class. The way his teachers look at him and treat him amazes me. You can just see it in their faces how much they love him and care about him. They want to see Hayden succeed just as much as I do. So hear is a huge shout out to Oak Farm Montessori and especially Candy, Lori, and Nefy you are our angels and have made a huge impact on our family!! There are many others in our support system that are amazing, I wanted to focus on his school today :)
All in all Hayden had a good check up. We are holding off on detox for another month (some lab results are still pending) and switching up his supplements a little bit. His food sensitivities have changed.......grrrr. It is good and bad news. He is now sensitive to almonds. For the life of me I don't know why this caught me off guard, but it sure did. This is the one food that he eats every day. He loves almond milk, almond ice cream, and almond chocolate. I now have to transition him off almonds...joy, oh, joy. On the bright side he can have corn, pork, strawberries, and lemon again!!! Woot, Woot.....I am excited!!!! I have missed strawberries greatly!! I don't think we are going to eat pork. We don't miss it at all and it is hard to get organic.
At Hayden's appointment his doctor looked me in the eye and told me she is 99% percent sure that Hayden is going to make a full recovery!!!! It took me a very awkward minute to process what she said. I was speechless. I have always thought that Hayden will live a happy, fulfilling life, but to be recovered from autism fully WOW. I believe her, she has been right on about Hayden this far. I honestly don't think she would say with out meaning it and she has treated hundreds of autistic children.
I know that there are a lot of people out there that think what we are doing with Hayden is a hoax. There is a slight part of me that cares what they think. All I have to say is, "The results don't lie." If you would have known my son at the age of 18 months and meet him now you would totally get it!!!
Autism is treatable. There is help out there. Every day that you wait to get treatment is a day in your child's neurological development that you can't get back!!!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
What a Week.....
This week I was able to share Hayden's story in hopes of encouraging fellow parents to get help for thier autistic children. I had no idea how emotional this would be for me. It forced me to really look at the past three and half years of Hayden's life. It hurts!! I don't know how else to say it. It hurts to look back and think off all the red flags that were there. The pain that Hayden was in and the absolute caos that was going on in his body. I didn't have a clue. I really feel like I failed him during the first two year of his life.
I am beyond greatfull that the Riley Autism Clinic had such a long waiting list and the Neurophsycologist cancled his appointment the day before it was suppose to be. I feel that God did this to me for a reason. He pushed me to search harder and open my eyes to "alternative" treatment for Hayden's autism. The day the neruosphycologist cancled on us I chanled my anger into finding treatment for Hayden. I came across the Carmel Clinic website that night at about three in the morning. I don't know how to describe it. While on the website everything seemed to just click and make sense to me. I felt an amazing warmth of calm come over my body and knew that they could help us. We had an appointment three days later and what a ride it has been :)
Hayden continues to thrive and make amazing progress daily!! He is a blessing to all who has the oppurtunity to be a part of his life. Our family is equally blessed to have / had the therapist, dr's, teachers, friends, and family supporting us, encouraging us, and pushing us to better ourselves. We have the best support system. Hayden has so many cheerleeders cheering him on and keeping him in his prayers. I thank each and everyone of you from the bottom of my heart.
We have a long road ahead of us, but I know that Hayden is going to do amazing work with his life!!!
When I was sharing Hayden's story there was not a dry eye in the room and it was an all male camera crew. I really want to find a way to help others in thier journey of healing thier children. I just don't know how yet!!
I am beyond greatfull that the Riley Autism Clinic had such a long waiting list and the Neurophsycologist cancled his appointment the day before it was suppose to be. I feel that God did this to me for a reason. He pushed me to search harder and open my eyes to "alternative" treatment for Hayden's autism. The day the neruosphycologist cancled on us I chanled my anger into finding treatment for Hayden. I came across the Carmel Clinic website that night at about three in the morning. I don't know how to describe it. While on the website everything seemed to just click and make sense to me. I felt an amazing warmth of calm come over my body and knew that they could help us. We had an appointment three days later and what a ride it has been :)
Hayden continues to thrive and make amazing progress daily!! He is a blessing to all who has the oppurtunity to be a part of his life. Our family is equally blessed to have / had the therapist, dr's, teachers, friends, and family supporting us, encouraging us, and pushing us to better ourselves. We have the best support system. Hayden has so many cheerleeders cheering him on and keeping him in his prayers. I thank each and everyone of you from the bottom of my heart.
We have a long road ahead of us, but I know that Hayden is going to do amazing work with his life!!!
