One Step Forward and Three Steps Back

Everytime I think I have the SUGARLESS MOMMY thing down I find a new challege. Although this is difficult I have learned some thing through it all.

Things have been goign pretty well with Jaymeson for a couple of weeks, but this week we have had some interesting setbacks. Although we "think" we have kept ALL sugar out of his diet, this week he a set back in the poop area. I believe that maybe he had swiped a snack from another kid at daycare....BUT (BUTT...ok so I am my Dad's daughter and that made me laugh)...we will never know. I find it amazing how he can have good poop for days and then all of a sudden the flood gates open and we are back in CRAZY POOP mess! We have had a couple successful poops since and we are trying to stay ont he right track.

Now on to my BIGGEST challenge right now. I am BORED!!!! Jaymeson is doing great with his new diet (this morning he even ate 8....YES EIGHT...whole wheat, organic, sugarless pancakes with NOTHING on them). However, I am so bored with cooking the SAME things and eating the SAME things. WOW, you dont realize how badly you want something until you dont have it!

On top of being bored, I am trying to work on my patience with all the FOOD THINGS. It is so hard to go into a retaurant and ask for the nutrition information. You either get a look of "HUH?" because they have NO IDEA what it is or where to find it.....OR....you get a look of "What The Heck? your gonna make me work today!". I try so hard to stay patient and realize they dont understand what is going on, but it is hard. And I almost feel defensive for Jaymeson and myself as a Mother. I always WANT to say, sorry we are inconviencing you soooo much, because we know it is too much work to go and find this information so that my son can enjoy going out to eat like ANY other child his age! All he wants are some Chicken Fingers. BUT (dont worry I wont make the joke again) I hold myself back, take a deep breath and pray for patience!

So we are moving ahead and I will do one of two things:

1. Just be bored and impatient and deal with it.

2. Be creative, look for new recipes and TRY THEM. And comtrol my patience and realize if you havent dealt with anything like this you have no idea how it can be and give all restaurant staff a break for that!

So...tell me what YOU think 1 or 2??? What would you do??

I am freed from the hold of Whole Foods

As some of you may have read my experience at Whole Foods was less than stellar. AND the main thing I needed to find and get from there was BREAD!

I have found a solution! PANERA...they have about six different breads that use NO SUGAR! YEAH! (really if you could see me now you would see that I am litterally doing a happy dance at the thought of NO WHOLE FOODS, less money and more choices!)

Success! So tonight we got to enjoy the fruits (no pun intended...ok maybe just a small pun) of my searches and boy was it good! Asiago Cheese Bread, Ciabatta Bread and French Baguette! Bring on the carbs! LOL

So, tomorrow I may be making a PB sandwhich on Ciabatta Bread for my babydoll to take for lunch at school. How the small things matter now! :)

So the moral of this story: WE PRAISE THE CREATORS OF PANERA! You have won me a success in this journey! THANK YOU!

New Challenges and Successes ahead!

This week was an interesting week of POOP PATROL! Our lives have become more about "poop, turds, turds, gas, etc" then I EVER would have imagined.

It seems like everday I am either asking a daycare teacher, a babysitter, Grandma, etc to describe my childs poop. I know to anyone who has not gone through a sickness like this, that this may seem weird.

But, Jaymeson has been going along with the new diet GREAT and we have been strict about what he eats and taking his probiotic on time EVERY DAY (btw, we have to get him to "eat" a probiotic powder three time a day everyday!). Hoever, the only way to know if any of this is working is by.....you guessed it...shit!

Jaymeson's health depends on him having a close to normal bowel movement.

(WARNING: DECRIPTIVE POOP.....STOP HERE IF YOUR TUMMY GETS QUEEZY)

I have gone from describing his poop in any way I can, to finding that the best way to describe it is by comparing it to food. LITERALLY! Below is an example of my conversation with his DC Teacher on Tuesday:

Me: When you circle on his daily sheet that he had a BM can you please add a decriptive word. Since I dont se eyou at the end of the day, this will make it easier for me to know how well he is doing on ther new diet.

