Ahhhhh! Where to begin?!?! There is a very good explanation as to *why* I haven't updated on Logan in about a week or so...
Last Wednesday I got S.I.C.K (and I never get sick)!!! Full blown strep throat, tonsilitis, and the flu all at the same time. I pretty much was a hermit to my bedroom until Saturday where I still didn't feel 100% but decided to venture out to go visit my parents. As we loaded everyone up in the car Emily, Logan's sister, has a seizure. She seized about 20 seconds, not a super long seizure, but none the less a seizure. She was fully recovered in about 15 minutes (and she does have a history of Epilepsy, although this was her first seizure in 6 years). We kept an eye on her, let her stay the night with my mom and dad bc she was back to 100%, and picked her and Hailey up Sunday to take them to Chuck E Cheese. We normally do not go to Chuck E Cheese, but I felt like a bad mom for ruining the holiday weekend... so we thought it might be nice to "spoil" them a little.
While at Chuck E Cheese's I saw Emily fall to the floor...I went over to check on her and she just said she didn't feel well. I tried to stand her up and she fell down. I took her over to the table and got Logan and Hailey together and ended up taking Emily in to the hospital. It turns out that she had had *another* seizure while at Chuck E Cheese. Poor girl had SOOOOO many things done while in the hospital. She had an EEG, EKG, MRI, CT, spinal tap, and numerous IV's and blood draws. We did find out that she has an arachnoid cyst on her brain, but it hopefully isn't the cause of all of this, and that it shouldn't be an issue. They are going to watch it and see if it grows or changes. She was feeling back to normal (well, still had the headaches and some dizziness) and we brought her home on Wednesday.
Wednesday, once we got her home, she proceded to throw up and be dizzy all through the night and all day yesterday. I put in 2 calls to the neurologist and 2 calls into the pediatrician. Finally someone called me back around 4:30 yesterday and set up an appointment for her this morning at our pediatrician's office. Once there I explained to him everything that has happened and he ordered another EKG and had us bring the results back to him. When we got back with the results he informed us that Emily's heart is only beating 56 beats per minute which is unusually low for her (her normal is 90-110). He told me that he would consult with the neurologist and get back with us.
When I got home the neurologist called to inform me that this was not a side effect of Emily's new anti-seizure medicine...that they thought it is definitely something to do with her heart. So I in turn called Emily's cardiologist @ Riley - Dr. Cordes. Dr. Cordes has now ordered a 24 hour halter monitor and once this is complete he will get the results right away and let us know if he needs to see us, or what-not.
So this is my LONG, crazy, not simple, completely EXHAUSTED explanation for not updating about Logan! : /
He is doing okay - I think he has been completely overwhelmed this past week (haven't we all?!) with all that has gone on. He did finish up "Lap Club" last night...He will sure miss his friends that were all in it with him. It was such a small and close-knit class. I will miss seeing the moms, coaches, and kids! He did get a really awesome medal though! :)
I will keep you all posted as to what is going on... Hopefully it will be less than a week and with better news next time!
Autumn!
Showing posts with label corn allergy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corn allergy. Show all posts
Friday, June 3, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
A good day...
I am hoping, praying, and keeping my fingers CROSSED that I am not speaking too soon...however, today has been a GREAT day! Logan is not near as fussy, not near as hyper, and no where near as EMOTIONAL as he has been the last week+.
When Logan tried the Adderall, he had an allergic reaction... So then his dr recommended that we try the Vyvanse and we really had a day from ____. He didn't sleep for 2 days, he cried, had unbelievable tantrums, lashed out by hitting, kicking, etc. So what did I do? I didn't give it back to him and made yet another appointment with the dr. I could not believe what I witnessed. My heart was breaking knowing that I couldn't even really understand how he must be feeling.
When meeting with the dr (who is also a family friend of ours) he was a little upset that we took him off of the Vyvanse so quickly...which I understand...although I don't think he quite understood the EXTREME differences in emotion, behavior, and sleep patterns! We came to a mutual agreement that we will give him a half dose when we resume. I jokingly said to the dr that I would gladly let him have Logan for the day so that he could witness the extreme difference. Ha! The mommy in me thinks his body needs a BREAK (and honestly, not to sound full of myself, I have yet to be off when it comes to my mommy instinct)! I am not giving him any ADHD medicine for a few days so that his body has time to completely rid itself of any of the drugs. I want to see just exactly where we our with behavior, emotions, etc. free of meds. Dr. T did agree that this would be okay.