When I was sharing Hayden's story there was not a dry eye in the room and it was an all male camera crew. I really want to find a way to help others in thier journey of healing thier children. I just don't know how yet!!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
The Plague.....uGh
The stomach flu has been in our house for 5 days now. I must say that the past 5 days have been a nightmare. We all have been miserable. Puking, pooping, aching, fever.....you name it we have it!!! Any kind of illness with Hayden freaks me out! He is imunosuppresed it hits him a lot harder than a "normal" child.
When he is sick we get out of our normal routine and this hits Hayden hard. We are also unable (due to him vomiting them up) to give him the many vitamins, supplements, probiotics, and enzymes that he so desperately needs. Today he tantrumed for 90 minutes after his nap. I can't even tell you the mix of emotions I feel when he is like this. This is what are lives USE to be like every day with him. He would tantrum all day long. I don't know how I stayed calm and dealt with it on a daily basis. It breaks my heart to see him like this. I know that there is mass ciaos going on in his body and there is nothing that I can do to help him. He is hurting and I can't fix it. :(
So far today he has kept down the vitamins that I have given him. I am hopeful that I can get the rest down. I am expecting bad behavior from Hayden for the next 5-7 days. I just wish I can snap my fingers and we can get back to normal from the plague rocking our routine.
When he is sick we get out of our normal routine and this hits Hayden hard. We are also unable (due to him vomiting them up) to give him the many vitamins, supplements, probiotics, and enzymes that he so desperately needs. Today he tantrumed for 90 minutes after his nap. I can't even tell you the mix of emotions I feel when he is like this. This is what are lives USE to be like every day with him. He would tantrum all day long. I don't know how I stayed calm and dealt with it on a daily basis. It breaks my heart to see him like this. I know that there is mass ciaos going on in his body and there is nothing that I can do to help him. He is hurting and I can't fix it. :(
So far today he has kept down the vitamins that I have given him. I am hopeful that I can get the rest down. I am expecting bad behavior from Hayden for the next 5-7 days. I just wish I can snap my fingers and we can get back to normal from the plague rocking our routine.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
What causes Autism?
I often get asked why I think Hayden has autism or what caused it. This is such a complex question that does not have a simple answer. So here is my answer. Keep in mind this is my opinion on why MY son has autism.
When I first became pregnant with Hayden I prayed to God frequently to just let me have this baby. We suffered a miscarriage 6 months prior to getting pregnant with Hayden. I told God that I didn't care what the gender was and if the baby was not healthy I was okay with that. I told him that we would love and cherish whatever kind of child he wanted to bless us with.
When I pregnant with Hayden I ate anything and everything!! I craved chicken McNuggets like it was nobodies business. As much as I don't want to admit this there were days that I ate McDonalds twice a day. I thought it was fine I took my vitamins, I ate my fruits and veggies, and I stayed away from everything that pregnant women are not suppose to consume. This was before I valued nutrition and quality of food.
Hayden was born by a very emergent c-section due to a prolapsed umbilical cord. The dr did my c-section in his "street" clothes and a pair of sterile gloves. From the time that Hayden's umbilical cord prolapsed and the time he was ripped from my abdomen was 6 minutes!! I was pumped full of antibiotics after his delivery. Hayden then received those antibiotics via my breast milk. Thus destroying the help full bacteria that was forming in his little body. I still get chills when I think of Hayden's delivery. He scared the crap out of me and everyone else for that matter. At my follow up post op appointment. My OB compared my c-section to civil war style surgery.
The next mistake I made was feeding Hayden solids too soon. I started feeding him rice cereal at 4 months. He was not ready for it, he had no interest in it and he sure did not need those empty calories. Why the heck did I do that? I did NOT make this mistake with my daughter. His poor little gut was not ready for it and I had no clue the misery I was going to cause him and continue to cause him via the crap that I fed him.
At six months of age Hayden got "sick" for the first time. He was also cutting his first teeth (he got 4 at once). His poor little cheeks broke out horribly. Our dr said this was caused by teething and that it will go away on its on. When Hayden was examined by the dr he said that Hayden's throat was "raw" and put him on antibiotics. Looking back the cheeks and the "raw" throat was Hayden's first allergic reaction. We started feeding him strawberry baby food around that time and come to find out strawberries are one of the many things he is allergic to. His poor little cheeks did not clear up until the age of 9 months and that was with steroid cream.
Hayden remained "healthy" until about 13 months of age and that is when his health started to go downhill. This is also when we started giving him cow's milk. Casein is a HUGE allergy for Hayden. I firmly believe that food allergies have contributed to my son's autism. Not only has it cause inflammation in his little gut, but has caused major inflammation in is neurological system.
Hayden continued to be sickly until the age of 28 months. He was on antibiotics 6 more times and most of those times they were not needed. He had an acute asthma attack at 15 months and was in the PICU for 2 days. Hayden was put on some massive steroids at this time.
