McMillan Clan

Isaac is sick, but he is doing well!

Isaac has a double ear infection. This is probably his first real ear infection in two years. He started with a fever, and I thought I had made him sick by increasing his dosage of probiotics. We traveled to the dr.'s office in maryland, and now the Dr. has given us amoxicillin. So along with giving this to him three times a day we are giving him a b12 shot every third day. Last night michael gave him his second shot, but his first one by dad. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.

We have seen some amazing results from the b12 so far. Isaac said "I love you"- to daddy last night. Granted it wasn't as intelligible as we would have liked, but michael knew he was trying to say it. Isaac has been wanting us to hold him, which is something he has never wanted. He has never really shown affection. This change is welcome, and we are loving it. This is proof that our baby is alive and trying to get ot of his own skin. Today I am going to give him  his vitamin with p5p and his probiotics. We will do this for another week, and then we are going to give him DMG.

Some families have told me that it might take several months to see the b12 work the way that it has for so many other families. I can tell you that Isaac's face looks different.

There is a lot I don't know...but it's making sense when I discover what it is...

The ABA tutor seems to think that Isaac's constant eye poking (yes, he pokes at his eyes a lot) is just a sensory issue.... I have thought in my gut (no pun intended) that there was something else going on...and there is. (was)

Isaac's OAT test came back (remember the urine test that was so easy to get), and Great Plains Lab sent me an explanation of what was going on with Isaac. This is on top of what Dr. Brenner told me about Isaac's low levels of ATP.

He does have elevated yeasts/fungal metabolites. Specifically...it states "indicating a yeast /fungal overgrowth of the gastrointestinal tract. Prescription or natural (botanical) anti-fungals, along with supplementation of high potency multi-strain probiotics (20-50 billion cfu's ) may reduce yeast/anti-fungal levels. We have been giving Isaac only about 16 billion cfu's a day, so I am increasing his dosage.

He has low citric acid, which we will supplement....

he has low ascorbic acid (vitamin c) so we have to supplement ..he needs 1000 mg a day.- divided into 2-3 doses...

Isaac has high Oxalic acid and oxalate.....this is where I saw, and GASPED at what it said about "eye poking"....

"Oxalate crystal formation in the eyes may be  source of severe eye pain in individuals with autism who may have eye- poking behaviors.

Foods high in oxalate's include beets, chocolate,peanuts,berries...potatoes!

He is already on a GFCF diet...so he can't have milk, wheat, flour, yeast, eggs, now this stuff...

so he will probably only eat lettuce, meat, and green beans. He can't eat broccoli, carrots, or tomato sauce.

We can give him calcium citrate every time he eats. This will help, according to Great Plains Lab.

Isaac had his first b12 shot yesterday. The Dr called this morning, and he was pleased with the results, although they weren't negative, they weren't dramatic either...but I am sure that it will take some time to see results.

Some results that we have seen are more eye contact, better focus, and he just looks alive. He laughs and when we tickle him or play, he laughs. He is actually playing with toys today, like a "normal" child would play with them.

He isn't talking yet, but I know it will come. He has cognitive abilities, and he is showing this to me everyday when he plays with toys, and uses his brain to work things out.

Today we are going to the store to get his calcium citrate and possibly some more probiotics.

He had his b12 shot, and I was so happy, that he was so mad! He has never showed so much emotion before than he did yesterday with Dr. Brenner. I was almost crying because Isaac pushed the Dr. away after he was given the b12 shot. I am sure that it hurt, but my son was being responsive to something....which is normal for a normal kid.... and I could see that there was some normal in him. I was happy. To get to the Dr's office I had to drive about 1.5 hours. It was well worth it. It's amazing, I asked what the bill was and so far, no bill....

The only thing that we have had to pay for is the 23$ for his b12 prescription today. It is coming in the mail and should be here by tuesday at the latest. I am sure michael will be helping administer the shots. Dr. Brenner gives them in the arm, and I have seen them in the back side. I am not sure where is best, but since I have seen the videos I am probably going to give it to him in the backside while he is sleeping.

The Human Body is Amazing! I know that Isaac can be helped, and healed. Thank You God for allowing a Plan to return to normalcy for my son.

