tests.

Ok, this one is a long time coming and something that is very close to my heart. These posts take me awhile to formulate and think about. So much to say.

There was an article here in Sunday's (yesterday) paper (front page, main story) about autism and vaccines. Having a child with special needs puts me in a community where I am surrounded by autistic children and their parents. I have seen kids on the low and the high end of the spectrum and I have seen their emotional parents. I can understand part of what they go through, having a child with special needs and more specifically one with pretty significant sensory integration sensitivities. The article I read yesterday reminded me again, that this is such an important issue and there are so many pieces and parts to it (many that did not get touched upon in the article). The most important thing is awareness and making smart choices.

I think it's impossible to write about this topic without writing about Jenny McCarthy and her brave steps to create awareness in a world where everyone closes their eyes to pretend this is not happening. She is a mom that had a little boy (Evan) that was typical and growing. Then after his MMR vaccine he started spiraling downward. Instead of growing and reaching new milestones he started losing speech, losing abilities. She knew she had to do something. Doctors, therapies, tests, diets. Many doors closed. She kicked them down. She tried one thing and if it didn't work, she moved on to the next, and the next, and the next. She was Evan's warrior. He still has his autism diagnosis, but shows no symptoms of autism. It is as though he is healed. When many doctors called her crazy and told her to go home and deal with the autism, she faught back. It's easy to see that I see this woman as a warrior to not only Evan, but to every one of us that knows there's more out there-- more than just "go home and deal with it."

Here are the facts:

-no one knows what causes autism.
-many children start showing signs after having the MMR vaccine.
-most pediatricians stand behind "science/research shows vaccines do not show autism."
-vaccine schedules can vary-- you do not have to have your child vaccinated at the exact time your pediatrician states. You can request an alternative vaccination schedule--one shot per visit and start the shots when they are a couple of YEARS old.
-you can request vaccines with no "thimerisol"-- this is a preservative in vaccines and flu shots that has mercury in it. Science claims it's safe. If that's the case, why has it been removed from all infant shots and many children's shots? Always ask if there is thimerisol-- it is your right to request it without. If your pediatrician won't do it, find a new one.
-make sure your child is 100% healthy when getting any vaccine. no cold, virus, etc.
-once you get the shot, you can't undo it. Be sure it's the right time, the right shot.

I took this information and started thinking. Yeast, gluten, casein, allergies, food sensitivities, metals...hmmm. There is a connection from all of this to the brain. So I read further. I looked into two places that do the tests for this stuff. It's crazy expensive. I mean thousands of dollars. But I knew I wanted to not leave this stone unturned. So I found the lab (known to be the best in the country) that does the testing for all of these clinics and specialized doctors. I made some calls and figured it out. I could do some tests myself (urine, stool and hair sample) and the doctor would hopefully agree to do the blood draw. Unfortunately, I also needed the doc (pediatrician) to sign off on all the paperwork and code it. I was hopeful, but not so sure he would agree to this. He's fairly open minded but I felt as though I was asking a lot of him (but was I really?). Noah and I went in today and he got his blood drawn and the doctor signed every last form for me (although, not very happily). I didn't care how I got it, I just needed it. So I fex-ex'd the blood to the lab overnight. I have the completed forms for the rest of the tests (which I will do next week-- after the holiday). This will tell me if a specialized diet could be beneficial to Noah. Something that has been brought up time and time again is that Noah may have some yeast issues in his gut. This can cause "brain fog." I am not going to torture him by cutting things out of his diet, etc. unless I know for sure that it could help. These tests are giving me that. Besides...if it can't hurt and might help, I will do it. I have to try. It's been more work doing it myself, but a tremendous cost savings. I cut out the middle man (specialized clinics/doctors).

Vaccines, diets, tests...it's a lot. But I think knowledge is power. Take it and make smart decisions for your child. There is no question vaccines are important. But they need to be given at the right time, in the right way.

Here is Jenny McCarthy's definition of a Mother Warrior:

A mother who hears there is no hope for her child and, instead of retreating and mourning, breaks down walls, weaves her way through obstacles, follows her intuition even when people tell her she's crazy. She is a mother who believes in hope. A mother who believes in miracles and is able to carry on with strength and determination, even when her partner doubts her and offers no support [her husband sucks]. A mother who never gives up even when she keeps hitting dead ends. These are the women who will continue to open the door so future generations of children don't have to suffer. These are the mothers with hearts of gold and shields made of the strongest armor.

These are the women I walk beside proudly and whose numbers I hope will grow. We are the seekers of change. We are the seekers of truth. We are the Mother Warriors and we will never give up.

http://www.generationrescue.org/