March 3 (written by daddy... 3 days w/daddy, 3 days w/mommy)
Well, 3 days of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) completed and so far so good. We are doing another 40 hours of therapy after seeing the improvements this therapy did for Luke last June (see June 2009). The first 3 days went fairly smooth. We are "in the tank" with two other families and Luke is the veteran of the bunch. Everyone seemed a little anxious the first day but by day two things went a lot smoother. The trick is to bring lots of activities for your kids to keep them occupied for the full two hours. Pressure build-up in your sinuses can be a little painful the first couple of days but your body seems to adapt quickly. I plan ahead and bring lots of kleenex to keep our noses clear and tell Luke to pretend to yawn alot which really helps.

The best part is spending two whole hours with Luke. He seems to get a little annoyed when you talk to the other parents but it's great to talk with the other parents b/c we're all on this incredible journey and basically flying by the seat of our pants. It's good to swap stories of the trials and successes of different diets, therapies and supplements that we have all tried. It's also comforting to hear of others that have been constantly frustrated and stone walled by our so called great Canadian Health Care system. So many variations of autism, so many therapies, so much advice... so little guidance. Thank God for the DAN doctors and homeopaths that are in tune with these little children and can help walk us through such effective treatments.

Our hope is that Luke progresses as much this round as last time!

March 5
Luke is fast asleep in bed tonight, Friday night... we have one more session tomorrow before we end the first week. Luke is absolutely amazing in the "tank" and I give all kudos to our ABA team. He can sit still and obediently for the entire 2 hours and requests what he wants to play with (favourite still being stickers, which is mindless but makes the time fly by). Today we also read half the "Nursery Rhyme" book from Grandma V. which Luke loves; especially when I sing (!). I try to converse with the other two moms as much as possible, giving them relevant advice, however it's quite loud in the submarine and so I focus on Luke, and we're having lots of fun. He's patient when I talk to others, but also demands my attention (politely) when his patience is up. I love it. He's so well behaved compared to last time, and I am so proud. One of the moms even went so far as to say that Luke seemed "typical" to her. Music to my ears. I explained that the last two years have been very difficult, but the burden has recently been lifted so we're in a really, really great place. We pray that this session of HBOT tips Luke over the edge of cognition. Tonight he was playing wonderfully with his brother Joel (who, BTW was choked that he couldn't go in the submarine!). We have to admit Luke has been talking a bit more and more freely and we have noticed that there is absolutely no delay at all in his reaction time. In fact, he's also being a bit of a pest by giggling like a co-conspirator when Joel instigates misbehaving. Two little loveable rotters, I tell ya! No major "developments", but like daddy said, we're veterans now and we have low expectations for the "overnight" miracle, and high expectations for the long-term benefits!!!

March 10
HBOT is a fairly relaxed two hours. Luke spends most of it playing with stickers and either books or flash cards. He has certainly been more vocal lately. We're house-sitting close to the HBOT place, so it's an easy and quick drive. This morning there was a long delay in the tunnel, but I still had 10 minutes to spare and no longer stress about things beyond my control. I took daddy's place today as he had some sinus issues... spitting blood and having a bloody nose. He has always had allergies and sinus problems, and usually when they begin to increase the pressure in the tank, he can blow his nose to relieve the pressure in his head. The past few days have been quite painful and more and more difficult to clear. After seeing the blood yesterday (minimal, not really alarming), and after doing some research we decided he should take a break. Advice recommended Sudafed, which he is now taking. He will try to go in again on Monday and see how it goes.

Just a few wild new things about Luke:
• Luke ate a whole apple by himself, whole. As in he took an apple and ate it up to the core. He has NEVER done this, and has always demanded that we "cut it little"... we actually were able recently to give the apple to him in "strips" which he ate, but a WHOLE apple. Click here for a photo.
• Daddy and Luke went for a walk on Centennial Beach in Tsawwassen today and they saw a duck. Daddy said "The ducks are eating"... and Luke said "What he eating?" which is amazing... usually he repeats what we say. This was our hope, that perhaps we can begin conversations!!
• Had a wonderful time in Ricky's restaurant for breakfast the other morning with both boys. They were very well behaved and only needed a couple reprimands when we first got there. By the time breakfast arrived, they were good as gold and enjoyed eating leisurely... bacon and fruit and I brought rice crackers that they dipped into the "jam packets" (what a novelty!!). They really enjoyed it, as did we!

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We saw Dr. Bratt on Monday afternoon and were happy to be told that we can stop the clay baths, and wean Luke off the B12 shots, as well as the taurine. It's exciting to think he's come so far that his body has healed to a point of allowing the food he ingests to proper break down and feed the cells/body like it's supposed to. His immune system is SO healthy right now, it's phenomenal. At one point in the appointment Dr. Bratt looked over at Luke, who had been eyeing her slyly... and she smiled a big smile at him... he smiled back in reply then turned his head quickly and shyly... "He likes people," she said. We are very happy with her service and care of Luke and highly recommend her to anyone. Next up on the "latest" list is oxytocin, which she might be able to prescribe in the fall if becomes available. In the meantime, we see how things go and look forward to a follow-up visit in June or July when we're on the coast again for Luke's EEG. Luke is not "fixed" (haha) yet, but school will certainly help both cognitive and social skills.

