So, I (well we, the hubby confirmed) made a decision today. We are done with GAPS. We have been on it for a little over five weeks now and have been struggling with the food and limitations since the beginning against lack of "ah!" moments. But before you get all "wah!" on me, hear me out.
When we went onto this program, we were convinced that not only Austin, but I, NEEDED it to ultimately feel better and rid each of us with our chronic issues, for good and that our current dietary changes were not enough. As you may remember, Austin had frequent bouts of eczema, reflux, throwing up and as we found out while on GAPS, yeast overgrowth. I was dealing with a host of digestive issues that led to a couple endoscopes, a colonoscopy, proton pump inhibitors and frequent occurrences of heart burn/reflux. Fun.
I must preface and say this program is crucial for so many people. Like I mentioned before, there are kids that are failing to thrive because of so many intolerances, even to the basic molecular protein and this program SAVES THEIR LIVES and gives them a chance to lead a normal life again. Here are a few (many, many more) stories worth noting:
About Ellie - FPIES and GAPS -Ellie Belly
About Filbert - Autism and GAPS - Takes A Town
About Kennedy - Dravet Syndrome and GAPS - Home Food Heals
Many of these blogs show how GAPS diet has brought normalcy to their lives and/or has rid them of their original diagnosis! Amazing journeys.
For us, not so crucial. I came a across a couple blogs over the last couple days that hit home for me. The one that made the largest impression on me is one by Cara @ Health, Home, Happiness. This post was generally about how the program is not for everyone. After being on the GAPS diet and visiting the FB page for GAPS Kids for questions, I come to realize that we were in no way as severe as these kids or their parents. While we had a yeast breakout around Austins mouth, some kids were experiencing it all over their bodies. Itchy, very uncomfortable bumps. While Austin would have eczema breakouts on his cheeks when stressed, some of these folks couldn't eat certain foods without causing seizures or full blown attacks of their systems, like a FPIES reaction would. This was not us and our little issues are in no way compared to what some these people are experiencing, EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
I am not downplaying Austin's eczema, bloating or the other things we have experienced, at all. They are definite symptoms of gut dysbiosis. We are just finding that the GAPS program is not the route for us to go at this point. We are going to try things like uping our probiotic intake through fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, kombucha and sauerkraut and pickles. We are going to take daily probiotic. We are still staying away from processed sugars. Basically going back to our normal diet with an extra oomph and gusto!
OH! The other blog!
Heather @ Mommypotomus had her family on GAPS for awhile and seem to be helpful for them. She also came across an issue with her daughter Katie, not a typical GAPS kid as she describes, and the appearance of yeast overgrowth on her face!
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| Candida going "Billy The Kid" on Austin's face. |
It is exactly what Austin is dealing with and I was encouraged to hear that GAPS (and other homeopathic remedies) worked to clear it up for her. As mentioned above, we will go with less laborious approaches at this point in time.
I have learned a lot in this program however. One, there are some very strong momma's out there. I am inspired by the ladies that I have come to know through this GAPS journey. The common theme you will find is strong evidence for a mom's intuition and the perseverance against some serious odds to bring real health to their children in need. I can come up with one word, HERO. Enough said.
Two, from Mom of a kid with corn allergies, corn is used in EVERYTHING! And with corn as one of the highest % to be a GMO in America, you might not want to know.
