Reflecting back and new happenings

I continue to be impressed and amazed with the progress that Hayden is making :)  I watched a video of what Hayden was like a year ago to what he is like today and it is pretty mind blowing.  The biggest change is how happy he is :)  He laughs and smiles non stop these days.  These are not the drunk / high I am in my own world laughs that he use to have.  I say drunk / high because that is what food does to him.  He gets an optiant release from foods that he is sensitive to. The laughs now are appropriate and genuine.

I love seeing Hayden so happy.  In the playroom the majority of the time is spent playing with him.  Instead of just joining him in what he wants to do / stim we are playing games, and signing songs TOGETHER :)

I think he finally has a grasp on emotions.  He can tell when someone is hurt, sad, mad, and happy.  Today at the playground a little boy fell and got hurt.  Hayden was very concerned looking the boy over.  He said, "ouch, it's okay," and then made a sad face!!!!  This is HUGE!!!  He is relating to people and trying to comfort them :) I had to truly fight back the tears of joy on this one.

There are some big events coming to Hayden's Son-Rise Program.  The first being that Gerd Winkler, a professional teacher for Son-Rise is coming to work with Hayden and his team April 9th and 10th. (to Hayden's team members I will get with you more in detail about this once I know the exact schedule)  Then on April 15th-20th I will be traveling back to The Autism Treatment Center of America for more training.

Hayden's current goals are:

1) To inspire Hayden to look at us while listening for appropriate amount of time based of the activity.
2) Motivate Hayden to speak using nouns, verbs, adjectives, prepositions, articles, and conjunctions or more.
3) Invite Hayden to interact for 9 minutes or greater during an activity.

There have been a lot of ups and downs with Hayden for the past several months and I think it is largely to the yeast treatment protocol he is on and his diet.  We are in the final phase of the yeast treatment protocol and I am hopeful that by the start of May we will be 100% committed to Hayden's (ours) new diet.

We are going to the GAPS diet.  GAPS stands for The Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet. What I know is that we will be eating a lot of broths and fermented vegetables.  Who wants to come for dinner?? This diet has me intimidated but I know it is what needs done.  I am going to be 100% committed to this diet along with Hayden. Brandon and Ruby will cheat outside of the home away from Hayden.  I will be giving up chocolate, coffee, and pop.  I will for warn everyone so you can stay away from for a few weeks while I detox.  The great thing about this diet is that it is done in phases and generally takes 2-3 years.  When we are done with the diet Hayden should be able to eat normal foods again with out issues.

A Typical Day with Hayden Part 2 : Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hayden has been receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy (hbot) for a little over a year now.  We started off by driving to Carmel twice a week for treatment.  We did 2 hours of hbot while we were there.  The drive was 5 hours round trip.  When we were about 20 hours into treatment we started to some significant improvement in Hayden.  He was gaining new words every day, he was not as hyper, and he was sleeping better.  At that point my parents gave us the money to purchase a chamber to have in our home :)

I had been look at chambers and talking to different people and companies to purchase one.  The average price specific model I was looking for (Vitaeris 320) was $20,000.00.  They are around $32,000.00 brand new and the does NOT include the oxygen concentrator.

I started watching for a Vitaeris 320 on ebay.  I found one that the people were located 3 hours away and were willing to deliver, set it up, and instruct us on how to use it.  There was also another person that wanted that specific chamber and my plan was to bid at the last minute.  Well at the last minute Ebay pulled the listing.  I was CRUSHED!!  Come to find out it is illegal to sell medication on ebay (oxygen is a medication) and you have to go through the proper channels and have a prescription....yada....yada....yade.

Well if you know me I am not one to let a little red tape stop me ;)  I could have gotten a prescription and I could have went through the proper channels to get Hayden's hbot.  All that takes time and additional $$$$ and I didn't have a penny or a second to spare.

I contacted the lady immediately and worked out a deal with her.  We paid (well my parents) $9100.00 for Hayden's hbot.......what a DEAL!!  They delivered it, set it up, and gave us instructions on how to use it.   B-I-N-G-O!!!

