What it all boils down to

Yesterday was one of the best days Jordan has had at school in a long time. He didn't have any outbursts, try to run away or rip his work. He only had the gluten free pretzels, which happens to contain brown rice. It made me wonder if rice was actually the issue. When I gave him the beef and broccoli without it, he still exhibited some bad behaviors. I thought back to when I saw an increase in negative behaviors when I was giving him black beans twice a day because I made way too much. The common factor in those two dishes were onions. I looked up having an onion sensitivity and there is such a thing. I'm beginning to think you can be sensitive to almost anything. What I found in a message board is that onions, as well as eggs, are high in sulfur. This person also mentioned that if you have a problem with heavy metals, you will have issues with foods high in sulfur because it is a natural chelator. They also have anti-fungal properties as well. Could onions be the cause of it all?

Thing is I just can't say. Everything I've looked into could potentially be a problem and now that he's not getting any of it, the behaviors have improved. School, Bible study and Buddy Break have all been the ways I have monitored his behaviors. He's not so erratic at home, but away from home, he will show out. When I went back to when I started him on rice vs. when he started to get the chia seeds there was a few weeks difference. He started regressing when the rice was implemented. To be honest, it's really hard to know for sure. I never made a note of when I introduced the black beans or beef and broccoli. You would think by now I would write down every little thing I do different. But when you think you are giving your child something that shouldn't be an issue, you don't think to do so. Word to the wise, document everything. Keeping track of everything won't change the results, but it can give an idea on what the issues are. Unfortunately I've come to the realization that his behaviors will only be resolved when one of two things occur.

Number one: puberty is over. As I have said before, Jordan started these behaviors when he was in the 5th grade which is typically when boys start this process. I began to see improvements when I added fiber to his diet, but it was only when he received amounts in access to what he was supposed to. I'm not sure if a proper amount would have worked therefore not sure if it really would have done the trick. Increasing certain supplements, vitamins and minerals worked as well, but briefly. It was as if his body adjusted to the new dosage in the matter of days and he right back to where he was before. Changing the diet showed the most significant improvements in his behavior, however, he was only eating 3 foods. Seeing his doctor and being told he was in a low percentile for his weight opened my eyes to him being malnourished. Especially since his tics were getting worse. It didn't make much since to have a well-behaved, malnourished kid because we can try to work with his behavior. You can't do much when a child is sick because of the lack of nutrients in his diet. But if puberty is the cause for the behaviors, I now understand why all of these only worked for such a small time frame.

Personally, I believe it all boils down to number two: healing his gut. If puberty was truly the issue, I don't think he would have shown improvement for two straight weeks when I started the Feingold diet before I bought the membership. When he was eating nothing but oatmeal, chicken and cabbage things were great. No negative notes home. But as I am typing this, I am also realizing at that time he was on all of his supplements. I went back to September and Octobers blog where I had changed his diet but he was also taking the CD Biotic I wanted him to be on due to the Sac B. I know Jordan wouldn't be having all of these issues if it wasn't due to the leaky gut allowing toxins to get in his body and make him act the way he does. I need to get that under control, but don't believe I can until after school is out. The bone broth I requested the Feingold corporation to check out still hasn't been approved yet and I don't want to give him anything that will make behaviors worse at school. However, I am contemplating adding the two probiotics back into rotation to help with the good flora until we can start the process of repairing the gut. The CD Biotic's purpose is to control difficult bacteria strains and support gastrointestinal health. I plan to add it today being as though school may be out tomorrow. Here goes nothing.

This whole journey has been nothing short of confusing. I am almost at my wits end because it seems like as soon as I make a little progress, I hit a road block that makes me have to stop and regroup. It's really a horrifying ordeal. All I want is to have a well-mannered child who can eat what foods he likes without repercussions and will keep him healthy. Is that really too much to ask? Actually it is. I know God is calling me to do something that I have truly put on the back burner. Part of the reason why is fear. But I shouldn't because 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." Another reason is because I haven't found those who are just as passionate about it as I am. God has called us to be relational. I can't do everything on my own and I just haven't gotten together with others to find who can do what and get this thing off the ground. Until I fully commit to what He has called me to do, I will continue to receive what I deserve. So today I will focus more on His calling for my life. I always have to keep in mind John 15:5 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." Another word for abide is obey. And I just haven't been obeying His voice. Time to change that.