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Detailed descriptions of chelation, will leave this expanded version here temporarily
[ROUND 11]
This round I had given a week off for Christmas. Then I gave 25 mg zinc each morning for the three mornings before I started the ALA, thereby separating zinc days from ALA days. For the first two zinc days, my kids did just fine. The third day #2 and #3 developed a rash. So it appears that they tolerate zinc chelating copper for two days, but not for three.
I then gave 50 mg ALA [scaled doses for the other kids] for the usual three days. #2 became a little hyper during this round, it took him approximately 45 minutes to fall asleep each night, and before this, he would fall asleep within 15 minutes. Also, he began waving his hands in front of his eyes at the beginning of each meal, which at first I attributed to possibly some sort of "developing" reaction to the enzymes. I was unsure what could be the cause of both of these things, but decided it might be a yeast issue [his first one]. ALA does excrete metals thru the gut, which can increase yeast issues, causing hyperactivity and hand-waving, not because of the enzymes, but because I mix the enzymes in honey, which would aggravate a yeast issue. Plus the kids had eaten quite a few holiday cookies and things, also aggravating a possible yeast issue.
So I gave GSE [grapefruit seed extract, from health food store] one drop in the morning and one drop at lunchtime. The last time I tried GSE, it made #2 very hyper, and I learned that it is high phenol. But since his phenol sensitivity is reducing with chelation, I decided to try it with him again. He did not have any additional hyper beyond what I had seen anyway, and his hyperactivity and hand-waving decreased over the next few days. He is still a little hyper, and he still has a slight tendency to wave his hands, but overall I do see improvement just in the last 3-4 days of GSE, so apparently it was a yeast issue.
In the last few days [after yeast treatment], #2 made, all by himself, a relatively complicated train layout with Thomas the Tank Engine wooden track, including two circles, one inside the other, and a switch to connect them. He also took blocks and made them into a tunnel for the trains to go inside, and made a wall alongside the track with other blocks. He also is playing again with the tricycle/bicycle, swing/slide, wagon, and other toys, plus he and #3 played basketball again. He had stopped doing these things during round 11, presumably because of the yeast issue, altho I can't really be sure the exact reason.
He and #3 also do this new thing, they slap their hands onto their thighs like a horse running, slap slap slap slap, then put their hands at the sides of their faces and say "OH NO" just like the Home Alone movie, altho neither of them has ever seen that movie, so I have no idea where they got that idea. But it is very funny to watch them, and they enjoy doing it with each other.
#2 also is articulating his words better, so other people can understand him a little easier than they could before this round.
[ROUND 12]
This round it appears the yeast issues are now fully gone, #2 continues to progress slowly, nothing major dramatic to report this time, except perhaps that he is now back to normal and nothing new and "fun" came up, like last round's yeast issue. #3 however, who has the least language of all of my children, has now discovered that #4 has more language than he does, which is an idea which he does NOT like LOL. So he spends about 98% of his time with her, and tries to do everything with her, which annoys her tremendously LOL. They basically act like twins [altho #3 is age 4 and #4 is age 2-1/2], major competition and sibling rivalry, anything one of them does, the other one just MUST do also, which does lead to fighting and stuff, but nothing beyond typical young siblings arguing. It is so cute to see them together!
This round I also started my #1 son on chelation. He is not on gfcfdiet or enzymes, altho his gluten/casein consumption is reduced. He has *some* traits which might be considered AS, he does have very strong likes and dislikes for his interests, and he is physically and socially awkward. But nothing which would qualify him for an official diagnosis. He is age 7-1/2, and he weighs 50 pounds, same as #2. I started him with one drop GSE with each meal, because he also apparently developed a yeast issue over the holidays, same as my other three kids, and 20 mg ALA every 8 hours, 3 days on and probably will go about 11 days off for him. For the first round I saw basically nothing, good or bad, but his issues are very minor so I am not sure I really expected to see anything after only one round. However, I am glad I did not see anything negative, because he was not on diet or enzymes.
[ROUNDS 13/14]
I am writing these two rounds together because I did not see significant difference for round 13, all the children improved slightly, but nothing major. However, after round 13, I tried giving green grapes with enzymes. Before this round, the only fruits my children tolerated with enzymes were apples and cantalope. But now they do okay with green grapes also.
During round 14, I decided to try to re-introduce a B vitamin supplement. Before this round, they did not tolerate any supplements except the HNI enzymes. I don't know why I decided to try it during the round, but I did. I saw improvement DURING the round, even tho the metals were coming out and I generally see a slight regression during the rounds. It was very interesting and very nice. They did just fine with this B vitamin supplement [Solaray brand], and they improved. After the round was over, the improvement was even more visible. Language was noticeably better especially for #3, he was putting words together and ideas together more than he had done previously. Additionally, #3 was comparing the sides of the alphabet blocks and putting the same letters together, and he found an alphabet book which he had never seen before, but he still identified the letters correctly. He also would wait with #4, say "ready set go", and then they would run around a chair set up in the middle of the floor. Before this round, he would have never put three words together in any fashion.
