Stephen's Story
When Stephen was born, he was our miracle baby. We had waited 12 years to have this child! My husband and I were so happy and everything was wonderful - but only for six weeks. Then, our dream was shattered when Stephen developed osteomyletis, a bone infection in his wrist. We were devastate! An agonizing three week hospital stay ensued during which we watched our infant suffer with intense pain and awful IV therapy with high doses of antibiotics for three weeks, followed by three weeks of oral antibiotics. Luckily, after this was completed, he was clear of infection and his bone began to heal properly. The rest of his first year was great. There were no other major illnesses. He was a happy, content baby and met all of his developmental milestones.
Everything seemed fine until Stephen became one year old. Gradually, he would not let me wash his hair or get water on his face. He became quite distressed when other people approached us and was happiest when he was alone at home with me. During the next year people's voices began to bother him. The sound of children crying in the nursery was too much for him. Stephen developed phobias. Of course, I discussed all of these problems with our pediatrician, but was told that it was Stephen's problem, and he was going to have to deal with it. He was 18 months old at the time and hardly capable of handling anything on his own! It was clear to everyone except our doctor that we had problems.
It was not until Stephen was four years old that we discovered through his preschool teachers that he was sensory defensive and probably had other sensory integration problems as well. I was so relieved that someone understood my child and could tell me what was wrong. My first question to his teacher was "Can it be fixed?" Thankfully, she said it could and told me to contact a sensory therapist. This is where my struggle began and when I first learned how hard I was going to have to fight for my "miracle baby." I already knew how special he was - so bright and eager to learn, yet so anxious and cautious about he world around him.
The most pressing issue was Stephen's hearing sensitivities. It was becoming a crippling disability. While we were waiting to be accepted into sensory integration therapy, we decided to put Stephen through an auditory enhancement training program, which we prayed would reduce his sensitivities. We were fortunate that he ten day program was a success for him. I later learned that certain foods caused his hearing sensitivities - two main culprits being dairy and gluten.
Shortly after the auditory enhancement program was completed, we ended up with a wonderful sensory therapist. She immediately began to work on reducing his other sensitivities and to correct the sensory integration problems. We were dong great! Things were rolling along and after about 18 months of sensory integration therapy, we had seen tremendous improvement. I thought we were home free. However, when spring came and we began to reduce the sensory integration therapy, problems arose. Stephen's behavior started to worsen and we discovered allergies to dairy products. He developed rashes and itched constantly. I then realized we were dealing with another set of problems - allergies. But these were not any kind of allergies I had ever known about. They were different from his dad's springtime hayfever! Stephen's were affecting his behavior and ability to focus.
An acquaintance put me in touch with Parents Of Allergic Children. Things began to make sense to me as I learned about the various ways allergies can affect children. I began to uncover more foods which were contributing to Stephen's problems.
In the meantime, I learned about chemical imbalances and how these imbalances can affect behavior as well as contribute to a poor immune system. We had Stephen evaluated at the Pfeiffer Treatment Center in Naperville, Illinois. He ended up with several imbalances, including zinc/copper and high blood histamine. However, the most interesting to me was a stress disorder called Pyroluria which has symptoms of hypersensitivity to noise, touch and lights. these were the very same symptoms we had been treating all these years. Pfeiffer put Stephen on an individualized nutrient plan and within three months the rest of his sensitivities to nosie, touch and lights were gone. He was a much happier child and after a year, his immune system became much stronger. he was able to concentrate and focus much better at school with his teachers reporting a significant change in just a few months.
Since Stephen had been on so many antibiotics as an infant, we treated him with Nystatin for three months, a subsequent test done by Great Smokies Laboratory indicated no significant yeast problems.
The next fall, when Stephen was seven, we decided to have a local pediatric allergist test him for environmental allergies. We put him on shots and saw immediate improvement. His teachers noticed rapid improvement as well. Shortly after that, we did ELISA/ACT blood test to determine delayed food and chemical sensitivities. This was helpful because it confirmed that we are dealing with malabsorption problems and that further testing and nutrients are needed. We began to work with Dr. Susan Brown as part of the follow up with the ELISA/ACT test. She recommended we doe a Vitamin C flush to determine Stephen's daily Vitamin C requirement. I was so surprised to learn he needs over 20,000 mg of Vitamin C each day. Once we did the flush, Stephen felt wonderful and was very calm and happy the next day. I saw an immediate improvement in his histamine level. On the days he does not get enough Vitamin C, his allergies are worse. I am convinced he continues to need higher doses than the average person of other nutrients as well. Our next step is to do testing through Meta Metrix Laboratory in Atlanta to address these issues.
Ours is a continuous search for ways to improve Stephen's health and to combat his allergies. Stephen has improved with each and every method of treatment we have done. We have benefited from ach person along the way, gaining so much valuable information. Stephen has improved dramatically over the last two years. He is in a regular classroom in the second grade with occasional assistance from an L.D. teacher. He has continued to improve and works much more independently than he did at the beginning of the year. His continued success and improvements are what give me the strength to push forward searching for new ways to help our miracle baby.
Tests and professionals seen by Stephen:
Great Smokies Diagnostic Laboratory