Dr. Denboer part deux....

So, today was our follw-up apt. with Dr. Denboer. They call it "findings and recomendations" apt. Craig and I were so pleased with what he had to say. First of all, Jack has significant swelling of his C1 vertabrae....which is just behind his right ear, base of head...he said it's "blocked", has lack of motion and is causing brain stem pressure...which translates into- it's messing with his head! He said that the nerve that's being blocked is also the nerve that wraps around the eustacion tube, which causes ear infections!!!! Behavior, brain fog, irritability and function are directly affected by this blockage.....! He said it's 50% of the probelm. 50%!!!!! (we're half-way there then) Manipulation (chiropractic manipulation) will release the blockage and eliminate the swelling and pressure. Second, he also, like other doctors before him, believes that Jack has leaky gut. We are taking a urine sample for toxins in his system; now we already know Jack has toxins, but after a weeks worth of a new detoxer we've never used before, we're taking a urine sample to see how it's working, based on Jack's old toxin levels, which we provided. Jack is an abnormal detoxifier, which we new, so we need to get his liver funcions up and his toxins down...making sense? Thirdly, we are staying on the GFCF diet....but not food sensitivities diet....(thank you, Jesus)...so gluten and casein (milk and wheat) are still out, but that's nothing compared to what we've been doing for the last year! We are putting him on all new suppliments too. Jack will be closely monitored for the next 6 weeks by Dr. Denboer to make sure we are on the right track. He will be getting bi-weekly manipulations for awhile, then weekly.....at 6 weeks we do a full re-evaluation. (whoo! that's a lot of info.)

He enthusiastically commended us on our efforts so far and said had we not done what we've done...we'd be looking at a much different child. (not in a good way) Which made us feel a little proud and gratified in our hard work. Cost isn't an issue when you're saving your child's life....inconvenience.....interupted nights...whatever...as long as the outcome is satisfying. We are, we feel, getting closer and closer to our goal with Jack. This is the next chapter and step to his recovery and improved quality of life. We are so excited!!!

Thanks everyone who was praying for us regarding this visit. Our prayers were answered almost verbatim....a "new" outlook.....a "new" approach.

We'll keep you posted...thanks for logging in and keeping up with our little family.

Florida Trip 2009

Greetings! I want to start off by saying...I'm so glad Scott picked week one to go to Florida! ; ) hahahaha (ok, that was below the belt)

February 6th, we picked Jack up from school and drove to Detroit. We spent the night at a Baymont near the airport. We walked in to the lobby and Heath announced (louder than I'd have liked) that he was going to throw up. Sure enough...he did, luckily I got him to the bathroom in the lobby in time. Ugh. He must take after me; I was sick many a holiday because of excitement induced vomiting. (TMI? Sorry)

The next morning, with some golfers Orlando-bound (who had a bottle of Wiskey on one of their bags in the lobby) we caught a shuttle to the Detroit airport.....

Our week in Orlando was warm and beautiful! 75-80 every day! We hit Disney World after a day at the pool.

It was so fun. A parent's dream to take their child to Disney for the first time. Their reactions were exactly as we'd hoped.

My parents paid for the whole day! (thanks, Mom and Dad...we love you!)

We rode lots of rides- Heath's favorite? "Splash Mountain" Jack's favorite? "Thunder Mountain" They each went on the their favorite three times! So fun!

At the end of 12 hours, for we stayed for the light parade and fireworks, we headed home...this Heath at the end of the day, when we arrived back at the condo.

The last 2 days were mostly spent at the pool....

I enjoyed sitting by the pool reading and swimming...."wine time" with my mom...no laundry, phone calls, appointments, nothing...........so nice........

We also celebrated Jack's birthday a little early with my parents....

On the way home, getting on the airplane bound for Chicago, the flight attendant asked if the boys wanted to meet the captain, who excused himself, after a quick hello to the boys, and allowed them to sit in his chair for 10 minutes, while he chit-chatted with the passengers. Jack turned on the engines to the plane!!!! I got to be up there too, it was so cool for the boys to be in the cock-pit and sit in the captain's chair...while the co-pilot asked them questions and logged their names into the computer. Thanks United Airlines!

