My youngest daughter Min has had issues with bowel movements ever since she was hospitalized for Rotavirus infection over 2 years ago. She alternated between constipation and diarrhea as well as accompanying tummy pains and lack of appetite. Since then, … Continue reading
Category Archives: stool
>Clostridia, Flagyl & Culturelle….
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Clostridia are anaerobic bacteria which exists naturally in our gut. There are many species, some are not harmful though overgrowth of certain clostridia species has many negative impact on the human body. Clostridia overgrowth produces harmful byproducts, clostridia are also spore-formers. Due to several reasons, clostridia overgrowth is also common in certain children with Autism. Clostridia is not easy to test, it requires specialised labs with oxygen free environment to test for it. Our favourite CSA (Comprehensive Stool Test) by Doctor’s Data also tests for Clostridia. Both Maya and Yasmin’s stool test has confirmed clostridia infection at one time or the other. Depending on the severity from 1+ to 4+ (1 being the lowest, 4 being the highest) you can choose to treat it in different ways. An experienced GP or paediatrician can also diagnose it based on clinical symptoms and physical examination. Depending on your doctor’s personal preferences and priorities with infections over other issues, the doctor may or may not choose to treat it.
However, for those who know me well, fighting infections are always a big priority for me. I am also blessed to have a doctor who supports me and shares the same goals and priorities. Namely because any type of infections has such a profound effect on my children’s behaviour. Apart from the health point of view, addressing yeast/ fungal infections, bacterial infections, clostridia, parasites and viral infections are high on my list for treating behavioral issues and developmental delays. Depending on the child, my girls have exhibited the following behaviors, all caused by either one of the infections- tantrums, aggression, meltdowns, crankiness, irritability, shouting, hyperactivity, non-compliance, echolalia, lack of focus and poor appetite to name just a few. Though there are many reasons for tantrums, meltdowns and all of the above behavior, when it is related to very high bacterial or clostridium infections, the tantrums and aggression are amped super-high. After some time, we knew whenever Yasmin had a bacterial infection. And we definitely knew when she had a clostridia infection- she would shout and her voice was always super loud. Even her normal speaking voice was like a megaphone. For Maya, clostridia causes aggressive behaviour, OCD, hyperness and rigidity.
Apart from the behavioral issues, infections also comes with other unpleasant physical symptoms such as diarhhia, constipation, bloating, foul smelling abnormal stool, tummy ache, night awakenings, poor appetite and many others. Not every child may present the same set of symptoms as my girls. Many parents tell me that though their CSA test result shows high bacterial, yeast or clostridia levels, they can’t distinguish or notice any behaviors or symptoms related to the infection. However, their child still exhibit many Autistic traits or behaviors. However, I hope that by treating the infections, it will lessen the Autistic symptoms.
Treating yeast, bacterial, clostridia, parasitic or viral infections does not necessarily mean treating Autism and it’s symptoms. However, you are treating and addressing your child’s health issues, it will enhance his quality of life. Our children deserves good health just like any other child, Autism or not. Infections causes many pains and discomfort, addressing it will lessen your child’s pain and enable him to feel and think better.
Clostridia is commonly treated with Flagyl (metronidazole, the generic version is Norzol) an antibiotic specific for anaerobic bacterial infections. The course ranges from 3 days to 2 weeks, a main-stream doctor will usually prescribe 3 days of Flagyl, though a biomed doctor will prescribe 2 weeks for a child with ASD. Depending on the child, some children respond well to Flagyl, though some may not.
You can also treat clostridia with Culturelle. Culturelle is the brand name for Lacto GG, a strain of probiotics that are particularly effective against clostridia. It is said that Lacto GG is the most researched probiotic in the world. Best of all, Culturelle is also casein-free, compared to other brands of Lacto GG. Some children react better to Culturelle compared to Flagyl. Dr William Shaw, founder of Great Plains Lab, who is also a highly-respected biochemist in the biomed world, finds that Culturelle is more effective in addressing clostridia long term compared to Flagyl. He believes that treatment by Flagyl alone results in 100% recurrence in clostridium infection. However, by either using Culturelle alone or in combination reduces the recurrent infections tremendously. Reason being, clostridia is a spore-former, therefor Flagyl is not effective against the spores itself, only on the bacteria. The spores are the guys that reproduce and make more ‘baby clostridias’. Thus it would make sense to have a treatment protocol that address both the bacteria AND the spores. Please sign up to the Great Plains newsletter at www.greatplainslaboratory.com . You will also receive a free e-copy of Dr William Shaw’s book Biological Treatments for Autism & PDD, a staple in every biomed home.
