Re: Effective methods for parents of ASD kids to manage stress?

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Excersize is great to relieve stress. I go through stress all the time

because of my son's autism. The folks on this site are great to talk talk to.

Thinking positive is also the way to go. I once asked the folks here (many

months ago) if there was HOPE for kids with autism. Below is just one of the

emails sent to me -- yes, I save lots emails!:

You may want to read these stories every now and then:

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I would like to share some Stories of Hope. I am in the mist of

trying to piece my sons story together but do not have it finished

However would like to share pieces of posts that I have shared over

time.

Here are a few exerts. Hopefully may give encouragement to those who

are just entering biomedical intervention and helping their child

find the road to recovery. There is Hope the first step is to believe

it and believe in our child that they may obtain it.

Our story is pretty much common as far as all the missed milestones

and the struggle to recognize them. Even under pediatric care who

after a long time of MANY red flag autism signs sent us on dead end

wild goose chases. After 2 years of this inexperienced medical

professional we were sent to get bone age scans, blood work, and

developmental heart tests.

The sad thing is even over a year and a half of all the typical

allergic reactions, chronic diarrhea, rashes eczema, absolutely no

weight gain etc… She was blind to give any responsible health

care

and advice and continued to compromise my sons immune system more

and more pushing my son over the edge

I have to admit this was our 3rd child and parenting was not as

intense with the entire wipe this, sterile that and watch every

little detail of development, remembering the day of the first

hiccup etc….

Not too much special attention, we were involved with raising all

of our children had been blessed with an addition and went about

life trusting in our health care professional. These signs were all

missed because of the lack of experience from the average pediatric

doctor. Most of you are so blessed to have spotted this sooner.

It wasn't until my son was between 3 and 3.5 till we had been

directed on the path to recovery. We were first cared for by a very

knowledgeable nutritionist, Mrs. Morreen Mc RN, who through

the Dan! Protocol practiced under Sidney Baker. See:

Diet was the FIRST Avenue that we took, when we first visited Mrs.

Moureen McDonnell 3.5 years ago.

She had taken us from chronic diarrhea, 3 yeast infections, many

serious food intolerances as well as a host of others like leaky gut

and reactions to phenols.

Any way is short to what has helped us. The most in the beginning. To

become GFCF and learn along the way of all the other things SF CF

additives, artificial crap, colorings, etc…… that are not

healthy. Stick to your guns and do the trials.

Rotation diet has been a big plus.

Rid his gut of all the yeast infections.

Digestive enzymes, probiotics, omegas and try to get the most Whole

foods in him without the need to supplement.

So this is what brought us to where we are today.

We have been chelating for a while now and I believe his gut is

still healing in the mix.

Within 3 months my son was on the road to recovery clearing 3 major

yeast infections, chronic diarrhea and a slew of other gut issues.

We used Nystaten for about six months went GFCF,SF, DF, YF and

also implemented a rotation diet from all class 2 & 3 offending

foods , we used digestive enzymes grape seed extract plenty of

probiotics , Efa' s and then some …….

Epson salt baths for about a year with great success

he made great gains with every step and continued to get better

every day. This was the foundation to which I believe made it

possible to effectively chelate and start and educational approach

in my sons' recovery process

I would not say that one intervention was the magic bullet, but as

far as the gains that were maid and the type of gains it, would have

to be chelation. In fact because of this I have re-visited this issue

with much interest and am not confident that we are clear yet.

MB12 injections seems to be the " Hot ticket "

and " The New Show in Town " for allot of us,

I hope ARI creates a new study of the effective treatments and

includes this one, it would be interesting.

So far Chelation still is at the top of the charts with somewhere

around 76% success rate.

I will say that each intervention was a major contributor from diet,

VB/ABA supplements, probiotics chelation, Glutothione, detox, to

Mb12. , It actually seemed that each one was a building block to the

next. Step. Maybe that is because we were learning this altogether as

we followed the Dan! Movement.

I know that also we have to consider what they call the magic age

between 4-5 and many parents' see major gains at this time as

well.

All as I know is it all works together and there is no doubt in my

mind any of these have had a placebo effect. Because placebo's

don't

work on these guys, (maybe us thinking so)

And placebos don't make our kids express themselves for the first

time, talk, and show love and affection.

O yea " lots of prayer, love, and Hugs

" Our families squeeze machine, (HUGS xoxxo)

Will far out way Temple Grandins any day of the week.

Thanks Kenny V

Father to

(my main squeeze)

More exerts:

This was with the first into to chelation.

From toddler to age 3.5 my son was not potty trained, basically had

no language, no sense of pain nor fears, non responsive,

inappropriate play, self stimulus behaviors and was rarely engaged

in anything but his own world. By the time he was 5 he had made too

many gains to list that would require over 4 pages to touch on what

he gained in one years time.