We are very lucky that his pediatrician has always been super supportive, and he ALWAYS lets it be known that I know Logan best. Just that little thing makes a HUGE difference when dealing with everything that Logan has going on ie: adhd, developmental delays, low muscle tone, speech delays, etc.
Anyway - We are on day number 2 of being medication free and it isn't so bad! We still have some sleep issues, but I will take that over the lashing out, tantrums, extreme emotions, etc ANY day! :) My wishful thinking is that the behavior he displays while being free of the medication will not be so bad and we can stay medication-free. I understand the probability of that happening with Logan's history is not likely, but it never hurts to dream! ;)
Well, I hope you have a fabulous weekend. We are going to try! :D
Autumn
When Logan tried the Adderall, he had an allergic reaction... So then his dr recommended that we try the Vyvanse and we really had a day from ____. He didn't sleep for 2 days, he cried, had unbelievable tantrums, lashed out by hitting, kicking, etc. So what did I do? I didn't give it back to him and made yet another appointment with the dr. I could not believe what I witnessed. My heart was breaking knowing that I couldn't even really understand how he must be feeling.
When meeting with the dr (who is also a family friend of ours) he was a little upset that we took him off of the Vyvanse so quickly...which I understand...although I don't think he quite understood the EXTREME differences in emotion, behavior, and sleep patterns! We came to a mutual agreement that we will give him a half dose when we resume. I jokingly said to the dr that I would gladly let him have Logan for the day so that he could witness the extreme difference. Ha! The mommy in me thinks his body needs a BREAK (and honestly, not to sound full of myself, I have yet to be off when it comes to my mommy instinct)! I am not giving him any ADHD medicine for a few days so that his body has time to completely rid itself of any of the drugs. I want to see just exactly where we our with behavior, emotions, etc. free of meds. Dr. T did agree that this would be okay.
We are very lucky that his pediatrician has always been super supportive, and he ALWAYS lets it be known that I know Logan best. Just that little thing makes a HUGE difference when dealing with everything that Logan has going on ie: adhd, developmental delays, low muscle tone, speech delays, etc.
Anyway - We are on day number 2 of being medication free and it isn't so bad! We still have some sleep issues, but I will take that over the lashing out, tantrums, extreme emotions, etc ANY day! :) My wishful thinking is that the behavior he displays while being free of the medication will not be so bad and we can stay medication-free. I understand the probability of that happening with Logan's history is not likely, but it never hurts to dream! ;)
Well, I hope you have a fabulous weekend. We are going to try! :D
Autumn
Monday, March 21, 2011
Spring Has Sprung...Finally!!!
Spring seems to finally be here! Hooray! This past weekend we took Logan outside to run off some of his energy. He blew bubbles, played play-doh on the patio table, and got to help take the dogs on a walk by the river. Just being outdoors in the sunshine and fresh air has put a smile on all of our faces!
We managed to cook a few new recipes this week that were corn-free:
1.) Chicken Fried Rice (YUM!)
2.) Homemade Apple Pie (it was "divine"...Logan's word that he used to describe it!)
3.) Homemade Saltine Crackers (because it seems like EVERY.SINGLE.CRACKER contains corn!)
His PT was a little rocky. Miss Deb had him in the pool again and this week he was NOT feeling it. She is working with him to push off from the edge with his feet, turn, and make "mitten" hands and "rainbows" for the stroke that he is doing. When we went into the therapy pool area he started clinging to my legs... and by the time he got into the pool he was crying "Mommy, please get me out...I'm tired! I'm scared! I don't like this!" It really broke my heart, but I was cheering him on and clapping (although I would have rather scooped him up and cuddled him!!! I know it will only get better with time!).
This week at OT Miss Krista worked with him on getting messy (for his sensory defensiveness). She has a big mirror that was used to spread shaving cream all over and write his name in it. He put both of his hands fully onto the shaving cream this time and didn't ask to be cleaned up right away...this is HUGE progress!!! She also had a carpet square that she let him write on with sidewalk chalk. It was awesome! He would brush his hand over it and the chalk would disappear. I am going to get a rug for the house so that he can do this on "rainy" days! Fun times!
