After a long - and I do mean LONG - blogosphere absence, we are back. :) We could spend hours upon hours explaining the long hiatus or we could just start and play catch up later. I think we shall choose the latter.

So without further ado, let me reintroduce our family and our blog. Last we met was winter 2010. Ellie was 10 and Annie had just turned 8 and I had Adrenal Fatigue, and Rob was months away from becoming (unbeknownst to us) the Lead Pastor of our church. Fast forward 2.5 years - many therapies later (I promise we will fill in the blanks along the way) and we now have an almost 13-year-old pintrest loving young lady in Ellie, and a 10-year-old gymnast, prayer warrior in Annie - not only Livin' With Isms, but Thriving with Healing! Can't wait for you to be encouraged by all the Lord has done. We are still on the journey, but at such a very different place.

August 2010

Ellie has had such a heart to restart our blog. In fact there are rough drafts from 2011 and 2012 where she started to update, but for one reason or another, it didn't make to "post." But here we are.

E is for Ellie and M is for mom. In case you couldn't break the code. :)

Why Blogging?
M- Ellie, why such a desire to restart the blog writing?
E- Probably because I have changed, and I want to help more people.
M- Why is that important to you?
E- Because it was very hard when I was going through a lot of isms. When I was reading that book "Meagan's World," I was kind of wishing I could be her by conquering all my SPD and therapies and stuff. I was tired of going to therapies. I like the idea that what I went through has purpose.

Therapies
M- Do you think the therapies helped?
E- I think some helped more than others. It depends on where you are in your journey, but for me Dr. Stangel would be my number one helpful doctor. *(Stangel info below) Even though some of the things he suggested sounded weird - like standing up - closing my eyes and checking my balance, the therapies he had me do helped me get over stuff like textures, sounds, feelings, etc.

Dr. Tom and Erin Stangel - Dec. 2010
http://www.neurochatt.com

M- What kind of doctor was he?
E- Chiropractic Neurologist
M- How long was that therapy?
E- We went for three months - three times a week - and he was 1.5 hours away. (Hence the reason mommy developed adrenal fatigue - Livin' with Isms and driving three hours a day, three times a week for three months takes it out of the strongest sojourner.)
M- Do you feel like that was worth it? (I know mommy does)
E - YES! Definitely. Cause I was getting to a healthier stage and I could take some of that crazy stuff. I think it made the biggest difference, other than the diet.

Diet
M- What else do you think was a game-changer for you in the last four years?
E- Dietary changes were huge. We started with gluten free. That made a little bit of difference, but then we went dairy free and that made a bigger difference. And then we did the IgG test and that helped a lot more for about 6 or seven months. Then since my body changed, I would react to the stuff I wasn't supposed to and not react to stuff I was. So last summer we started a diet call the GAPS diet. It's almost like a Paleo diet. (GAPS info at the bottom also)
M- How is it different from gluten free - dairy free or even the IgG test?
E- Because in a gluten free diet you can have rice, corn, potatoes and any kind of grains. In a GAPS diet it is completely grain free diet. No quinoa, no corn.  You also have to have a lot of broth.
M- Why is grain free better than gluten free for your body?
E- For me personally, it has had more changes for me than the GFCF diet. My blood sugar levels are much more balanced than before. I can now eat a regular size meal and last for hours because before I had to eat every two hours if not before. Being hypoglycemic was not fun.
M- How did blood sugar levels affect your ism?
E- It would make me more irritable. Fatigued and not think straight.
M- Do you have any sugar in your diet now?
E- Yes, I sometimes have dark chocolate but mostly only honey for a sweetener. I still have to be careful about my "sugar" in take so I don't cause spikes and drops in my blood sugar. That's part of why I would get so fatigued - the up and the down.
M- If you could have rice or potatoes back in your diet, would you want them?
E- NOPE! I really despise potatoes and rice now because I think they affect me more than even wheat because of my blood sugar issues.
M- So you are grain free, dairy free, sugar free and starch free. What do you eat then? And does this feel better or worse than the other diets we've tried.
E- Definitely better because I used to only be able to eat about 5 foods without reacting. And now I can eat any meat, vegetable or fruit. I just have a small list of things I can't eat. I want to share about my lovely cookies.
M- OK, tell us about your lovely cookies.
E- They are my signature cookies - as I call them. They are a recipe from the "Almond Flour Cook Book" which I love. They are chewy chocolate cookies. And I crave them every time I think about a cookie.
M- Well what is possibly yummy about a cookie that has no flour, no sugar and no milk?
E- It taste almost like a regular cookie. Its almond flour, honey and cocoa. It's chocolate. What's not to love. :)

Brownies made with almond flour, honey and cocoa

http://gapsdiet.com

Spiritual Growth
M- OK enough about food for the moment. Tell me about your relationship with the Lord through all this?
E - I think it has grown. Because now I can pray for other people who are struggling and know how they feel.
M- Do you feel you've been given a ministry to others with isms?
E- Almost. Well.... Yeah. I have worked in the children's ministry with three-year-olds, and I can tell right away who does and who doesn't have an ism. I love being able to help the grown ups around them understand what they are feeling.
M- So you are sort of an "ism-translator" for little ones?
E- Yeah - something like that.

Fall 2012

Physical Changes
M- How do you feel physically?
E- I feel like I can do anything now if I put my mind to it. Three years ago I could try my best, but I wouldn't really have hope for that.
(As a side note, it is an amazing feeling to see muscle tone in a girl who struggled with the smallest of physical task. And to see her grow and get healthier everyday has been such joy.)

Emotional Differences
M- Do you feel different emotionally than you have in the last 4 years? I know that's a wide range, but from your worst moment to your best now, how is it different?
E- When I would have tantrums, I would go to my room and come out still mad. It wouldn't go away. I couldn't let go of the fear or the anger depending on what caused the tantrum. Sometimes they were because I was afraid. Other times because the fear turned to anger - the whole fight or flight thing. And sometimes just because the littlest things would make me angry. Now, very little makes me angry and almost nothing makes me afraid. I can do things now I never thought I would.
M- Like what?
E- Like rides at White Water, going to a Braves game or singing in front of people. Lots of stuff.

M- What does that feel like to have made such a change?
E- It feels so good. It's hard to describe. I visualize a big mountain before and now I feel like I'm on the other side of that mountain.

March 2013