Let's talk about...

I'll start this post with a warning.

A warning to anyone about to read during breakfast, or if bodily functions, especially those of the " #2 " variety gross you out.

Because, today ladies and gents, we're talking about poop.  Bowel movement is the "proper" term, but really, we all call it poop.  Just the word makes some people laugh, some people shudder, but in the end, we all do it.

And it has been the cause of much trouble, pain, and discomfort for Monster Max, his entire life.

I will also say,  as much as friends and family who do not live with a child with special needs read this blog, we have many readers who do have children with similar issues as Max, and I would say this blog post is going to be most informative to them.  This is simply my own opinion and experience with Max, and not that of a medical professional.  If anything I suggest sounds like it will help your kiddo or yourself out, talk to a real doctor for their opinion.

Now, what were we talking about?  Oh, right...poop.

Last week, we had a weight check-in with Max's dietician.  While he had not gained any weight since starting the blended diet, he also had not lost any weight.   When we met with his doctor and dietician, they both wanted to know how the new diet was going.  In the two weeks he had been on the half formula/half blended foods diet, we started to see good improvements.  We saw that the "eczema" rashes that have always been on some portion of his skin, started to go away.  We saw much less gas, and you guessed it...better poops.  So, we were given the go ahead to go to full blended feeds and stop the milk formula altogether.

He's been on full blended feeds since Saturday now.  He gets a mixture of fruits, vegetables, meat, oil (for fat), coconut yogurt, cereal, and rice milk every day.  We've added a bunch of whole foods, but cut out one very huge thing.  DAIRY.

For years I've questioned milk for Max.  In fact, it was the first thing I ever thought was wrong with him. He was put on a soy formula around two months old, because he would vomit every time he ate.  Through the years, we've struggled with keeping weight on him, with reflux, and gagging.  With rashes on his body, with stomach cramps, and bowel surgeries, and either extreme diarrhea or extreme constipation.  We have had allergy testing to see if he was allergic to milk, or his formula and it always came back fine.  By the tests, he was not allergic to his food.  It simply couldn't be his formula giving him stomach problems.

Except, it seems it was just that.

Max has been on Flagyl, an antibiotic, for the past several months to help him with the extreme back-up of gas and poop he would get.  It got to the point that he wouldn't be able to go without the jumpstart to his gut...which was essentially killing all the bacteria - good and bad - and making his body push it out.  As it turns out, by simply cutting the dairy out, and giving him real fiber, his little gut knows what to do on it's own.

A week off of dairy, and Max has for the first time in his life been able to successfully empty his bowels by himself.  For those of you who have struggled through needing to assist in such a basic bodily function, you will understand just how crazy giddy and excited we are that Max is pooping.  By himself.  Without pain.  Without help.  And so, so, SO MUCH.

Of course it's a relief for Max, and we're thrilled that he's doing so well on the new diet.  But, we're not in the home stretch yet.  He will need to gain weight eventually on the diet.  It may mean adding calories if he has trouble with gaining weight, but so far, it is definitely doing the trick in the area of poop.

So, hooray for poop.  And if you've made it this far without getting grossed out, you are most likely in the same boat....or love our boy an awful lot to care to read about such a thing!