Teacher: What kind of decriptive word?

Me: Well, whatever word you can think of that will help me tell his doctor about the BMs he has been having.

Teacher: Ok, yeah, I can write down a color and that is was a BM.

Me: Oh no, sorry, a color doesnt do me much good, I need to know the consistancy.

Teacher: WAIT< you want me to touch it?

Me: NO NO NO!!!!! Just descripe the consistency. I have found this is easier to do by using food words. See, before he started the diet, I would have described it as Dark Brown Chocolate Milk. You know, you could pick up the diaper and it would just run out because it wasnt any thicker than milk.

Teacher: Ok, I kinda see, what would you say now?

Me: Well, now that he has been on the diet for two full weeks, I would say it is more like a Mustard Yellow color, but the consistancy of Mashed Potatoes.

Teacher: Ok, I got it, no problem

However, I pick him up from school that day and.......

BM is circled and beside that is says "Slimy".....ok can you guys tell me? Dies that mean slimy like pudding texture? Slimy like potato texture? Slimy like jello texture?

Are you confused......THIS is why I said FOOD WORDS!

I know it sounds gross, but it works! If you all ccan think of a better way....PLEASE...let me know!

Enjoy your poopy week!

The Whole Skinny on Whole Foods

During this challenge of NO SUGAR I have been told time and time again, sometimes by people that barely know me, that I just HAD to try Whole Foods Market. Well, I've been putting it off because it is a half hour away from our house. However, in a desperation to find MORE FOODS that Jaymeson can eat I went today!

Let me start by saying that for some people (With Diabetes, Celiacs, Peanut Allergies, etc.) this place is probably HEAVEN on EARTH! But for me the experience went something like this.....

I got in my car after work and drive the 15 min from the office to WF. When I finally arrive I pull into the parking lot and BOY was it busy! I literally (and for those of you that know the phrase, this is NO HERMILLER EXAGERATION!) drove around the cramped parking lot for 11min (and yes I timed it!) before I could find a spot. And I wasnt being picky....I dont mind having to walk alittle to get into a place. Sorry, getting a little off track.

I finally found a parking spot and I hike my way in. From the outside I was IMPRESSED! It was like mo other place I have ever grocery shopped. It is no Giant Eagle, Kroger or Hiennens. Back to my story....so I head inside and am immediately stunned by the noise level. I know Im only 30 and lound noise should not bother me, but come on people, it is a grocery store. There were people everywhere! Carry glasses of wine, waiting in line to try samples. And the music, you would have thought you were in a High School gymnasium before the Homecoming Dance!

But, I was willing to head deeper into the craziness for the sake of Jaymeson's taste buds! So, I was PUMPED! I thought this place would be the answer to my prayers...then I saw the $$$$$$! I truely thought that my eyes would explode with $$, you know like the cartoons! I mean a box of cereal for $8...that is pure explotation! But, If I could find a cereal for Jaymeson it would all be worth it.

I stood in EVERY ISLE and read WAY MORE LABELS than I ever thought I would. Label after label after label. And dont get me wrong I dont mind doing it, but why cant they just have a star on it that says SUGAR FREE (and mean it). Sugar Free should mean that it is free of ALL SUGARS! If they said Dairy Free, but still put cheese in it, you would think it was wrong. So why can companies put Sugar Free yet still use Cane Syrup (CANE IS SUGAR!). So, i continued to read EVERY LABEL OF EVERY ITEM I thought I might want to buy. WHAT A LONG NIGHT!!!!!

Finally, after MANY LABELS. I found a golden ticket. TWO LOAVES OF BREAD WITH NO SUGAR. Grant it they cost me triple what a loaf of bread cost at Giant Eagle. But my baby can now have a Peanut Butter (Minus the Jelly...remember...NO FRUIT!) Sandwich and a Grilled Cheese! Life has gotten a little better. But, if there was a way for me to avoid WF forever I WOULD! I paid too much, found too little without sugar and lost my mind in the mean time!

