PALEO update...

So, I thought it might be time to write a little update about our food/asthma journey so far.

July 2013:
Lena was on three different steroids to combat asthma, and these were making us all crazy. She was having at least one pretty major tantrum per day, sometimes lasting up to an hour or more. She had been tested, in April, for "all" allergies, and nothing showed up on the tests. So, she stayed on the meds, because she couldn't breathe without them. She couldn't sleep at night because of the meds, which made her even more grouchy (me, too, because who do you think was up with her all night?) She didn't want to eat, because the meds made her not hungry. She didn't want to do anything that I wanted her to do... because, well, she's three.

I just couldn't accept that this was the way we would live our lives for the foreseeable future. I couldn't handle the stress on me or her or the rest of the family.

August 2013:
I got Lena an appointment with a local holistic practice, and she was tested again for food allergies. Apparently, the doctor who ensured me that she had, indeed, been tested for all food allergies was incorrect. When the holistic doc got Lena's records, she recognized that Lena hadn't been tested for ANY food allergies! I was so upset with this... I specifically asked for her to be tested!

September 2013:
Allergy results were in, and we had another appointment with the holistic doc. She suggested, based on the symptoms that Lena was showing (complaining of tummy aches, generally very grouchy, not sleeping, major tantrums, and the asthma), that we cut out all grains and all dairy from her diet. Beginning immediately, that's exactly what we did.

Since September 2013, Lena has had NO asthma attacks. Let me say that again... in the last 4.5 months, she has had NO ASTHMA ATTACKS! Lena has had to use her nebulizer only twice in that time period, both when she had pretty nasty colds. She did not need any other medications; only the two original ones through the nebulizer. They still made her a little crazy, but she could breathe.

We had Lena's tonsils and adenoids removed in December 2013, and we hope that that will help with colds. She also is sleeping much more soundly (no snoring)!

Lena is sleeping much more soundly, and (mostly) through the night without issues. She is participating at daycare (again mostly) without tantrums and fits. She is eating us out of house and home (even on her "special" diet). Overall, this has been a wonderful, positive decision!

On Saturday (Feb. 8th, 2014), Lena and I went out to lunch at our local Applebee's, and when I was ordering for her, she added her little two cents in, reminding the waiter that she can't have cheese or buns. This sparked quite the conversation about her asthma, our eating plan, and her overall health. He was very interested, since he has suffered from chronic asthma for all of his life. He asked me about allergies, what kinds of testing we'd had done, what results we'd seen. I think this conversation is why I felt compelled to write about this again at this time.

Lena has tantrums, or fits (she's three, after all), but they are much, much, much more manageable, in every way. Last summer, I was scared to even take her over to my friends' houses, or to the pool, for fear of a tantrum. I'm fully confident now in everything that we do, that she'll be OK. She takes a few minutes to calm down, but who doesn't?

Lena is doing so well with this, I can't help but share it! I want to scream it out every day... MY KID IS DOING AWESOME ON THIS, THANKYOUVERYMUCH!

If you have any particularly amazing PALEO recipes that you'd like to share, please do so!

Thanks for reading!