This past week my little Espresso has been down and out. He's been running a fever, (on and off), been completely lethargic, and all he wants to do is cuddle with his mommy (or daddy) and watch Thomas the Train or David Phelps (http://www.davidphelps.com/ ). We took him to the doctor and they could find nothing "wrong" with him, with the exception that his tonsils were slightly swollen and most likely that was due to him screaming (he's not a fan of the doctors office). The biggest concern I had was not his fever, but his lack of eating. It is now day 5 of my little Espresso eating very little or nothing at all. Thankfully, my Espresso is drinking is fill of juice and cold chocolate! :)
I have been beside myself trying to figure out what is causing my Espresso to be a decaf! Tonight, I had an "AH-HA" moment.
Before I tell you what the "AH-HA" is, let me first state that I completely respect the medical field and our son's pediatrician. Doctors know a WHOLE lot more than I do! However, no doctor can know your child as well as you. When they make a diagnosis, or not, they simply go on the symptoms you tell them. They do not know moods and patterns. They simply know what the books tell them and what normal patterns SHOULD be. But, if they are honest, they would realize that there is no such thing as normal and EVERY child is different. It would be too easy if we were all robots or lemmings.
My "AH-HA!"
My pint-size Espresso is a horrible teether - I mean, HORRIBLE. He's whiney, fussy, grumpy, needy and down right unpleasant to be around. He was also a late teether. He got his first tooth one week after his first birthday. Since then, all but five of his teeth have come in within the last 9 months. I tell people, "we've been in a constant state of teething since his first birthday."
The last two times a new set of teeth have begun pushing through his gums (1st set of molars and canines), my Espresso developed a very high fever. In both instances, he woke up with a fever of 104 but by the end of the day, he was back to normal in every possible way.
Now...he's working on a new set of molars.
I know what the doctors say and what every teething article online will tell you. Your child may have a low-grade fever, but if their fever is above 101 it is NOT due to teething. And here's my side note: if ever I read another article that says your child should not be bothered by teething, I'm tempted to write the author and ask them if they have children themselves!
It is a coincidence that the last three times a new set of teeth have started to push down on my son's gums, he has gotten a fever?? And that a fever has been his ONLY symptom? This Dr. Mom does not think so. I do believe my son had some other virus (possibly) that added to everything this week, but tonight, after feeling his swollen gums, I knew some, if not most of this, was due to teething.
So, I buck the experts!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Cold chocolate?
Taking a break from Tinnitus...
My little pint-size, never ending energy Espresso has never liked to drink much. He gets that from his daddy. We always had a hard time getting him to drink anything, including sweet things, like juice.
A few weeks ago we had a blizzard, by southern terms, and I took my son out to play in the snow. We got wet and cold, and what you look forward to the most is coming in for some hot chocolate. Of course, I obliged!
Recently, we went to Chick-fil-a for dinner (before I gave up that sort of food) and I ordered a kids meal with chocolate milk for my E. I thought he would like it and hoped he would drink more than his usual amount. He has, after all, inherited my sweet tooth. :) His first sip of chocolate milk, he said, "hot chocolate." My husband and I corrected him and said, "No. This is cold. It's chocolate milk." He took another sip, "hot chocolate." We repeated our explanation that he was drinking something cold. From that conversation, ALL that stuck was cold, and our little Espresso is now a fan of "cold chocolate."
Every day at every meal I am asked, "cold chocolate?"
Cold chocolate, anyone?
My little pint-size, never ending energy Espresso has never liked to drink much. He gets that from his daddy. We always had a hard time getting him to drink anything, including sweet things, like juice.
A few weeks ago we had a blizzard, by southern terms, and I took my son out to play in the snow. We got wet and cold, and what you look forward to the most is coming in for some hot chocolate. Of course, I obliged!
Recently, we went to Chick-fil-a for dinner (before I gave up that sort of food) and I ordered a kids meal with chocolate milk for my E. I thought he would like it and hoped he would drink more than his usual amount. He has, after all, inherited my sweet tooth. :) His first sip of chocolate milk, he said, "hot chocolate." My husband and I corrected him and said, "No. This is cold. It's chocolate milk." He took another sip, "hot chocolate." We repeated our explanation that he was drinking something cold. From that conversation, ALL that stuck was cold, and our little Espresso is now a fan of "cold chocolate."
Every day at every meal I am asked, "cold chocolate?"
Cold chocolate, anyone?
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Tinnitus and food!!
