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Friday, April 19, 2013

How far we have come


Today is a bitter-sweet day, my baby boy turns 3. Part of me is super excited for the next chapter from toddler to preschooler and watching him continue to learn and grow, but there is a huge part of me that feels robbed of the last 3 years. It’s been a long stressful road full of fear, doubt, grief, self blame and stress and for a large portion felt like I was just living in survival mode.

I still have days like this but thankfully  not very often now that Lachlan is well on his way on his gut healing journey, but the whole process of dealing with a child with special needs is both mentally and physically draining regardless of their medical condition. It places strains on your marriage, relationships with other children and the way you conduct your day to day life to accommodate that child’s extra needs.

I've had people say “be thankful he is healthy” and “this is all you have to deal with” which to me personally is a kick in the guts. Yes my son isn't dealing with cancer or a heart condition requiring surgery but his condition is still life threatening (anaphylactic allergies) and if his eczema was to ever become so infected it could land him in hospital with a severe infection as so many children who suffer eczema do. And this is without even touching on the challenges faced with every day outings and social gatherings for an anaphylactic person, I could be here for hours. 

The sleep deprivation for both (mother and child) from a constantly uncomfortable child is torture. You expect to lose sleep with a baby/toddler but with eczema it’s a vicious cycle, an overtired baby/toddler means more and more scratching which leads to broken and inflamed skin which if not properly cared for equals infections and more scratching equals no sleep for Mum or bub.

Then there is the constant daily cleaning and washing, vacuuming and dusting to keep the house free from all the dry dead skin that severe eczema suffers shed, and my goodness shed they do! Add the stress of constantly monitoring every morsel that goes into your child's body (and that every single thing he eats is made by yourself as you cannot risk cross contamination nor does anything pre prepared meet his dietary requirements) , keeping food diaries and tracking flare ups and never once forgetting the digestive enzymes and supplements he needs to support his gut healing process. This in itself feels like a full time job and can be very overwhelming.

When I was compiling the pictures to do this blog post it bought back so many memories. To be totally honest with you all I haven’t been able to look his baby pictures from the really bad times till now... they have always reduced me to tears.

But through the many ups and downs this little man although tired, cranky, itchy and sometimes in pain has shown that he is one tough little cookie and that he isn't going to let eczema beat him.  

So I owe it to him to remain positive and strong and look back at all the happy and positive times we have had over the 3 years.  To look at him now you would never have known this is the journey he has been on.


(Left - Lachlan now, taken 2 weeks ago just before his 3rd birthday, 
Top Left - Lachlan prior to any signs of eczema and then the remaining 3 photos showing to some extend how infected he became (and this was following a GP's and dermatologists instructions & medications before I knew better!) 


With all this I can happily and proudly say that after years of trials, errors, diets, eliminations, blood tests  & pouring every spare moment I have had into researching and reading anything and everything I could get my hands on, both holistic and traditional, what we are doing now is working and the above left hand picture is proof of this. 

Not only is he a happier child, my stress levels are down, our house is a less stressful place to be in, my workload in skin care and upkeep of our home environment is no longer as demanding and all because he is healing from the inside -  something traditional avenues such as Dermatologists and allergists do not address in their practises. Steroids, antibiotics and lotions and potions are just band aid solutions, we need to be looking at the root of the problem and the root of the problem lies with gut health.

I am pleased to say Lachlan is almost nearly eczema free (we are working on the habitual scratching now which is a hard habit to break) but he is a thriving, happy, healthy and a very active little boy with the most beautiful placid nature that makes your heart melt. 

I could be having the worst day and he will come up to me and give me a cuddle and say "I love you Mummy" and all is good in the world. A mother/child bond is always strong but when you have gone through something like Lachlan and I have you are so much closer. 


I'm excited for today as it is a day of letting go of the harder chapters we have lived and starting the next happier and healthier chapters together. 


So, Happy 3rd Birthday Lachlan, we love you more than you will ever know and from here the sky is the limit as we have already conquered so much. 