After starting the B supplement, my #2 son suddenly is much more cooperative at the supermarket. Prior to this, he was generally cooperative, but occasionally I would say "stay with me" and he would challenge me, or he would see something he wanted and if I did not let him have it, he would have a tantrum. Not too often, but maybe one of every three trips to the store. Well this time, he stayed with me just fine, and if he started to wander and I said "stay here", he came back without any fuss. Also he did see a few things he wanted, he pointed at them and said "what's this", which right now is his way of asking for things that he does not know what they are called. I said "no, that's not ours" and he was fine with that answer, no tantrums, no trying to take it anyway, VERY NICE!
All my children are now walking around singing "Feed the birds, tuppence a bag", which does get old, but it sure beats Teletubbies!
I have been wanting to try a vitamin A supplement with my #2 son, because most of his stims are visual, altho they are basically gone now except during chelation rounds. He still does not tolerate CLO even with enzymes, but I tried Beta Carotene, just to see if it would help. He did not tolerate this supplement before chelation, none of the children did, it gave them diarrhea and made #2 have MORE visual stims instead of less. Well now they tolerate it just fine, and it does seem to help with the visual stims #2 has during rounds.
I also did round 2 for my #1 son. Nothing different this round, he still has a tendency towards a yeast issue, which is helped by GSE. However, before this round, he has been sleeping maybe 10 hours each night. Now, he sleeps about 9 hours each night, sometimes 9-1/2. So he is requiring a more normal amount of sleep now, instead of the 10 or so hours he required before. This is very nice. He is becoming slightly more sensitive to discipline tho, so we are being careful about that.
[ROUND 15]
This round I increased ALA to 65 mg for my #2 son, with scaled increases for the other two children. I also continued the B vitamin supplement, and the Beta Carotene [vitamin A]. I tried adding milk thistle, but then I forgot and also added a fruit, and one of those caused a slight regression, so I don't know if the milk thistle or the fruit was the problem, altho I suspect it was the fruit because my kids still have some troubles with some fruits.
This round I noticed that #4 can now put her shoes on by herself, and she puts them on the correct feet. Also, after I change her diaper, she says "thank you mommy". Also #3 calls me mommy now, "Mommy, owwie", "Mommy, hug", "Mommy, up", "Mommy, blanket". He will also say Daddy but he says Mommy more often LOL.
#2 has expanded interests now. He still has preferences, but he will now watch more variety of videos, and he likes his construction trucks now, he and #3 will run them down the hallway together. Before this, it was only trains. He will also defend me when Daddy tickles me. Before, when Daddy tickled me, #2 would grab MY hand and pull it away, thinking he was helping me! But now, he will push Daddy away, then throw himself on top of me to protect me. This is very funny, because this child is VERY STRONG and when the time comes that he realizes he can actually HELP Daddy tickle me, I am in REAL trouble! He also continues to be more interested in using language rather than pointing or whining. Language is his most difficult area, so this is nice. He is also more focused and aware of things, and will no longer throw a fit [most of the time] if he is told "no".
He also really likes fires. We have been lighting fires in our fireplace, and this year he has been very interested in them. He asks for them basically every night, and last week Daddy decided to show him how to lay one out. We did not have enough wood inside to make a fire, so they went outside to the shed and Daddy gave him some wood to carry in, which this time he carried it in without complaining [now if only I can get him to help me carry in the groceries....]. Daddy got the rest of the wood and came inside, ready to show #2 how to lay the fire. Well, by the time Daddy came in, #2 had already laid out the wood for the fire, and correctly! We did not even know #2 had been watching Daddy do it, but he is apparently watching everything now, even when we are not aware of it.
I did round 3 for #1, and he is no longer extra sensitive to teasing or discipline. In fact, before this round, if we would tease him and say "okay it is time for your spank", he would say "Stop that, I don't like it" or "Don't say that". But now he says "HEY!" or "No, it is time to spank YOU".
[ROUND 16/17]
I forgot to mention for round 15, my son was slightly hyperactive during the round, it took him about 45 minutes to fall asleep at night, and the only difference was that I increased the ALA to 65 mg, so it must have been because of that. But that was the only negative I saw, so I decided to keep it at 65 mg for the next round, and see what happened. I saw nothing negative except the hyper again, so I did keep it at 65 mg for these next rounds, with scaled doses for the other two kids. I also determined that they do okay with the milk thistle supplement, so I am continuing to give that as well as the B vitamin supp, beta carotene [vitamin A], GSE, and a mineral supp and zinc between rounds.
