Thursday, May 13, 2010

Brain food

 Luke's ketones finally measured as just a "trace" on Monday. That means he is weaned off of the Ketogenic Diet and can start eating normal portions and more carbs and proteins.

Boy is he a happy camper.


He absolutely loves regular 'ol milk and guzzled it down. Our budget is going to love it too! At $14 a gallon, that heavy whipping cream was getting pricey.

It was amazing to see how quickly Luke "perked up" after just one meal of eating enough to feel full.  He was so happy....almost giddy.... to be able to take more bites!


Though it may sound very 'natural' to just change the way you eat, the Ketogenic Diet is far from natural. Our brains are wired for glucose. Did you know glucose is the only fuel normally used by brain cells?  Forcing your brain to burn fat instead can be great for controlling seizures....but not so great for mental alertness, concentration, energy, etc.  The diet is very strictly controlled and monitored. Luke was getting some carbs...very few.  Just enough to keep the brain happy-ish.   But I'm pretty sure Luke's is happier now. :-))


So, officially he was on the diet from Dec. 7th until May 10th.   Five months.  Still no sign of seizure activity.  Truly pray we  never, ever see another one.  Ever.


I'm so excited for my little boy!  And nervous. Never heard of anyone going off the diet after only 5 months.  But, the docs in St. Louis have been great and assure us that this is the "normal" course of action. So, I'm trusting them on this one. For those of you who have been up close and personal with the Big Bad Seizure Monster, you know how the fear it creates just kind of lingers....Maybe one day, someday....they'll be back. The seizures I mean.  For now, I'm clinging to the One who is able to calm every fear and trusting that Luke is healed of this epilepsy.







4 comments:

  1. I'm so happy to hear that Luke's back on a normal diet! Praying for a continued absence of seizures!

    ReplyDelete
  2. THanks, Sarah! By the way, your Iris is an absolute doll. :-)

    Stephanie, I am praying for Yusef. I have felt the pain you are feeling and I know how looong and difficult seizure-filled days can be. I truly pray the diet is just what his body needs and that healing will come to his brain. Stay strong. Luke had one his worst clusters while we were in the hospital staring the diet. Things got worse before they got better...so don't give up hope. Though we have never met, I am here anytime you need someone to talk to. Are you on Facebook?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congrats on being off the diet! I pray Luke never experiences another seizure.

    ReplyDelete

Testing-Testing-1-2-3

You there? I may or may not have just Googled, "Is blogger still a thing?"  I guess it's still going.....but possibly not th...