HBOT and the Dreaded Cart

Hello, Peeps.

Lots to update on...

Jeremy and I got to hang out at CHIP on Monday. They had the zoomobile visit and invited parents to come for the day. Jeremy went right from work, but I didn't get there until the kids were eating lunch as I had to see a couple patients. I missed the zoomobile, but so did Ben and Jeremy. Ben freaked out after touching an elephant ear and they spent the rest of the time in another room. :o( In Ben's defense, he was probably really hungry as he didn't eat a good breakfast and then they skipped snack. Jeremy said he calmed down after having his snack and he was fine for the rest of the day (if somewhat tired and a little "out of it.") So, we enjoyed our time there and got to see his afternoon activities for the first time. (Story time, music time, free play in the gym, lunch, etc.)

Today Ben rode in THE DREADED CART!! :o) The desensitization program must be working. Hehe. They had a therapist ride with him and took a snack to distract him a bit. They said he hardly fussed...until they took him off! Apparently, he wasn't ready to get off after only two laps of the parking lot. Go figure. :o)

In biomedical news... Ben ran out of his Acetyl L-Carnitine for a few days. That is something that is needed by a couple of his other supplements for proper absorbtion, so we had to stop those too. It was about a week that he was off of them. Not sure if I am imagining it, but he has been a little more "zoned out" and hasn't used his words as much. Also, I've noticed more "visual stimming" (staring at his hand, at lights, etc.) We got him back on the ALC yesterday and I plan to start the others back up over the next few days...so we'll see. It's not good that he ran out, but maybe this is an indication that some of this stuff is working. (By the way, any parents noticing big problems at Claudia's Health Food Market...they are out of everything and don't see to be restocking...?)

We talked to Dr. Linsk tonight and have decided to try the hyperbaric chamber. Dr. L. is letting us rent his for a month (for much less than any other vendor I've found.) He is going to bring it over on Saturday and hook it up. Our regular office appointment is on Friday so we'll get more details then. It's kind of weird...really new agey...but, we've heard good things. This is where my gemini mind goes crazy. Half of me thinks this is completely wacko, the other half is hopeful and finds it very intriguing. So, we'll see what happens.

I also plan to talk to Dr. Linsk about having a heavy metal test done this time around. There is a minimally invasive (urine sample only) test that we can have done that is inexpensive. It will test for high levels of heavy metals in the body (mercury, lead, etc.) If he does have high levels of any of these, we will explore and consider our chelation options. This is a process to clear these metals out of the body. This is something I've always been a little leery about, but there are now very gentle, natural, slow ways to do this, so we will consider it if necessary...ONLY UNDER A DOCTOR'S SUPERVISION for any parents out there considering the same. Chelation can be very dangerous if done improperly as it can also deplete the body of minerals.

I have a friend doing chelation now with her son. They are using a natural chelation agent, so we may try the same one if it is appropriate for Ben...but only after lots of research of course!

I have another friend whose daughter has some ADHD type symptoms (not diagnosed.) She had her tested for lead a few months ago when the University set up free testing sites around the city. She tested "above normal" for lead levels in her blood...makes you wonder. I never fancied myself a tree hugger type, but I'm becoming more and more aware of the abundance of toxins that our children are exposed to and it makes me angry. Too many things are being "reexamined" by the FDA...too, too many. (Ok, I'll digress before I get myself too worked up.)

Lastly, we got Jeremy home for a couple extra days this week. He hurt his knee at work and it has gotten steadily worse. He went to the doctor yesterday and, well, they didn't tell him much. I don't think they really know what is wrong, but they prescribed a knee brace, ice, and elevation for now. We are awaiting blood test results to see if he has an infection. As a precaution, they also have him on steroids and antibiotics. So, please pray for a quick recovery with no complications.

Well, Jeremy went out for a bite with Jeff (brother-in-law), Jason (my bro), and Jeff's cousin Aaron. So, I'm going to go enjoy a little quiet time...translation...take a bath and fall asleep watching the debate.

Love to you all!

Julie and the Boys