Bertrand & Victoria enjoy snuggling on the couch with Abuelito.
Health:
Bertrand, Victoria and Mama have gotten their first colds of the season. Both kids are staying active and in high spirits in spite of the illness. In Victoria's case, this is her first cold ever and she has handled it like a champ. In Bertrand's case, this is his first real cold since restarting preschool 4 months ago AND he seems to be getting over it as quickly as Victoria and me. This is remarkable! His immune system appears to be doing better than ever.
As mentioned before, we jumped at the opportunity for Bertrand to attend another intensive therapy session at Now I Can. The 2 week session starts on Monday! Because of Daddy's travel, Mama's volunteer commitments and Victoria's cold, Bertrand's Nana is coming to the rescue. She will be taking Bertrand to Now I Can, so I don't lose (more of?) my mind.
Diet:
Since starting vitamin therapy, Bertrand has improved substantially. However, I was concerned about the high quantity of fat soluble vitamins (A & E in particular) that he was receiving. On October 31, his geneticist did me the favor of running levels for vitamins A & E. Bertrand's results were in the low normal range!
Vitamin A 0.36 (normal range: 0.20 - 0.50)Vitamin E 6.0 (normal range: 5.5 - 9.0)
Why was I excited about this? First of all, this meant that Bertrand wasn't in danger of vitamin toxicity. Secondly, this meant that Bertrand had been extremely vitamin deficient, if after 3 months of vitamin mega-dosing he was just barely in the normal range! We were justified in our concerns.
Since then, Bertrand's vitamin & mineral supplements have been adjusted with the guidance of a naturopath. Bertrand continues to cry tears regularly, even to display emotion, which for us is a great sign!
One of the items which the naturopath brought up in Bertrand's initial examination was the possibility of dairy allergy or sensitivity. So on a lark, I bought some soy milk for Bertrand a week ago. There was noticeable improvement in his breathing and seizure level the next day. And, since then he has been doing very well despite his cold. We're still waiting on the blood test result for dairy allergy which the naturopath ordered, but regardless I will be more insistent when speaking with Bertrand's pediatrician about a referral to an allergist.
Family:
The past few weeks have really underscored how lucky we are to have family close by. Nana, Papa, Titi Saby and Uncle Steve have become vital to the functioning of our family! We loved having Abuelito and Uncle Dan out here for thanksgiving, even if the stay was too short. :) We're already looking forward to seeing them again, and more uncles and aunts, soon!
Standing in front of a gingerbread "house" at the Grand America.
Was reading the little blurb about switching B to Soy milk. Just as a note of caution, soy milk contains isoflavones which are transformed by intestinal microflora into phytoestrogens. These can have a variety of effects, some healthy, but some potentially disruptive. E.g., they can be considered "endocrine disruptors". So I'd just recommend that you look up some of the bioeffects of the different kinds of phytoestrogens, considering whether this is the milk supplement that best suits what you're wanting for B, but to utilize the soy milk supplementation in moderation, especially if B's diet is already rich in plant-based estrogens from other products. Soy, as a plant product, has one of the highest concentrations of phytoestrogens, but other plant-derived milks may contain less. For instance, almond milk, or even just using goats milk to which I've heard fewer people have allergies.
ReplyDeleteThe Turkey (or Ham) Day pictures looks great. :)
Take care,
Emily
Thank you, Emily! Yes, since then Bertrand has been tried coconut, rice and almond milks. He seems to like them all. The Rice Dream seems to be his favorite. And the coconut yogurt is MY favorite. :) We are so fortunate to live in a time where there are so many dietary options available! We're trying to keep variety high in his diet and hope to get an appointment for an allergist/immunologist soon. Our question seems to be if the sensitivity is to dairy or just to casein protein? (Because he seemed fine on whey protein.) Thanks again!
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