elliott update

Before we get to the Elliott update, a quick p.s. on that bully at the pool. His name is Todd and his favorite place to go is McDonald's. He grabs at the girls under the water. If that kid doesn't grow up to date-rape someone, I'll be shocked.

In the past few months, Elliott was rejecting anything that was soft or mushy in texture, forcing me to buy freeze-dried versions of fruits and vegetables and to saute meats until crispy so he would get some protein. However, in the last week, he will eat anything I put in front of him. Today, he had a broccoli and ham omelet. He eats adult-sized quantities of everything I put in front of him, all of which is new: potatoes, bananas, sweet potatoes, green beans, squash, chicken, beef, black beans, cauliflower, eggs, pears, strawberries, lentil beans...the list goes on and on and on. It's pretty awesome, given that he can't eat dairy and wheat; now I don't have to worry about him getting the nutrients he needs.

We saw a biomedical doctor last week for him as well, and she has ordered a series of labs to see what is going on in his body. This means, that I collect his poop and pee and mail it to people to examine; it's so much fun! Based on all of the research I am doing, autism is really not understood and is actually a combination of symptoms caused by toxic overload in the body. We are going to work to clean Elliott's system out and see if it helps. He's already making tons of progress. Today, he pointed at the colors red and black, saying the words clearly. Yesterday, he said cupcake clearly. Last weekend, he said the words on several flash cards. He still isn't doing it spontaneously, but he's getting there. We have him on a multivitamin, cod liver oil, and enzymes, and each week we add something new. I have learned so much about our immune system from the several books I'm reading. I have to say, the Jenny McCarthy book Healing and Preventing Autism, is really informative and enlightening. It says the sames things as several of the other books but in a much more accessible way. I've been making my way slowly through it because it's still very dense and very science-y, which everyone knows is not my strong suit. I know people hate Jenny McCarthy, but I really think that if you hate Jenny McCarthy, then it's more about you than it is about her. She has worked really hard, with a doctor, to help her son, and she simply wants to share what she has learned so others can benefit. Mainstream doctors write all of the biomedical stuff off, and there are no major clinical studies of anything, largely because there's not much money in it. How sad is that? All I can say is we will do whatever we can to help him and making his immune system strong and clearing the toxins out of his body isn't going to hurt. Sometimes I feel like a crazed hippie when I explain all of this to people, and I guess I kind of am. Maybe I'll stop wearing deodorant, too.

I'm not sure how I'm going to keep up with all of the appointments and work--this really is like having a second job--once the semester starts back up again, but we'll make it happen. We always do. I am really looking forward to the day when I can say that I am bored.