Soon will come the stories of Mustard Seed and Trader Joes...Bet you cant wait! :)

Food and Fun

WITH THE HELP OF MY MOM.....we have been trying to come up with "fun" food ideas for Jaymeson! One that Mom came up with that has been a HUGE hit

"Diabetic Cookies" which I am renaming "Color Your Rainbow Cookies" (much better and way more fun to say to the kids! Last weekend we made them with Grandma Jane....

Jaymeson loved how bright the color was! And you can change the color up each time by choosing a different flavor of "Sugar Free Jello" and they smelled good even BEFORE cooking them!

So Grandma and him stirred and stirred. Then he got to help roll them out and cut them out and BOY was he proud of him cookies! If you wanna check out more pictures of Grandma and Jaymeson making cookies check me out on Facebook (Lisa Warren Mann). And below you will find the recipe:

"Color Your Rainbow Cookies"

1 3/4c Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

3/4c Butter

1 pkg Sugar Free Jello (any flavor)

1 egg

1 tsp Vanilla

Cream Butter. Spoon into Jello, Egg and Vanilla. Add Flour and Baking Powder. Roll out dough 1/2" thick and cut into shapes. (we like the stars...hehe)

Bake at 350* F for 8 min (do not over cook)

We also made a batch where we rolled them into balls and used a fork to flatten as you would a peanut butter cookie, I actually liked them better this way. If you do this cook them for 10 min as they are thicker! ENJOY! Let me know what you think when you make them!

Lunches

Can you guess how hard it is to pack lunch for a two year old with a TON of diet restrictions?

HARDER THAN HECK!

If any of you have a two yr old, you know that they get bored quiet quickly. If you pack the same food over and over, eventually they wont eat it!

So....I have done Natural Peanut Butter on Fat Free/Sugar Free Saltine Crackers (remember, he cant have bread), Hormel Mac n Cheese (the only premade kind with no sugar), egg and cheese omelets.....and today Sausage Links, Cawliflower with Melted Cheese and a String Cheese. if you have any suggestions PLEASE comment and let me know!

Poop patrol begins again today! Jaymeson needs to poop in the next two days and let hope we can finally have our Turd Party! YES.....i said TURD PARTY! We are going to celebrate like it is 1999 if this kid actually poops a real turd! HEY....I warned you there would be alot of poop talk!

Day 6 of No Sugar ~ WE FOUND STEVIA!!!!

Today is day 6. And Jaymeson had a check up with Dr Taxman. He was happy to see that Jaymeson hasnt pooped in two days. This is normal when adjusting diets and it is a BIG change from 2-3 diahhrea diapers a day!

I also recived my first shipment of Stevia...the ONLY sweetener that Jaymeson can have. It is $10 for 4oz. But is very potent so it should last a while.

Stevia is made from a shrub that is int he same family as the sunflower. So, it doesnt come from a fruit or cane. Check this out if you want to learn more about it: www.purevia.com/Nature

I will start to post recipes as I find them and maybe you want to try them too! :)

We meet Dr. Taxman

On August 31, 2010 we began our journey through treatment with Jaymeson. Through an amazing friend, who's son happens to have Chrone's Disease (if you would like to help find a cure you can donate here www.ccfa.org/givefive , it is as easy as a txt message), we learned of Dr. Taxman. Dr. Thomas L. Taxman is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist. He has a little bit of a different view on fixing the intestinal tract. He believes most peoples bodies can reset themselves. He does not believe in immediate drugs and quick fixes.

He looked over the MULTIPLE blood testing and stool testing that Jaymeson was suffereing from FM. He explained that with ALL the antibiotics that Jaymeson was on for these two years that he no longer had any GOOD bacteria to keep the intestines healthy.

Antibiotics are a wonderful thing.....they saved our sons life MANY times....but you need good bacteria to digest food and absorb nutrients, etc. So, he put Jaymeson on Probiotics three times a day.