Well, that about covers it. A great few days in the sunshine state! Thanks again, Mom and Dad for taking care of us for a few days. We had a blast!

Dr. Denboer

Well, winter is still here. It's cold but sunny and soon me and the fam will be heading down to the sunshine state. My parents are vacationing there for 6 weeks (smart people) during the coldest months of Michigan. We are joining them for a few days next week. Part of their Chirstmas present to the boys was taking them to Disney World, so we'll be doing that one day as well. The weather in late winter early spring is always a crap shoot in Orlando, but it looks as if we're are going to luck out (even though I don't believe in luck) and have sunny and 75 most days we're there. We'll take lots of pictures and post them upon our return!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that we were going to be seeing Dr. Denboer here in Grand Rapids. He is a holistic medicine doctor and chiropractor. He is the perfect mix for me and Craig...I am willing to try anything (remember my voodoo comment) as long as it doesn't hurt Jack, to make him better; Craig is more conservative and needs a double-blind placebo test peer-reviewed and published in a medical journal before he'll consider it. Well, I think we've found that mix in Dr. Denboer. He dazzled me. The way he examined Jack and listened to his body and felt him...it was amazing, a God-given gift for sure. (sometimes those are so obvious in people) I mean any time a Dr. says, "oh yeah, I can hear he has a yeast build up...some fermentation it sounds like...he's definitely having a reaction to something..." you know you've struck gold! He said he isn't into new age stuff (voodoo) and won't do anything that hasn't been tested and proved effective. He took a lot of information from us, as we had a lot to give and we are seeing him in two weeks. I'm excited to get a fresh set of eyes on Jack. I think as a parent of a special needs child it's important to get a fresh perspective every 6 months or so.

Also, we are considering what to do with Jack educationally for the rest of this year and next. I have some feelers out and we have a meeting with Grandville Schools to decide what he qualifies for as far as services. (if we decide to accept them or not) Jack doesn't really fit into the typical education mold, so we are trying to expand our horizons and think outside the box. I will of course keep you posted on all things "Jack".

Heath is fine and I tried to capture him on video yesterday belting out a new tune, but he wouldn't have it so..sorry to all you fans! He has been enjyoing playing baseball in the basement this winter and it is a bi-daily occurence....

Craig is good. He is looking for part-time work to suppliment his lost hours and JDH and has been enjoying his new drums. He is in a men's book study about marriage and has signed up for a couple Bible-theology classes through our church.

I am the same. I finsihed the "Twilight"series last week and find that I am missing my "stories". The series was so good and I enjoyed reading them very much. The movie was excellent too, I saw it 3 times before it left theaters. (no I'm not embarassed or ashamed...but thanks for asking) I'm looking forward to some sun, even if it's only for a few days.

Thanks for checking in and you'll be hearing from me soon, upon our return from Florida!

Girls weekend part deux

Good morning, all! It is -5 degrees here right now! But, there was a beautiful sunrise that I praised God for on the way to school.

This weekend I went north to the "Lakehouse" to spend some time with my Grandma Clarke. We got together for a "girls' weekend" in the fall and both enjoyed it so much, I thought we should do it again...to break up this long winter. My parents' house was "closed up" while they are in Florida for 6 weeks, so I had to "turn it back on" so to speak, but it was worth it. It was so fun and peaceful. It was cold but sunny. We watched a movie, ate pizza, drank wine, talked....talked ...talked......played cribbage, which she beat me, both games!!! (that may have been the wine) No, she won fair and square. We played ping pong and read our books. It was very nice.

Not a lot new here....oh yeah, Craig's hours have been cut at work, so we are looking for ways to suppliment that pay. Please be praying that we will be wise and trusting in God. We aren't worried, just patiently seeking God's will. (always a new challenge for us to rise to) God will bless us and has carried us thus far. Thank you all for your consistent prayers for us. We need them! Til next time!

Kids are funny...

Good morning friends and family. I have aquestion to send out to the cosmos...at what age to children stop enjoying being naked? My younger son loves it. Of course it fits his personality...he's a little wood nymph for sure...magical, whimsical, LOVES TO BE NAKED! Here's proof.....