Subject: Re:afraid to chelate?? TEARS of JOY

I'm wondering what effective methods parents here use to handle all the

stress. When my son goes through extended periods of regression, aggression,

seizures, etc., I find myself having a hard time coping with the stress. I am

planning to conceive soon, and our DAN! says that, while it is okay to have a

little bit of stress during pregnancy, it is not okay to experience long

periods of stress. She says that the mom's stress during pregnancy determines

the baby's neurotransmitter blueprint. So, if anyone has suggestions for

stress management, I would love to hear them. Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Make sure you have time outs...for yourself. Take time out and do things that

make you happy as often as you can. Maybe take in a movie once a month.

Scrapbooking is fun for me. I am starting to make cards to possibly sell in a

new baby boutique near my work. Volunteer somewhere a couple hours a week. It

need not be a costly time out just a mental break.

Also remember even if you have to post a sign on your mirror so you see it

everyday...You are doing amazing things for your son!!! So many parents don't

know about biomedical treatments thus have no hope at all. We are blessed to

have hope in a future for our kids. I have always said that I will fight until

I know my son has progressed as far as he can go and then I will be happy with

what he has accomplished. If that doesn't cheer me up at least a little bit I

think about all the parents who don't even have what I have, parents who lost

their children. I am blessed that the situation isn't as bad as what others

have. We are still allowed to wallow at times though, this still isn't an easy

life.

What do you mean by extended periods of regression and aggression? We have

been doing chelation for several months now and biomed for 4+ years now and

haven't had that issue. After each chelation round we always see new words,

understanding of language, expressive gains...not any regression. Only time we

had issue with that was when his round was stopped unexpectedly and we had big

redistribution. He didn't fully come out of that until we did a proper

chelation round the following weekend.

Wishing you well with the planning of a new baby!!! That was an exciting and

scary time for me when I was doing it for the second time. I found out my

oldest was ASD when I was barely pregnant with my second. I was terrified he

would be the same way. After much research I decided not to vaccinate him and

payed very close attention to his digestion/stools/and possible food

intolerances. I realized very quickly that he was intolerant to me drinking

milk as he had very bad diaper rashes that disappeared when I stopped drinking

milk and reappeared when I did. I watched how much gluten/soy and casien he got

since allergies are often passed down. He is a typical kiddo and he is going to

be 4 in just a couple months. Did the same with my 20 month old daughter and

she is also very typical.

JLJukoski@... wrote:

I'm wondering what effective methods parents here use to handle all the

stress. When my son goes through extended periods of regression, aggression,

seizures, etc., I find myself having a hard time coping with the stress. I am

planning to conceive soon, and our DAN! says that, while it is okay to have a

little bit of stress during pregnancy, it is not okay to experience long

periods of stress. She says that the mom's stress during pregnancy determines

the baby's neurotransmitter blueprint. So, if anyone has suggestions for

stress management, I would love to hear them. Thanks!

[Guest guest]

,

My answer isn't about stress, but have you seen the recommendation

made at ABMD about how to supplement before conception? I can find

that for you if you've not read it yet. It looked very promising.

Anita

>

> I'm wondering what effective methods parents here use to handle

all the

> stress. When my son goes through extended periods of regression,

aggression,

> seizures, etc., I find myself having a hard time coping with the

stress. I am

> planning to conceive soon, and our DAN! says that, while it is

okay to have a

> little bit of stress during pregnancy, it is not okay to

experience long

> periods of stress. She says that the mom's stress during

pregnancy determines

> the baby's neurotransmitter blueprint. So, if anyone has

suggestions for

> stress management, I would love to hear them. Thanks!

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

> I'm wondering what effective methods parents here use to handle all

the

> stress.

Yoga. I'd be in the nuthouse without it. I take 1 or 2 classes a week,

and every day do something at home. The magic of it is that even if

all I can manage is one relaxation pose for 5 minutes, it makes a huge

huge difference.

Nell

[Guest guest]

If you are really planning on doing this (sorry if that sounds

harsh, but I can't wrap my mind around trying to manage another one

with what we have on our plates already), please make sure your

thyroid et al are up and running. Free T3, Free T4, etc.

Anne

>

> I'm wondering what effective methods parents here use to handle

all the

> stress. When my son goes through extended periods of regression,

aggression,

> seizures, etc., I find myself having a hard time coping with the

stress. I am

> planning to conceive soon, and our DAN! says that, while it is

okay to have a

> little bit of stress during pregnancy, it is not okay to

experience long

> periods of stress. She says that the mom's stress during

pregnancy determines

> the baby's neurotransmitter blueprint. So, if anyone has

suggestions for

> stress management, I would love to hear them. Thanks!

