Mother's Intuition

I love when I have those "ah ha" moments. What I hate about them, is the bitter after-taste they leave when you realize, you really knew this all along.

We've been struggling with behavioral issues with our oldest, Destini since she was about 3 or 4 years old -- years before my divorce from her bio-father. I have consulted with parenting coaches, pediatricians, social workers, teachers, psychologists and psychiatrists. In spite of the 20+ years of professional training I have consulted, it looks like I am finally headed towards a solution.

But this is not at the credit of that 20+ years of professional training & education, but merely my own 13 years of being a mother and less than $10 on a book.

One thing that dawned on me as I read this book, was that none of these so-called professionals ever recommended any bloodwork, diet journaling or allergy testing. No one ever requested psychological testing, MRI's or CAT scans. Not one doctor ever asked for results of standardized tests. The parent coaches and social workers never did an in-home observation. And my daughter's obvious difficulty with organization and stress-management never raised a red flag to teachers that there was a focus issue. But on our second visit to the psychiatrist, they gave her a prescription for an antidepressent, diagnosed her with depression, anxiety and trichotillomania and recommended once-a-week meetings with the therapist and once-a-month visits with the psychiatrist. Meds & meetings. Following this regimine would cost us approximately $500+ per month and there was no outlook for how long this treatment plan would need to continue.

I thank God He created me to be an investigator and someday my daughter will be thankful she was born to parents who never take anything at face value.

Realizing that this was a treatment plan we simply would not be able to consistantly afford, I began doing my own research. Without going into great detail (I'll save that for the book), what I found made me angry, relieved and hopeful. Angry because no one ever thought of this. Relieved because I knew now we could fix it. Hopeful because at least Dezi is young enough that we can all enjoy her childhood like we should before its too late.

Simply put, it's all about diet. We have determined that Destini, like millions of other kids and her mom included, are sugar addicts and highly sugar sensitive. Similar to diabetics, our bodies simply do not process sugars the same way, but rather it reacts with our bodies the way alcohol does with an alcoholic. With diet changes and close monitoring, Destini CAN overcome this monster that has taken over her life!

I've heard and read many stories of children who overcame a gamut of emotional and behavioral problems with diet change. I have always kept that possibility in the back of my head, but I never put much weight on it. But motherly instinct kicked in and I truly believe it's going to pay off.

Remember that, despite the cost, studies and time it costs to become a doctor, psychologist or family counselor, no professional trumps a mother's intuition. I should have learned that a long time ago when Destini had to have surgery at 5 weeks old! (another story for the book!)