Time to rant . . .

WARNING: This post may offend.  There, I said it, you've been warned.

Society today over-medicates and over-sanitizes the hell out of everything!  Do you ever wonder why people are so sick today?  #1, they eat crap "food", leading to an unhealthy body that can't fight off anything.  #2, they over sanitize everything, leading to antibiotic resistant bacteria.  Seriously, the commercial that states "never touch a germy soap pump again"??  REALLY??  What happens after you touch said germy pump?  YOU WASH YOUR HANDS!!!  If you're hearing a loud "bonk, bonk, bonk" that's the sound of my head hitting the wall, and the whooshing sound is me rolling my eyes.

I got the feeling last night that some people really thought I'm an idiot and probably a bad mother.  Why?  Because I let Kaiden get into everything.  Yes, even the Walmart shopping carts.  I know they are a fantastic source of bacteria, viruses, and probably fungi.  But before you judge (and sanitize yourself for even reading this), ask yourself this question:  how often do you get sick, and how often do you run to the doctor? Here - we don't.  Why?  Because we don't need to. We aren't just "lucky". For one, we eat FOOD, not FDA-approved non-food.  Read up on the paleo diet, don't take my word for it.  For another, holistic remedies are cheap and they WORK. And we rarely need them.

People get so grossed out seeing a kid chewing on something other than a toy.  Gee, where do you think their hands (and the toy) have been?  On the floor!!!  Right where you and the dog walked, after having been outside where the rabbits, squirrrels, birds and other animals poop all over everything.  But eeeeewwwww, GROSS, if they licked the floor.  Uh, same thing, there's just an extra middle-man.

And just for the record, yes, we wash our hands and practice good hygiene.  But don't expect me to sanitize everything.  Doing that is what helps people get sick in the first place.

EEK! A toddling toddler??

We are getting closer!!!  Mr. Kaiden still doesn't do 4-point creeping (what we normally call crawling), he 'inchworms",  but his assisted walking is getting so much better!  He only needs to hold onto our hands and off we go!  When he decides he's had enough, he sits.

My favorite new thing is that when we go to read some books - I know which book is his favorite (Moo, Baa, La la la by Sandra Boynton), I purposely bury it in the pile of books and grab a different book to start with.  He has now done this several times - he pushes the book I'm holding out of his way, then finds and grabs his favorite book.  Then he closes the book I'm trying to read to him, takes it out of my hands and gives me his favorite and tries to open it.  Oh, and I must read it several times; once isn't enough!  He is so darn cute!!

Kaiden is now beginning to understand the concept of pointing - when we point to something, he looks at our hand and follows it to what we are pointing at, no problem, even the therapists got to see that today.  But, he still doesn't point to anything himself.  Same with eating.  Doesn't want to self-feed.  In fact, earlier this week he grabbed the spoon from me and I was able to help him load some food on it - but to get that spoon to his mouth - ooooh did that ever make him mad!  He yanked the spoon out of my hand and threw it on the floor with some authority, then screamed at me!  I don't get this - he brings everything ELSE to his mouth, why not food??

Funny thing is, I've found he learns new skills best by watching other children - but it's not just any children, he learns best by watching other children with Down Syndrome.  I never thought that when we started going to a support group that THAT would be the result . . . what a funny child he is!!

Update on the lymphedema

I came across the section on the lymphatic system in one of my holistic healing books while looking for something unrelated and gave it a re-read, and I'm glad I did!  It suggests, for getting the lymphatic system back on track, certain dietary changes for awhile along with herbal help - hawthorne is of course mentioned.  For the most part it's stuff we already do, like no refined sugars, no processed foods, no caffeine, no alcohol, but it also listed no red meats and meat fats.  It went on to state that to encourage lymphatic drainage, the individual should go on an all-fresh-fruit diet for awhile, then slowly reintroduce fresh veggies, then slowly reintroduce white meats.  I thought, what the heck, it certainly can't hurt.  There are fruititarians out there, who believe that eating fruit only is the way to go . . . so I gave Kaiden only fruit, plant fats (avacado & coconut milk), and chia seeds for 3 days, then added in veggies for 2 days, then added in chicken breast.  And you know what?  His fingers look almost NORMAL!  The swelling is I'd say 80% gone.  This is something I definitely want to do this again with him; I am willing to bet we'd get back to completely normal. 

