This week’s post is a guest post from my friend and colleague Kristi Brown, NTP, RWP. I can relate SO MUCH to her story about her daughter’s healing journey – and if you are a parent to a child with mysterious health ailments, I’m sure you will, too. I’ll turn it over to Kristi from here…
“MOMMY, NO! I NEED YOU! I WANT TO GO HOME! MOMMY! DON’T GO! I NEED YOU!”
Red-faced, flailing arms and legs, hysterical. My daughter was just outside her kindergarten classroom, screaming at me. Her out-of-control tantrums were now fully exposed.
My daughter had been having epic tantrums since she was two and a half and the phase I thought would pass, just didn’t. These tantrums were not small or short. They were big, full-on, all-encompassing, exhausting tantrums.
She also struggled with chronic constipation, fatigue (she really needed her down days) and was having increasing tummy-aches. I suspected food sensitivities, possibly gluten, maybe dairy, but I didn’t have any hard proof. She was almost six and this had been going on for a long time.
I was determined to solve this puzzle.
I set out to figure out her triggers and how to better support her. I headed back into more nutrition training, this time for functional testing.
After testing her, I learned her digestion was off and she had 29 food sensitivities, I felt some relief. I felt we had some answers. I put together a supplement protocol and a two-week meal plan to alternate our meals for the next few months to allow her little digestive system time to rest.
With my own healing process as my template, I anticipated her healing would look similar to mine. In two weeks her digestive complaints would go away and in a month we would see some big improvements in behavior and energy. I was banking on things being better in a month. I wanted to solve this little puzzle, put it in a box and shelve it. I just wanted my sweet, compassionate, easy-going little girl. I daydreamed about the call from her teacher saying how much her behavior had improved.
At one month, I did get a call from her teacher. But, it was not the call I’d hoped for. Instead, she called to tell me my daughter had drawn all over a table and was now refusing to clean it up. She had a major meltdown and would no longer speak. She was missing lunch and recess with friends. She was headed to the Principal’s office.
Over the phone I told my daughter I loved her and knew she could make the right choice. I hung up the phone and cried.
I was devastated.
I was working desperately to find relief for her, for me, for all of us in the family. I felt I wasn’t doing enough. I wanted digestive healing to be the answer. I wanted her healing journey to be simple, straightforward and done. A straight line.
30-days into her protocol, it was clear we had some more pieces to figure out. She wasn’t detoxing appropriately, and now it was time to figure out why. Our next step was genetic screening.
Even before the test results came back (she is compound heterozygous for MTHFR) we started her on some methylfolate and B12 at the advice of her practitioner. Almost immediately, I knew this was a game-changer. She was calmer, her energy levels were more consistent and we could finally talk through her frustrations without a big meltdown.
The relief was amazing. I could exhale.
We continued on her digestive healing protocol that spring along with supplementing with the methylfolate. Six weeks later, she earned a Student of the Month award in her class for her positive attitude. Her tantrums went from weekly to once every 3-4 months.
Things are better, but some symptoms persist. Through the past year, we have become clearer on her triggers and that information is gold. We’ve learned she doesn’t tolerate soy, peanuts, dairy or gluten. She needs her methylfolate just as much as she needs her sleep.
Healing is a journey.
Through my daughter, I am finally coming to terms with that. I can push myself endlessly for the next level of healing, but I can’t do that with my daughter. Time and patience are imperative. This winter, we are embarking on a new layer of healing. But this time, I am not putting such a heavy burden or expectation on the process. Instead, I look forward to what new nuggets of information we learn to better support her and continue to strengthen her.
If you are a parent trying to find answers for your child, take heart. Here are some key ideas that will help you persevere:
- Hold onto your intuition and be patient.
- Kids today need a new health paradigm. There is no quick fix. Keep asking, keep searching, and keep researching.
- Parenting is hard enough as it is, we need to share these stories more, so that we realize we aren’t alone and we can support one another along the way.
Are you a parent searching for answers for your child? What is your story? I’d love to hear it in the comments below.
Kristi works with women who are frustrated with sugar and their digestion and looking to resolve the cycle of cravings and bloat for good. By bringing clarity to what the cravings and symptoms mean, she gets to the root of the problem, finds simple changes and gets her clients to finally feel good again. Kristi is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Restorative Wellness Practitioner utilizing both a holistic and functional approach to support her clients. Kristi is also a STOTT Pilates instructor, mom of 2, military wife and therefore, no stranger to the challenges of finding healing in the real world. She brings her determination and passion to make it happen anyway to each of her clients. You can find her at KPB Balanced Wellness.
How do you find your food sensitivities? I’ve tried elimination, but I’m still so constipated it’s ridiculous. Probiotics haven’t worked. I’ve been dairy and gluten free for a long time trying to figure this out. I need the next step beyond the gastroenterologist. Thank you!
Jennifer, here’s a series I wrote on Food Sensitivities: https://www.eatnakedkitchen.com/understanding-food-sensitivities-part-1/ – it’s worth a read the whole way through. It explains how the process works. You’ll need to work with a practitioner who does the kind of testing I mention in the article. If you need a referral, write to us at info(at)eatnakednow(dot)com and we’ll hook you up
Our son, now 8 years old, hates food. He hates it mostly because he can’t tolerate smells. So we have put it down to an aversion to smells. He started off as a toddler quite normally eating all the first foods that infants of that age are given. The only thing he hated from the first taste was bananas. Anything with the slightest banana flavoring was a no go. Other than that he was a good eater and was almost a joke in the family because he would eat most anything that anyone put in his mouth. But that wasn’t to last too long…. By the time he was 4 years old he had one by one dropped most foods. His diet now consists of mostly odourless starchy carbs in the form of, plain pasta, plain rice and yogurt, plain bread, French fries and occasionally chicken nuggets. But these too only of a particular type. We took him to various pediatricians over the years, none of whom ever felt any reason to raise an eyebrow over the matter as they thought it was just a phase and he would outgrow it eventually. As the years are progressing we have realized that it’s not just a “phase” that out poor little baby is going through. This realization was confirmed in our minds just about 6-7 months ago when the family decided to lunch at a Chinese restaurant to celebrate our older sons birthday. Harry (our 8year old), started wailing and gagging and we had to eventually end up sending him home… He just could not tolerate being in there. Later in the day I questioned him about how he had felt in there and he told me it was as if someone was choking him and he couldn’t breathe. It was after he said this that I truly realized what he must be going through.
Outwardly Harry appears to be like any other kid… He’s smart, q good height and of decent weight… But in terms of energy levels and attention span we feel he is lacking and this is mostly because we feel he’s not getting a healthy enough diet. Socially also this food/smell aversion creates a lot of issues as he almost always never ends up going out with us for meals. Will not sit on the dining table with the family to eat and will go sit in some corner at any function or occasion where there might be good or smells that bother him. We have tried endlessly to look for someone who can help him overcome this disability but so far been unsuccessful. It’s getting harder and harder for him and for us to cope with as he’s getting older… the last Doctor we took him to suggested we take him to a child psychologist. Don’t know if that’s the correct route for him though. 🙁
I would not go the western medicine route but would seek out a functional medical practitioner or functional nutritionist. This definitely sounds like there is something deeper going on and you’ll want to work with someone who can guide you to appropriate testing to get him the help he needs. I’m so sorry for your struggles!
Hello! As a Dietetitian I can tell you that he has a lack of Zinc! You must give him supplements with Zinc 10 mg. For more information you can contact me at Persa Carmen (Facebook)
Wow…so good to know! Especially since I already know I have this gene mutation myself…something to keep in mind when the kiddies come along…Thanks!