Update

WOW. It has been a while since I have written.

Things have been going VERY well for JJ. He is in the 50th percentile for height and weight. He laughs and runs and plays just like a typical 3 year old boy. It is wonderful to have new doctors coming in to his life question his diagnosis of EE. :D

However, different things are happening now. Or maybe, they were always happening, but I was too busy doing other things to notice.

His stomach is always distended lately. He seems to ALWAYS be hungry, even when he just ate as much as an adult has eaten and his stomach looks like it will pop because it is so full.

The finally thing was he woke up, after having a tummy full of dinner, and threw up yellow. I have no doubt it was bile. It is my understanding that a person will only throw up bile when their tummies are completely empty (i.e. they threw up the food AND the stomach acid and there is nothing left in their tummies). He was acting very odd before he threw up, and after he threw up and took a very long nap, he was fine and back to himself.

So my concern was low stomach acid. But the doctor said to put him on a VERY strong antacid. So thus began more research.

Which led me to the GAPS diet. This diet puts together ALL the elements I have learned over the past 6 years (yes, even before my son was born, we had issues with one of his sisters) and really is an answer to prayer.

However, HOW to implement this new diet when my son's diet is already VERY restrictive, this will be a challenge. Thankfully there is a Yahoo group which is supposed to be VERY supportive. It even has the author of the GAPS GUIDE on there.

Following is the letter I wrote asking for help, and I am planning on sharing our new journey, a journey on the GAPS diet with severe allergies, with you on this blog in hopes that it will help others who struggle with the same issue.

-=-=-=-=-Letter to the GAPS HELP group on Yahoo-=-=-=-=-=-

So I know that this is what my son (all of my family really) needs. I am reading the GAPS GUIDE and am on page 30 (number 4 of the preparing for GAPS). I like the whole idea of preparing before jumping in as I was feeling overwhelmed just from the information I had read online not to mention all the changes that would need to be made.

My son is severely allergic to eggs. I turn to the recipes section to read the first recipe to try, and it has 2 eggs in it. As I search for other recipes, I see eggs in almost every GAPS recipe. I know that eggs are healthy for you (we know some NT principles).

What am I going to do? My son has a LOT more allergies than just eggs ... dairy, GARLIC, tomatoes, citrus, chicken (yes chicken), gluten, soy, corn, nuts, legumes, beans.... Well let's put it this way... Here are the foods he can eat without throwing up:
Buckwheat (which I know I need to sprout, but don't always have the time)
Carrots
Buffalo
Grass-fed beef
Lamb
Duck
Broccoli
Zucchini
Butternut Squash
Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes (which are a no-no on this diet)
Celery
Beets
Cabbage
Peaches
Onion
Salt
Coconut Water
Coconut Oil
Coconut Milk
Tapioca
Evaporated Cane Juice
Stevia
Sunflower Seeds
Rice
Anchovies
Olive Oil
Apple Cider Vinegar (which is odd because he throws up and breaks out in hives when he has apples)
Certain herbs
Lettuce

That is it. EVERYTHING else (avocados, bananas, mangos, berries, APPLES, DATES, fish, etc.) he throws up and breaks out in hives. We ended up in the hospital when he was 16 months and he almost died because NO ONE would listen to me when I said my son is allergic to EVERY THING. He was FTT and only 16 pounds at 16 months. FINALLY I had to go an hour away, but I got a doctor who was LISTENING TO ME. He has had multiple food allergy tests and is doing MUCH better now that those foods have been eliminated from his diet, but I know that his body needs to heal and that starts with the gut. Especially now that the doctors are wanting to put him on a very strong antacid when he is not even showing signs of reflux. IN fact, I have a feeling he has LOW stomach acid, but that is another story for another time.

But I wonder how I can do GAPS with such a restricted list of foods already and the GAPS uses eggs and nut flours?! And fish. I feel overwhelmed again. :( I have not even looked at the foods you can and cannot eat on the diet because I worry how much more limiting it will be for him.

Is there a GAPS support group for people with severe food allergies? A blog? Is there help and hope for us?

Thanks for ANY HELP.

-=-=-=-=-End of Letter-=-=-=-=-=-

I will let you know what I find out.