Our Trip To Franklin, TN

Calen's appointment with Dr. Kalb was yesterday. We were 15 min. late due to some bad weather we ran into. It was a short visit. I don't know how dr.'s visits work behind the scenes but it bothers me when I have to repeat EVERYTHING. It was as if he had forgotten what he had told me or vice versa. I was talking and at the same time thinking "did he bother to take notes from the last visit?" Anyway, Calen was put on zinc and B-6 along with Nyastatin for yeast overgrowth in the intestines. I asked if giving Calen this medicine would harm him if he didn't need it. He didn't give me a yes or no answer. He said that Calen exhibits all the signs of yeast overgrowth. I asked about testing Calen for it, and he said that a urine and stool sample would be needed. When I asked about the cost, he said the kit and the actual testing would cost somewhere around $500. Since the doc said that Calen exhibits the symptoms of yeast overgrowth, I said okay to the Nyastatin. He also stated that when Calen first starts this medicine, he will experience yeast "die-off" which will be uncomfortable for him. Doc said when this happens, keep giving him the medicine because it will eventually level off and Calen will not experience any discomfort anymore. It is temporary. I don't honestly feel comfortable giving my son something due to a "guess". I plan on calling Dr. Crenshaw from Infants' and Children's Clinic to see if I can set up an appointment and talk to her about my yeast overgrowth concerns and see if I can get him tested through her. That way Medicaid will cover the test, and I will KNOW whether Calen needs this medicine or not. I'm not at all comfortable with guesses. I also understand what the doc is saying though. Calen is an excellent candidate for yeast overgrowth due to his positive response to the gf/cf diet and his positive response to the meds. Usually when a child responds positively to the diet changes, that is a good indication that there is yeast overgrowth. I plan on doing more research on this matter. I also plan on hitting my children's dad up for some money. I'm just glad that it's all done for right now. We have to be back in 2 months. I just made an appointment for October 1st at 2:00 pm. I also talked with the ladies at Valley Health Foods in Muscle Shoals. They will start carrying some fish oil for children so that I can get it locally for Calen. They are doing their best to work with me. They are nice. I plan on buying Calen's meds there rather than ordering them online. I've used kirkmans labs online last time. All together with shipping he cost was about $80. That can almost be cut in half locally. As for now, I'm endorsing Valley Health Foods....that is, until they give me a reason not to.

On the way there I had to stop in for my favorite Starbucks treat...sugar-free cinnamon dolchi frappuccino. Calen got large fries and a Coke from McDonald's. On the way home we ran into another terrible storm that forced us to pull over in Athens. We waited for about 15 min. and was finally able to get started home again. My baby sis, Meka, picked up Kylia from daycare so that she and Reese (her son) can play together. Meka fixed me and Calen a plate of food for when we arrived to pick up Kylia. She's the sweetest sister ever. We sat around for a little while and chatted. David, my bro-in-law, showed me his new surround-sound system he bought. That thing is super nice! It sounds great! After that I had to head home and put them to bed. I was exhausted. My sinuses are completely stopped up with lots of painful pressure and I have a terribly painful stiff neck. My sis thinks I have the flu, but I don't think so. I took some medicine and came on into work. I'm about to take another dose right now. I look forward to the weekend. I'm in so much pain right now.