Great things are happening....

We have been super busy lately, and next week we have an unscheduled visit to Isaac's new doctor. Most of the blood work came back for him, and the doctor called yesterday, left a message, and I called him back this morning.....

Isaac has a chemical imbalance that is preventing him from making enough ATP. According to wikipedia.... ATP is here...and man oh man is it confusing...but I know the Doctor is correct. So, first thing first.... we are going to start b12 shots!!! can you say YA Isaac!!!!!

 YaY! Isaac!!!!

I am so happy for him, because this is the start of better things to come. He actually has been doing very well on the probiotics. We are giving him 5 billion in the morning, along with chewable acidophilus which is 2 billion, and then 5 billion at night. I am thinking about upping the dosage though.

Today we are going to start Cod liver Oil. Hopefully he will want to take it....this will be the first time he has taken it. He has taken fish oil chewables before, but just not the straight fish oil....but it's strawberry flavored..so hopefully he can down it.....

The trip to the Dr. is an hour and a half, so we have to be ready to go, and hopefully we can go next week. Dr. Brenner wants to show us how to administer the b12 shots...since we will be giving them to Isaac at night time after he goes to sleep.

Yesterday I ordered DMG and P5P for Isaac from kirkman labs. These biomedicine's will help him tremendously.

No more corn chex for Isaac. This has been a staple breakfast food for him...but he is allergic. I saw him sneeze right after he ate it yesterday..which is a clear indicator he can't have it. So we are looking for something else. We have found Panda peanut butter puffs, which are gluten free... and he likes them. Don't know if he will get tired of eating them though.

SOmetimes I give him the digestive enzymes to help, but I am thinking about just restricting his diet so much, and giving the enzyme to see what happens. Poor Isaac, and every other Autistic kid that goes thru biomedical... they are guinea pigs when it comes to what works....there is not certain "one protocol" that makes them all better... everyone of them is different because of their blood, their body, and what is happening inside. Wish I could push an easy button, or bring up a computer like DATA from star trek, and find out what exactly is going on in their bodies.

Isaac has been a joy to be around, and to see God work in his life. It is amazing what just one thing will do for your body. The probiotics (good bactria) are making him smile appropriately, act like a normal three year old sometimes. He is cuddling with us, and hugging when he wants to, and sometime giving us kisses. This is more than we could have EVER hoped or dreamed about 1 year ago. It is because God is working, and we are seeing amazing results thru the treatment plan that HE has shown us. I am amazed and blessed.  

flu shot warning

Growing up is hard to do.....

Isaac's ABA Therapist mentioned to me today that Potty training would be beneficial for Isaac if he ever wanted to hold any kind of menial job when he grew up. I can't picture my boy working a wal-mart job, or another job that involves those that are mentally challenged, being helped by society. It's a good thing for those people but my boy is smart. He is trapped, and that is something that many people just don't understand. Having Autism, does not mean that someone can not think at all. The brain is stuck, and communication is not available, even for my boy. Biomedical Medicine is helping him. It comes at a time that he is getting therapy thru ABA, and Speech, and OT, just like many other autistic kids these days. ABA and Ot and Speech are all helping, but the main thing that is going to improve Isaac is the Biomedical.

I can't see him potty training until he can talk. But we are going to try it. Isaac's new doctor is in such demand, I can't get a follow up until february. This of course is not acceptable, and I have to call the doctor next week, and talk to him about test results, and his recent starting of treatment. I am Praying that Isaac's B12 therapy can start soon. The b12 shots are supposed to unlock the talking and language in him, which I am hoping will come soon as a result of the b12 shots. We can't get them until the test results come back showing what is going on with his b12 levels.

Dr. Neubranderhas a b12 therapy that has been documented and is going to be if not already undergoing clinical trials, and lab tests to show the dramatic improvements in autistic kids after b12 shots. To see some videos click here.

A week of accomplishements, and heartaches

This week Michael has been gone, so I am with the kids 24/7 and even when we are sleeping, they are there in the room, in the  bed with mom. When Daddy goes away they get to rest in our bed. It's fun, but kinda squished. 4 kids and one mom on a king sized bed.....crazy...can't move around much, but we all like it.

