Well, just as I think I have things handled, life deals us another huge blow. We had Silas tested for more allergies (through US Bio Tek Laboratories, Inc) right after Thanksgiving, and we got the results back in January. Silas had acted like something was still bothering him, so I figured something would show up. He had all sorts of issues still rearing their ugly heads. The results showed us that apparently, LOTS of things are/were bothering him! We found out he has an immune response (allergy) to peanuts, garlic, eggs, & soy (those were the top ones besides the wheat/gluten & dairy), and also oysters, almonds, amaranth, lettuce, lentils, oranges, and grapefruit! WOW! I think the one I least expected was garlic. How can anyone possibly be allergic to GARLIC, for crying out loud! I use it in everything! THAT must be the precise problem.
The dr has us on a 4-Day Elimination/Rotation Diet. The diet can be found at http://www.usbiotek.com/ if you are interested in finding out details. It really sounds like it might be helpful. For four days, we have a list of foods we can eat. Each day is different and food groups (like chicken & turkey) can't be eaten one day after the next. Related foods need to be separated by a full day so you could eat chicken on Day 1 & turkey on day 3. The tricky thing is finding enough foods a four year old likes to cover 4 separate days & to keep it all different. We try really hard to follow the diet and I am hoping it will get easier as we keep at it. So far, I think we are on the 3rd or 4th week now. It it still very challenging. I can't cook meals with multiple ingredients because most of those ingredients I will need to use on another day in the four day cycle. So, mostly we are sticking to meats, veggies, and fruits.
The goal of the 4 day rotation diet is to reduce repetitive intake of the same foods. This may be an aggravation towards food sensitivities. It is suggested to avoid the "reactive foods" completely for a duration of at least 3 months to a year, or until the symptoms improve, while incorporating a variety of healthy food alternatives.
So, we are sort of on a new journey here. I am still in shock, but I hope to share what we discover and maybe help someone in the process. Already, I have seen Silas' symptoms improve significantly, but I suspect we are still missing some allergens. The test only covered 99 foods and I am wondering about some spices and things like baking powder/soda, cashews, and a big one I wonder about is tapioca. He eats that in a lot of different things like his Daiya cheese and it is a flour I use in a lot of baking. Anyhow, I pray for Silas' healing and we would appreciate your prayers as well. It is very difficult for a four year old (almost 5 now) to not have choices regarding what food he is to eat each meal. The Lord created his precious body, and the Lord knows what the exact issue is (and we seem to be having a difficult time finding out what all the triggers are & if there are other root causes). I know the Lord could choose to just reach out & touch Silas & to heal him instantly, or he can heal him through this journey & through our dr. I do believe he will be healed one way or another (at least to the point where he is not reacting every time he eats a trace amount of an allergen!) We just want Silas to be a happy, healthy child who loves the Lord! Please pray with us for his healing! Thank you!
Wow - what a shock! We're trying to figure out some allergy stuff around here too. I'd love to hear how you went about getting the testing done.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that came to mind as I read some of your posts is GAPS diet - I have a friend in Molalla whose family has a lot of allergies etc and they have been on the GAPS diet for over a year now with fantastic results. Here's her blog: http://www.wellfedhomestead.com/ don't know if it would help but just thought I'd pass the info along!!!
Blessings to you as you walk this road with your family!