We have tried a few different protocols on hbot with Hayden, but what works best for him is 1-1.5 hours daily.  Hayden is seriously a hot mess with hbot.  Brandon or myself get in the chamber with him.  Hayden can take snacks, drinks, toys, or whatever else he may want in.  The majority of the time we let him have his iPad in the chamber.  This is kind of a nice chill out time for all of us.  I feel guilty about letting him have his iPad in there, but Brandon and I need down time too.

We have the chamber set up in our master bedroom.  Hayden loves his time in the "rocket ship."  We have never had an issue with him not wanting to get in or stay in.

The large tan box is the oxygen concentrator.  We use a flow of 8 lpm.  The two silver boxes are the air compressors.  The air compressors are what inflates and keeps the chamber inflated

A picture of the chamber partially inflated with Brandon and Hayden inside.

Hayden inside playing his iPad and holding onto a car.  If you look in the left upper hand corner of the clear window you can see the oxygen tubing.  Ideally Hayden should wear a mask to provide a high concentration of oxygen to him, but he won't wear it.

This is what the chamber looks like fully pressurized.  It only takes about five minutes to pressurize and depressurize.

How does hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) work? Hyperbaria - Increased atmospheric pressure as a means of increasing oxygen uptake without an enriched oxygen source Hyperoxia - Increased total oxygen content Hyperbaria is based on the concept of the relationship of gas pressure and uptake in liquids (blood, plasma and tissues).  Henry’s Law states that “a gas is dissolved by a liquid in direct proportion to its partial pressure.”  For example, at sea level, atmospheric pressure is 760 mm Hg, the oxygen concentration is 21% and the body’s oxygen content or partial pressure, pO2, in blood and plasma is ~ 40 mm Hg. Red blood cells have a limitation as to how much oxygen can bind with hemoglobin.  The plasma portion of the blood typically has about a 3% oxygen concentration. By placing someone in a 3 psi pressure hyperbaric environment, the increase in atmospheric pressure at sea level goes from 760 mm Hg to 915 mm Hg.  This increase in gas pressure, increases the partial pressure of the oxygen gas and thus forces more oxygen to be dissolved in the plasma.  This saturation of oxygen in the blood, due to the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy or HBOT, allows the extra oxygen to be diffused or transported to the surrounding body tissues.  Thus, oxygen transport by plasma is significantly increased under hyperbaric therapy (HBOT).  At three atmospheres pressure, enough oxygen can be dissolved in the plasma to support the oxygen demands of the body at rest in the absence of hemoglobin! Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is designed to boost the supply of oxygen to ischemic tissue or to diseased tissues that respond to increased oxygen levels.  Increasing the volume of oxygen dissolved in the blood plasma, that is brought about by hyperbaric therapy (HBOT), produces five basic effects: Reduction of volume of gas bubbles in the blood Vasoconstriction, which reduces edema and secondary hypoxia  Restoration of aerobic metabolism to ischemic tissue  Detoxification of poisoned tissues  Enhanced phagocytosis Henry’s Law- Henry’s law states that for a gas-liquid interface the amount of the gas that dissolves in the liquid is proportional to its partial pressure.  So Henry’s law helps to predict how much gas will be dissolved in the liquid.  The actual amount also depends on the solubility of the gas as well as its partial pressure. Dalton’s Law-John Dalton observed that the total pressure of a gas mixture was the sum of the pressures of each of the gases if they were to exist on their own.

How does hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) work?

Hyperbaria - Increased atmospheric pressure as a means of increasing
oxygen uptake without an enriched oxygen source
Hyperoxia - Increased total oxygen content

Hyperbaria is based on the concept of the relationship of gas pressure and uptake in liquids (blood, plasma and tissues).  Henry’s Law states that “a gas is dissolved by a liquid in direct proportion to its partial pressure.”  For example, at sea level, atmospheric pressure is 760 mm Hg, the oxygen concentration is 21% and the body’s oxygen content or partial pressure, pO2, in blood and plasma is ~ 40 mm Hg.

Red blood cells have a limitation as to how much oxygen can bind with hemoglobin.  The plasma portion of the blood typically has about a 3% oxygen concentration.