Some children experience terrible die-off symptoms either from Flagyl or Culturelle or both. Some parents are happy to see bad die-off, thinking that it means it is killing the infection effectively. I would like to dispel that myth, some die-off can be expected. But really bad die-off is not good. It means that the body’s detox system is overloaded, that they are not able to detox or flush out the by-products effectively. At this point, please consult your doctor, you may need to reduce the dosage. On the other hand, no die-off or very mild die-off doesn’t necessarily mean that it is not working. Just count yourself lucky. Remember, if the child seems in a lot of pain, terrible discomfort, not able to sleep for many nights, really bad diarrhoea, continuously crying and mega tantrums, it is a sign to take it down a notch. Activated charcoal, Alka Seltzer Gold and Epsom Salts baths helps to reduce the die-off.
On the other hand, there are some parents who are so fearful of possibly bad die-off, that they prefer to not address the infections. Fungal / yeast, bacterial and parasitic infections causes terrible itch, pain and discomfort in the tummy, bowels, skin, genitals and anus. Please, don’t be put off by the die-off horror stories. If you yourself have ever had a yeast infection, you know how horrific it is to live even 1 day with the itchy scratchy pain in your nether regions, so imagine if it is a systemic yeast infection in your child, imagine the pain and discomfort he is experiencing. If you fear the die-off, consider that the treatment is only for a couple of week, after which you child will be left feeling a whole load better, pain free and itch free. 2 weeks of tantrums and sleepless nights compared to a life-time of happiness. Don’t let your own fear hold your child back. Don’t let your own fear of sleepless nights or dealing with tantrums deny your child the medical attention he needs. If you do decide to take the plunge, and if the die-off is too unbearable, remember that you always have a choice to reduce the dosage or stop it altogether. Having activated charcoal on hand helps. A
t the very least, you can tell yourself that you tried your best for your child.
For my girls, I have tried Flagyl and Culturelle, both singularly or in combination. We have done Flagyl for 2 weeks, then followed by Culturelle at a maintenance dose. I have also done only Culturelle at a therapeutic dose for 3 weeks, then reduced to a maintenance dose. Both have been effective for us, the incidents of recurrence have been manageable provided that we always include a maintenance dose of Culturelle daily. There was a time 2 months after Yasmin’s last Clostridium infection which we treated with Flagyl followed by Culturelle, we ran out of Culturelle. After 3 days of missing it, all the symptoms came back with a vengeance. The shouting and tantrums, poor appetite, night awakenings and severely bloated tummy points to clostridia again. Based on our doctor’s advice, we put her on a therapeutic dose of Culturelle. It did the trick, after the first week, we could see a reduction in the behaviours and physical symptoms. Since then on, I made sure we never ever ran out of Culturelle again.
There were times that therapeutic dosage of Culturelle was not enough and we had to resort to the Flagyl/ Culturelle combo again. But for us, maintenance is the key. Without daily dosing of Lacto GG, the highly opportunistic clostridium WILL come back. Also, we made sure that the girls get high doses of multi-flora probiotics post antibiotic treatment. My current favourite probiotics are Custom Probiotics CP-1. It is 50 Billion CFU, it is casein-free and strep-free multi-flora combination of Lacto and Bifido strains. I also supplement with S.Boulardii as it is also helpful with the fight against dysbiotic flora. If you have a child who is prone to recurrent infections like I do, addressing the immune system imbalance concurrently is a must.
Flagyl is a prescription antibiotic, you can get it from your prescribing doctor. Culturelle comes in 1 Billion or 10 Billion CFU, I always make sure I get the 10 Billion CFU ones. Culturelle is usually stored and shipped unrefrigerated, it comes in specialized foil packaging that protects it during transport. However, it is always recommended to store all probiotics including Lacto GG in the refrigerator once you receive your shipment to ensure potency. Culturelle is available at www.iherb.com, www.spectrumsupplements.com, www.b2bdiet.com.sg and autismrecovery.com.sg. You can purchase Custom Probiotics at www.customprobiotics.com. All the above stores delivers to Malaysia.