Tinnitus – that awful ringing, hissing sound in your ear. It’s 2010 and doctors STILL do not know what causes Tinnitus. An easy diagnosis would be going to too many rock concerts, but when that doesn’t apply to people like myself (never been to a rock concert), it’s leaves the doctors stumped. Ear infections (which I had my share of as a child) is the next diagnosis, but why? Why? The age, old question.
In doing research on Tinnitus, two things kept coming up over and over – diet & high blood pressure. It’s known that your diet can cause high blood pressure, but perhaps, Tinnitus also?
Below are a few excerpts of what I discovered in regards to food & Tinnitus.
Salt:
Excess salt restricts blood vessels, increases blood pressure and reduces blood flow into the ears, eyes and brain. Increased blood pressure is directly linked to increased tinnitus.
Sugar:
The brain and auditory system have no inherent food supply. They are completely dependent on the regular delivery of oxygen and glucose (sugar) from the blood supply. When this supply of nutrients is disturbed or interrupted, imbalance and damage can occur. Studies have shown that 84% to 92% of people with tinnitus have a sugar metabolism disorder known as hyperinsulinemia. This is characterized by increased levels of insulin in the bloodstream. Hyperinsulinemia occurs because the body becomes insensitive to insulin and ineffective in delivering sugar to the cells, where it is needed. Therefore the pancreas produces more and more insulin in order to process blood sugar.
Sugar substitutes:
Aspartame, along with Glutamate, is an excitatory neuro-transmitter in the brain. It causes neurons to fire repeatedly until they become depleted and die. This causes untold damage to the nervous system and can lead to neuro-degenerative conditions including tinnitus.
MSG:
MSG breaks down to Glutamate in the body. Glutamate, like Aspartame, is an excitatory neuro-transmitter that triggers neurons to fire until they become depleted and die. In fact, for many of us, Glutamate is the primary villain causing our tinnitus. When hearing hair cells in the cochlea are damaged, by noise exposure, ototoxic medications, infection or many other causes, they release excess amounts of Glutamate. This Glutamate floods the neuro-receptors in the auditory pathway and excites them to the point where they fire continuously. During the course of neuron death, tremendous amounts of free radicals are released which continue the damage to the neurons. This type of tinnitus known as Cochlear-Synaptic Tinnitus is the exact condition experienced by those of us with hearing loss and tinnitus.
Fats:
Saturated and trans-fats have multiple negative effects on the body and tinnitus. Saturated fats are not recommended for those with diabetes or hyperinsulinemia. They also increase bad cholesterol (LDL), decrease good cholesterol (HDL), increase triglycerides and lead to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is not only a risk factor in heart disease and stroke but also significantly reduces blood flow. People with tinnitus need to increase blood flow to the inner ear to remove toxins and maintain healthy cells. Tinnitus, in fact, can be caused by nothing more than decreased blood flow to the inner ear.
http://www.tinnitusformula.com/infocenter/articles/treatments/diet.aspx
In doing research on Tinnitus, two things kept coming up over and over – diet & high blood pressure. It’s known that your diet can cause high blood pressure, but perhaps, Tinnitus also?
Below are a few excerpts of what I discovered in regards to food & Tinnitus.
Salt:
Excess salt restricts blood vessels, increases blood pressure and reduces blood flow into the ears, eyes and brain. Increased blood pressure is directly linked to increased tinnitus.
Sugar:
The brain and auditory system have no inherent food supply. They are completely dependent on the regular delivery of oxygen and glucose (sugar) from the blood supply. When this supply of nutrients is disturbed or interrupted, imbalance and damage can occur. Studies have shown that 84% to 92% of people with tinnitus have a sugar metabolism disorder known as hyperinsulinemia. This is characterized by increased levels of insulin in the bloodstream. Hyperinsulinemia occurs because the body becomes insensitive to insulin and ineffective in delivering sugar to the cells, where it is needed. Therefore the pancreas produces more and more insulin in order to process blood sugar.
Sugar substitutes:
Aspartame, along with Glutamate, is an excitatory neuro-transmitter in the brain. It causes neurons to fire repeatedly until they become depleted and die. This causes untold damage to the nervous system and can lead to neuro-degenerative conditions including tinnitus.
MSG:
MSG breaks down to Glutamate in the body. Glutamate, like Aspartame, is an excitatory neuro-transmitter that triggers neurons to fire until they become depleted and die. In fact, for many of us, Glutamate is the primary villain causing our tinnitus. When hearing hair cells in the cochlea are damaged, by noise exposure, ototoxic medications, infection or many other causes, they release excess amounts of Glutamate. This Glutamate floods the neuro-receptors in the auditory pathway and excites them to the point where they fire continuously. During the course of neuron death, tremendous amounts of free radicals are released which continue the damage to the neurons. This type of tinnitus known as Cochlear-Synaptic Tinnitus is the exact condition experienced by those of us with hearing loss and tinnitus.
