Report of 3rd day on the ketogenic diet

Unfortunately, I didn't take a video tonight. By the time I had a free moment to give Bertrand his bath, he was sound asleep. He got his diaper changed, ketones checked and pjs on, all without waking up. Bertrand looked like such a little angel, I couldn't resist snapping a few photos with my new 50mm lens. So, tonight you get the photos instead. :)


There is clearly a change happening in Bertrand. For the third day in a row, he had no drop seizures, and he had only 5 startles--further down from the day before. The absence and complex partial seizures are still a little too many to count, but I can tell that they are far less frequent.

But numbers are just numbers. Bertrand is inspecting our home as if it is the first time he has ever seen it! His movements have lost so much of their prior jerkiness that I am frequently checking to see if he is having an absence, just in case. He is calm and agreeable! These changes have already made the ketogenic diet worth it, even if he is never seizure free.

According to Eliza, B's dietitian, it turns out that the sleepiness Bertrand is experiencing may simply be the result of his body adjusting to the use of ketones over glucose. It is commonly reported by parents for the first few weeks after their child starts the diet. As long as Bertrand is not experiencing any of the other symptoms which accompany either hypoglycemia or ketoacidosis, we don't have to worry.

Oh, and while Bertrand's ketones are still between moderate and large, he is finally putting off the "ketone smell". It is a slightly sweet scent, but I don't think it smells like pineapple (the most common comparison). So his body chemistry is definitely changing!

P.S. - The following two pictures are blurry (I want a different flash) but I couldn't resist posting them! His serious face is adorable and the way he gets so excited watching an Elmo DVD in his stander is funny!