As of today, things are still up and down with Jordan. More days than not, he stims. And to be honest, I have no idea why. I did notice an increase when his sister made his lunch one day and did not cut up the pieces of beef small enough for him to digest well. It subsided quickly the next day. However, it has increased again and usually happens after lunch, but mainly after dinner. One of his supplements has run out, but we are replacing it with another one, and I am waiting for it to come in. Yet, the stimming was still prominent before he stopped taking it.
As I thought about what things could be the cause when I was writing the first paragraph, I remembered how the removal of lamb dramatically decreased them. Now that he is only on chicken and beef, I'm considering if beef is now giving him the same effects the lamb did. It wouldn't surprise me if it was. His gut is very sensitive, and with his diet limited to two foods, the red meat could be overwhelming, along with limited nutrient intake. I was clueless about where to start looking for what to do. So I thought back to when he eats and there is no stimming. And it led me to something I can change to help for the better.
In the morning, Jordan takes beam minerals and sodium water before eating his breakfast. His breakfast consists of 4-6 chicken legs, a rather hearty meal. No stimming takes place after that, only after lunch and dinner. The light bulb went off, some things take place in the morning that don't in the afternoon and evening, which affect how he digests his food. Beam minerals replenish the minerals lost in our foods, help with the production of enzymes for digestion, and sole water enhances absorption of nutrients and activates the salivary glands and hydrochloric acid, and protein-digesting enzymes to help break down food as well. So after breakfast, his gut can do what it needs to process, while at lunch and dinner, it's left to do more work than it should. In addition, he also takes 2 pills of HCL/pepsin, which creates an acidic environment for the breakdown of protein. When I tried to increase the pills, his stomach could not tolerate the increase because his stomach is helped by the mineral/sole water combo at breakfast. So, the plan now is to implement a little sole water before lunch and dinner and give electrolytes before dinner. I have to double-check to see if I can split the dosage he gets before lunch into two.
The next thing I want to share is that I received an email regarding the probiotic he takes, and that it was out of stock, so it won't be fulfilled. I was slightly concerned because I don't like to have a break in his supplements. I don't stress over it, but if I can keep it from happening, I try my best to do so. Because of the newfound information I came across, I went to journal it so I could have it available to share with his doctor at his next appointment. I re-read the notes from the last appointment and was reminded that I am to pull the probiotic that is out of stock. Look at God.
Initially, this post was going to reflect back on a video I watched that came up in my memories when Jordan was about 6 years old, asking for rice. The word rice sounded similar to cheese, but as his mom, I knew what he was asking for at the time. I prompted him to repeat, "I want rice, please." Each word sounded the same. As I continued to have him repeat the phrase and say rice with more clarity, it showed me just how far he has come from just making sounds as words to actually saying words clearly as he does today.
Sometimes we don't see the progress that has been made because it's not the progress we want. I'm here to tell you that while we are not to dwell on the past, it's okay to look back sometimes just to see how far we have come. A guest pastor at my church used an analogy two Sundays ago that the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror because we need to see where we are going more than looking back. But looking back is necessary to see where you have come from. I feel like looking back is to make sure the things that are behind you don't conflict with the way you are going, causing a crash. A way to watch out for the past so it doesn't mess up with you continuing to move forward.
Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV), "13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Whatever it is that keeps you looking back, don't allow it to take your eyes off the main road. It just might keep you from getting where you need to go if you aren't careful.
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