A friend reported that her child was diagnosed with anaerobic bacterial infection by her peadiatrician. Based on clinical symptoms and physical examination, he prescribed a 3 day course of Flagyl. I spoke to her about Culturelle and once the course of Flagyl was finished, she put her child on a therapeutic dose of Culturelle. Funnily enough, the 3 day course of Flagyl didn’t seem to cause any die-off nor improvements in her child. However, on the 2nd day she was on Culturelle, her daughter experienced die-off behaviours- irritability, crankiness, fatigue, non-compliance and poor appetite. Take note that this is a neuro-typical child with absolutely no Autistic symptoms.
Finally, her daughter did a massive bowel movement. My friend couldn’t believe how much came out of her child, to the point that she insisted that her husband and the maid look at it. They feared the toilet bowl was going to overflow, gross yet fascinating, they couldn’t look away. She was so concerned for her child, yet the texture and appearance of the stool was normal, the only abnormal thing about it was the amount. It seemed more than even an adult could produce, much less a skinny 5 year old child. However, right afterwards, her child said to her that she felt much better. She then was ready to eat and had a healthy appetite again. It is amazing how quickly a child bounces back. Since then on, she is a big believer in Culturelle. This is a gross story, but something only a biomed parent can appreciate. In fact, when my friend called me about it, she was so amazed by what happened on that day and she knew that I was the only person who would appreciate such a story. And yes, I did.
>GI Symptoms, Abnormal Stool and Endoscopy
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Yasmin was hospitalized recently, shortly after I returned from the DAN Conference. For nearly 2 days, she was complaining severely of “itchy bottom”. It was driving her insane to the point that she would strip off her pants and nappy in the middle of the night. She cried about the pain in her tummy, always pointing to the same spot. All day long she wept “I’m not feeling very well” over and over again. When she was admitted into hospital, a doctor tried to place an IV drip, however there was difficulty in finding a vein. After much poking and prodding with needles on 2 separate occasions, I demanded that they stop. After all, Yasmin was still able to drink and she was not vomiting or losing fluids, so an IV is not necessary. After all the trauma and screaming over the IV fiasco, Yasmin was still in pain.
The hospital had assigned an unknown pediatrician on Yasmin’s case, however I demanded a Pediatric Gastroenterologist who was familiar with Yasmin. Dr N is familiar with the GI disorders common in Autistic patients and she was aware of Maya’s issues. After physical exam, thorough history, looking over Yasmin’s lab results and much consideration, Dr N suggested we do an endoscopy. I immediately agreed as my research has led me to believe that an endoscopy will shed more light on Yasmin’s issues. Unfortunately, there was not much that the Dr could do in the meantime except to give Yasmin some panadol. It was heartbreaking to see her in pain yet not being able to help.
We were referred to Dr L, a senior pediatric GI specialist in another hospital, as that is where the equipment and facilities for children’s endoscopy are available. Again I had to go through the entire history with yet another doctor. Yasmin’s main issues include behavioral and physical regression after her bout with Rotavirus more than a year ago. Chronic diarrhea presenting soft, unformed, yellow, smelly stools for past 6 months, alternating with slightly better formed stools with dual colour (green/brown), mucous and slimy, with undigested food. She had abdominal pain, bloated tummy, loss of appetite, picky eater, itchy bottom, recurrent bacterial infection, frequent colds, flus and fevers. Dr N as well as 2 of our biomed doctors have recommended an endoscopy as all the interventions that we have done has not shown great improvement. And any improvement we gained was temporary and very short-lived.
Dr L was willing to do an endoscopy and obtain some samples for biopsy. Yet even after being presented with all the history, symptoms, physical exam and recommendations, he stressed several times to me that he will probably find nothing from the endoscopy. He gave me the impression that he’ll do it, but it’s a waste of time because to him, these are all symptoms that will “probably go away by itself as she grows out of it”. Instantly my Mummy Radar went up, I knew well enough that a doctor who was not committed to the patient nor the procedure is not going to be the best person for the job. And unlike the first pediatric specialist, Dr L was not even aware of the gut-brain correlation, nor the well-known GI disorders in Autistic patients! Shame on you!!
Anyone who has read materials on GI diseases in Autism or by Dr Arthur Krigsman in particular, understands the intricacies of doing an endoscopy for a child presenting GI symptoms associated with ASD. You need to know WHERE to look, WHAT to look for and trained to RECOGNIZE it. Paul and I made the decision that this is definitely not the person we want to do an endoscopy for Yasmin.
