Questions answered with more questions

At the end of last week, I came across what could be yet another reason behind Jordan's tic issue. Yes, I do believe he is deficient in magnesium and zinc due to his limited diet, but now I think there is more to it than that. I have been working to repair the gut, but after finding this new information, I think that is going to be harder to do than I realized.

As many of you know, Jordan is an alkaline vegan. He gets foods that are as close to how God created them as possible. Back in middle school, I placed Jordan on the Feingold diet that removed salicylates from him, and it helped in some areas tremendously even though he was only getting a handful of items. I had to give him different foods to keep him from being malnourished. Last week I learned that tics can come from salicylates as well. Most of the veggies he gets have moderate to high amounts of them as well as the spices I use too. This explains why, when he fasts, they decrease. I thought it was because he did not have the energy to do it, but it is actually what he is not getting. I do not feel that I can heal his gut if he is always eating foods that irritate it.

However, I can not be sure it is a salicylate intolerance even though when Jordan gets fruits like tomato, avocado, and apples, stimming occurs and his tics increase. It could be a digestion issue like a lack of enzymes produced to properly break down whatever is ailing him. It could just be the leaky gut or a problem elsewhere in his gastrointestinal tract. I have also been reading a syllabus on the gut-brain connection that tells me it could be the microbiota, microbiome, metabalome, or some other medical term I have read up on. I have also seen where short-chain fatty acids (scfa) play a role in exactly what Jordan is facing. Not sure if he has a problem with them OR a problem with the bacteria the scfa need.

The gut needs good and bad bacteria to function correctly, and I do not know if he is high in one and low in the other, or are low in both, or there is none at all. There are so many variables here, and I do not even know if I can narrow them down with testing. I know there is no test for salicylate intolerance. The way to know for sure is to see how your body reacts to taking an aspirin. That will not work for Jordan. I found on the internet that there is a way the bacteria in the gut can be tested. Not sure if it is just checking for overgrowth or if you can find the imbalance. Hopefully, when I get Jordan back to his doctor and explain all that has occurred over the last year or so, she can point me in the right direction. Until then, I am prayerful that this document will lead to more answers as I continue.

These questions leading to more questions have had me kind of discouraged this weekend past. Considering different diets, whether or not to continue with the supplements because honestly, what's the point? Trying to schedule doctor's appointments that will be in an appropriate time frame now that kids will be distant learning. Or will I be able to find the answers on my own? My main concern is the tics, but if the spasms will subside with dietary changes, how do I know how to heal the gut now that it will not be coming into contact with problematic foods? Because I will not know whether to address bacteria or a leaky gut. The biggest question is, will the doctor know what to treat? I believe it is time to go into deep prayer mode along with fasting. It is really the only way my questions are ever answered. I have to double down on my prayer, though. Prayer to know what to fast from, and when fasting, prayer for answers to his gut issues.

My favorite scriptures from the bible are when Jesus heals two boys when the disciples could not. The stories appear in Luke 9, Matthew 17, and Mark 9. Only in Matthew and Mark do the disciples ask Jesus why they could not cast them out. Jesus replied to them in both something like, "this kind does not come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." Mark 9:29, Matthew 17:21. Time to get started.