A NEW Way of "Life"

Okay - so here we are again - that's right.... another thing to try with Peter.

We had the three kids (Gabi, Beth and Peter) in for wellness check ups last week. Peter had one of his worse flare ups of all time the day before on our ride back home from our weekend away. He was red, itchy, and had huge hives. They were bubbled way up and one hive covered his entire arm. Needless to say, he was miserable. Benedryl does not always work with him. I've yet to figure out any rhyme or reason to when it does and when it does not work. Anyway, at the doctor's visit, it was agreed that it was time to see a specialist. It was also agreed that we needed to look at things like diet, not just cover up the problem.

New Problem - our insurance does not cover naturalist options. All the dermatologists that I was able to find and talk to work strictly with medications and creams (ie... steriods)... we're not ready to believe that Peter needs to be on steriods... especially when it would likely mean the rest of his life. We want to find the cause and eliminate it... not just cover it up and pretend it isn't an issue.

So, with that in mind, Bob wants us to keep a detailed journal and try a few more things ourselves first - before paying out of pocket. It's been overwhelming to consider, but we're finally doing some other things... not everything yet, but we'll get there if we need to.

We've eliminated the following:
Eggs
Dyes
Berries (which we already know cause problems)
Seafood

If needed, we'll also eliminate chocolate, peanuts, wheat, milk and soy. I might start in on the chocolate because he had some yesterday and today he's not feeling so well. He's not too bad... and it may be because his legs have been so dry and I've not put anything on them (trying to avoid anything store bought). I'm working on getting some beeswax lotion made only with olive oil (since he's okay with that oil).

We've also changed our laundry habits:
No more fabric softeners or dryer sheets. No more strain removers (though I'd love to find an all natural one that we can "make" ourselves). We're only using All Free and Clear (though we're going to try some homemade Borax stuff) and then Vinegar in the rinse cycle (which we do twice) which both softens and strips any excess detergent out of the clothing. And YES! Vinegar actually works to soften clothes... more than that, I honestly think our clothes are softer... and.... it's sooooo much less expensive! We use about 1/2 cup in each rinse.

Anyway... we've seen a huge difference in Peter's skin... we're not sure if it's food or contact since we've removed things for both. But Bob seems to steer towards contact because the hands, feet, head and diaper area are never effected.

The good news in all this... it may just force us to find more natural alternatives... and that's not a bad thing... especially when it's more cost effect (and not just in buying the products, but in preserving health).