However, we do have a weight check coming up in a month; doing a fruit only diet isn't exactly going to make him gain weight, which is what the pediatrician thinks he needs to do.  He is a light little peanut at around 20lbs, but he is growing and gaining skills, so I'm not worried.  I could see after just 3 days on fruit he was a little skinnier although he still has plenty of baby chub . . . I don't want to take away all his baby chub, so we'll be doing this in steps.

Still, though, it just floors me that western medicine claims there is no cure for lymphedema . . .

Seems to be working . . .

Tuesday night Kaiden got his first dose of Hawthorn Heart Berry Syrup.  I keep hawthorne on hand for Lola, with her significant heart murmur.  And what happened?  Kaiden peed all night long, and peed heavily all day Wednesday, without upping his normal liquid intake.  His fingers do look better; the color is better and his hands aren't turning blue anywhere near as much. 

What does this tell me?  That his heart wasn't working as efficiently as it could and he was indeed retaining fluids.  The fingers on his left hand may take awhile to heal . . . having them swell up so badly and burst the capillaries is like a bad injury.  Time will tell how long it takes.

Another WIN for holistic medicine . . . and remember, western medicine says there is "no cure for lymphedema". ;-) 

I'm not saying we should all stop listening to our western medicine doctors . . . but please don't take their word as law.  There ARE alternatives, and in my opinion, much healthier ones!

lymphedema?

Maybe the horseradish was a coincidence, or maybe it showcased an underlying problem.  Lymphedema is the closest match to what's going on with Kaiden's fingers.  They are fine when he wakes up, whether from a nap or overnight.  But as soon as he's active again, the swelling & bluish color comes back.  His fingers are not consistently hot when swollen; it's not inflammation.  They are not consistently cold, either, and do not turn white; not Raynauds Syndrome.  It's a fairly slow progression from turning pink to swollen . . . the swelling will last days or weeks before the the swelling gets bad enough that it bursts the capillaries, making his fingers basically bruised.  It's in 3 fingers on his left hand, extending into the palm, and has spread to one finger on his right hand.  That one is pink and swollen, but not nearly as swollen as the others got and looks to be receeding, so maybe the swelling won't burst the capillaries on that one.

According to western medicine, as long as you aren't born without a lymph system, there is no known cause and certainly no cure.

According to holistic medicine, hawthorne (for the heart) and/or dandelion leaves added to the diet will take care of it (along with a healthy holistic diet, of course). 

Kaiden's hands have always spontaneously turned blue, then within 30 seconds to a minute they go back to normal . . . I took him to an endocrinologist for this about a year ago and was told it's very common with Down's kids; it's a "hiccup of the vascular system".  And not to worry about it unless his fingers turn blue and stay blue, which they don't.

Kaiden's heart has been extensively checked out by ultrasound/echocardiogram (at least I think that's the right term) - while in utero and 3 times after birth.  In utero we were told one wall of his heart leaned a little to the left, but everything else looked fine and he would be monitored after birth to verify there were no problems.  He was born with an open ductus; common with preemies (which he was) and it's also common with Down's kids (which he is).  Either way, 2 doses of neoprofin and it closed, verified by the last 2 monitoring checks.

But, as heart problems are so common with Down's kids, it is possible they missed something tiny, or something not visible on the screen.  So, hawthorne it is for now.  It can't hurt him at any rate!  Dandelions will come when the snow melts. ;-)

Just putting some thoughts down

Things to mull over . . . with the apparent horseradish sensitivity . . . each time the dish was served, it was served with fresh pineapple.  Kaiden has always gotten a little belly rash with fresh pineapple, so I know he's got a little bit of a sensitivity there and I rarely give it to him.  His hand swelled up once more, during his birthday party where he ate fresh pineapple, but no horseradish.

