Visit with Dr. Megson and Treatment

It's been awhile since my last post. We have had a busy couple of weeks with Caleb's new treatment and of course the 4th of July was in between it all.

We met Dr. Megson a little over 1 week ago. The thing that stands out most in my mind was that she genuinely cares about making these children well. I believe her compiled research will ultimately help Caleb. Not only did she give us hope for the future...but she helped us to understand some of Caleb's tendencies. Here are some of the things I found interesting....

**Because of the lacking of certain nutrients in the body...the vision field is impaired. This means that instead of seeing like you and I in 3D....he sees thing in 2D. This information is crucial....it helps us to be better prepared for his classroom time. If a teacher is outside his vision field ....he may not be able to focus on what the teacher is saying. He needs a more direct...face to face approach. Also, this may be why TV can be such an addiction to these children...it is their world because it is also in 2D. This also may be why he can set for hours and push cars. When the car is close to his face....it is in his focus (color and all)....when he pulls it away it leaves his focus. I could only imagine how wild that must be!!! She said in many cases....the moms have night vision problems (which I have).

**It is possible that the Antibiotics that Caleb had and or medications administered during his surgery caused some of this. This and many other factors may have led to the damage to the gut. This damage can be repaired with diet and nutritional supplements (vitamins).

**Many of these children like pressure because of the sensory stimultation. Many of these children like to rough house and wrestle because of the feeling they get from it.


We purchased a book written by a mom that was treated by Dr. Megson called, "The Biomanagement Field Guide for Autism Spectrum Disorder" by Allison Trotter. Since we got so much information in the time that we talked to Dr. Megson...it was hard to write it all down. This book explains everything from a parents perspective and gives tips on keeping it all organized.

One of my favorite chapters in the book is called the Butterfly Effect. Many Autoimmune Diseases and Inflammatory diseases have been linked to an increased risk factor for autism. Pair that up with the child's personal health history...including intestinal insults, envioronmental insults, and viral insults....and they represent what may have gone wrong and where it started. The key is to brainstorm all of this information then put it in chronological order. Also take into consideration and current health problems and lifestyle changes (introducing solid foods, moving, etc. Include such events as "shots", etc.

On December 11, 2006 Caleb had his surgery. He was given doses of morphine, antibiotics, etc. Put all that together with some of the environmental hits in our home (pest control, cleaning products, Foods (certain attitudes and proteins not broken down), and vaccintation....one of which was only a few weeks after the surgery on December 28, 2006.


Some of these children are already predisposed to some of these symptoms and then you add many other environmental factors into the mix....and they are heightened. We are just putting too many chemicals and foods into the body that was not meant for human consumption. It is almost scary when you start reading what we are exposed to. It wouldn't be any wonder that the rate of autism has increased drastically. When is this going to stop? It took this to open my eyes. My hope is that other parents will not wait until they are going through a similar experience to research these factors. I wish that every parent would research the vaccines that are being put into our children's body. It is not that I am anti-vaccine...but just safer. Vaccinations can be made safer and spread out over time!!! There are also things that can be tested for to see if the child is immune. Dr. Megson takes this very stance....and recommends reading, "What your Pediatrician won't tell you about Childhood Vaccinations" by Stephanie Cave, MD".

I can tell you that I am a bargain shopper...and have never given it much thought about what I eat. I've never done organic because of the price. I have always cleaned with pinesol, etc because I always felt like it wasn't clean unless it smelled frsh. I never gave much thought to how much nutrition can play a role on the body and brain. I always fed my children healthy (or so I thought)and they do not eat a lot of junk food. I never read labels, etc. It was not until I had a child with autism that I realized the toxins that are out there. Even a bottle of Flintstone Vitamins has a bunch of junk that does not belong in a childs body....The very first ingredient list is Succrose and it goes on to list artifical flavors, more sugar, etc.

This week...we started 4th of July with a bang. I like to think of it as our "new year". We started the Gluten Free, Casein Free diet...the day after 4th of July. We also started a regimen of vitamins every 5 days. As a family, we are all eating healthier!

Yesterday, I got to take a urine sample and have also sent a hair sample to a lab. My last task with that (so far) is a fecal sample. I am not looking forward to that one!!! At least he is still in a diaper and I don't have to do what my friend has to do. She literally has to chase him around with a french fry box and ask him if he has to go!!! The things we do for our children:0) It is all worth it though!!!

3 days into the Cod Liver Oil (before we started the diet)....Caleb had a full blown conversation with me and Johnny. He seems to be a bit calmer too. I can't say that it is working yet or if it is all the prayer that is going out for him. Either way, all that matters is we are seeing some improvement and we have hope that as we start introducing the vitamins into his diet...that his intestines will heal so that we do not have to remain on the diet forever.

As for the diet....I bought bread yesterday and it was over $7.00 but overall it wasn't too bad. I plan on getting a bread machine so I can experiment with some different breads and not spend so much. There are so many great products out there that are Gluten Free/Casein Free that we eat on a daily basis so I was able to incorporate that into our mealtimes with a few minor adjustments. The hardest part is no bread, pasta or cheese. There are some great alternatives and substitutes out there and the great part is that Caleb has not developed a preference yet. It was a little easier for me in that aspect because he doesn't really care if the spaghetti is Semolina or Rice. He just knows it is spaghetti and will eat it. We hope he keeps it up! We tasted a few of the products too and they are actually not too bad!

I know that God has led us to where we are at with Caleb. I really felt his presence on the first couple of pages of Allison Trotters book. She mentions that she is a christian. She said that although her personal faith is not expressed in the book...you can feel the power on every page. Hallelujah!!! I know He will use this for the greater good and if we remain faithful and steadfast....God will move mountains!!!! I hope that this Blog helps at least one person to keep going. I know it is a long road....but you don't have to do it alone!!!