Isaac had to give me a urine sample in a cup, which didn't prove as hard as I thought it would. With a little coaxing from the bathtub faucet being turned on and it being so early in the morning, the test was accomplished fairly easily. We were both happy that we could make each other happy. He smiled and laughed when it was finished, and I clapped, and said yay! Isaac, you did it!

He is babbling more, and has said mama but it hasn't been direct yet. Today he actually walked about 25 feet from the park bench to the swing all by himself. He wanted to swing again so he  went up to a dad and pulled on his leg. He wanted to get in the swing!

I have had a time trying to get  a hair sample from him. I thought that the urine test would be harder, but the hair test is proving to be more difficult. He HATES anything that has to do with poking and prodding on his body. I try to get his hair when he is asleep, but he wakes up, and he is MAD!!!

I have been planning on  giving Isaac a probiotic, but I am going to wait till payday to get a much stronger one than we have now. The one we have now is a bottle of candida yeast management. It doesn't have anywhere on it that it has live active cultures, so I am not sure how strong it is. For now I have been giving him lots of yogurt.

He is doing well on the gluten free casein free diet. We are seeing some great results now from him being on the diet for the past 5/6 months.

The fedex guy came to pick up the urine sample, and we should hear back from great plains lab soon. The hair test will have to wait till daddy gets back. He is going to shave Isaac's hair, so it will be easier to get a good sample.

Isaac has had great eye contact this week, and even more of him looking at my lips moving. He is smart, we just don't know how smart yet.

The ABA Tutor that comes twice a week is going to start coming three times a week. She said Isaac mimicked clapping, which I didn't see, and have been trying to get him to do for me. He has been reaching out for my hands, and looking at me the most when he is in the park swing. His eye contact is the greatest when he is swinging. He loves to swing. It has always been the activity that gets the most joy out of him.

He seems to be waiting more for others around him to do something, a cue so that he will know what is going on. This is the just the beginning of beautiful things for him. God is allowing this to happen thru diet, ABA intervention, and lots of prayer!

Please pray for my uncle tony, who has found out that he has lung cancer, the same kind that took his brother (my dad) just over 1 year ago. His name is Tony Eason, please  pray for him and his family. Michale Eason, his son (my cousin) is on his way back from fighting terrorism overseas. He should be back soon.

Another email came across my inbox of a man named chris klicka , who is nearing heaven. He has suffered from MS for many years, and now he is headed home to be with Jesus. His family, and testimony has been an inspiration of unwavering faith and joy we have in the LORD.

His caring bridge home page is here.

I have never met the man, or his family, but as christians we are to " bear ye one another's burdens", and so I have been burdened for this family, and him nearing heaven.

I am also burdened for all the other kids that are affected by autism, one way that Isaac is. If diet can help, why not? If biomedical can help, why not? THere is nothing to loose. Sadly many parents tend to accept this diagnosis, and continue on and that's all that is left for the child.....no hope of getting any better, just "living"

Sometimes I wonder if it would just be best for Isaac to not have to face decisions, or growing up and getting a job, but I know that God created us all to do His will, and an Autistic can't so much when it comes to a job, or being independent. God doesn't give these developmentally challenged people an opportunity to decide if they are going to live for him or go the other way. But He does give them grace, and love, and mercy, and a path to heaven. But if they are autistic, or dev. challenged they can't do HIS will, at least not like the rest of us.

SO it is my best effort as a fighting mom to get Isaac where he can serve and he can do God's work one day. I believe that evey parent has the power to help their child, dev. delayed or autistic, or even not. We all must fight to save our kids, because it is our duty, our responsibility, and created beings of God, to do all we can to do His will.

Even if others scoff at what I am doing for my son, I know it is the best way, to get him where he needs to be, because he can be helped, he will get better; There is  hope!

Isaac's Dan Appointment

Isaac had a great doctor's appointment on Friday. Dr. Brenner explained to me how the treatment that he brings is so controversial. I already knew from reading the book by Jenny Mccarthy, and Dr. Jerry Kartzinel. The book is what led me into this decision to try biomedical treatment. I knew that Isaac could be better, but there wasn't much HOPE coming from any medical doctors. In Fact it took us 2 years to get a diagnosis of something so that we could get speech. and OT therapy. I wonder how long it take for other parents to get through the system, especially  in the military, and then not be offered the biomedical treatment because it is not approved by the FDA.