Maybe it was the combination of the two together, I don't know. 

From: http://www.livestrong.com/article/118928-home-remedies-nasal-congestion-relief/

Pineapple Juice

Pineapple juice contains bromelain in its stem; the protein bromelain has multiple anti-inflammatory properties and specifically breaks down mucus in the sinus passages. According to Alternative Medicine Review, bromelain blocks prostaglandin tissue-swelling effects and slows fluid accumulation in damaged tissue areas.

also from the same article:

Horseradish

HerbalLegacy.com says that medicinal effects of horseradish have been documented as early as the mid-1500s. Horseradish is a cruciferous plant related to cabbages; simply the aroma of grated fresh horseradish root may reduce nasal congestion. Placing freshly grated root in the mouth until the taste is absorbed proves an effective way to reduce mucus levels quickly. Horseradish also has antibacterial properties in its root oils to prevent sinus infection development, and eating horseradish can help remove excessive fluid buildup in the body.
******

This is where I'm thinking it was the two together - if he's sensitive to both, having the opposite reactions to them than most people do - instead of relieving swelling & excessive fluid buildup, he got the opposite.  No clue why it only affected his left hand though. 

The swelling, later burst capillaries, and resulting bruising can be assiciated with vasculitis, cellulitis, Raynaud's Syndrome, and cryoglobulinemia  . . . but each one of those, the swelling/bruising is extremely painful, whereas Kaiden shows no pain whatsoever.  He uses the hand just like he normally would and is happy and active.  Which brings me back to the thought that's it's most likely a food sensitivity.

Not only have I taken away horseradish, I have eliminated all pineapple from his diet.  He was getting frozen pineapple with breakfast almost every morning.  No more flare-ups since.  The swelling is receding, and the color is beginning to go back to normal.  I figure, like a bad injury, it will take 6 - 8 weeks to look normal again.  Then we'll just have to keep an eye on it and see if it ever happens again.

Now on to Kaiden's 2 yr well-visit with the pediatrician.  Somehow, Kaiden grew taller, got chunkier . . . but weighs less???  How does THAT happen??  It's only 1/2 lb or so but still, that doesn't make any sense.  They do have 2 scales there, and should have tried out both scales just to make sure the first one wasn't off.  So this means they want him back in in another 3 months for a weight check.  Being on the paleo diet means you will be at your optimum weight . . . I'm sorry, but I'm not feeding him crap just to make him gain weight.  He has plenty of chub and has even put some on.  Oh - and . . . get this!!  He is SO active, wants to play all the time, and with his 2 yr molars coming in, isn't sleeping well at night.  He's happy, not cranky, so he's getting enough sleep . . . but of course being so active is blamed for his 1/2 lb weight loss.  So his pediatrician suggested I "just put him down in the afternoon and walk away".  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!!!!!  Yeah RIGHT!!  Even if he doesn't have anything to play with, he's not going to go to sleep!  He's ACTIVE!!! 

Now does this make sense??  I get the fact that he needs calories/fat for cognitive development and they are worried that he's not getting enough for his activity level . . . but if he refuses to slow down, and already eats very, very well with A LOT of fat & calories (see paleo diet!!), and is growing and happy and active and developing fantastically for a child with Down Syndrome . . . I'm supposed to take away his toys and force quiet time??  How does that help his cognitive development when there is nothing to stimulate him??  Rather a paradox, don't you think?

almost 2 . . .

I can't believe Kaiden's gonna be two soon!  How did THAT happen??

In the last couple days, he's really been working hard on figuring out where to put his feet/legs to stand up.  He still needs assistance; I hold out my hands, he lifts his arms, I give him minimal support under his arms - just to steady him, not to pick him up.  Then he stands!  And once he's standing, we give him our fingers to hold onto and while we walk backward, he takes steps forward!  He's making so much progress . . . he has nodded yes appropriately a few times and I *think* he's trying to repeat some simple words, like "hi".  But the giggles . . . after those 8 long seizure filled months, the giggles are just the BEST to hear!!

