The Onion

We gave Ellie a week to try and clear her eczema after not doing well with the pro-biotic.  It only got worse, and by day 8 or 9 it started to look a bit different.  We headed in to the pediatrician for a culture and got confirmation that she had a secondary skin infection - staph (and thankfully not MRSA). 

She was prescribed 10 days of compounded keflex, I was told we had no choice, and I cried.

All I could think of was how we had spent ONE YEAR working on body bacteria - adding strains, controlling strains, controlling fungus, you name it. And now I was going to douse her with 10 days of bacteria killing medication that is discriminatory, hitting only limited strains and allowing other strains to take over and fungus to gain ground. 

Wretched yeast.  Fungus is a leaky gut's worst enemy. Thanks to it's natural formation it is similar to a corkscrew, and does just that to the intestinal wall if allowed to go unchecked. 

Fortunately I was able to pull from the wisdom and reminders of several other GAPS mamas, so my panic was short-lived (this time). In fact, another GAPS mom summarized it perfectly.  All I need to do is switch the name and diagnosis:   "I know that He can heal Kennedy Ellie at any time, that is the hope I hold onto everyday, but I also know that as long as Kennedy continues to have seizures Ellie continues to have FPIES, God is working through them it for good. I have to trust and be thankful that whether I have the privilege to see it in my lifetime or not, God is working goodness through our situation and fruit WILL be harvested!" (Hebrews 11:1)


So out came the pro-biotic, nystatin and fermented cabbage juice, and I pummeled her with them, along with increased numbers of detox baths.

Her eczema cleared! And then we had a day or two....before it came back.  And yesterday she ended with a screaming green acidic diaper that removed skin from her girl parts, and I had a PTSD flash back to the days of pre-GAPS FPIES. One late night baking soda bath helped, but her itchy eczema is back. Drat!

We have a new list of things to tackle, and a new set of doctors to visit.  And in the meantime she has transitioned into asking for 'food' (things that don't come in liquid form in her bowl or bottle), and doing a little jig with a 'wahoo' when I have something to give her.  I am hoping I can get it on film.  We will continue to work on texture and desensitization while beginning to examine some other new complications. 
 
It's no longer a sucker punch; instead it's an onion.  Another mom talked of this so long ago, and only now am I catching up in my own life.  It's the peeling back of layers to find healing, beginning with the base of broth and then watching to see what else gets in the way.  And we can do that.  I have no idea how much this round of antibiotics will set her back, but that is ok.  She eats, and she is thriving in the most amazing way. That is truly all we need.