What's For Dinner

Dinner in our Home is....well....colorful....and slightly different than your average "American meal." BUT it's who we are.....colorful : )

Some would say the way we eat is crazy and the things we avoid are necessities. But it is our new normal and to be honest, we don't really do without anything OR miss anything....well, I guess I should speak for myself. I don't miss anything.

When Isaac was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in May of 2008, we made some changes to our diet and lifestyle.....but within the last several months, we have made even more. What is Crohn's Disease??? I had to ask that question myself a little over a year ago....had never even heard of it! Well, it is a chronic inflammatory auto-immune disease of the intestines. It primarily causes ulcerations (breaks in the lining) of the small and large intestines, but can affect the digestive system anywhere from the mouth to the anus. There is a problem breaking down and absorbing nutrients from food. The cause of Crohn's Disease is unknown and there is no cure. Symptoms include mild to severe abdominal pain, nausea, mild to severe diarrhea, vomiting, blood in the stool, fever(s), weight loss, and poor appetite. Some have compared the ulcerations to like having a cold sore inside your mouth....multiplied by 10.

Isaac started having gastrointestinal problems pretty much at birth. I started noticing blood in his stool at about 2 weeks. He also had trouble with gas, bloating, irritability, and he spit up all the time....unless we held him up or he sat in his swing....he would have problems. He woke up every two hours...or a little less/more...for the first 10 months. We spent the majority of our time trying to keep him soothed and holding him upright or walking around the house...so he wouldn't fuss or spit up. At night he either slept in my arms or in his swing. Yes, I was sleep deprived in a big way. As a new Mom, I really didn't know this was NOT the norm. Not to mention the fact that I was explaining all of this to his pediatrician at EVERY visit. At the time, we lived in Southern Maryland, and I found this doctor through our insurance provider. He would say, "That's normal." "That's what babies do." And I would say, "Even the blood in the stool?" And he would say, "Yes."

We moved to Ashburn, Virginia when Isaac was 10 months old and I found a new pediatrician....who we still see today!! I filled her in on everything we had been experiencing, and she said, "That's not normal and you need to see a Pediatric GI."

So we did, and at first they just thought he had reflux, so he started taking medicine to treat it. But he continued to have blood in his stool from time to time and his stools were always loose. This time, I continued to push that something wasn't right. So he had an upper GI (a scope to take pictures of his esophagus, stomach and duodenum) when he was 19 months and was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia, causing the reflux, gastritis, and lactose intolerance. He started taking a stronger medication to treat the reflux at that time, and we eliminated cow's milk and other lactose products (cheese, butter, ice cream)....for the most part. Sometimes we made exceptions and just gave him a lactose enzyme.

There were times when he seemed to be doing better, but there were times when he still had symptoms. I had to take Isaac to the GI doctor about every 8 weeks for follow up appointment. Every time we went, I would explain that I still saw blood in his stool from time to time. As a Mom, I knew something else was wrong.

Things started to get really bad by February of 2008. The blood was increasing, his appetite was decreasing, he was loosing weight, he got a couple of fevers, and he started talking about his belly hurting from time to time. Mind you....he was only 2 and a half. AND I was potty training him.....AND he never had an accident once he started using the potty. Yes, Isaac is an exceptional boy!!

On May 7, 2008, Isaac woke up with his 3rd fever in only a few months. And the day before, he bent over in pain saying his belly hurt, then threw up. That morning, the Holy Spirit spoke to me so clear, and so loud...."Take him to the hospital right now!" So I did. Isaac was admitted and stayed in the hospital for 2 weeks.

When we checked in the hospital, he had every single symptom I mentioned above. He was not aloud to eat or drink ANYTHING for 4 days. He was given TPN (total parenteral nutrition) through his IV. He had to get a scope of his upper GI tract and a colonoscopy. He had to get several different IV's started during his stay because his veins would shut down. He had to get a PIC line in one of his main veins. He had to have a blood transfusion, because of all the blood he had lost...over the last year and a half. He was anemic. He was almost 3 and he weighed only 23 lbs. To say the least, these 2 weeks were excruciating for all of us...and Eric was only 10 months old at the time.

We were completely broken and crying out to the Lord. We had no idea what to do and what not to do. We began praying and believing for complete healing and restoration in Isaac's body. We also started praying for wisdom, so that we would know how to help prevent future flare ups. At the time, we decided to take the advice of his doctor and Isaac started on 4 different, medications. Even though they were toxic and had some negative side effects, we wanted to give it a try. AND we are all taught that we should listen to our doctors.....right? We were told to avoid vegetables and fruit....but that's it. From our own research we decided to also eliminate gluten and all cow's milk, since they are difficult to digest.

After a year of the medicine, no vegetables, fruit, gluten or dairy, Isaac still wasn't living as healthy as we would have liked. I just knew there had to be something better for him. His appetite was poor, he still had loose stools and sometimes went several times a day, he wasn't gaining weight, he complained of his belly hurting from time to time, and he had 2 mild flare up's. His doctor said if he had another flare, we were facing some drastic changes in his treatment. We had 2 options: 1. Remicade - a highly toxic IV infusion drug OR 2. A feeding tube in his stomach with no solids by mouth for 6 months.

On April 7th, another flare came. His doctor advised us to go to the ER. However, Isaac didn't have a fever or blood in his stool (meaning there was no infection)....instead, he was at the beginning of the flare up and I just didn't have a peace about going. So, I started doing what I have done every time things started declining ....praying and research. That is when I came across a posting on a blog. The posting was titled, "My #1 Crohn's Flare Up Remedy." I couldn't believe it!! Scott and I had been searching and searching for any and everything imaginable....and I had stumbled upon something.....by the Grace of God!!

After reading the post, and several others, I contacted the woman behind them via email. She was an answer to prayer!! She is a naturapathic medical student, registered yoga teacher, and natural health educator....and she has Crohn's!!! She answered my email the same day with a 4 page response!!! She helped us get through this mini-flare up without going to the hospital and has given us a whole new vision and treatment for Isaac's future.

We have been working very closely with her since April to get Isaac on a new and better path to remission. She is truly an angel sent by God! AND she loves Jesus!! Megan lives in Michigan, so we have done all our correspondence via email and phone....but we are looking forward to meeting face-to-face someday! Her blog is called "Megan's Mind". Here's her blog address if you would like to check it out.

http://www.megansmind-holisticwellness.blogspot.com/

WOW...what a difference we have seen in Isaac over these last 5 months!! He is the healthiest he has ever been in his life! He is gaining weight, has a super appetite, has too much energy, is completely off his medications, his stools are....well, like a "normal" stool : ) and has shown no signs of a flare up since that day in April. Thank you Lord!!

Oh yeah...and what's for dinner....tilapia (fish), green lima beans, quinoa, purple cauliflower, and sweet potatoes.

I will write more later about the changes we have made to our diet and lifestyle.