His eyes are starting to look dark and his breathing is heavier. I don't know if it is because we have moved and the dust that was stirred up in the process or if there is something else going on. I am going to watch it for another week and then decide whether or not to call our allergist!
Thanks for taking the time to read! If you are interested in one of the recipes feel free to message me!
Hope all of you are having a fantastic start to the new week!
Autumn
We managed to cook a few new recipes this week that were corn-free:
1.) Chicken Fried Rice (YUM!)
2.) Homemade Apple Pie (it was "divine"...Logan's word that he used to describe it!)
His PT was a little rocky. Miss Deb had him in the pool again and this week he was NOT feeling it. She is working with him to push off from the edge with his feet, turn, and make "mitten" hands and "rainbows" for the stroke that he is doing. When we went into the therapy pool area he started clinging to my legs... and by the time he got into the pool he was crying "Mommy, please get me out...I'm tired! I'm scared! I don't like this!" It really broke my heart, but I was cheering him on and clapping (although I would have rather scooped him up and cuddled him!!! I know it will only get better with time!).
This week at OT Miss Krista worked with him on getting messy (for his sensory defensiveness). She has a big mirror that was used to spread shaving cream all over and write his name in it. He put both of his hands fully onto the shaving cream this time and didn't ask to be cleaned up right away...this is HUGE progress!!! She also had a carpet square that she let him write on with sidewalk chalk. It was awesome! He would brush his hand over it and the chalk would disappear. I am going to get a rug for the house so that he can do this on "rainy" days! Fun times!
His eyes are starting to look dark and his breathing is heavier. I don't know if it is because we have moved and the dust that was stirred up in the process or if there is something else going on. I am going to watch it for another week and then decide whether or not to call our allergist!
Thanks for taking the time to read! If you are interested in one of the recipes feel free to message me!
Hope all of you are having a fantastic start to the new week!
Autumn
Monday, March 7, 2011
This past week!
This past week was super busy and I did not get to blog like I enjoy doing! It has been a crazy week in the Lewis house. Logan's sister Hailey ended up in the ER on Tuesday night bc she broke her ankle. Then on Wednesday she had an allergic reaction to the Tylenol with Codeine and we were rushed to Parkview North ER by ambulance. She is okay, thank goodness. She is home now and resting well! :)
Logan visited the allergist this past Wednesday. It was our official one month check-up with Dr. Smits. We informed him of all of the progress Logan is making and they did the pulmonary function test. He is functioning even better than the last time! The only concern that I brought to Dr. Smits attention was that Logan is back to breathing noisy at night, only this time it is loud nasal breathing and not from his chest/throat. I personally think it is from the Zyrtec that he gets each night. I am going to try a humidifier. Dr. Smits did prescribe Flonase, too, but I am going to hold off on the prescription until after we give the humidifier a few nights to work. I do not want to treat another medicines side-effects with medication. We will see how this goes!
His behavior has been phenomenal! We visited the Home & Garden Show over the weekend @ the Colliseum and he walked like a big boy (in his leg braces, no less!). I did not even take the stroller in. Our only problem that we encountered was that all of the vendors give out candy, and he cannot have candy because almost ALL candy has some form of corn in it! Poor boy! He would walk by each vendor and say "I cannot have your candy, it has corn in it." with the most serious face. I am glad he is understanding his allergy a little more. He is silly!!!
Well, I hope you all have a fabulous week. I am really, really, ready for some warmer, dry weather so that we can get outside and play!!!
Take Care,
Autumn
Logan visited the allergist this past Wednesday. It was our official one month check-up with Dr. Smits. We informed him of all of the progress Logan is making and they did the pulmonary function test. He is functioning even better than the last time! The only concern that I brought to Dr. Smits attention was that Logan is back to breathing noisy at night, only this time it is loud nasal breathing and not from his chest/throat. I personally think it is from the Zyrtec that he gets each night. I am going to try a humidifier. Dr. Smits did prescribe Flonase, too, but I am going to hold off on the prescription until after we give the humidifier a few nights to work. I do not want to treat another medicines side-effects with medication. We will see how this goes!
His behavior has been phenomenal! We visited the Home & Garden Show over the weekend @ the Colliseum and he walked like a big boy (in his leg braces, no less!). I did not even take the stroller in. Our only problem that we encountered was that all of the vendors give out candy, and he cannot have candy because almost ALL candy has some form of corn in it! Poor boy! He would walk by each vendor and say "I cannot have your candy, it has corn in it." with the most serious face. I am glad he is understanding his allergy a little more. He is silly!!!
