Life as of now...

I know, I know... It's been a while since I was last here.  I'm sorry yet again.  I guess I haven't really been holding my end of the bargain.  I'm going to try to post more, as I think it will good for me...

There is still a lot going on that I can't yet share with you, but I promise as soon as I can I will.  Here is what I can share with you...

Over the last 6 weeks, our diet has changed drastically.  About 2 months ago, we were away and noticed that Small Fry was getting a frequent rash on his face.  It reminded me of a rash that Sprout got at about the same age.  I had spoken to our pediatrician at the time, but we couldn't determine the cause and as it bothered me more than her, we didn't pursue it.  Again, I was bewildered trying to understand Small Fry's rash, until this trip.  Then again my reaction to dinner probably helped too.  Small Fry and Sprout were snacking on a corn based cereal, and I had polenta for dinner and realized that the 2 events were not unrelated.  About a week later, I served polenta for dinner again, and sure enough we both had a reaction.  I began investigating corn intolerances and then spoke with our pediatrician at a check up.  Honestly, he didn't share my strong opinion about my son's reaction to corn, but said that if I thought corn was making him sick not to give it to him.

He looks friendly, doesn't he?

Do you have any idea how much corn we eat on a daily basis?  I knew it was a lot, but I had no idea just how much.  And I won't bore you by going into it here.  I will say that I began making most of our food from scratch and looking for foods where I knew exactly what the ingredients were.  I also contacted a nutritionist for help, as I was very overwhelmed by everything I had learned.  She suggested conducting a Pediatric Food Intolerance test to get a better feel for what we are dealing with. After a couple weeks, and some struggles to get the blood test done (it's tough to find someone who can draw blood on a 15 month old), we received the results 2 weeks ago.

The test breaks things down into severe, moderate and mild categories.  The results are:

Severe:

Baker's Yeast

Broccoli

Vanilla

Aspartame
Sucralose

Moderate:
Corn
Turkey
Peas
Onions

Mild:
Cinnamon (I think I don't remember for sure)
Garlic
Black Pepper
Cabbage
Peanuts
Potato
Egg Yolk
Lemon
Cow's Milk
Wheat, Barley and Oats
High Fructose Corn Syrup

We are trying to avoid the moderate and severe foods completely for the next 3-6 months.  The mild foods are being integrated on a rotating menu.  I'm still trying to grasp what all of this means and how to feed my family, but we're getting by for now.  I am going to meet with the nutritionist again for help, and I'll let you know how it goes.

For now, I'm just hoping to share my experience with you, as I know we're not the only ones who are going through this.



Clip art courtesy of iclipart.com