I'm In Love with Enhansa!

I never thought I’d be in love with a bright orange capsule – but I am, and it’s the real thing! We have had Michael on Enhansa for well over a month now, and have seen incredible results. But, let me start with a little background information.

Michael has been battling systemic yeast his whole life. We’ve tried Yeast Aid, Diflucan, Ketokenazole, you name it. Each would help for a little while, and then the yeast would come back in force. I had researched the anti-candida diets, but just couldn’t do it. Michael is so skinny to start with; I just couldn’t take away any more carbs.

This calendar year we started off with the Diflucan and then switched to the Ketokenazole. Toward the end of the second prescription, the yeast was under control but I was terrified of what would happen when we stopped taking the medicine. Plus, I was afraid of what damage taking such strong antifungals could cause long term.

I had heard really good things about Enhansa, and was perfectly primed to try it. So, when we started, the yeast was mostly under control, but still there. We started Michael with one 75mg capsule in the morning for a week. We added one capsule a week until we are now at 2 in the morning and 2 at night, for a total dose of 600mg a day.

It’s like we have a whole new child. He was doing great when we started, but his social interaction is really taking off, and his OCD is much better. Right now he and Steve are playing Mario Kart on the wii. They are talking back and forth about the game, strategies for doing better, and unlocking levels. It’s so nice to hear a back and forth conversation that is related to what they are doing together! Add in that he’s sharing and taking turns, and I’m completely over the moon.

Spring is staring and Michael has been asking to go to the park. Last year, he would go on a lot of the equipment, but shied away from a lot of the more challenging tasks. This year, he is doing absolutely everything. He’s still a little intimidated by walking over a mesh bridge that is at least 20 feet off the ground, but he does it. He’s still a little more cautious that most of the other kids, but he’s catching up fast. It’s so wonderful to see.

Even better, he’s starting to interact with some of the younger kids. He generally feels comfortable with children about 2 years younger than him – they tend to be quieter and move a little slower. He’s played on the teeter-totter a few times, and shared some of the equipment that requires sharing. It’s so awesome to watch.

The very best result by far though is that Michael is a much happier child. He smiles more, and laughs a genuine laugh. I was so used to the hyper yeast laugh (other parents of yeasty kids know what I’m talking about) that it was a surprise to hear a genuine, happy laugh. I think he’s feeling better overall, and is less bothered by what’s left of the OCD.

I’m tempted to bump him up one more capsule to 750mg a day, but we haven’t decided yet. For now, we’re holding steady at 600 and seeing a happy, connected child. What more could I ask ?

I do have one footnote to add. Through all of this we’ve been seeing an absolute angel of a CranioSacral therapist. She has worked wonders with Michael both before and during our Enhansa experience. So, I can’t say for sure what is due entirely to the Enhansa, and what to the CranioSacral. I tend the think the two work synergistically, so it’s not a very big footnote.

My Parents are Visiting

My parents are here to visit this week. They live several hours away, so a visit is quite a treat. I had told Michael Tuesday morning that they would be coming to visit after school that day. His first response was "I want them to visit BEFORE school, not after." But, he eventually settled on the idea that he would have to wait a few more hours.

When they finally arrived, Michael was so happy to see them. He ran to the door as soon as he heard the doorbell, and spent most of the evening jumping up and down in excitement. Michael normally does not like to perform, but he went through every word and phrase he'd been learning in Spanish, just to impress his grandparents. They were so thrilled.

On Wednesdays, Steve picks Michael up from school a little early and takes him to OT. I warned Michael yesterday morning that Grandpop would be going to OT with them. I didn't mention anything about him coming in to the school to sign him out. When he got close enough to the office that he could see who was there, he proudly told his teacher "That's my Grandpop!!". She was floored since Michael seldom shows excitement, much less tells her anything he cares about!

Every time I hear about how kids with autism aren't affectionate and don't form attachments, I think of Michael with my parents and Steve's mom. It's so wonderful to see him so engaged and happy. On one hand, I hate that my parents can only visit every so often, but on the other, it's awesome for them to see how much he grows in between visits!

OK, I will

I'm sitting here shocked. Michael and I have both been sick for the last few days. He's on the mend, I'm not doing as well. Steve was upstairs checking on some things that he needs to do before going to a meeting tonight when his dinner 'dinged'.

I asked Michael (who is feeling well enough to be sent on errands) to go upstairs and tell him his dinner is ready. Immediate answer "OK, I will" and off he went. He delivered the exact message I asked.

I've never seen such cooperation as we have the last few days. Could it be the fever? Is it that he's on his second week of enhansa? We haven't had any side effects from the enhansa (unless they've been covered up by the cold), but wow. I'm speechless, and it's not just my lack of a voice!

