Cradle Cap

Gabriel didn't have cradle cap as a young baby. I don't even know when it started. I'm guessing, knowing what I do now, that it made its appearance sometime after he turned a year because that's when he decided solids were a good thing ;)

At his 18-mth checkup, I asked the pedi if him still having it was a concern. I thought it might indicate some kind of immune deficiency. I knew it wasn't normal. My momma gut told me there was a specific reason for it. The pedi said that cradle cap wasn't as common at his age but that there wasn't any underlying reason for it. He said it wouldn't go away unless I used a dandruff shampoo once or twice. He said I could try mineral oil instead if I was more comfortable with that. Soon after, I let his baby shampoo soak into his scalp for a long while and then loosened the cradle cap and combed it out. His scalp was clear! But it didn't last :(

I started researching more online. I KNEW there was a reason... Finally I started finding sites that anecdotally linked cradle cap to food allergies/intolerances. This was one of the things that led me to doing the wheat-free trial.

Last night I checked when I washed his hair to see how it was doing...

Happy tears! It's almost GONE!!!

Two and a half months of being GF, it's clearing up on its own! Coincidence? I don't think so :D

It makes me wonder what healing is happening inside his body that I can't see. And inside Ethan's. And inside mine.

I'm so thankful that God put it on my heart to go GF!

I had another revelation about a problem food for Ethan this past week, but I'll save that for another post when I can get to it...

Simple Stir-Fried Rice

SIMPLE STIR-FRIED RICE

5 oz shredded carrots
1 celery heart, chopped coarsely
3-4 green onions, sliced thin
8 oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 romaine heart, shredded
2 c. cooked rice
12 oz cooked chicken breast, chopped
OO
Soy sauce
Garlic powder

Stir-fry each item separately in OO. Remove into a large bowl as each is cooked. Mix everything together. Season with garlic powder and a little soy sauce to taste.

Bird Fair Pasta Salad

We go to our local bird fair every year. I pack a lunch and we walk around for a while, stop to eat, then resume our fun :) In the past we've usually brought sandwiches. I tweaked a vegetarian recipe I found for pasta salad in one of my cookbooks to bring this year instead. It was a hit! I think it will be a permanent part of our bird fair tradition :)

BIRD FAIR PASTA SALAD

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 c. uncooked shell pasta
1 c. chopped tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes)
1 c. chopped bell pepper
1 c. (4 oz) cheddar, chopped or shredded (I used 2% sharp)
1/2 c. chopped green onions
1 c. chopped cucumber
Dressing:
1/2 c. olive oil
6 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. dill weed
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cook chicken in OO until done. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water. Drain and rinse in cold water.

When chicken and pasta are cool, mix in a large bowl with veggies and cheese.

Whisk dressing ingredients together. Pour over salad and toss to coat.

Refrigerate a few hours or overnight for best flavor.

Enjoy :)

General Update...

Let me pick up with the meeting after the allergy testing with the natural health place... I met with the owner. He looked at all their individual results and said to keep Ethan from eating peanuts, and try to keep things clean. We also discussed the supplements we're currently taking. It had been a while since I had met with him and they've come out with some new products since then. He recommended we switch two things we were taking for two of the newer products. The new products have more in them and are only a few dollars more for a big bottle. He told me that one of them "could" produce a detox reaction so for me to be aware of that when I started it. Well...

The second day we took it, both boys ended up with diarrhea :( My gut feeling was that it was from one of the new supplements. I called the place and talked to the lady who usually helps me. She agreed that it was likely the detox supplement that was giving them problems. Especially since I react so strongly to things! I didn't give them any for a couple days, then started them back with 1/2 dose. They did fine :) I upped it after a few days to their current dose, which is still a little lower than the initial dose. I really think it was just too much for them!

While I was getting the levels adjusted for the boys, I also started them on B and a lowish dose of iron. Gabriel had been complaining of being tired all the time and his eyes hurting. After a few days on the iron and B, he's been much better! He also stopped taking 3 hour naps. I think it helped him regulate better. Ethan seems to have more energy and his anxiety has been less too.

When something "might" cause a detox reaction, I know I'm in for it :p My body has gone through at least one weird detox cycle since starting the new supplements. I say weird, because it was a bit different than my usual one. I don't know if it was because the supplement was targeting different things in my body, if I was detoxing more of the wheat, if I was detoxing more effectively because I've stopped eating wheat, or all of the above ;) But I had some things happen that had never happened before. One of my teeth hurt. But I could tell it wasn't anything to do with the tooth itself. Days later my lymph nodes on that side swelled and I had an aha moment as I realized they were connected. My mom said my lymph node probably swelled to the inside first, which was putting pressure on that tooth. Then I only noticed after it swelled a bit and was super sensitive to touch. When it started getting better, I ended up with a humongous pimple under the skin on that side, on my jawline near that lymph node. I think my node was trying to filter the extra toxins (not unusual during a detox, but a first for me), then it tried to release something in that pimple. If I get a sore throat, stuffy nose, tooth sensitivity, anything, it's always on that side. Maybe there's some slight infection deep in that side of my face and it's starting to clear out. I hope so anyway ;) I'm feeling a bit better now but still detoxing some.