Fats:
Saturated and trans-fats have multiple negative effects on the body and tinnitus. Saturated fats are not recommended for those with diabetes or hyperinsulinemia. They also increase bad cholesterol (LDL), decrease good cholesterol (HDL), increase triglycerides and lead to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is not only a risk factor in heart disease and stroke but also significantly reduces blood flow. People with tinnitus need to increase blood flow to the inner ear to remove toxins and maintain healthy cells. Tinnitus, in fact, can be caused by nothing more than decreased blood flow to the inner ear.
http://www.tinnitusformula.com/infocenter/articles/treatments/diet.aspx
Sunday, January 17, 2010
A change to ALL natural
I have, once again, started blogging. I have adopted a new lifestyle and have learned so much about natural eating and ALL it’s benefits, I feel compelled to share.
My new lifestyle change happened just recently as I went to the doctors for “dry skin.” I didn’t know what else to call it – my skin did not FEEL dry, but I was itching everywhere on my body. The doctor said I some inflammation, gave me a prescription for some soothing drops and Prednisone and sent me home. I have never been one to just “pop a pill” when something is wrong. I try to find some “natural” way. During the routine vital check at the doctors, my blood pressure checked in at 141/96. For my age, height and weight, that is extremely high. Although I take my blood pressure periodically at home, it never has been that high, so either, I PANIC when I go the doctors and it’s just a one time thing, or I do have a high bp issue and I’m just not catching at home. Either way, this started me on the path to change.
The final straw was Tinnitus. In 2009, I had surgeries in both my ears to correct Otosclerosis. A symptom of Otosclerosis is Tinnitus. The surgeon told me that fixing my Otosclerosis would fix my Tinnitus. It has not. This drove me to the Internet to see if there was ANYTHING I could do to alleviate or lessen the ringing in my ears. While I do not claim to be a doctor, I do believe it is possible to come to the correct conclusions about ailments via the information on the Internet. During my research I discovered that high blood pressure and Tinnitus go hand in hand. I also learned that food plays a huge part in regards to Tinnitus. I won’t go into details just yet, but from what I learned, I have adopted a Mediterranean style of eating. I also have cut out all processed, pre-made, pre-packaged food. I am going all natural and all organic.
I have only been eating this way for a week, but I have noticed a major change in how I feel physically (SSSSOOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER) and at times, the ringing in my ears has seemed to be not as loud, but I’m not ready to say I’ve found the cure-all.
This change has not been as difficult as what I thought it would be. I am doing this because I KNOW I NEED too PHYSICALLY and for my HEALTH. That has made all the difference to me. It’s just been a matter of perspective.
My new lifestyle change happened just recently as I went to the doctors for “dry skin.” I didn’t know what else to call it – my skin did not FEEL dry, but I was itching everywhere on my body. The doctor said I some inflammation, gave me a prescription for some soothing drops and Prednisone and sent me home. I have never been one to just “pop a pill” when something is wrong. I try to find some “natural” way. During the routine vital check at the doctors, my blood pressure checked in at 141/96. For my age, height and weight, that is extremely high. Although I take my blood pressure periodically at home, it never has been that high, so either, I PANIC when I go the doctors and it’s just a one time thing, or I do have a high bp issue and I’m just not catching at home. Either way, this started me on the path to change.
The final straw was Tinnitus. In 2009, I had surgeries in both my ears to correct Otosclerosis. A symptom of Otosclerosis is Tinnitus. The surgeon told me that fixing my Otosclerosis would fix my Tinnitus. It has not. This drove me to the Internet to see if there was ANYTHING I could do to alleviate or lessen the ringing in my ears. While I do not claim to be a doctor, I do believe it is possible to come to the correct conclusions about ailments via the information on the Internet. During my research I discovered that high blood pressure and Tinnitus go hand in hand. I also learned that food plays a huge part in regards to Tinnitus. I won’t go into details just yet, but from what I learned, I have adopted a Mediterranean style of eating. I also have cut out all processed, pre-made, pre-packaged food. I am going all natural and all organic.
I have only been eating this way for a week, but I have noticed a major change in how I feel physically (SSSSOOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER) and at times, the ringing in my ears has seemed to be not as loud, but I’m not ready to say I’ve found the cure-all.
This change has not been as difficult as what I thought it would be. I am doing this because I KNOW I NEED too PHYSICALLY and for my HEALTH. That has made all the difference to me. It’s just been a matter of perspective.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)