By placing someone in a 3 psi pressure hyperbaric environment, the increase in atmospheric pressure at sea level goes from 760 mm Hg to 915 mm Hg.  This increase in gas pressure, increases the partial pressure of the oxygen gas and thus forces more oxygen to be dissolved in the plasma.  This saturation of oxygen in the blood, due to the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy or HBOT, allows the extra oxygen to be diffused or transported to the surrounding body tissues.  Thus, oxygen transport by plasma is significantly increased under hyperbaric therapy (HBOT).  At three atmospheres pressure, enough oxygen can be dissolved in the plasma to support the oxygen demands of the body at rest in the absence of hemoglobin!

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is designed to boost the supply of oxygen to ischemic tissue or to diseased tissues that respond to increased oxygen levels.  Increasing the volume of oxygen dissolved in the blood plasma, that is brought about by hyperbaric therapy (HBOT), produces five basic effects:

• Reduction of volume of gas bubbles in the blood
• Vasoconstriction, which reduces edema and secondary hypoxia 
• Restoration of aerobic metabolism to ischemic tissue 
• Detoxification of poisoned tissues 
• Enhanced phagocytosis

Henry’s Law- Henry’s law states that for a gas-liquid interface the amount of the gas that dissolves in the liquid is proportional to its partial pressure.  So Henry’s law helps to predict how much gas will be dissolved in the liquid.  The actual amount also depends on the solubility of the gas as well as its partial pressure.

Dalton’s Law-John Dalton observed that the total pressure of a gas mixture was the sum of the pressures of each of the gases if they were to exist on their own.

Yeast, Yeast, Go AWAY and NEVER Come Back!!

As many of you know Hayden is a hot, yeasty mess on the inside.  He have been working hard to get rid of the yeast for the past two years.  It has gotten better.  It has gotten worse.  It has drove me crazy, Hayden crazy, and caused many hours of lack of sleep.  I am DONE with the yeast!!

I decided to go with a new treatment plan to rid Hayden's little body of yeast.  We are using the Candida Wellness Center out of Utah's treatment protocol.  We heard the founder speak at Autism One and have talked with several parents that have used this type of yeast treatment on their children.  There is a 95% success rate of curing yeast infections using this protocol.  Here is a link to the website http://www.thecandidayeastanswer.com.  We are using diet, bionic silver, and hard hitting probiotics to kill off Hayden's yeast.

I think it's working.  Hayden is some what of a hot mess.  He is stimming more, a little more withdrawn, not sleeping the best, and is getting agitated easier.  These are all signs of a yeast die off.  We are six days into the new yeast protocol.  We were told to expect 7-10 days of worsening symptoms.

Tonight Hayden pooped in the bathtub and put a whole roll of toilet paper in the bathtub.  He was also drinking the water.......YUCK!!!  I must say all my Son-Rise happiness went out the flipping window at this point.  Out of the tub and straight to the shower went my little Hayden.  YUCK....I mean YUCK!!  If any of you have cleaned toilet paper out of the bath tub you know this is not an easy process and then add poop on top of it.........AAAAAHHHHHHH!!  I could tell that Hayden has eaten raspberries by all the seeds left in the tub.  YUCK!!

I know this is only temporary and keep reminding myself that sometimes to move ahead you have to move backward first.  We got this!!  I will say that I am seeing an improvement in  Hayden's eye contact and speech.

At 3am last night Hayden came into our room and said, "Mommy my pants are wet."  I must say in all of my Son-Rise glory at 3am we celebrated :)  I celebrated that he told me he wet his pants and I am pretty sure that he was looking me in the eyes while saying it.  So I got up danced and cheered, helped him get cleaned up, got Hayden a snack, and we cuddled on the couch.

On a good note Hayden's speech therapist stop to see us today.  It was sure great to see her.  I wish Hayden would have shown off for her a little bit more, but that is what life with autism is like.  You want in one hand and shit in the other.

I must say that I love Hayden more than I ever thought I ever could love someone.  He is a pretty amazing little boy that I thank God for every day :)