I also believe that vaccinations have contributed to Hayden's autism. His poor little body did not know what to do with all those toxins that entered his body. I thought I was "smart" about vaccinations. I did massive research about them and came up with an alternative vaccination schedule for Hayden. Oh, how I had no clue!! A day after Hayden received his 18 month vaccinations was the day that my little boy went silent. (well with the exception of temper tantrums......we hear those pretty much all day long) I did not hear his sweet voice again until he was 28 months old.
The number one factor that I think has contributed to Hayden's autism is genetics!! We have since found out that Hayden has several genetic disorders. The first effecting his bodies ability to break down and process amino acids which has caused my poor little guy to be severely vitamin deficient. The second genetic mutation that he has effects his ability to detox toxins from his body and products of oxidative stress. The third and final mutation also prevents Hayden's body from ridding itself of oxidative stress and impairs the function of his mitochondria.
So the short answer is environment, vaccination, nutrition, and genetics have caused my sons autism.
When I first became pregnant with Hayden I prayed to God frequently to just let me have this baby. We suffered a miscarriage 6 months prior to getting pregnant with Hayden. I told God that I didn't care what the gender was and if the baby was not healthy I was okay with that. I told him that we would love and cherish whatever kind of child he wanted to bless us with.
When I pregnant with Hayden I ate anything and everything!! I craved chicken McNuggets like it was nobodies business. As much as I don't want to admit this there were days that I ate McDonalds twice a day. I thought it was fine I took my vitamins, I ate my fruits and veggies, and I stayed away from everything that pregnant women are not suppose to consume. This was before I valued nutrition and quality of food.
Hayden was born by a very emergent c-section due to a prolapsed umbilical cord. The dr did my c-section in his "street" clothes and a pair of sterile gloves. From the time that Hayden's umbilical cord prolapsed and the time he was ripped from my abdomen was 6 minutes!! I was pumped full of antibiotics after his delivery. Hayden then received those antibiotics via my breast milk. Thus destroying the help full bacteria that was forming in his little body. I still get chills when I think of Hayden's delivery. He scared the crap out of me and everyone else for that matter. At my follow up post op appointment. My OB compared my c-section to civil war style surgery.
The next mistake I made was feeding Hayden solids too soon. I started feeding him rice cereal at 4 months. He was not ready for it, he had no interest in it and he sure did not need those empty calories. Why the heck did I do that? I did NOT make this mistake with my daughter. His poor little gut was not ready for it and I had no clue the misery I was going to cause him and continue to cause him via the crap that I fed him.
At six months of age Hayden got "sick" for the first time. He was also cutting his first teeth (he got 4 at once). His poor little cheeks broke out horribly. Our dr said this was caused by teething and that it will go away on its on. When Hayden was examined by the dr he said that Hayden's throat was "raw" and put him on antibiotics. Looking back the cheeks and the "raw" throat was Hayden's first allergic reaction. We started feeding him strawberry baby food around that time and come to find out strawberries are one of the many things he is allergic to. His poor little cheeks did not clear up until the age of 9 months and that was with steroid cream.
Hayden remained "healthy" until about 13 months of age and that is when his health started to go downhill. This is also when we started giving him cow's milk. Casein is a HUGE allergy for Hayden. I firmly believe that food allergies have contributed to my son's autism. Not only has it cause inflammation in his little gut, but has caused major inflammation in is neurological system.
Hayden continued to be sickly until the age of 28 months. He was on antibiotics 6 more times and most of those times they were not needed. He had an acute asthma attack at 15 months and was in the PICU for 2 days. Hayden was put on some massive steroids at this time.
I also believe that vaccinations have contributed to Hayden's autism. His poor little body did not know what to do with all those toxins that entered his body. I thought I was "smart" about vaccinations. I did massive research about them and came up with an alternative vaccination schedule for Hayden. Oh, how I had no clue!! A day after Hayden received his 18 month vaccinations was the day that my little boy went silent. (well with the exception of temper tantrums......we hear those pretty much all day long) I did not hear his sweet voice again until he was 28 months old.
The number one factor that I think has contributed to Hayden's autism is genetics!! We have since found out that Hayden has several genetic disorders. The first effecting his bodies ability to break down and process amino acids which has caused my poor little guy to be severely vitamin deficient. The second genetic mutation that he has effects his ability to detox toxins from his body and products of oxidative stress. The third and final mutation also prevents Hayden's body from ridding itself of oxidative stress and impairs the function of his mitochondria.
So the short answer is environment, vaccination, nutrition, and genetics have caused my sons autism.
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