#2 will now laugh when something funny happens on a video. Before, he would watch videos, and he had his favorites, but he really did not indicate he understood what was happening. He liked the trains and the bulldozers and the cats and dogs and things, and would be happy to watch them, and he would sing the songs or point out things he saw. But now, when something funny happens, he will laugh. And he appears to be understanding more of the story lines, rather than each scene as a static event.
All my kids will now tease me. #2 will hold out his blanket to give to me, but when I reach for it, he pulls it away and laughs. Before this round, he would get upset if I tried to take his blanket. #3 and #4 will do this also, they will tease me with their things like this. I can also pretend to eat their food, or put their clothes on the wrong child and another child's clothes on them, and they will laugh instead of getting upset. But all of them can now basically dress themselves [sometimes several times a day LOL], altho they do like me to do it for them sometimes.
One strange thing occurred after round 16. #2 now wants to wear his shoes all the time. I believe it is a return of normal sensation to his feet. Before I began digestive enzymes, he was very INsensitive to things, did not feel much pain, and loved deep pressure. When I started enzymes, he began walking around saying "owwie" and rubbing his arms, like they hurt him. This lasted for about three weeks as I am remembering it, but eventually disappeared. But this desire to wear shoes all the time reminds me of this stage with enzymes, I think he is hyper-sensitive to the fact that his feet are feeling normal sensation now, and that is why he wants to wear shoes all the time. It is not because it is cold, because this past week it has been over 80 degrees here, even tho it is February, and the last few days has actually been over 90 degrees here [sorry for all you folks who are freezing now LOL]. But anyway he wants to wear shoes all the time, altho I don't let him wear them to bed but he would if I let him. But he will tease me about the shoes also. He will come up to me and say "shoes off" and hold out his foot, but if I reach down to the shoe, he will pull it away and run off laughing. If I actually pull the velcro strap, he laughs and screeches and runs away and puts it back together. But then he is right back teasing me again, saying "shoes off" with a little impish grin on his face. Too funny.
#2 and #3 share a bedroom and they now sing each other to sleep each night, very cute. #3 will now say "thank you" when I do things for him, so he and #4 say "thank you mommy" a lot. All of these children are now interested in making sure everyone has their appropriate items, for example they will retrieve each other's blankets and cups at bedtime. And if one is crying, the others will come over and say "owwie". #4 knows possessive pronouns now, she will identify items as belonging to a specific person. She also likes to tell her brothers what to do, and #3 likes telling her "no", and #2 likes looking at her like she is from Mars LOL.
I did round 4 for #1, still at 33 mg ALA, he seems more aware of appropriate social behaviors, altho this is still an area where he has difficulty. But he is definitely improving. He is also not as obsessive with telling me his various stories. He still does have difficulty with interrupting another person while that person is speaking, and with paying attention when spoken to and when completing tasks, but it does appear to be better. Also, he is now becoming *slightly* interested in sports. He is watching a few portions of the Olympics, but until now really has not shown any interest in sports, either watching or actually participating.
[ROUND 18]
This round had same protocol as rounds 16/17.
#4 brushes her doll's hair with the doll brush now, she has never done this before. She is also "conversational" now.
#3 now *tries* to speak in sentences, his favorite non-word is "dugga dugga", he will say "mommy dugga dugga book dugga dugga train dugga dugga okay" which means "look mommy, this is a train book". He can also sing semi-intelligibly, the song Jesus Loves Me. Before this round, he could only put 2-3 words together at any one time. He also puts his cup or a pencil to his ear to imitate me when I am using the telephone. He has never done this sort of imaginative imitation before this round.
#2 developed another yeast issue this round ugh, time to increase the GSE. But he was not hyper this round like he was the previous rounds on the increased dose. He also is losing the extra sensitivity in his feet, he will agree to go outside without shoes [still over 80 degrees here LOL]. He also walks around in my shoes more often than before, plus one day #4 was wearing HIS hat, and he wanted to wear a hat and there was none available, so he put a BOX on his head! He has NEVER made this much of a connection with imagination before, the best he could do before this round was the toy cars or trains pretend to be real. But never a box as another type of object entirely. He will also put the phone to his ear and talk into it, and before this round he was afraid of the phone because of the disembodied voice.
I am getting soooooo tired of hearing the alphabet song sung by three children. It is nice to hear it, but it is getting VERY OLD!
#4 did round 5, same protocol for him as before. This round and last round, at bedtime, he has said to me "mommy, I feel like I should be doing things". After several nights of asking him "what do you feel like you should be doing" and he says "I don't know, I just feel like I should be doing things", I finally figured out he is just not sleepy and feels awake. So it is similar to the hyper effect of #2, so hopefully will wear off after another round or two.
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