A visit to the Doctor

Zane finished out this week well. His teachers at school have figured out to put him in the swing for a few minutes before bringing him to join the other kids in the semi-circle for calendar time/group times during the day. He seems to struggle with transitions throughout the day and the swing really helps to calm and center him in between work periods.

I've been watching him closely all week.... waiting and waiting for a bowel movement. I've been waiting for over two weeks. I never know what to do - this has been his pattern since day one and usually we just wait it out. But I know this isn't normal and this is the longest he has gone without a movement before.... I panicked and brought him to the doctor, who told me to give him metamucil and enemas for a couple days.

Well, it worked.... and within hours. I gave Zane a little enema using a baby bulb syringe right before putting him in the tub for his bath. He didn't like that very much, but a few minutes later I saw a few tiny floaties in the water so I pulled him out and put him on the toilet. And not a moment too soon. The rest of it came pouring out in squirts and then he struggled with the big part. Thank goodness it had been worked down as much as it had by the enemas and metamucil, castor oil and prune juice, etc. I've been giving him. I can't imagine how much worse it would have been without having done that. As it was, I had to reach in and help pull it out by breaking it up.... needless to say, we were both miserable. I kept thinking to myself - only a mother with her unconditional and infinite love would dive in no matter the conditions to save her child. The thought of how gross that actually was didn't even occur to me until after the moment passed!

I noticed the next day, the rubbing had gone down tremendously. He is still doing it, which tells me there is probably more in there that needs help coming out. I think Metamucil will be a regular part of our diet from now on. It's silly - it seems to commonsensical to me now, but you'd be surprised how many times we've been to the doctor over this same problem and every time I get the same answer: put him on a yeast protocol diet, give him castor oil (which only induces peristalsis - the involuntary muscle movement of the intestines that moves things through the tube... which is great if it's moveable. But in Zane's case he had some kind of blockage that wasn't moving despite all the castor oil, prune juice and magnesium I was giving him. Using a suppository came to mind as well, but something in me told me not to use it because that too induces peristalsis. What we needed was some kind of stool softener.... Metamucil. The fiber in it somehow helps soften the stool. I was worried about giving him fiber when he was blocked - I thought that by giving him more fiber it would make the cramping worse - even more painful and just make the blockage bigger... which apparently isn't the case).

I won't be going back to our regular DAN doctor - the one who prescribes Zane a yeast-protocol diet every time we go see him. We can't seem to progress past that. For someone who has been trained in autism medical treatments (such as the DAN association teaches) - I am very disappointed that he has done so little for Zane. Wouldn't it be nice to see a doctor and have him say - okay, this is where we need to start and this is what we're going to do after that and if that doesn't help, this is what we're going to try. Ugh.. doctors! What good is medical school anyway?? Is it just an expensive method to qualify to write prescriptions?? And for what? No prescription Zane's been given has done much for him - in fact they've made him worse in some ways. I don't believe that's the answer - that's just masking the symptoms.... I want to get at the very core of the problem. Besides - these days it seems you have to self-diagnose before you can get anywhere - and then you have to convince your doctor that you're right! It's ridiculous.

There seems to be some question that Zane's toe-walking may be a neurological problem. Tami Tanner mentioned this possibility. (Why can a horse therapy specialist think of this and not a doctor?? Does anyone have any idea why no doctor has ever posed this possibility to me before? They are all too busy trying to convince me that his heel cords need to be cut and put him in casts for 6-8 weeks in order for him to walk normally. I'm sorry, but I don't buy that. Then the other "specialists" tell me his toe walking is a sensory seeking problem and that he'll probably grow out of it - that was 2 years ago and it still persists only stronger now).

Tami is interesting... she has a real gift and can see things from those horses and the way they respond to the kids that ride them. Our last session she observed Zane's right leg straightening with his toes pointed - the whole leg locked straight out. I see this in him on a daily basis and think nothing of it. She watched him round the circle in the arena to see if the left leg was doing the same thing. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Then she says the most profound thing to me:

"That's his way of stimming."

Duh.... I could have told you that if my head wasn't filled with so many "expert" opinions. Of course! That's the most logical, sensical thing I've heard since Zane was diagnosed! And he does this all day long - he is in a constant state of agitation or tenseness. And.... I believe everything is related - the toe-walking stimming, the boy parts rubbing, the chronic constipation, and even the cross-eyed eye (just one of them) that turns a little too far inward when he looks in that direction - I think they are all related, whether it's neurological or a gut problem - or perhaps the gut problem causes the neurological ones. Actually - I believe this is the case. If I can heal Zane's gut, I think I can heal his neurological problems and maybe cure him of his autism.

So... how do I do this with a boy who is the pickiest eater ever??? Hopefully Dr. Frazier and the remedies he will prescribe for Zane can help us on our way!