These are sometimes hard to give him, do to the fact that it is a powered medicine. So he either has to swallow it as such or dissolve it in a liquid and we have to make sure he drinks it ALL!

He also put him on a VERY STRICT DIET of NO SUGAR! NONE......yes, I know you are all thinking, you cant mean NONE! and I mean NONE! Diabetics can have natural sugars, so when they say sugar free cookies, they are made with Applesauce. HE CANT HAVE ANY SO FRUIT IS A NO! Below is a list of what Jaymeson CAN NOT HAVE:

Cold Cuts
Hotdogs
Any Meat Containing Sugar
Cereals with sugar, fructose or sorbitol (PS. even PLAIN Cherrios has sugar, we have been able to find TWO cereals without it...grapenuts and PLAIN shredded wheat...sound like fun?)
Sugar
Sucrose
Fructose
Sorbitol
ALL FRUITS
Fruit juices
Fruit extracts
Dehydrated fruits
Products that contain fruit
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Dressings
Ketchup
Chocolate Milk (he can have as much white milk as he wants!)
Nuts prepared with sugar, fructose or sorbitol (btw, Planters Salted Peanuts have sugar)
ALL breads that have sugar in them (you find one without you can let me know!)
Sweet Potatoes
Any dessert containing fructose, sugar or sorbitol (again fin me some that dont!!!! PLEASE!!!)
Carrots
Tomatoes
Corn
Any canned vegetables
Regular softdrinks
Honey
Jellies
Maple Syrup
Most Peanut Butters (I have found that Smucker's Natural is GOOD ONE! YEAH!)

So.....to sum that up....we have elimnated all fav toddler foods.....Kraft Mac n Cheese, Bananas, Apple Sauce, Hotdogs, Pizza.........and the list goes on!

FM (Fructose Malabsorption) ~ A little background on my amazingly strong boy! ~

In case you are like I was and had no clue that this weird medical disorder. Here is some background information:

Fructose Malabsorption (formerly known as Dietary Fructose Intolerance) is a digestive disorder in which absorption of fructose is impaired by deficient fructose carriers in the small intestines. Symptoms can include bloating, diarrhea, flatulance, stomache pain and vomiting.

In other words.....if you cant handle POOP TALK leave this blog NOW! :)

My son, Jaymeson, has mainly been dealing with the diarrhea. And let me tell you it has NOT been an easy go. But here is a little background story.

Jaymeson was born in 2008 and when he was 6 weeks old had his first bout with Pneumonia. Scary stuff....he wasnt breathing correctly and after trying with his pediatrician to get him through it with nebulizer treatments, I finally took him into the ER (this is why you follow your Mommy gut) and I thought I wasnt coming home with a baby! He was turning colors and limp and breathing very short and wraspy. Even though the pediatrician thought is was a bad cold I couldnt believe it. Thank out good Lord I listened to my gut. He was admitted to Rainbow Babies Hospital for a week. BUT he made it out stronger than ever. Throughout the next year he had more cases of Pneumonia and his amazing Pediatrican caught it every time after that and we got him on antibiotics QUICKLY. He was also have ear infections at this time and so more antibiotics were given throughout this year.

After a while we found an fabulous Pulminologist and he has helped us avoid any further Pneumonias so far. So with breathing under control we were able to focus on the rest of Jaymeson's health...here comes the poopy business....

Jaymeson has NEVER and I mean NEVER pooped a turd! Not since day one of birth. And i know alot of babies have runny poop at the beginning. And yes, that is true. HOWEVER, their bodies usually correct themselves with in months. NOT JAYMESON! And not only was it as runny as milk....BUT IT STUNK!!!!!!! So bad that we almost didnt want to change his diapers indoors. And it has continued this way for two years! TWO YEARS OF RUNNY, GROSS, STINKY DIAPERS! So......we sought a solution!..............And this is where this blog journey begins.