One great first from this detox cycle? NO ANXIETY!!!!! My anxiety has been so much better since being wheat-free, and anxiety is usually one of my major symptoms of detox. While I physically felt crummy, and my mind was not real clear, at least I wasn't dealing with bad anxiety on top of it like I always have in the past :D

On to another subject...

I've moved us closer to being gluten-free. As we've used up products without obvious wheat but that still may have traces, I've bought completely GF versions. I got GF oat flour a few weeks ago. I found GF soy sauce (had no clue that soy sauce had so much wheat in it!). GF frozen fries. Etc.

I have a recipe for homemade GF bread but the ingredients are expensive! I can't use regular dry milk, and dry milk substitutes are expensive :( Xanthan gum is almost $15/bag but it will last a LONG time. After I make my first loaf, if it's good I'll post the recipe. Probably will be quite a while though.

Okay, that's all I can think of for now... I'll be trying some new recipes soon, so if they're good, I'll post them. And I'll try to post updates more often! Jesse has been working an insane amount of hours (regular work-from-home job, plus laying groundwork to get his personal business off the ground), so things have been pretty crazy! I took advantage of him and Gabriel napping to snag the computer for a while to type this up ;)

Till next time... <3

BBQ Beef and Beans

BBQ BEEF AND BEANS

1 lb 93/7 ground beef, browned
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1 bag SteamFresh brown rice, cooked
24 oz frozen green beans, cooked
Salt
Onion powder
Garlic powder

Mix everything together. Heat until warm.

Allergy Tests Are Not for the Weak

The boys did their allergy testing this morning. It was the skin prick one. They did really well with it! As well as could be expected anyway... They both showed allergies to dust mites (who doesn't?) and had very minor reactions to pollens. Ethan reacted pretty strongly to peanuts. No big surprise there!

I requested an extra group of foods to test for both of them. So they each ended up with 7 trays of 8 needles in each. Each tray was done all at once. So they had 8 pricks at once, 7 times. I read that they only go into the first layer of skin but it seemed like it was deeper :( I also read that it was not painful. Even before today I could've told you that was a load of, well, let's put it nicely. That's an utter lie. All the people who wrote that have obviously never had it done!

For anyone who is curious what it actually looks like, here are a few pictures...

Ethan, 10 minutes after the pricks.



See that huge welt on the right side? That's the peanut test.

Gabriel, ten minutes after.



Gabriel, a few hours later.



Ethan complained of itching during the 15-20 minute wait for the results. The doctor came ten minutes in to check on them, saw the peanut reaction, and wiped it off his skin best he could. He still was itchy but it would've been worse if the doctor had left it. Gabriel looked like he was a little itchy but not bad. Then again, he didn't have a big reaction like Ethan did!

The doctor prescribed them each 3 meds every day, and one as needed. Do you think I'm filling them?! Not unless I absolutely have to! At this point, there is nothing serious enough to put them on medicine every day.

I have an appointment tomorrow with the owner of our natural health place. I want him to look at the results and give his recommendations. There are ways to treat allergies naturally and I am willing to try them.

The main reason I wanted allergy testing done was for foods. I knew that if they had nasal allergies, they weren't bad. That was confirmed by the testing. If they were miserable with them, I might be willing to try the meds temporarily. But there is no reason to do it right now. I will hold on to the prescriptions just in case though.

The one thing that still bothers me is the dark circles under Gabriel's eyes. Dark circles in a child are usually a sign of allergies. Food or environmental. He's had them for 6-8 months now and he complains sometimes of his eyes hurting. I'm hoping to find out something tomorrow that will help!

For tonight, I gave them each a dose of Motrin. Hopefully it helps them be more comfortable so they can sleep. Ethan has complained off and on all day that his back hurts from the sticks. I don't know if Gabriel isn't complaining because it doesn't bother him or if it bothers him and he just isn't saying anything about it.

They both have been whiny and fussy and clingy today. I know it had to be pretty traumatic :( Right now I'm just REALLY glad it's over...

BBQ Turkey and Rice

BBQ TURKEY AND RICE

18 oz BBQ sauce
19 oz bag SteamFresh green beans, cooked (I chopped fine)
20 oz can pineapple in juice
12 oz cooked turkey, cut in bite-size pieces
2 c. hot cooked rice

Heat BBQ sauce, green beans, and pineapple. Add turkey and rice. Heat through.