Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Dealing With "Galzin Indigestion"

My daughter has been taking Galzin now for a few years. At first we didn't have a single side effect and I was so excited. I did my research and found that many people get stomach upset with this particular drug. I was thankful that my daughter was not among those. Well... NOW we are facing some issues with tummy aches in the morning. I wanted to share what we are doing just in case anyone out there is facing the same issue.

Her dose is three times a day and so we give the morning dose with a little food. I make sure that whatever she eats doesn't have fiber. I read that fiber will basically counteract the medicine. She might eat scrambled eggs or some cheese or lunch meat. She seems to do a lot better when we remember to do this. We have been doing this for months and at her last appointment her liver enzymes were still going down. This is good news!

I have a theory about this. I know that theoretically she takes her meds on an empty stomach, but the morning dose is probably the only one she takes on a truly empty stomach. Therefore, it REALLY is hard on her little tummy. I call it "Galzin indigestion" since she is basically digesting only the Galzin in the morning. I am hopeful that it will get better with time or else she will have to get used to it. So far she is a trooper about taking her medicine. It can be an inconvenience at times, but she handles it very well.
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We call Galzin our magic blue
pill. It has been a miraculous
pharmaceutical invention!
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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

The Genetic Factor

I've had a recent revelation. So far at least half of my husband's siblings or close relatives have a child with a learning disability or in the autism spectrum. This definitely proves (at least in my family) that there is a genetic component.

I found this very interesting article. It was published June 9, 2010. VERY recent information about genetic research. Evidently, they have found dozens of gene mutations implicated in autism. However, if I may quote from the article: "Interestingly, not all the genetic defects were inherited from the child's parents. Rather, they seem to have arisen during fetal development or infancy." This is the part that I KNOW is the environmental "trigger" I have ALWAYS believed in!

Copy and paste the following link and you can read the entire article:

http://www.aolnews.com/health/article/latest-genetic-research-may-help-decode-autism/19509927

Saturday, July 3, 2010

After Rain Comes the Rainbow

It's only when you go through trials that you can appreciate the good things. For example, I have been through some tough times with my #2 and my daughter and so now I feel like I am reaping from all my hard work and dedication as a mother. I appreciate every little thing that I perceive as progress or moving forward.

I had a story to share that I thought was appropriate. You might actually find it inspirational. Yesterday we went to the pool. We usually live at the pool during the summer. It's our favorite place to hang out. The summer break is halfway over and so the kids are starting to fight a little bit more than usual. I guess they are getting tired of being with each other 24/7. I can totally relate.

My older two were playing at the pool with a new toy that I had purchased. It is shaped like a torpedo and you are supposed to pass it under the water. It is relatively heavy and made of a hard rubber. My oldest got the idea to try and skim it over the water so that it would go faster. Well... it definitely worked, but unfortunately it skimmed over the water at top speed right into my #2's nose! Poor guy screamed his head off and blood started to gush out his nose immediately. I panicked but tried to remain calm. The blood would not stop. Luckily for me, my dear friend was with me and she knew the trick to helping it stop. We put a rolled up piece of bandage under his upper lip to put pressure on the vessel. It worked! I also put pressure at the bridge of his nose. It finally stopped bleeding and after about thirty minutes I was able to remove it without worries.

The sweet part of the story was that although they had been fighting for days and morning was no exception... when it came down to it, my #1 was worried sick about his little brother. He would not stop apologizing and kept looking at him and asking if he was okay. Later after we left the pool, he told me in private that it would be okay to let his little brother play on his laptop. (That is a major deal in our household!) Even today... a day later he is still looking out for him. My younger two wanted to go swimming and my #1 said, "No.. we can't go swimming. His nose might bleed." He was genuinely concerned about his well being.

There are two lessons I leared from this:
#1) No matter how much you see your children fight and argue, deep inside they truly love each other. It's at times like this that you see it.

#2) The cautions on toys are there for a reason. On the side of the toy is written in bold: "CAUTION: Do not throw toy above the water or at another person."
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I definitely prefer lessons
learned that don't involve
trips to the emergency room.
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