There are literally thousands of MOMS and DADS out their in this nation alone who have recovered their child from Autism. I know that GOD allows all things, and this is no exception. There is a way to treat and help kids overcome this AUtism that they have. I am so glad that it is finally coming to light.

Anyway, Isaac had 13 tubes of blood drawn on Friday. I had to drive him to our local lab corp and get that done. He was beside himself. Ont thing he hates are needles, and probing. We have to send off two more tests but money is an issue. We still have to come up with the deductible. This is not that difficult, but the organic acid test is an easy 250$. This test is needed and we are not sure if Tricare will cover it yet. I faxed the request on Friday, and we should know soon if it will be approved. A blessing that we did have was the OT and Speech therapy will be at no cost to us. I thought we were going to have to pay 120$ a month for the therapies, but it turns out everything is covered with Tricare Standard at this Therapy Center that we are going to.

Tomorrow I start the Probiotics. It has to be a strong dose...like 5 billion live cultures at least. I will be giving it to him about 1 hour before he eats anything, which is early in the morning, and one hour after he eats. This will help his intestines to heal, and be cleansed. The good bacteria that is in the probiotics will  kill the bad stuff, and the good stuff will grow. One way you know you have an overgrowth of yeast in your body is if you have repetitive yeast infections or thrush. Too many sweets can also be the cause of this overgrowth because the yeast thrive on sugar.  I will be attempting to eliminate all unnecessary sugars from his diet this week if possible.

I will also be continuing his vitamin dosage. This will all we will be doing this week. The Dr. wanted is to only try one thing at a time so that we can make sure he doesn't have a reaction. Too many things at once is not smart. If he had a reaction, we wouldn't know what it was that caused it.

Mike is gone TDY for two weeks so I will be confined to the house this week and next making sure Isaac gets his dosage of everything. I have to be strict, because I want to see progress. He has been getting better. Just the other night as we were lying in bed, Isaac patted his daddy on the back. He has NEVER done this, and of course, I cried. Everyday is something new. He does these "little things" that he has never done before, but they sure do make me appreciate what I have in him. I can't take anything for granted these days, not even a smile, or a "ba-ba' or a "mama" - even if it's not directed at me, because it is something, it's progress.

I truly believe that if any child has what Isaac has, they cab be recovered. Sadly, there are parents out there that don't see beyond this illness. They accept this to be the way their child is, and that there is nothing that can be done. I know that is their own decision. For me and my child, we are going to fight. I am going to fight so that one day he can think on his own, and can talk, he will be able to vote, get married, go to college, all of this stuff  he will be able to do, because of what we are doing now. I know and I will say it again. God is allowing this to happen, and he is allowing this recovery to happen. The body is a wonderful and incredible creation of God, and I believe that things can change for those that are autistic. Thank You God that there is a way to recover from this Brain fog, this mind bending illness.

Next week we will try Cod Liver Oil, added to what we are doing this week. He is also going to continue his ABA therapy two times a week, his speech and his OT. It's a bright future for Isaac. Thank You all for your prayers and support. 

From a Mother Warrior: How Not to catch Autism

I have learned my lesson, and I possibly saved my daughter from getting Autism. Isaac has Autism, and I have learned by making mistakes what not to do, and what to do.

1. Don't get immunizations. Call me crazy, but NO one needs aluminum, dead chicken, and cows cells, and ONLY God knows what else injected into them. Eat organic if you can. Give your family organic food.

2. Eat as fresh a diet as you can when it comes to vegetable, and fruits. Stay away from processed foods.

3. Don't give your baby cheerios. I did. I gave Isaac cheerios. I couldn't understand why he was sneezing so much green stuff out of his nose. It was because of the wheat. This was the start of his brain cloud.

4. If there is eczema on your baby, you have a food allergy. Find out what allergy it is, and eliminate the food.

5. Don't give your baby Tylenol if you have to immunize. Tylenol lowers the immune system, increasing chances of immune compromise. This is what happened to Isaac. 

