Friday, March 13, 2015

The Tough Days

If I told you that everyday in my journey with Sam is easy...I would be lying...however, everyday in my journey with Sam is precious...that I will always realize and forever be thankful for.

Sam has had a tough winter and by tough I mean 90+ days of illness, 2 bouts of pneumonia, auto immune reactions, immune reactions, sudden onset of GERD, mouth ulcers, severe weight loss, increase of OCD sensory issues along with daily smiles, giggle fits and some much needed sarcasm on my part to get us through.

Whew...and I thought the external fixator was going to be the toughest 4 months of my life...it was...this winter is running a close second...hmmm, maybe third after the time spent in the ICU when Sam stopped breathing and suffered his brain injury.  The really, really hard part is watching Sam go through so much and not really being sure if we are helping him or hurting him. I realize as a Mom and chief caretaker of Sam that it is my responsibility to watch, analyze, pick up on the small things, research, ask 8 million questions, drive his pediatrician crazy (God love that man), worry (wait not worry...pray instead), scream, cry and sometimes just hold him so close that I hope whatever is bothering him somehow transfers to me and I can deal with it, figure it out and make it go away. When Sam hurts, my heart hurts more and I will do everything in my power to make him feel better.

Our winter journey began at the end of our road trip to Montana when Sam caught the Enteriovirus 68 that swept across the country and claimed many innocent children's lives. After that virus he never got back to stable, it seemed like he had one virus after the next and when that wasn't enough he threw in some autoimmune reactions and then his body decided to try a different strategy and brought on GERD which led to a couple of pneumonias and a GERD medication that appears to be causing mouth ulcers that required narcotic pain medication but not before we had a full oral examination done under anesthesia so we could rule out a tooth problem. Yep...a whole load of crap and one little guy that still feels terrible, has lost 44 lbs. and just wants the same thing I do...stability. Not sick, not in pain, not unable to eat...just stable.

I decided to begin to wean Sam from the GERD medication to allow his mouth to heal, unfortunately his GERD symptoms decided to take on a life of their own and today was a very tough day which followed two sleepless nights of trying to deal with Sam's mouth pain issues and the hyperness that results from narcotic pain medication. Oh joy!

During my late night research I came across a couple of interesting facts about GERD, GERD medication depletes B12 which unfortunately Sam is already depleted on...so I decided to up his B12 injections.  GERD can be caused by too much or too little of stomach acid and GERD itself can cause mouth ulcers as well as the medication used to treat GERD.  Most nutritionists believe that GERD is caused by bacterial overgrowth.  I really liked this article on GERD written by a doctor with a strong viewpoint on nutrition versus medication. http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/gerdacid-reflux/gerd-treatment-nutrition-vs-drugs-3/

So as I headed up to see Dr. Vu I had a couple of thoughts in mind.  I can treat bacterial issues with colloidal silver, I can up his B12 injections and I can try adding an organic Amish remedy for acid reflux as I wean Sam from the medication, but how do I get his body to stop over or under producing acid.  His diet is the anti inflammation diet and we have already further removed any potential foods that could cause reflux.

To say Sam was in a mood today...is an understatement of epic proportions.  Sam didn't want to see Dr. Vu or any doctor for that matter, Sam's mouth hurt and he was fixated on that and Sam was having congestion issues caused by his GERD symptoms which made him more uncomfortable and Sam was hungry and wanted to eat but his mouth ulcers made that difficult too. Sam fought both Dr. Vu and I through the entire muscle testing segment.  For those who don't know Dr. Vu he is 
Vu Nguyen, D.C. and has been working in the Fox Valley area since moving to Neenah, WI in 1998. He received his Doctorate of Chiropractic degree in 1996 from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, IA. Dr. Vu works to improve his patient's whole health with chiropractic adjustments, physical rehabilitation, nutritional counseling, lifestyle modifications, work modifications and prevention education.  He is a Certified Chiropractic Spinal Trauma practitioner and Certified in the Cox Flexion/Distraction technique for low back and radiating leg conditions caused by disc herniations. Dr. Vu will treat the neck with a specific adjustment called the N.U.C.C.A. technique that uses low force and low pressure that does not produce the "cracking" in the neck. Dr. Vu also performs treatments for allergy and sensitivity problems using muscle testing, NAET, Standard Process supplements and without the use of needles or medication. Dr. Vu works with his patient's as much as necessary not to just improve their pain, but improve all aspects of their lives.
 