Mummy, Daddy & Riley x

~ Kat 



9 comments:

  1. That is beautiful, you should be so proud, what a nice place the world would be if everyone had a mummy like you and if only doctors would recognise your work and help change others lives too :-) happy birthday lachlan

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  2. Happy Birthday Lachlan! :)

    Kat, you are an extrodinary mother. There are only a few that truly understand the extent of effort you go through (daily, hourly, every minute) as a parent to a child with needs as Lachlan has.

    On the up side, you get to teach him all you have learned in the kitchen for his wellbeing and health quite early on and he will have a better understanding of proper health, not the Politically Correct Health that is marketed (as mentioned in the book "Nourishing Traditions").

    Your family are so lucky that you take the time to learn and apply. Their bodies will thank you in years to come.

    This is what I keep telling myself with our little family of coeliac, asthma, eczema and other allegies.

    Being part of your community is awesome for us too! Thank you for being the awesome lady you are! :) x

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  3. Happy Birthday Lachlan! We too have had an obstacle of gut problems with my almost 3yr old including many sleepless nights due to cramping and severe reflux as well as constant diahrrea. For the past year we have taken the natural approach and are seeing results but still not 100%. Finding it hard to get someone to do a 'live blood analysis' on a young child. It places so much stress on Mum to keep the house running smoothly for other children and still be Wifely to her Husband all the while managing on little sleep as well as preparing every meal and snack from scratch. There are no shortcuts for us families but we know we must still go on. Well done to you for keeping up with things and seeing results - its great to see light at the end of a long tunnel x.

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    1. Hi Kelly,

      My son had reflux, vomitting, diarrhoea and bloat when quite young. His diarrhoea got so bad that I had to bathe him after every motion. Our GP at the time was of no help and I was at a loss. I called the Childhood Nurse (the lady that came out after my son was born to do his observations). I was a mess and she was able to book us in to see a paediatrition. The paed. ordered bloods and our son showed positive to coeliac disease at 2yrs.

      Go to another practitioner, be it medical or natural. Be stubborn and persistent. We've all been there. It's a necessary battle. Get to the bottom of it. :)

      FYI for coeliac disease, it's genetic, you and your partner can be DNA tested. You don't have to have the disease, just the genes.

      "Coeliac disease affects approximately 1 in 100 Australians. However 75% currently remain undiagnosed. This means that approximately 160,000 Australians have coeliac disease but don’t yet know it." http://coeliac.org.au/coeliac-disease/index.html

      If you have any questions now or later: www.gfcc.info is my FB page.

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  4. Oh, I'm in tears...one thing is for sure ~ Lachlan is the luckiest little man to have such a determined, educated, hard working and loving mother.
    Well done Kat...I hope you are patting yourself on the back.

    I too cannot look at Finn's baby photos without feeling sick or wanting to cry. He nearly died the week I gave birth to him because they gave him formula top ups without my consent, just so they could let me sleep! Sleep!!!!
    What I thought was just a chubby 10lb11 baby was the most swollen, allergy ridden child fighting for his life...and I didn't know. How did I not know??

    Perhaps May 5th when he turns 3 can be a turning point for us too...maybe I'll forgive myself??

    I certainly have had it easier than you have with only managing diary, wheat and eczema...

    You continue to inspire and motivate me and in turn this helps my little people and house a happier and healthier place to be.

    Thank you and Happy Birthday big boy Lachlan!!!! xxx

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  5. Thank you everyone for your replies. Most certainly the hardest thing I have ever had to write!

    Kelly, have you tried a naturopath? There shouldn't really be an issue in having the analysis done. We chose to have the IgG testing done as we already knew his allergies it was the unknown intolerances that where the ones causing issues.

    Yes trying to be all of the above then mum, business owner, wife and everything else I needed to be I found myself run down and exhausted and thats when negativity takes over and consumes you. Not a nice place to be at in our life. Wishing you the best of luck with helping your little guy.

    Amy - I hope you can get to the point I have, we blame ourselves for far too much and in reality only hurt everyone around us at the same time :( It's hard and can only be done when you are truly ready to do it but today I was ready!

    x
    K

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  6. Your journey is an inspiration to all of us... your strength and passion for your children are incredible... I am pleased to count such a special lady as my friend. Sonia xxx

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  7. Thank you so much Sonia! I am very grateful for your support :) xx

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  8. Thank you so much Sonia! I am very grateful for your support :) xx

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