"Are you alright Daddy?"

I guess it's been a good evening. Even though Michael didn't want to do his homework, he eventually did. I was surprised that he understood the different between goods and services, and volunteering versus working. He's also getting really good at his math work. I'm pretty happy!

Afterwards, Michael was in the family room playing his wii, and Steve was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner. Michael was fairly absorbed in his game, but did hear Steve say "Ouch!" when he hit something. Michael immediately asked if he was OK. I was so shocked - situational awareness and empathy! What more could you ask for during Simms Kingdom?

Great weekend!

This has been a really great weekend. Michael had been fairly fussy most of the month, so we hadn’t been able to invite his grandmother over to visit. She is a little fragile and can get hurt very easily by just a little fussing. But, yesterday, he was excited to invite her over, and they played for quite a while. It was so much fun to see them playing together again! Plus, since my MIL hadn't seen him in a while, she was impressed with all the new skills and behavior he had learned since their last visit. Very cool!

When it was dinner time, Michael sat at the table with the rest of us and ate nicely. I don’t try to force him to stay at the table all that often since it’s very hard for him. But, when we have company, I generally push a little harder. Last night, he didn’t fuss and run away all the time. It was very nice!
Another cool thing is that he’s been able to fall asleep in his room lately. It’s so nice to have the bed kid free! He still sneaks in during the early morning, but we can live with that – for now.

And, the last, best thing - he is eating so much better. Today we bought a fresh pineapple. He watched me clean it and then ate some. He was hesitant at first but eventually ate several pieces. I am a happy Mommy! Now, if I can just get him to gain a little weight!

What a wonderful few days!!!

I know it’s been a while since my last post, and I really resolve to write more often. The last few days have just been so amazing I wanted to sit back and just enjoy it. I’ll try to go in order.

Saturday morning Michael was playing with his Thomas recycling center. It has spaces for glass, plastic and can cargo. Also, we have been recycling at home as long as Michael can remember. With this background, my brother-in-law decided to show Michael a short video on how paper is made. Michael was so fascinated, he asked Dan to show him videos on glass and cans as well. It’s the first time he has used google to look something up, and paid attention!

Then, Saturday afternoon, Steve took Michael to the pool. Michael finally made the connection between the flag on our license plate and the flag flying on the pole. He spent the rest of the day talking about the US Flag and the Maryland flag. We looked them up on google images and printed him off 4x6 flags that he could carry around. I am planning to make a little photo album of state flags and throw in capitals too. Who knows, maybe he’ll learn some geography.

Michael has always ‘known’ that his grandparents live in Pennsylvania, and that his other Uncles are in Florida and Massachusetts. After the flag discussion, Michael wanted to talk about other states and look them up on the map. He looked all over the map, found states he knew, and asked lots of questions. I thought I was going to burst!

That was pretty much the weekend. Today, we took Michael for a follow-up appointment with Dr. Megson. It was a wonderful appointment, and she had a ton of great things for us to try. We always follow the low and slow rule, but it’s still a lot of stuff for the next few months. One of the things I’m most excited about is trying OSR. I’ve heard so much about it, but didn’t know if she would be willing to try it. Lucky for us, she had participated in a Defeat Autism Now! Think Tank over the weekend and was really excited by it, too. So, as soon as it comes in, we’ll be trying it.

The very best thing was last. After Michael’s appointment, he was in the waiting area while I checked out – playing with another boy!!! Appropriately!! They were playing in a little ball pit together, throwing and rolling balls, jumping, and laughing together. They even had a few short conversations about what they were doing. I was so happy, I didn’t want to leave. But, then the other boy left and it was time to go. I think I floated out of the building.

Best Christmas EVER!!!!!!!!!

As you know from my pre-Christmas posts, I was dreading the holidays this year. Michael has been so unpredictable lately; I was just convinced it would be terrible. Boy was I wrong! This has to be the very best Christmas ever.

We went to PA to visit my side of the family – my parents, brother, and aunt. Michael was genuinely happy to see everyone, and had absolutely wonderful behavior the whole time we were there. A couple grumps when he was hungry, but not one meltdown. I was so proud of him!

When it was time to open presents, I expected him to run and hide. Last year, he didn't want anything to do with unwrapping, and got very upset when anyone suggested opening his packages. We ended up unwrapping his presents when he was asleep and doling them out over a few weeks. This year, he helped pass out presents, and was excited when one had his name on it. He opened all his presents happily, and was really excited over several toys. It was wonderful to see him so gracious and fully engaged in the whole process.

