Additions to the current Treatment plan

I started this blog almost a week ago with the purpose of discussing Monster's treatment. This week has been both exciting and costly. Mr. went to a nutrition talk and came back with a renewed interest in addressing Monster's diet. So in addition to what we had been doing-Casein free, dye free, mag/calcium supplements, digestive enzymes, we also removed all artificial colors/preservatives/flavors (or "anything we couldn't pronounce or recognize") and added fish oil and a multivitamin to the mix.

Is it working? who knows. His language continues to be good. He is singing often now and talking to himself if not us. He rode some rides at 6 flags and got over his cold pretty quickly these week.

We are also going to start keeping a food journal. A big problem with Monster's eating is he doesn't eat a meal, per se, but rather eats almost continually. I attribute it to his perpetual motion and lack of any complex proteins in his diet (he's a vegetarian by his choice, not mine).

Of course now Mr. wants to try to cut out corn (yikes!) and soy (double yikes!). That leaves us with Rice or Coconut Milk yogurt which is twice as expensive than the soy stuff he currently eats and makes me concerned that he will stop eating again (what he did when we went casein/gluten free).

Oh the joys! We are also working on getting an appointment with a DAN! doctor, but how we are going to afford that, I don't know. It's $300/hr for either the doctor or nutritionist (at least initially) and I don't even want to think about the tests we would have to pay out of pocket (and these pockets are lighter and lighter with the looming job loss).

We'll figure something out. We have no choice. How can we let a silly little 'ole thing like money get in the way of helping Monster? Long term, if we can get things under control, is Monster can be independant (maybe) one day. And that's the best chance for him long term.

I hope what we're doing helps, even as the cost scares me.