6. Antibiotics kill all flora in the gut. Bad bacteria is killed, but so is the good. Killing the good bacteria is not good.

7. Give your baby yogurt. The live bacteria cultures help break down food and aid in digestion.

8. Don't start the baby too early on table food. Food allergies can occur when the baby is not ready for food.

9. Keep the bowels moving. This aids in eliminating toxins.

10. Listen to your instinct as a parent. Keep fighting for your child. Don't give up.

I am not a Dr. Just a Mom, and I hope this can help others.

His Obsessions

Isaac seems to be fixed on certain activities that make him laugh hysterically. I don't know if his brain is unlocking information or if he just thinks it's funny, or if it's his doped up mind acting out. He has been opening and shutting doors. He loves it, he laughs when he opens and shuts. He also likes to spin. If you saw him spinning you would think he was a figure skater. He has this move down so well....I don't think anyone on the family can copy it.

He loves water. He has learned how to turn on the water. If you can't catch him in time, he will go upstairs. If there aren't any locks on any of the doors, he can get it. He turns on the bathtub water in my bathroom, and jumps in. Clothes and ALL. He is still wearing shoes. He has no sense of what Hot and Cold are. He loves the water so much.

The girls have been doing quite a bit of changing clothes for me.- for Isaac.

Another thing that he does it ...he likes to go headfirst down the stairs. he does this upside down. For this reason, we have put up a gate that he just keeps on climbing. Did I mention that he is a climber...yeah he could climb anything if we let him. 

God has truly blessed us with a wonderful baby boy. When he was diagnosed with Autism ( it was the one thing in the world I did NOT Want him to be diagnosed with) I felt so sad for him...thinking that he would never get to experience what other kids experience, he would never lead a normal life. Now he is laughing, and smiling appropriately. There is a look in his eyes, and I can see that he understands more than I think he does. I use to think that I would have to do everything for him, but a couple of moms gave me some good advice.... to treat him, and talk to him like all the other kids. It has helped.  I fell like he is a boy know (he always was) but I see him differently. I don't see him as a zombie or a child that can't do much. He is my son, I love him, and I am fighting for him to get better. 

For now, he continues his obsessions, and I am grateful that he has them. I love my Isaac so much.

Autism and the military health care system

If you are at all involved with the military and have their health care, and you have a child that has any form of autism, and needs treatments...here are some simple steps to avoid confusion and heartbreak:

1. Change your insurance from Tricare Prime, to Tricare Standard. This is the ONLY way you will get adequate care for your child. This is only if you want to see your child recover from allergy based Autism, and other cases like it that are on the spectrum of ASD.

This is the first step, and this is the first thing that I will be doing TOMORROW!

It cost us 150 dollars for the deductible, but it will be worth it because we will not have to hassle with military doctors over referrals, and what we deem care for our child.

I have been so discouraged and downright mad about Tricare and just being prime because it was "free"- but I realize if we want to do anything to help him get better medically, this is what we have to do. We don't have money to be going to a DAN Doctor that costs about 500 dollars and doesn't take any form of insurance. We are going to see Dr. Arnold Brenner who is about 90 minutes away in Maryland. He takes Tricare Standard, and this is one of the main reasons why we switched.

The visit will cost about 50 dollars plus some basic labs that the military refused to do, or were not able to perform. I am so looking forward to a doctor that knows what he is doing. I am glad that we are going to see him because he is getting up at the age where he might retire soon.

Saturday afternoon Mike and I watched some conference videos on the Autism Research Institute's Website.

The Conference Videos that we watched explain many things that we did not know. I encourage ANY one to watch them so you can find out more about treatment. I will be blogging more about this, and when Isaac will be going through all the testing and treatment. I can't wait for Isaac to talk. I am so happy for him. There was a lot more information is the 2008 Conference than the San Diego one.

Most regular family practice pediatricians will not even treat autism like the DAN doctors do because the some things they do are not FDA Approved. I will still be able to get insurance coverage even though Dr. Brenner is a Dan doctor because we will be paying the Co- Pay.