Well, I hope you all have a fabulous week. I am really, really, ready for some warmer, dry weather so that we can get outside and play!!!
Take Care,
Autumn
Monday, February 28, 2011
A New Child...
I don't know where to start... Our Logan has made soooo much progress in these last few weeks. We have been following the corn-free diet for him for over a month now. His behavior is night and day from what it was about 2 months ago. He was aggressive, never satisfied, always spinning, bouncing, hurting himself, and had violent outbursts towards anyone that upset him. He would not let you touch him, let alone cuddle him! Now...he is a calm and sweet boy. He is open to redirection, doesn't throw tantrums, and is completely affectionate. Anyone that knows Logan knows that he has made tremendous changes. I saw a lady from church at the grocery yesterday and she went on and on about how she couldn't believe it. He can walk, hold your hand, and be pleasant in the store...and that is on top of the extra time it takes to read EVERY.SINGLE.LABEL. We are just amazed at the differences we are witnessing!
There have been the occasional mess-ups where I have slipped and given him something with corn and you can tell within 12-24 hours. His face gets a bumpy little rash and he gets hyper. Last week when Hailey came home sick from school I made her some tomato soup and I was so caught up in pampering her that when Logan asked for some of the tomato soup, I gave it to him not even thinking. Sure enough the 2nd ingredient in Campbell's Tomato Soup is high-fructose corn syrup. The next day his face was so red and bumpy and he couldn't calm himself down.
Needless to say we are forever grateful to Dr. Smits...Thanks to him Logan is a happy, healthy, and sweet little boy. My husband and I are still in awe that an allergy could result in these kinds of behaviors!
We have decided that Logan is not going to go to preschool this year. I am working with him daily on his alphabet, numbers, colors, etc. and we have no doubt that he will be caught up, if not ahead, of the kids when he heads into Kindergarten. I want to take advantage of the time I get to spend with him. Over the last month or so our bond has become much stronger! :) Our little man is growing up!
This is a picture of Logan sleeping on my mom and dad's couch. He loves his Nana and Papa's house!
Thanks for taking the time to read about Logan's progress! Love y'all!
Autumn
Friday, January 28, 2011
Just Hanging Out!
Logan has been doing really good the last few days! Behavior has been better than his average "normal" and we have been sticking heavily to the corn-free diet for him. This has been a complete lifestyle change, but as I have said before, I will do whatever it takes to help my children! :) This seems to be helping him tremendously! His breathing is still sleeping good at night, he isn't being near as harmful to himself or others, and he just seems happier!
I did order 3 books off of Amazon that contain corn-free cooking recipes. I am anxious to see what the recipes are like. Right now we have been doing a lot of grilled and baked REAL meat (chicken, pork, and beef), fresh vegetables, some canned vegetables, fresh fruit, and his bread. We have cut out ALL processed meat (hot dogs, bologna, sausage, etc.).
Today, Logan has been in a super happy and artistic kind of mood. I cut out shapes and he glued them on a piece of paper.
I cannot believe the changes we are beginning to see. He has always been "sensory defensive" so he is EXTREMELY careful with his glue, unlike the typical 4 year old, and doesn't get it everywhere. Hey, I'm not complaining! ;) We did work on getting a little messy...I think I made him touch the glue twice (this is HUGE because he cannot stand ANYTHING on his hands!). I will probably break out the shaving cream tomorrow and let him play on the table and practice his name writting skills!
Hope you all have a fantastic day. I am going to go back to spending time with my lovebug Logan while we wait for the girls to get home from school and daddy to get home from work!
I did order 3 books off of Amazon that contain corn-free cooking recipes. I am anxious to see what the recipes are like. Right now we have been doing a lot of grilled and baked REAL meat (chicken, pork, and beef), fresh vegetables, some canned vegetables, fresh fruit, and his bread. We have cut out ALL processed meat (hot dogs, bologna, sausage, etc.).
Today, Logan has been in a super happy and artistic kind of mood. I cut out shapes and he glued them on a piece of paper.
Hope you all have a fantastic day. I am going to go back to spending time with my lovebug Logan while we wait for the girls to get home from school and daddy to get home from work!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
A Step In The Right Direction!
