Starting the Ketogenic Diet

Gwenny with her little purple pumpkin.

Paint one of your pumpkins purple this Halloween to show your support for Epilepsy awareness!

We started the Ketogenic diet this week for seizure control and to lower  (and hopefully discontinue) Gwenny's seizure meds.  The diet is high fat, adequate protein, low carb and makes the body think it is fasting.  Something about the fasting state (or the body burning fat instead of glucose) can control seizures in some people.

Primary Children's policy is to admit a child into the hospital when starting the Keto diet so they can monitor glucose and the body's reaction to the diet change.  We expected to be in PCMC for three days, but Gwenny was doing so well they let us go home after two days, one night.  This was wonderful news, as they were pricking her finger every four hours all day and night!

Our visitors playing with Gwenny.

PCMC is definitely set up for children.  They had a wagon available for Gwenny to ride in whenever we left our room, which she really enjoyed. 

 We took a trip to the play room when we had some free time between meals, doctor visits and blood checks.

Hospital Keto meal:  cream, egg, sausage, cheese.

Hospital Keto meal: chicken, avocado, cauliflower and cream/cheese sauce.

Gwenny's little friend that came on her food tray.

This is a Keto strip.  We put cotton balls in Gwenny's diaper and test her urine four times a day to make sure her ketones are in the moderate to high range.  (Ketones are like a sort of "ash" in the blood and urine when the body is burning fat instead of glucose.)

This is the first Keto meal I measured out by myself.  Meatballs, sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, butter, cream cheese, and cream.  Everything is measured exactly on a scale.



Almond crackers:  almond flour, macadamia nut flour, olive oil, egg white and salt. 
(Gwenny loves these!)



October visit with Dada and Brother

25.5 months

Gwenny is getting ready for Halloween! 

 I thought Supergirl was appropriate with all the progress she's made this year.

We had our Shriner's visit this past week.  They took x-rays of Gwenny's spine and hips (they both look good.)  We also saw a special care doctor there and an orthopedic specialist (there were actually 4 other people in the room, I'm not sure who they all were.)

  Everyone was so excited for Gwenny's new progress of crawling and they kept calling her "amazing."  We have an appointment with a physical therapist at Shriner's to be fitted for a stander in a couple weeks.  The plan is to use the stander for 30-60 minutes each day to help develop Gwenny's feet and hips with weight bearing.  I'm hoping I'll be able to use the stander during lunch time instead of the highchair.  This will give us an opportunity to get 30-60 minutes of standing per day without cutting into other exercises and activities.

Shriner's doctor said they can also help us with new feet braces after Gwenny has had an opportunity to get proficient at crawling.  Then we can focus on walking.  This could be as early as January 2013 if her progress continues the way it has been going this past month.

Dancing queen!

This photo is significant because it shows that G can get into a half-kneel by herself when she wants something bad enough (in this case, to touch the bath water.)  This is the next step to pull to stand!   

Gwenny still loves to clear shelves and empty drawers, but now that she is more confident in her tall kneel, she is interested in the higher drawers.  (Soon none of my clothes with be safe!)

I bought G a toy microphone a few weeks ago to make it more fun to practice vocalizing.  She was not interested the first several days (like most things we do) but we kept playing with it and I've found her on the ground "singing" into it a few times when she thinks no one is listening.

Gwenny is learning something new every few days.  I was surprised at her focus on the movie The Lorax the other night. 

Today she figured out how to move herself down the stairs (Click here.)  I've been helping her "crawl" up and down the stairs a few times every day and it's just another thing that is happily paying off!

Gorgeous Gwenny noticed the piano from across the room, crawled over to it and pulled herself to a tall kneel to plunk the keys.  She loves the piano!  I am excited to teach her how to play it in a few years.