March 16
I've been taking Luke for the past few days as dad still has sinus issues. He and Joel drove us one day to give us a break on the 1 hour 15 minute drive. Luke is still behaving well... nothing new to report. There is another boy in with us this week who is 8 years old. On occasion, Luke screams a bit (thinks it's funny) but he is otherwise nice and quiet. He will say hi to the people working there when prompted. He knows the drill now, with changing in the changeroom, putting shoes away neatly and going to the bathroom before getting the neck seal put on. We are officially half-way, so that's a relief. I have to admit, my bones are aching a bit from sitting scrunched on thin blue gym mats spread over steel. It's chilly in there too (last year it was cooking hot in June)... so we all have blankets and can wear bathrobes.

One tiny thing was on the magnadoodle the word "DORA" was spelled out and Luke pointed to each letter and together we said Dora and then pointed to her picture and said "Dora"... and his little mind was working hard... I think he's figuring out "spelling". He even let me help him (hand over hand) write the first 6 letters of the alphabet. He usually protests when we try to teach him to spell... I think he knows it's "work" like at home with the ABA interventionists - haha. We go easy on him, because we'll be back in Kamloops soon and he'll be back in his little "learning chair" in no time!!

I have to admit this is physically and emotionally draining. I continue to pray for Luke's progress. We also received word that the therapy will not be funded by the charity, so that was quite discouraging. I pray the long-term effects of this treatment will be as beneficial as the last time... time will tell.

March 21
Some pretty amazing stuff is happening. First and foremost... a wonderful and generous and beautiful person handed me a cheque on Friday afternoon for the total amount of the oxygen therapy ($2800.00). Needless to say, I was moved to tears and will forever be grateful to this woman for her compassionate heart.

Luke is phenomenal. I've noticed things in the last few days that have made me smile, smile, smile. He is conversing more and more and more; quick to respond; initiating comments; warming up quickly to my brother who's in town (quicker than Joel!!); and adding new words to his vocabulary by leaps and bounds. Yesterday he said "don't be angry" to me after I'd had cross words with Joel for wriggling too much when I was changing Joel's diaper. He is going to the toilet without a stool or insert (scooching himself onto the toilet seat... asking for "privacy" and "please close the door" and saying "Finished" clearly when he's done - used to be just a screech. He is saying hi and bye a little more spontaneously. He is initiating kisses and "need a hug too" from family. He is eating very, very well. He generally seems much less inhibited in many ways. He used to "ask for permission" for almost everything... now he takes his socks and shoes off in the car when he feels like it, without asking, and has no issues with walking barefoot on the cold cement to the front door. He is still a little obsessed with doors and sometimes lights, but not as noticeable. He has repeated a few statements "Aunt Betty close the garage door" five or six times; and I remind him he's repeating himself and has said it 5 times and to stop... and he looks at me funny (like he's thinking) and he stops.

He has caught a small sniffly nose cold so I'm a little concerned about him in the submarine tomorrow. Hopefully there will be no issues. We have completed 27 hours of HBOT (3 weeks) and have 13 hours (1.5 weeks) to go.

March 29
Only 2 more days left! Yay! Luke has again caught another small sniffly cold. The last one a week ago did not last long. This one is a bit more inconvenient with a really runny nose. Kind of yucky in the "oxygen hood". Poor guy. It was also insane on the roads as there's been a downpour of rain causing tons of puddles on the highways. Like I said, only 2 more days to go! We're heading back to Kamloops right after the Wednesday session, so it will be good to be home. On the way in today, Daddy was wondering if we'd have to go through this whole HBOT routine again, and just as he was thinking this, he saw a beautiful rainbow. A sign of hope that maybe some of these therapies are complete!?

Luke's progress is still quite incredible. He's playing so well with Joel and they're beginning mini conversations which is fun to hear. Like Joel says "Luke you want to go on Auntie L's bed?" and Luke replies "Ya". I know it doesn't sound like much, but they continue on and on like this with their own way of communicating. It's adorable. We also did a survey at the beginning of the month and according to our personal (parents) opinion he was a 31.5 [0-30 is non-autistic, 30-33 is high functioning autistic or aspbergers]. Yesterday we redid the survery (objectively and sincerely) and he rated a 26.5. (Last year, same survey, we began at 35 and ended at 29.5). Pretty incredible. While he still has a few obsessive minor traits and delayed speech (which we now fully realize will only improve over time), he is MUCH more cognitively comprehending. He sits and thinks about what we're saying. He initiates conversations. He makes comments on things. He wants to cuddle more often (especially with daddy).

I finally had a chance to upload the HBOT photos... click here.