When I dropped Jadon and Caleb off at preschool this morning, Caleb’s teacher told me something that has lightened my day. Their class took Spring pictures on Monday and the school used the same photographer they used in October. Ms. Michelle said the photographer remembered Caleb and how challenging it was to get his cooperation the last time. I was told this time, however, the photographer was amazed at the difference in him. She said he listened to instructions, doing what he was told. He didn’t try to get up or run away. Ms. Michelle said the photographer just kept saying how amazing was the difference, and that he was like a totally different child! She also thinks the photographer took a boatload of pictures of him because he was laughing, having fun, and being so easy to work with!

I am so thankful for every bit of knowledge God has dropped in my lap. I’m thankful for His guidance that’s led us one way, and arrested us from going another. I’m so grateful for every prayer on Caleb’s behalf, and every friend who has made any effort to be teacher, cheerleader, play therapist and hugger for him. Who he will become is being influenced not only by Hollis or me, but by every person in his environment.

As far as his health goes it bears recording where we are. Right now we are at the beginning of the anti-fungal process to get rid of the overgrowth of yeast in his gut. I tried to go the natural way using raw, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar. Once I made him a drink using a cup of purified water, 1 tsp of vinegar and some stevia to sweeten it. He drink it the first time. After that he wouldn’t touch the stuff. So now we’ve moved on to a medicine. He’s four days into a 21-day treatment. Once all the yeast is taken care of we can begin the heavy metal chelation in earnest. We’d started the process before the anti-fungal using a vegetable-base chelator that just attracted and bound to the metal toxins, to be excreted through his digestive system. The result was he broke out in hives and a rash that threatened to cover his entire body and made him itch unbearably. At one point his back and butt looked like raw ground beef. Even Jadon was like “Oh my gosh! Look at Caleb’s butt!” We thought the reaction was caused by the chelator itself. Turns out the chelator was the indirect cause. According to my research 

Some people are so toxic that when we mobilize the offending metals they experience a detox reaction. … Mercury overloaded individuals may experience a rash or irritability. … Rash can occur, most likely on the basis of Mercury detoxification through the skin.

He was excreting mercury from his SKIN! So turns out the rash and hives were signs of good things going on. Who-da thunk? Last Friday (after Thursday’s nightmare) I tried giving him just a little bit of the chelator, so we wouldn’t have to stop the chelation process altogether. Immediately the hives showed up on his back and butt and he started digging like crazy into his skin. I rushed to the medicine cabinet to get the antihistamine and we were out! I threw Caleb in the truck, still scratching like crazy, and rushed to the drugstore. I ran in pulling my whiny, itchy child behind me and tried unsuccessfully to locate some itch cream. I caught the eye of a pharmacist behind the counter and simply yelled “Itch cream!” Perceiving my emergency, he yelled back “Aisle 15!” I found the stuff, sat on the floor in the aisle, laid Caleb on his stomach over my legs, yanked down his pants and slathered him! The kid is still traumatized. Even now he won’t trust Hollis or me behind his back with any type of lotion; he cries and tries to grab our hands.

Anyway we were told that chelators feed the yeast, and so that’s why we haven’t started the heavy stuff yet. So now we’ve stopped even the lightweight stuff until all the yeast is taken care of. No need to make him suffer any more than necessary.

Are we having fun or what!