Wednesday, August 12, 2015

A Long Time Coming... part 2

Now, I had heard the term GAPS diet mentioned in the FPIES circle before. I only knew that it was even more restrictive than paleo, and that it involved bone broth, in a belief that one could potentially repair the damage in the gut, and heal the body from FPIES... how very little I knew.

It turns out, GAPS is also recommended by the Weston A. Price Foundation (a non profit org "dedicated to restoring nutrient dense foods to the american diet through education, research and activism.") The Weston Price Foundation believes that it's possible to reverse damage to many parts of the body through dietary changes. In a nutshell, it believes that the whole body is connected, and by not feeding the body properly, that many of our modern health problems can be fixed by reverting to more traditional methods of eating. This means eliminating sugars and grains, eating grass fed meats, and eating a diet rich in vegetables, bone broth and probiotics. As it turns out, many FPIES parents have significantly benefited from the GAPS diet with their little ones. For us, it was worth the shot to attempt it. If not to reverse or prevent further damage to B's teeth, then to at least help her get through the stage of her life where FPIES is the star.

We have now been on the GAPS diet for 3 weeks. I am also eating on the GAPS diet. We did not do the intro diet, as she is over the age of 2, and the intro diet is so restrictive that switching cold turkey would have made it too difficult for us. Instead, we are doing a closer version to the full GAPS diet. We eliminated grains, sweeteners (except raw honey which is allowed), starchy vegetables (like potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, etc.) We have switched her back to goats milk (off of almond milk), added in fermented foods (like sauerkraut), fermented dairy (like kefir), bone broth, grass fed butters and animal fats, and more non-starchy veggies (like squash!) We can't do coconut, so coconut oil had to be set aside, even though it's permissible on GAPS. Instead, we are using olive oil (with low heat cooking or raw) or ghee (clarified butter) or grass feed butter for anything we cook with higher temps.

In this time, B has seemed to be doing a little better. She's had a very coincidental language burst, coinciding with some other odd symptoms that could technically be her body detoxing on the GAPS diet. We did discover a 5th cavity in her mouth as well, and we think the dentist just didn't see it the first time around with her squirming around during her initial visit. The second dentist confirmed that without treatment that she will likely lose the teeth early, and that it could potentially cause nerve damage and damage to her permanent adult teeth. This hurt. My heart felt like it was breaking, and I felt nauseous to think we would have to undergo surgery at such a young age with so many significant risks (FPIES and both the long term/general side effects of anesthesia on toddlers).  We have scheduled the procedure for the 10th of September, and hope to come through it without issue. In the mean time, we will continue with GAPS and hope to prevent any further damage to her teeth, and prepare her body for the harsh conditions of surgery. If GAPS makes any improvement for her, I will try to start regularly updating this blog. I wish that there was a handbook for parents of children with FPIES. It would certainly make things a lot easier on all of us to consolidate our collective wisdom.

On a personal note, since I've started GAPS (as long as I don't cheat) I have lost 4 lbs in three weeks. With no other changes. I am sleeping better, have less intestinal distress, and more energy than usual. Perhaps it's physiological, but as a skeptical person by nature, I'm inclined to believe that it's having at least some positive effects on my health if nothing else.


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A Nursing Mother