Week 16

Methyl-B-12 Injection

Methyl-B-12, a special form of vitamin B-12, also known as methylcobalamin, is a nutrient that boosts methylation.  Methylation is essentially the process of flushing toxins (mercury and toxins found in foods and the environment) from our system.  According to Dr. Bock, Methyl-B-12 can help the body get rid of toxins, including mercury, which is often the toxin that disrupted the methylation process in the first place.  In addition to assisting in detoxification, other benefits include improving cell membrane function, neurotransmitter and hormone metabolism, and neuronal healing.

On Friday, Ryan received his first injection (500 mcg) of Methyl-B-12.  Phil and I joked afterwards that we should have taken a picture to post here, but at the time we were consumed with so many things that the thought hadn't crossed our minds.  We first wanted to try the injection while Ryan was awake.  We applied the numbing cream in a small area above his buttocks and waited an hour for it to 'kick in'.  Ryan was fine with me putting on the cream and the bandaid to cover it.  He was NOT fine when I approached him with the needle.  We tried distracting him with a TV show and a lollipop, but he was very anxious and knew we were up to something.  So we decided to wait until he fell asleep.  Just before he went to bed we reapplied some numbing cream to be sure his skin would stay numb in case the first dose wore off by the time he fell into a deep sleep.

I reread my notes and instructions from the training and headed up to his room at about 10 pm.  He was fast asleep and Phil was able to roll him over to the side the cream was applied to.  I was extremely nervous that I would do something wrong.  The good thing is... the needle is very tiny and when inserting it on an angle there's no way you can penetrate too deep.  The bad thing... the needle is very tiny and my biggest fear was that I would break it in his skin during the process.  I worked myself up into a nervous wreck, but Phil calmed me down, and I administered it just fine.  The process was over in less than three seconds.  He didn't feel a thing, or at least we don't think he did, because he didn't budge from his sleep at all.  Now that I know what to expect, subsequent doses should go more smoothly.  His next dose is scheduled for Monday night, and this time it is 1000 mcg.  Once we observe him with that we'll call the doctor's office to let them know how things went with both doses and they will call in 10 more needles.

Ryan did great on Saturday, the day after the injection.  We were out of the house for over 12 hours with different activities that we had planned.  We met a friend at 10 am in Brookfield, CT.  Ryan and Julia jumped and slid down slides in inflatable castles for about 2 hours, we did some shopping, we went out to Applebees for lunch, and visited the Danbury Railroad Museum all before 4 pm.  On our way back home we were invited by friends to take the kids swimming in their pool, and we stayed there for dinner and dessert as well.  They had purchased a variety of foods that Ryan could eat and we had a lovely evening.  There were several preteens and college kids there and they were a big help keeping the kids busy.  Ryan was interactive with the children and the adults and did a good job transitioning from one activity to the next. 

I wish I could say the same for today.  We stayed home today and that may have been part of the problem.  He seemed to get into a rut.  He was very aggressive and physical with both me and Julia, and had several  major meltdowns throughout the day.  His OCD was also very active.  I did a heavy duty clean up in his room and he became very upset that his things were out of place.  He also seemed restless.  We brought the kids outside to play and he was all over the place.  He played with something for about 2 minutes and then moved on to the next thing.  Nothing seemed to keep his interest and he was very distractible.  But by the end of the night he was much calmer and he went to bed happy.

I'm not sure what part the injection played in the behaviors displayed on Saturday and Sunday but I guess time will tell once we get on a schedule with administering them.

Here are some pictures from our long Saturday filled with activities:

An update on the karate... on Thursday Ryan had a playdate with a little boy down the road.  His mom and I were talking about karate places in the area.  Ryan was in earshot of us. When the little boy left, Ryan told me he wanted to go to karate. I was so excited.  We got in the car and headed over.  He fell asleep on the way there so I had to wake him up when we arrived.  To our disappointment, the place was closed because the owners were on vacation!  We'll try again next week.

DC

Week 15

Self-confidence

It wasn't until this week that I saw a side of Ryan where self-confidence was nonexistent.  In my mind he is always the kid trying out new things and being a dare-devil, especially during physical "rough-housing" activities.  The faster the movement, the more Ryan likes it. 

He was invited on a play date to a local park.  He had no fear on the playground as he climbed all over the place.  He even climbed up sides of the equipment that weren't meant for climbing.  He tried the monkey bars several times, but was unsuccessful.  It didn't seem to bother him and he moved on to his next quest.  It got me thinking that it would be great for Ryan to have something all year round enabling him to exert energy but also develop some focus and self control.  I thought, "What activity could do that better than karate?"

I was very excited with the thought of introducing him to the art of karate.  I brought him to a place that offers karate classes to children Ryan's age.  We were in luck... there was a 3-5 year old class going on at that moment and a second one was going to start in 10 minutes.  I signed Ryan up for a two-week trial and let him observe the class going on.  He watched the kids through the waiting room window and seemed somewhat interested in what they were doing.  I was surprised that he wasn't begging me to allow him to run into the room and join in.  When the class was finished the children waiting in the room lined up to go in for their class.  I told Ryan he could join that class but he didn't want to.  He watched them do warm-ups and some simple stretching activities.  One of the instructors encouraged Ryan to join them several times, as did I, but Ryan's response was to put his head down and say "it's too hard" and "I can't do that". 

I had never seen this side of Ryan.  Physical activities, especially involving gross motor skills, have always been his strong suit.  It was very discouraging and it made me extremely sad to see him that way and to hear the words he was saying.  I think it made other parents in the waiting room sad to see Ryan this way too, and a couple of people sent their children over to Ryan to talk to him about some of the things they do in their karate class. 

Needless to say we left the building without Ryan ever stepping foot into the gym area.  Maybe Ryan was having an off day and he'll want to try it next time.  I will definitely bring him back another day to try again. 

On another note, we had a fairly good week regarding food, supplements, and medicine.  Ryan finished the Gentamycin and is doing well with the Nystatin.  He'll be ready for the B12 injections next week.  We added a new supplement on the list... Iodine.  Within 2 hours of him taking the first dose he was "off the wall".  He was cranky and irritable and not at all himself.  We chalked it up to the introduction of a new supplement and hoped for different results the next time.  And the next day he took the Iodine and was fine with it.  I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know why the Iodine was suggested by Dr. Bock.  He may have mentioned why but I don't remember.  I did a quick search online but wasn't able to make a clear cut connection.  And I tried looking over his lab results but it's all "Chinese" to me. 

We need to get Ryan an appointment with his ENT for a check up with the tubes in his ears.  They may need to be surgically removed since they have not fallen out on their own yet.  Also, Ryan's speech therapist mentioned something about the nasal area and is writing a note for us to share with the ENT at our next appointment.

DC