We also had our first consultation with Dr Kyle Van Dyke. Over the 2 hour consult, Paul and I were impressed at how quickly he grasped Yasmin’s issues. Of the 6 DAN doctors we have consulted, I just realized that only 1 of them has a child with Autism. Not only is Dr Kyle a biomed doctor, he mentored with Dr Elizabeth Mumper for several years, he is a frequent speaker at DAN and other Autism conferences. But most importantly, he also personally experienced the heartbreak of having a child with Autism. He also treats the siblings of children with Autism and has treated his other child too. Hearing his son’s story at the DAN conference, there were many issues that were reminiscent of Maya and Yasmin’s.
He too recommended an endoscopy for Yasmin, however when we explained the situation, he suggested doing an abdominal X-Ray to check for impacted stool. So, this is next on my ever increasing to-do list. He also put Yasmin on Enhansa and several other recommendations. It’s only been 10 days on his protocol and too soon to tell whether it’s a coincidence, but Yasmin’s temper tantrums and irritability has lessened and no longer complains of itchy bottom. Her tummy is no longer bloated and her appetite has improved. How long this will last, we don’t know.
However, we are grateful for any improvement big or small. Giving up is not an option. Letting my baby suffer in pain day in and day out……. do NOT tell me to give up. Do NOT tell me that there is nothing we can do about it. That sort of attitude or so-called advice is not welcomed. You know when someone thinks that they are being helpful and they say to you “Don’t worry, she’s still young”. What the heck does that mean??
So she’s young, is that any excuse not to treat her medical illness? You really think that someday she’ll grow out of it? Most people don’t realize that chronic symptoms if left untreated can be a precursor to bigger and worse diseases when the child is older. Now, don’t you think as a parent that it is our responsibility to ensure our child’s health? The earlier you treat it, the better their chances at recovery. Why in the world should I wait until it’s too late? I mean, seriously!
Etiquette lesson #23 – if a friend or a family member has a sick child, do not say “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.” A parent can’t help but worry and we don’t know if it will be fine. Instead say “I’m so sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to help?”
For those who know me well, I will never keep fighting for my girls. The words “No need to do anything, she will grow out of it” is not in my vocabulary. Yasmin deserves to know that Mummy will always do what’s right for her. I WILL make her feel better, by hook or by crook. If I can recover 1 child from Autism, I can certainly help ease Yasmin’s pain. I will I will I will………
>Bathrooms, Big School and Uniforms….
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Every little milestone my girls achieve is another celebration in my home. Big or small, whether it was at age-appropriate developmental milestone or if it came 1.5 years later. Based on many accounts of parents with either neuro-typical or children on the Autism spectrum, their kids were toilet trained (fully or partially or only for daytime) around the age of 2.5 – 3 years old. This turned out to be a struggle for us.
Maya developed typically eversince she was born, hit every developmental milestone on time. She was crawling, walking, babbling and talking at the appropriate age. Apart from being cranky, fussy, poor feeder, poor sleeper and prone to epic tantrums, she developed age-appropriate skill sets up until the age of 1.5 years old. This was when she received her last and final vaccination – the Meningococcal C, a requirement of the New South Wales Australia Health authority. She had a combined vaccination schedule based on both Australia and Malaysia’s health requirement. This was also during the month that her younger sister Yasmin was born in March 2007. Very soon after that, we also got Maya started on drinking fresh cow’s milk.
For the next 6 months, the regression was not very apparent to us. Mostly due to the fact that we were preoccupied with our 2nd daughter. However, by early 2008 I started to notice that Maya did not learn any new skills, even though she had a large vocabulary of words, she is not progressing to actually communicating with us. She continued to communicate with us through pulling our hands or most commonly, by throwing tantrums. She did not label anymore words, she spoke less and less. Though she would talk and sing a lot when she woke up at 2am. Neither did she seek out our company. A friend actually admired me, saying that it’s so great that Maya is quite happy to play by herself, that she wasn’t clingy to me nor did she require me to entertain her all day long. For 1 second, I actually thought yes, I’m lucky. I have time to concentrate on my 2nd daughter without feeling guilty of neglecting Maya. However, deep down I yearned for her to call me Mummy. She was perfectly content to spend all day in her room, playing quietly by herself. I wasn’t quite sure what she did, but she seemed contented. There were many more signs of her regression, loss of previously acquired skills as well as the lack of new development.