...he thinks nothing of climbing onto Craig's shoulder in all his glory. As you can see from Craig's face, he can hardly believe it either.

Anyway, enough of that. Heath has a pajama party today at school. He's soooo excited about it. When he found out Monday, he wanted to wear his pjs until Wed., so he wouldn't forget...to get ready.....he's cute. Jack has been fighting a cold/ear infection for 4 months, that we are hoping he is finally coming out of. Ugh. He went to the orthodontist yeaterday and we are still waiting to do any work on his mouth to correct his lower jaw, which is growing faster than his top (think Jay Leno). He goes back in in July. We are starting to read "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe"; I'm hoping he'll enjoy it.

Hope you're all staying warm. Spring will be here soon. Love you all!

Happy Birthday, Scott!

Greetings from snowy Grandville, Michigan. We are in the single digits here and have lots of snow! I believe God provides the snow to cover up the ugliness of winter. Let's get to the topic at hand....today is my brother, Scott's birthday!

He'll probably role his eyes when you wish him a happy birthday today...but I know deep inside he's happy you remembered ; )! Scott is loyal. Fiercely loyal. He is sensitive, much like my dad. He is the funniest person I know. I usually pee my pants at least once when we get together. (especially since the babies were born) He loves the outdoors. He loves music and movies, like me. He is a veracious reader and most people don't know this, but was accepted to an ivy league school when he applied for colleges his senior year of high school. He's wicked smart. (I always wished I was more like him in that way) He's a man's man....and he's great at business. (to quote"Tommy Boy", which I think we should all be in practice of doing, "he could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman wearing white gloves")! It's true. He's gotten me to do a lot of things...just by pure suggestion..."come on! you're better at vacuuming than I am...!" Scott has a lot of friends. For a person who doesn't enjoy crowds, he's very social...and good with people. Everybody respects Scott. Including me. I love you, big brother. Happy birthday!

Back in the swing of things....

Hello friends and family....time to take a walk with the Tamlyn boys (through the eyes of their mom).

We got the report back from Jack's psychologist and the news is good. I'll try to keep it simple for the report is several pages long. Basically, Jack is keeping his autism spectrum diorder diagnosis...although he falls on the "Atypical autism" (pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified) pdd-nos catagory. He fell on the "likely range" for Asperger's and "unlikely range" for autism. That's confusing, I know, since his diagnosis didn't change. The reason for that is, his doctor thinks he will likely continue to remediate and make progress and that neither diagnosis is neccesarily appropriate. The problem with autism (besides the obvious) is that it has many faces and many symptoms....

In a nut shell, he thought Jack was at a 4 1/2-5 1/2 year old level socially. Which we agreed with, and are pleased with, considering his original diagnosis 4 years ago. Obviously Jack is at an 8-10 year old level in other areas (although those areas are not nearly as important to us). So, with that said, we are having him evaluated again by the school district to see what services he qualifies for. He won't qualify for AI (autism impairment) services, thankfully, but he still has obstacles that have to do with OCD, GAR (general anxiety disorder) and ADHD... his doctor felt he certainly has the first two, but thought as he matures those may fade away....and if not, we are to have him tested for ADHD. He is already on meds for anxiety.

By the end of Feb. Jack will be re-evaluated through the school district and given an IQ test to see how we progress from here. Our goal is to do what's best for Jack and make education as enjoyable and productive as possible. Also, we have tried veering off the extremely strict diet Jack is on, but we are afraid it isn't agreeing with him very well. That is still a work in progress.......he will be seeing a specialist in Grand Rapids, Dr. Denboer, Feb. 3rd, who is another holistic medicine doctor. We would like to get a fresh set of eyes on him and discuss treatments, including diet and possibly chiropractor manipulation. I'll keep you posted on all that.

Here some photos and video. I know you've missed seeing Heath (the one man band) so here he is

And here are a couple pix of my parents visiting yesterday....on their way to Pennsylvania to visit their friends the Allens. Thanks for taking down our Christmas lights, Dad. See you guys in Fla. in 4 weeks!

Til we meet again, thanks for logging on and checking in with my family.