So many times, I've felt frustrated as I hear families struggle with the idea of beginning the Ketogenic Diet...
I will admit that the Diet is....
1. Overwhelming at first.
2. Heartbreaking as your child goes through withdrawals from their food comforts.
3. Time Intensive.
4. Detail Oriented.
5. Confusing.
BUT I HAVE TO ASK - WHAT WOULDN'T YOU DO TO STOP THE SEIZURES?
Here are the positives from my experience -
1. Less neurological side effects than medications.
2. A feeling that you are making a difference.
3. Active positive involvement in your child's epilepsy control.
4. Seizure control for 2/3 of patients.
5. Possible medication wean.
6. A neurological "awakening" experienced by many keto kids.
7. HOPE!!!
I wish for all of you that your Keto experience leads to seizure freedom. Ours has not. But we have gone from 150 seizures a year, which included many many status seizures, down to 2 in the past year and a half!! I can tell you that the only regret I have is not starting the Diet sooner! We failed with four meds before trying the Diet. It would have saved us hundreds of seizures, week in and week out in the hospital, tons of needle sticks for blood draws, side effects galore and maybe.... just maybe.... we could have avoided the few and small developmental delays we are seeing now.
Please don't wait...........if you are thinking about trying the Ketogenic Diet........DON'T WAIT...........WHAT IF IT COULD WORK FOR YOUR CHILD?
3 comments:
Well said! Thanks for sharing. I share your blog with my patients. And it's always nice for them to hear another parent's perspective!
cathy, i just found your blog and wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed reading some of your messages. You see my son too is on the keto diet and has been for almost 7 years... Reading your posts was like reading my life as well, your struggles with holiday dinner, school situations just everything..It was amazing to me and a bit comforting that someone else is living the same way.. My son is doing very well, but currently I suffer on how to deal with him b/c of his behavior. I am still after all these years trying to figure out if he acts this way from being on the diet (which i know bothers him) or is this just him...He is 10 now, but his maturity is not a 10 year old.. He has much trouble in school with reading, which is another thing i struggle with...anyway, just wanted to say hello and enjoyed reading your blog.. Sounds like you are a great mom and I think it is wonderful how you are reaching out to others. I didn't know where to contact you so I figured I would just comment here. Hope that was ok... take care, Jennifer, I had to choose anonymous below, i don't have a google account or the other options..
Jennifer - Thank you for commenting! It IS comforting to know that we are not alone. Thank you for sharing! You made my day because you were willing to reach out!
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