After the official Autism diagnosis at age 2y8m and getting on with the work of therapy and biomedical intervention, we tried to introduce potty training when she was nearly 3 years old. No effect whatsoever. Not wanting to push it, we tried again when she was 3.5 years old. Again, no luck. We enlisted the help of our hardworking ABA team, taking her to the bathroom every hour. After 6 months of toilet training with ABA methods, when she was 4 years old in October 2009, Maya finally started peeing on the potty regularly. However, at home she would insist on using the small potty, rather than use the regular toilet. This coincided when we started her on TMG. Coincidentally, she was able to tolerate clothes better too and actually allowed us to put on nightgowns for bed. The fights we used to have trying to get her dressed was long gone.
She also insisted on wearing a nappy when doing a bowel movement. She would never poo poo on the potty or the toilet. We tried ABA techniques and used social stories. Usually, Maya responded very well with social stories and we managed to resolve quite a few issues using them. However, she was pretty verbal and had great cognitive function by then and always insisted that she can only poo poo in a nappy. She would crouch half-standing usually in a corner of the living room and strain.
By then, we had resolved a lot of her gut issues. She no longer had constipation or incontinence and we were able to keep her recurrent yeast overgrowth under control. However, 3 weeks ago she started having constipation again. She would have a bowel movement every 3 days and it was either very hard and pebbly or very soft and little. This affected her behavior and appetite to a small degree. Our usual methods of relieving it didn’t seem to work. Our DAN doctor surmised that it was another yeast infection, as yeast overgrowth can cause constipation. So we put her on a course of my favorite anti-fungal Diflucan. As most of you already know, yeast overgrowth tend to recur time and time again in our children. Historically, Maya has responded very well on Diflucan. She was calm, focused and ‘sparkling’. There’s no other word to describe it, Maya was like the real Maya that I knew existed underneath the weight of Autism.
We also did another urine Organic Acid Test by Metametrics Lab. The previous OATs was done 9 months ago, since then we have done much to address Maya’s biochemistry issues. We needed another look at her current position and see if there are other things we can fine-tune. The recent OATs confirmed high presence of yeast metabolites. Once we put Maya on Diflucan, her bowel movements became regular and the texture is normal. There was some slight die-off however it was a small price to pay for the improvements we saw later.
On the 3rd day she was on Diflucan, for the first time ever Maya allowed us to seat her on the normal toilet to do a poo poo. This was a huge achievement for Maya, we were so excited that my husband took a video of Maya sitting on the toilet doing her first poo. This continued consistently every day for the next few days.
Maya was on a 2 week course of Diflucan, however I discovered we did not have enough capsules to last us for 14 days. In the midst of communicating with our DAN doctor and trying to get more stock from Malaysian pharmacies, Maya missed 2 days of the anti-fungal. On the 1st day without Diflucan, Maya refused to poo on the toilet and demanded a nappy instead. After a consistent week of doing poos in the bathroom, I was disappointed. However we realized that by missing the anti-fungal, Maya had difficulty doing a bowel movement while sitting down. She needed to stand half-way crouched over, thus the need for nappies. On the 2nd day she missed the Diflucan, for the first time in 2 months Maya did not inform us that she needed to go to the bathroom. She had wet her pants.
Stopping an anti-fungal before the course is fully completed is akin to not completing an antibiotic course. It may cause another flare-up of yeast overgrowth. We managed to obtain more Diflucan, Maya has been back on it for 3 days now. Yesterday, she was back to pooing on the toilet again. We have been extremely lucky that when doing anti-fungal protocol or any other treatment, any regression or die-off reactions has been somewhat manageable compared to some other children. Even if there was major regression, it was always temporary and not permanent. She always got back to her previous level and managed to pick up any skills that she had lost. Her language and cognitive function is still amazing, her comprehension and compliance has consistently improved.
We are transitioning Maya to attend a mainstream kindergarten very soon. Recently I spoke to Maya and told her that very soon she will attend a new school. A big school called C******* School, with new teachers and new friends to play with. Also, that she needs to wear a uniform. Maya remembered all this and she told my mum all about it the next day when they came to visit. My parents had sent Maya off to her regular ABA school and Maya kept telling them that she needs to go to her new school C******* School and wear a uniform. I haven’t told anyone of our plans yet, so my mum was not aware of this. My mum came back to me and asked if everythi
ng that Maya said was correct. We were amazed at her memory and her comprehension, all this after only telling Maya about it once.
ng that Maya said was correct. We were amazed at her memory and her comprehension, all this after only telling Maya about it once.
