I am so overwhelmed with emotions right now.  We got A’s lab results back, and as the doctor began going over them with me, I actually broke down and cried from the mixture of emotions. 

I am angry at the modern medical doctors and pediatricians of our past who refused to listen to me.  I am angry at A’s birthmom for taking the drugs that potentially caused his issues (though I am very grateful that she made the choice to give birth and place him with us, where he could receive the care he needed).  I am angry that not a single doctor would even order the simple bloodwork that could have allowed us to help him almost 3 years ago when I started voicing concern.  I am angry that due their downright negligence, we have all suffered for the last 3 years, fighting his constant thirst, urination, putrid smells, confusion, cognitive issues, and more. 

I feel terrible that I have limited his fluid intake for so long, when he was truly dehydrated and thirsty.  I fell badly for being upset about his constant urinating issues.  I feel guilty for being so repulsed by his body odor.  I feel badly for disciplining him so frequently for what I thought was disobedience, hyperactivity, lack of focus, etc.  I am also a bit concerned as to whether we will be able to solve the problem with simple supplements and naturopathic remedies.  Even our doc isn’t sure at this point. 

At the same time, I am so incredibly blessed to FINALLY have a doctor that is working with us and listening to my concerns.  I am relieved to know it wasn’t my imagination telling me something was wrong for the last 3 years.  I am thankful to FINALLY have more of an idea what is wrong with my child.  Most of all, I am thankful to have a plan of action, and to know that it, hopefully, isn’t too severe of a problem. 

OK, now that all that is off my chest, here’s the deal…. To summarize, A’s liver is working fine.  His kidneys, on the other hand, are not.  Without further, more in-depth, diagnostics, we don’t know the exact problem with his kidneys.  Based on the current results, however, we do know that it is NOT kidney failure per-say in the traditional sense, but, for some reason, his kidneys are failing to filter properly or in correct proportions.   Here’s the cause and effect, to the best of our knowledge right now….

  • His sodium was surprisingly very low, which is off-balancing his NA+K cellular pumps, which is preventing his tissues from retaining the fluid they should, which in turn causes him to urinate frequently. 
  • Since his cells can’t hold fluid well, he is in a constant state of dehydration, and therefore thirsty (which legitimately explains his drinking fetish over the last 2 years).
  • His chlorine levels are on the high side for some unknown reason.  Vegetables are about the only known source of Cl we get.  Because his kidneys aren’t filtering it out properly, the toxin is being expelled somewhat through his urine, but also via his breath and his sweat, causing his terrible, ammonia-like, body odor.
  • His amino acids and several other levels are very high, meaning his blood acids are very high.  Because they are not being filtered out properly, it may be causing his body to essentially experience “hot flashes” to cause him to sweat out the toxins. 
  • The high acid levels of his blood may also be responsible for his decrease in cognitive function, with the symptoms we have been fighting such as confusion, cognitive delays, and the “just not getting it.”  At his levels, it could very easily be affecting his brain.
  • He had low iron levels in his blood.  We don’t know at this point if this is just a low iron level or if there is another cause for this such as a low copper level (which directly relates to the function and stability of iron in the blood/body). 

OK, so now, thanks to one doctor ordering one simple blood test, we have essentially explained every symptom I have complained about to doctors for so long.  Did I mention how upset I am about this whole thing?! 

Anyway, it is possible that this issue is drug-related, being that the birthmom’s drug use permanently damaged his kidneys.  That is a worst-case scenario, and I am going to hope against that one.  If this is the case, we will have to get a referral to a nephrologist (kidney specialist) to deal more in-depth with the problem.  Unfortunately, our naturapath doc has found that when he jumps to refer for a similiar issue, the nephrologist will put the child on pedialyte to increase the salt and some minerals.  Obviously, such high-sugar, artificial supplements are the last thing we want right now.  Let’s just say I have lost a lot of faith in modern medical doctors. 

So, before we go that route, we are going to attempt basic supplementation.  A will be allowed free-choice water in a sports bottle that will allow me to measure his intake.  This will also, hopefully, prevent him from seeking fluid from other sources which would prevent accurate measuring.  Then, we are going to add extra sea salt to all his food.  Finally, we are adding a new supplement to his day.  In addition to the fish-oil he already takes, he is going to began a regimine of a natural, across-the-board, mineral supplement that derives from plants, which allow it be more absorbable and digestible to the body.  Whatever A needs, he will be able to absorb, and anything else will likely just be expelled.  He will get low doses at first, divided into multiple times throughout the day, in hopes of preventing any kind of shock to his system.  Then, we will increase as needed, based on the results we observe.  He will have a weekly urine test that help us gauge the acidity of the urine. 

Needless to say, we are hoping for the best.  The best would include an overall improvement in his kidney function, which would, in turn, be observed through an improvement in his cognitive function and reduced confusion, a decrease in his urinary output and fluid intake, an improvement in his body odor, an eventual decrease in his salt requirements, and, hopefully an overall improvement in future lab blood tests. 

Thus, we embark on the next level of this journey to help A get healthy.  I truly look forward to seeing the results of this!