We had a mini Christmas with Steve's family today, and it went equally well. He was really excited to hear that his 'other favorite family members' were coming over. He was bouncing all over the place while we opened presents, but he did manage to open his with the same amount of grace and fun as he did at my parents. The best part was he invited everyone into the family room, which is 'his' room. And, he asked if they could come back tomorrow. It's the most social I've ever seen him.

Oh! And an even better part. We gave his cousins little jelly belly ice cream cones. They looked and sounded just like maracas. Michael wanted to go downstairs and bring up his percussion box. He handed out different percussion instruments for everyone to play. He was actually happy to be sharing his 'toys'!!! And he didn't care that other people were playing with them and making noise. Then, he switched the instruments around and did it again. It was absolutely amazing.

One last thing – we've been working on cleaning up before bedtime forever. Tonight, he cleaned up all his toys when I reminded him. Then, completely on his own, he went and put his kitchen stool away and turned out the lights in the dining room. I was completely floored. I don't know what has gotten into him, but I couldn't be more thrilled.

Needless to say, I am crying with happiness as I type this. I'd write more, but I am having trouble seeing the screen.

It's Holiday Time!

Every year we start our Christmas decorating the weekend after Thanksgiving. First thing yesterday morning, Michael wanted to put up the tree and go see the winter lights. We explained that we had to clean up the house first, and then start decorating. And before any of that, we had to go to his Craniosacral appointment. He spent most of the appointment explaining that our house is a mess and he had to help clean up before we would put up the Christmas tree. Of course, he had a huge temper tantrum on the way home, so we didn't get as much accomplished yesterday as we had hoped.

Today, we did manage to get the decorations out and the tree up. Steve is still working on the lights, though. My personal goal is to be able to put up the ornaments with Michael tomorrow after school. I have never seen Michael so excited about Christmas. He found a gingerbread man ornament and has been running around the house saying "Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!" He's absolutely adorable!

There is a huge Winter Lights Festival that we take Michael to every year. He loves going and would go every day if only we let him (and we could afford it). Normally it starts the Friday after Thanksgiving. This year, it doesn't start until next Friday. They did have 'preview days' this weekend, but it would be impossible to explain that they were open for two days, and then closed the rest of the week. So, we now have next Friday circled on the calendar and Michael is counting down the days. If anyone from the Festival reads this, please reconsider a season pass?

It really is wonderful to see Michael so excited about Christmas. What's even better is that he doesn't care about presents at all. He just loves the decorations, the snow globes, and spending time with relatives he doesn't get to see that often. After reading about people getting trampled on Black Friday, just spending a little time with him makes me remember all the real joy of the holidays!

Good day so far!

OK, today is definitely a good day. Never mind that it's only 9am. When my alarm went off, Michael came bouncing in to see if it was time to go downstairs yet. I told him I needed to get my shower, and then we could go downstairs. He said, "OK, I'll play while you take a shower." No fussing, no impatience, just sitting at the top of the stairs reading a book. Definitely a good start.

When I got out of the bathroom, Steve was out of bed and he and Michael had already gone downstairs. I try to let Steve sleep in since he is usually up working until 2 or 3am. But, today he realized I was a zombie getting out of bed and that Michael was trying so hard to be patient, so he got up and got the day started. By the time I got downstairs, Michael had already had all his capsules and his breakfast was ready. I got a huge "Good Morning, Mommy!" when I walked in the kitchen. What more could I ask for? Oh yeah, Steve had a cup of coffee waiting on my desk. Have I told you how much I love my husband?

I got Michael dressed and signed on to work. No work crises, and still a happy kid. Michael asked nicely if he could watch Nemo while I worked. He ate breakfast and watched Nemo. He still takes a lot of prompting to remember to eat, but at least I don't have to physically put the fork in his mouth (much).

At drop off, I got a great hug and a kiss, and a "good-bye Mommy". He's only been using our names for a week or so, and it makes me smile every time. So, now I am home and ready for a busy work day, but I couldn't be happier. Definitely a good day.

Minor Social Awareness

As Michael and Steve were driving away from the school yesterday, several people were standing outside the door to a nearby house. Michael said "They are visiting them." Steve thought it was really great that Michael was noticing what was going on and telling him about it, and getting the pronouns correct. But what I really liked was that he was talking about a social event. He could have talked about where the people were, or how many, but he chose to say they were visiting. I know it seems so small, but it is an awareness of social intent he's never shown before.

The other wonderful thing from yesterday was absolute bliss. Michael woke up before we did, and amused himself. He read some books, played in the hallway, even came in our room to use the bathroom. Never once did he try to wake me up. When my alarm went off, he started cleaning up the toys he had dragged into the hallway and then came over to talk to me. I was truly amazed. I don't know if it will ever be repeated, but it was definitely a good morning!