As you know, Maya has always had very strong preferences with clothing, preferring pretty pink dresses with spaghetti straps. So getting her used to the idea of a uniform was important to me. I told her “You must wear a uniform at C******* School. But when you go to Stepping Stones, you can wear whatever you want” Maya thought about it for a moment and declared “I wear a uniform to C******* School, but I can wear a dress to Stepping Stones”. My clever little girl worked it out all by herself! I wonder how she will do with the new uniform, it’s got short sleeves and has a blue checkered print…..
>A TEST of Patience
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As Autism parents, we are subjected to numerous tests and evaluations from doctors, child psychiatrists and clinical psychologists. And these tests are just to confirm that yes, your child has Autism. What next? Therapy and more therapy.
Now that we know there are biomedical interventions that can help our children recover and we’ve done the basic steps that I’ve listed in the previous blog, and you’ve done your research, you find out there are MORE tests to be done, sigh……. So, what are these tests we need to do? Where can we do them? How much does it cost?
1. IgG Food Allergy – This is to test for delayed immune response and for food intolerances. Unlike the IgE, which is the most commonly used food allergy testing, IgE tests for immediate immune response such as common allergic reactions to peanuts and seafood. Going back to IgG, this is the test where you’ll discover intolerances to gluten & casein and others too.
In Malaysia, to do the IgG test requires drawing of blood up to 1 – 2 liters sometimes. It’s extremely traumatic for any parent and child to go through this, it took 6 people including me to hold Maya down when we did this previously. (Ironically, those tests were inconclusive and it was a complete waste of time, money and unnecessary trauma) Dr Erwin Kay has specially ordered test kits from a trusted lab (www.usbiotekcom) that only require a bloodspot – where the doctor only pricks the end of the little finger, and rubs the drops of blood onto a test pad. Maya barely even noticed it.
We did the IgG Asian Food Panel for 96 food items by US Biotek. Cost – SGD$460.00 / RM1,110.00. If you choose to do it in Malaysia, most hospitals and labs would charge RM50-70 per food item. You’d usually have to test >30 food items. A parent told me she was quoted RM300 for ONE food item! These cost do not include the consultation, lab services and other items for such procedures.
2. Comprehensive Stool Analysis – This is to test for bacteria, good and bad flora levels, fungal and yeast overgrowth, immunology, digestion, for any inflammation and fatty acids levels. You MAY be able to persuade your local doctor to do a stool test for fungal and yeast, though it would not give you a comprehensive look at your child’s digestive system and other metabolic markers. Our test from Doctor’s Data (www.doctorsdata.com). Cost – SGD$540 / RM1,300.00
3. Urine Organic Acid Test – This is to test for nutrient levels, vitamin markers, cell regulation, detoxification markers and others. We did the testing by Metametrics (www.metametrics.com) and we found Maya had amino acid insufficiencies, oxidative damage, lethargy, impaired detoxification, yeast infection and others. Cost – SGD$850.00 / RM2,060.00
4. Heavy Metals testing – you either do hair analysis or a DMSA challenge test (urine). This is to test for mercury, lead, aluminum and other toxic heavy metals. We did a hair test with Dr Sundardas in Singapore (www.naturaltherapies.com) by the lab Trace Elements, Inc. Cost – RM425.00.
Where can we do these in Malaysia? Through reports from other parents and my own experiences we find that when we go to the GP or pediatrician, (our collective experience with numerous doctors in numerous hospitals) we encounter a lot of negative responses such as `you’re over-concerned’, “these are unnecessary” or “you’re over-testing”. We parents know that our children have health issues and in order to get the appropriate treatments, we need data from these tests. I would recommend to go directly to a DAN! doctor either in Singapore or Indonesia. Otherwise, expect a battle of words with your doctor and expect to go home totally infuriated & frustrated.
While waiting to see a pediatrician recently, I noticed that it takes less than 10 minutes for a doctor to diagnose a patient and send them home with antibiotics, whilst it took Paul and I a full 1 hour to beg, plead and convince the doctor to do these tests. The `wait and see’ approach should not be applied to any child who’s suffering from chronic constipation, diarrhea, chronically ill from fever, colds and flu, or exhibiting self-injurious behaviour such as head banging, because we the parents know that our kids are in pain, all the time.
These are the basic tests that you usually do, depending on your budget, talk to the doctor whether you can do this all at once or if you wish to stagger it. You may have to do more testings, but that would probably come at least 1 year later, after you’ve addressed all the issues found from the first tests. Good luck & share your experiences with me and others. There’s a lot of rainbows in the sky, if only we keep looking for it.
Spectrum Mum in Malaysia 