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Thank you so much for your help and encouagement relative to our challenges
with Angel. Many of you have asked for more information ... so I'm going to
put more of her history here for you ...

She will be 3 in April ... and has been in our home since about May.  Her
short life has been filled with much sadness ... she was a very heavy baby
... breast fed for quite some time as I recall and really fought weaning ...
only wanted Mommie drinks!  She then went to Carnation Follow Up formula.

She had terrible problems with constipation as a youngster.  Would not go
for 4 days at a time occassionally and was constantly managed with gylcerin
suppositories.  Just found out Friday at this latest appointment she was
hospitalized once as an infant for an impaction.  (poor baby)

Thus far I have heard and seen diagnosis of PDD/NOS ... CP ... Autistic ...
she was basically vacant when we met her ... could not focus ... just pretty
much laid on her back and cried (bald spot on her head) ...

When I was introduced to her about a year ago ... it was very clear to me
that she had something terribly wrong with her in relation to her formula.
Her little tummy would swell up and become very hard and rigid after her
bottle (pretty much totally bottle fed would not take solids).  Gas all the
time ... And she cried all the time as well.  She cried so much that she was
given Chloral Hydrate (scuse spelling) 2X a night to sleep (and that still
did not work) ... and Tylenol with Codeine many times in the day especially
when her ears flared.  She had chronic ear infections and had even had to
have tubes put in her ears. Multiple antibiotic use ... Her parents were
totally exhausted trying to deal with this huge challenge and keep their
family together (another 4 year old sister as well).

When she came full time into our home we were asked if we might be able to
get our Angel off of the drugs and remove milk (I could smell the yeast on
her) as well as put her on enzymes and acidolphilus and blue green algae.
We also talked about what I had been learning here and on the Autism list (I
have another 8 year old Autistic Foster Son as well) and we decided to try
to keep her as gluten free as possible.

She came off the medications with such grace ... and adapted very well to
our concotions devised for her bottle.  We moved very quickly into Organic
Baby Food jars ... the progress was incredible.  She went from vacant to
sitting - grabbing - laughing - smiling - tracking with her eyes - now she
scoots off the couch totally independently and stands for long periods - is
now beginning to talk - and took her first supported independent steps in
December!  It has truly been a miracle. And her immune system has really
improved ... she's only had one flare in the last 7 months with her ears (I
believe after we tested Almond mylk which we found out she was allergic to).

However she has slowly been losing weight during this period.  She has gone
from midrange now to below the charts ... a few weeks ago she had a terrible
bout of diarrhea and vomiting.  The vomiting was just once and looked like
gagging reflex.  But the diarrhea lasted about 3 or 4 days and she just
would not eat.  It was so scarey ... but she rallied and came back and began
again to eat as she had been.  This was a few days after a Quinoa test ... ?

Then Friday week ago it happened again ... vomited once and diarrhea
horribly ... the moment it happened her body shrivled like a raisin.  Her
little arms are almost skeletons now ... she looks like a little Ethopian
baby ... she absolutely refused to eat ... we had to wrap her up and put
fluids in her with a syringe ... she just has no more weight to lose ... and
is very weak now and refusing bottles even gagging still. I was not
convinced she was reacting to the gluten in the Rice Dream and had continued
it - mainly because all of our bottle "bases" she kept reacting to ... and
we are trying to rotate as much as possible.  However ... no more Rice Dream
will pass her lips from me ...

So we're running a battery of tests from our Holistic Doctor ... doing some
poop tests as well.  And she saw the Gasterointerolgist Friday that we were
referred to from the State ... she did a very comprehensive history ... and
said for us to put her back on Carnation formula (says that the Good Start
is "low allergin" ...) totally (nothing else) ... she did allow that milk
was not necessary ... but we think that she's doing this to be SURE she is
getting the proper balance (it was very difficult for her to calculate what
she was getting from our food log) - and when we attempted to discuss Celiac
she assured us it was "extrememly rare" in the US.

We are on day 3 of the formula now ... the first day she drank 2 bottles ...
yesterday 2 bottles and today 11 ounces by noon.  This cannot continue ...

So I (and her parents) appreciate all your heartfelt concern, feedback and
prayers ... I've been forwarding the responses to her parents (BTW they are
getting divorced now and the other daughter is with Dad) ... it has been a
miracle but we have to figure out this latest challenge quickly.  Thank you
again ... it's so wonderful to be able to vent here ... You are the greatest
... and I am sorry that I have not had time to thank each one of you
individually ... we are in survial please forgive me ...

Amy
"A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature"  Emerson  :)