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I thought the same thing for a second as well Anne. It is hard, I know this

first hand. My second was born when my first was 2 1/2 and we were just getting

an ABA program started. Supplements are coming and going and there was a ton

going on. But...having my second son around has been an amazing for my ASD son.

He forces him to interact, bugs him constantly. I have had them sharing a room

from the beginning, they were together all the time! They are so very close

now. As my NT son gains skills and vocabulary my ASD son is encouraged to do

the same. It at times is almost like having twins. They potty trained about

the same time...that kind of thing. I have always said if I knew my first was

autistic at that time I was wanting to get pregnant I wouldn't have for a long

time if ever again. I still believe that would be true. I wouldn't have done

it with the information I had. I also know it would have been a huge mistake

not to have had my second son. That child

has been an enormous blessing to my ASD son, not to mention just a blessing!!!

Hard, yes it will be. Getting as much organized before the baby comes will be

very important. Take help from anyone who offers even if it is just to help

with grocery shopping or other errand. If you belong to a church family get

them as involved as you need. I know the teens in our church are wonderful and

have helped me when my husband was on an extended business trip. It might seem

imposing but many people feel great joy when they are able to help others.

Good advice though to make sure your body is ready to have another baby.

Proper nutrition is crucial. If you suspect any issues with yourself maybe

taking digestive enzymes to ensure you are absorbing the vitamins and minerals.

I know they have helped me tremendously.

Good luck!!!

anneecbrynn <abrynn@...> wrote:

If you are really planning on doing this (sorry if that sounds

harsh, but I can't wrap my mind around trying to manage another one

with what we have on our plates already), please make sure your

thyroid et al are up and running. Free T3, Free T4, etc.

Anne

>

> I'm wondering what effective methods parents here use to handle

all the

> stress. When my son goes through extended periods of regression,

aggression,

> seizures, etc., I find myself having a hard time coping with the

stress. I am

> planning to conceive soon, and our DAN! says that, while it is

okay to have a

> little bit of stress during pregnancy, it is not okay to

experience long

> periods of stress. She says that the mom's stress during

pregnancy determines

> the baby's neurotransmitter blueprint. So, if anyone has

suggestions for

> stress management, I would love to hear them. Thanks!

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I knew as soon as I pushed " send " that it was not an appropriate

thing to post. My apologies, . I think I am just so often

overwhelmed by this stuff that the concept of trying to run these

interventions with a newborn in tow seems like it is just asking for

it. Truth is that it is probably the work/ASD combination that has

put me over the top, and I do often wish my little guy had a

sibling....

, please do make sure that you are in great health as you go

down this path. I worry about the moms (including myself) as much

as the kids.

Again, sorry about my first post.

Anne

> >

> > I'm wondering what effective methods parents here use to handle

> all the

> > stress. When my son goes through extended periods of

regression,

> aggression,

> > seizures, etc., I find myself having a hard time coping with

the

> stress. I am

> > planning to conceive soon, and our DAN! says that, while it is

> okay to have a

> > little bit of stress during pregnancy, it is not okay to

> experience long

> > periods of stress. She says that the mom's stress during

> pregnancy determines

> > the baby's neurotransmitter blueprint. So, if anyone has

> suggestions for

> > stress management, I would love to hear them. Thanks!

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

>>Again, sorry about my first post.

>>Anne

---

I didn't see anything wrong with your first post. To quote:

" I can't wrap my mind around trying to manage another one with what we have

on our plates already " .

If I said (for example) " I can't imagine working while raising these kids

and I am so glad I had the luxury of being home with them " , I doubt any

working moms would take that as a criticism of them. YMMV, of course.

As for the original question:

If you can get someont to take your child for a little while once a week, I

highly recommend taking breaks. When you are freaking out, try to sit down

or lay down if at all possible and REST a little bit. That often is the

difference for me between being able to cope and feeling totally overwhelmed

-- even if I don't sleep. Just sitting down and taking a breather can make

a huge difference. And drink enough water. Low-grade dehydration can be

just as stressful and tiring as lack of sleep.

Of course, take your vitamins and so forth -- take care of yourself so you

have the energy for all this.

When I was pregnant with number 2, my oldest was 2 years old. I managed to

take my oldest to the playground every day that summer for an hour or so

just before dinner (often, after sticking the main dish in the oven). It is

the only time in his life when he consistently went to bed at a decent hour

-- which was such a godsend. Nonetheless, when I was about 6 months

pregnant, I was exhausted that a friend who had THREE kids under the age of

5 insisted on taking my son overnight so I could sleep for 12 hours

straight. I think that one night of really getting enough sleep made the

entire rest of the pregnancy MUCH more bearable.

HTH,

--

Michele in Limbo (formerly in California)

talithamichele@...

Visit Michele's World!

http://www.califmichele.com

" Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding. "

-- Albert Einstein