I think we are noticing a difference in Logan's behavior (not tremendously, but definitely a difference) since starting the whole corn-free diet. Out of the last 4 days I have only messed up twice. Both times I completely FORGOT!
The girls had a Snow Day this past Wednesday (our first official "corn-free" day) and we had quite a bit of snow...I got everyone all dressed in their 10 million layers, hats, gloves, etc. and took them out sledding. We all had a blast. When we came in I made hot chocolate w/ marshmallows...little did I even know or think that the marshmallows contain HFCS (high fructose corn syrup). I was highly disappointed in myself when I was reading all of the info and doing research on the internet at naptime when I came across the whole NO MARSHMALLOWS article. He was a little fidgety, but not too bad.
The very next morning (Thursday) we got him and the girls up and got everyone ready and took them out to breakfast. Logan and my husband ordered biscuits and gravy. Logan ate really well! I was happy, bc lately he hasn't been eating breakfast that good. We had a few errands to run and let me tell you...he was a TERROR. He was talking back, kicking, and just really off. I got to thinking about what he had eaten to see if it was related and realized that the biscuits and gravy were loaded with corn ingredients... Ugh. It took him 45 mins to settle down to fall asleep at nap and almost 2 HOURS at bedtime! He threw numerous tantrums throughout the entire day.
Since Thursday I have been like Super Mom making sure he is eating CORN-FREE EVERYTHING. We honestly have not had a tantrum since Thursday. An occasional disagreement (BUT HE"S 4) here and there, but no hitting me, kicking me, etc.
If you remember in the past blog, I said my husband was VERY skeptical of the whole food allergies/behavior link....I asked him today what he thought and he is now completely on board after seeing the results first hand. He is amazed at the differences we are noticing already in just the short amount of time we have been doing this. This makes it A LOT easier having his support and understanding.
The real challenge was tonight when Grandma took the kiddos. I was seriously going out of my mind bc I knew that she didn't know all of the ingredients that he wasn't allowed to have... Luckily she did call and read the ingredients to my husband and got dinner approved before feeding him. He did come home and we had no tantrums and he went to bed really easy, so she did a pretty good job!
Well, I have got to get to sleep. 7 a.m. comes wayyyy to early! Have a Happy Sunday! :)
The girls had a Snow Day this past Wednesday (our first official "corn-free" day) and we had quite a bit of snow...I got everyone all dressed in their 10 million layers, hats, gloves, etc. and took them out sledding. We all had a blast. When we came in I made hot chocolate w/ marshmallows...little did I even know or think that the marshmallows contain HFCS (high fructose corn syrup). I was highly disappointed in myself when I was reading all of the info and doing research on the internet at naptime when I came across the whole NO MARSHMALLOWS article. He was a little fidgety, but not too bad.
The very next morning (Thursday) we got him and the girls up and got everyone ready and took them out to breakfast. Logan and my husband ordered biscuits and gravy. Logan ate really well! I was happy, bc lately he hasn't been eating breakfast that good. We had a few errands to run and let me tell you...he was a TERROR. He was talking back, kicking, and just really off. I got to thinking about what he had eaten to see if it was related and realized that the biscuits and gravy were loaded with corn ingredients... Ugh. It took him 45 mins to settle down to fall asleep at nap and almost 2 HOURS at bedtime! He threw numerous tantrums throughout the entire day.
Since Thursday I have been like Super Mom making sure he is eating CORN-FREE EVERYTHING. We honestly have not had a tantrum since Thursday. An occasional disagreement (BUT HE"S 4) here and there, but no hitting me, kicking me, etc.
If you remember in the past blog, I said my husband was VERY skeptical of the whole food allergies/behavior link....I asked him today what he thought and he is now completely on board after seeing the results first hand. He is amazed at the differences we are noticing already in just the short amount of time we have been doing this. This makes it A LOT easier having his support and understanding.
The real challenge was tonight when Grandma took the kiddos. I was seriously going out of my mind bc I knew that she didn't know all of the ingredients that he wasn't allowed to have... Luckily she did call and read the ingredients to my husband and got dinner approved before feeding him. He did come home and we had no tantrums and he went to bed really easy, so she did a pretty good job!
Well, I have got to get to sleep. 7 a.m. comes wayyyy to early! Have a Happy Sunday! :)
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