I think Kaiden's got a sensitivity to horseradish.  Outside of a food source, horseradish is commonly used to alleviate swelling . . . and in individuals sensitive to it, for most of them the reaction is for their throat/tongue to swell up.  However, in Kaiden, his little fingers swell up.  The first time it happened, I did not connect it with food.  One of his pinky fingers swelled up a little, but not too bad.  I thought he banged it on something, and in a few days it cleared up.  The second time, his pinky and middle fingers swelled up, and then a few days later, those fingers were worse and the back of his hand swelled up.  We went through the list of possibilities - thyroid disorder (no other symptoms), blood disorder (no other symptoms), staph infection (possible, so I treated him for it with grapefruit seed extract which has been proven to kill staph), or allergic reaction.  When the GSE didn't do anything (and it didn't get any worse) I went to allergic reaction and looked at his environment, then his diet.  And it made sense . . . the first time I made the dish (pork roast with a horseradish/currant sauce - totally yummy!!!!) the horseradish was old, and I cooked it further.  It was about the same time frame as the first pinky swelling.  The next time I made the dish, I used fresh horseradish and didn't cook it, and it was that night his fingers swelled.  Two days later, he had the leftovers and the next day is when we noticed the back of his hand was now swollen. 

He wasn't in any pain; he used the fingers just like he normally would.  Skin color remained good, finger temperature remained good.  I kept checking for edema, but there wasn't any.  It's now been one week since he last ate horseradish . . . the swelling is going down and the bruising (from burst capillaries) has come in.  It looks terrible!  But, he's still not showing any signs of pain and has been giggling quite a lot these last few days so I'm betting he feels just fine.

To make absolutely sure it was the horseradish, I probably should try it once more . . . but I will cook that darn horseradish almost to death first before he eats it.  If his fingers are going to swell, I want as little discomfort as possible.  Dang . . . that was one tasty dish too.  So simple, just pork roast, and the sauce was currants and chopped horseradish.  Made for a delicious sweet/sour dish.  If you cook the sauce, you lose the sweetness from the currants, which is why I made it raw last time (having learned the first time, tasting it before and after cooking).

Now on to pumping . . . yes, I'm still doing it!  2 years of pumping milk.  The last time I calculated - last spring sometime . . . I estimated I'd produced approximately 95 gallons.  I should do the calculations again and see what I'm up to now!  I didn't make my latest goal though.  I wanted him on my milk for 3 meals per day until he turned two.  I almost made it . . . had to cut out one meal a month early.  Emotional stress will decrease the milk supply and it is difficult to get back unless you really want to work at it.  Being so close to my goal, I let it go.  He's okay with it.  I use his lunch as his one meal with juice or water and it's been a good opportunity to get him to try out different sippy cups.  I want to move him to a straw cup, but the only one I've found I like valve-wise, the stem of the straw stops about an inch from the bottom of the cup!  What a waste of liquid!  Somebody in the design department wasn't too bright there.

I'd like to go another 6 months with him having milk twice per day - but he doesn't always want it at breakfast so it will be easy to cut that one out.  I'm really letting him decide.  He's very particular about the amount of milk he wants to drink anyway!  He will only take 1 oz at breakfast, and 2 oz at supper.  When he had it for lunch too, he would only take 1.25 oz.  That doesn't look like a lot of liquid during the day . . . he does drink water in the evenings and at night, but you have to remember that he gets most of his liquid intake from his food.  And since there is no grain soaking it all up, he gets what he needs.

Two years down . . . one to go . . . hopefully my supply will be able to keep up with what I want him to have.  My goal - at three years, I shut off the tap and he gets frozen until it's gone, which should last about 6 months.  I wanted to follow (from Jean M. Auel's Earth Children series of books) the neolithic era - birth year, nursing year, walking year, weaning year - which would put a child at about 3.5 years old to be done with breastmilk.  I bet all the doctors would tell me that exclusively pumping for 2 years is impossible . . . let alone 3!  Me & Kaiden, proving the western medical industry wrong day after day!