In our world Dr. Vu helps Sam's body communicate what it needs or what it is struggling with when Sam is unable to.  He does this through muscle testing, and I know someone is saying "What the heck is muscle testing?" Muscle testing is something you have to experience to really comprehend and yes it is different than anything your traditional doctor will do but it has been unbelievably accurate and helpful in figuring things out for Sam.  Here is a video that describes the process:
 
 
Well if you are still with me, you are beginning to think outside the box.  Now lets take it one step further and add that when we test Sam, since he will not cooperate with this, Dr. Vu tests through me while I hold on to Sam.  Are you freaked out yet??  Sooo...instead of answering all the questions swirling through your mind about what appears to be an unreal way of reading the body I am going to instead tell you what Dr. Vu figured out with Sam today.
 
Before I do that I will tell you about a past experience.  When Sam had the external fixator on his hip we had issue after issue with pin problems, infection, granulation tissue and Sam's body appearing to fight this thing with all it's might.  We had tried antibiotics, manuka honey, different dressings and ointments to no avail, Sam continued to have black flesh, granulation, infection and then Dr. Vu treated Sam for a body/brain imbalance and an issue with Sam's body fighting it's own RNA and miraculously the last month of Sam's external fixator was uneventful and his pin sites looked the best they had during the entire four months.
 
Soooo today when Dr. Vu began to test he first checks to see if Sam's nervous system is functioning and his was blocked.  He then determines what is blocking it and it was Sam's digestive tract. As he tested further he determined that Sam needed enzymes but more importantly he needed some supplements to help his brain and nervous system to work with his digestive tract, basically his brain wasn't communicating properly with his digestive tract (my mind pictures his brain not getting the message through to produce or not produce stomach acid).
 
So, we added these supplements to his protocol:
 
Multizyme:   Multizyme contains digestive enzymes to support the proper breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
  • Enzymes provide support in the gastric and intestinal phases of digestion
  • Supplemental pancreatic enzymes support pancreatic function
Hypothalmex: 
Before detailing Standard Process Hypothalmex, people have to understand the importance of its impact on the hypothalamus gland. This gland keeps everything running in a smooth way, even while sleeping. Despite its size, this gland is very powerful and can be found beneath the thalamus on both sides of the third ventricle of the brain. In order to be able to keep up with bodily changes, the gland communicates with the other organs in real time. In fact, it actually coordinates blood pressure, electrolyte and fluid balance, body weight that should be kept within normal ranges, depending on the internal and external conditions, as well as body temperature.
In addition, hypothalamus secretes a variety of hormones which are able to control any gland contained by the endocrine system, thus receiving the cue from chemical signals which are sent throughout the organism. These hormones are then released in the bloodstream in proper times and amounts and later stimulate growth of adrenal gland while also promoting protein synthesis every bodily cell.

Chlorophyll:  Chlorophyll Complex supports multiple body systems.
  • Provides antioxidant activity
  • Supports vascular health
  • Supports the body's normal immune system function
  • Provides cardiovascular support
  • Maintains skin and hair health*
Black Current Seed:  Black Currant Seed Oil contains the essential fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid.
  • Encourages proper eicosanoid synthesis (central nervous system communication)
  • Supports the body's normal tissue repair process
  • Supports normal blood flow
  • Supports healthy immune system function*
Cataplex AC:  Cataplex A-C helps support immune function and maintains healthy cells and tissues.
  • Helps maintain healthy mucous membranes
  • Supports a healthy immune response
  • Provides ingredients with antioxidant activity
  • Supports the hematopoietic system
  • Helps maintain healthy epithelial and connective tissues
  • Contains a combination of key ingredients from Cataplex A and Cataplex C along with Echinacea
Symplex M:  Symplex M supports the healthy function of the testes and the adrenal, pituitary, and thyroid glands.
RNA:  Ribonucleic Acid (RNA), derived from yeast, supports cell replication, growth, and protein synthesis.
  • Promotes healthy cellular growth and development
  • Supports healthy cellular functioning*
Our goal is to wean Sam off the GERD medication, by using the Amish Reflux Remedy which includes organic apple cider vinegar, ginger and garlic, all things his body can digest without adverse reactions.  Use the supplements to kill the bacteria, support the immune system, improve the central nervous system communication, boost the brain and hypothalmex function, regulate the thyroid and pituitary and help promote healthy cellular function.  Use colloidal silver to further kill bacteria and keep the system clean.

We leave for Arizona in a week or so and I hope and pray, and pray and hope this all works and Sam gets to enjoy his vacation.

4 comments:

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  2. Sorry to hear about Sam and it’s best to get chiropractic treatment for muscle problems like these. Till last month, I too suffered from back pain regularly until got treatment from an expert chiropractor Mississauga. Got a good relief since then.

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