I wanted to post this because I'm happy, because I want to share the good news with so many of you who have offered such incredible help, and because maybe some people who are trying to decide whether to chelate or not will be helped. So...

My son was damaged by flu vaccinations while on antibiotics. I didn't even consider this possibility at first. Or even second or third. But the more I read, the more of our videos of his before and after behaviour that I watched, the more I was convinced. Prior to these vaccinations he spoke about 80 words, was affectionate, involved, funny. Just a normal kid. Two months after the first vaccination, at the age of 23 months, he was withdrawn, almost non- verbal, obsessed with movies and dropping action figures over the edge of the couch. He started biting himself very hard and banging his head against chairs. He no longer acknowledged anyone except me, and generally he just wanted to twirl the rings on my fingers until his nails were torn and my fingers were swollen. He stopped sleeping well at night. His poops became soft and wierd. He didn't want to run or play anymore. Eye contact was gone. Many of you know exactly what I am describing.

Just prior to his second birthday, we went GFCF. He stopped hurting himself and we were joyful. He started sleeping better. We began supplementing, giving epsom salt baths and using Floortime. He made some progress. A few words came back. After about 6 weeks, he would smile a bit a couple times a day. Our floortime therapy was devoted entirely to trying to make him happy. We wanted to close circles of communication that involved a smile, or maybe even a laugh or a caress. Progress was slow but noticeable. We didn't even try to teach him language or skills, even though we now had 45 minutes of ST every second week (I simply gathered information to put into practice later). We had the idea right from the beginning that we were going to fix things from the inside out.

Fifteen supplements into things, diet now low soy, phenol and sugar, and some pretty decent floortime skills under my belt and progress was still back and forth. The improvements that stuck involved level of happiness. My son could now laugh when tickled, at least some of the time. He could smile if you fell down in a spectacular kind of way. He started jumping on our bed in a manner that no longer looked like an obsession, but looked like fun. Once in a while, he would look up if you called his name. Maybe three times a week, he would approach me from behind while I sat on the floor and hug me. We had a few weeks of great language improvement, up to about 50 different words within one week, but then gone again. We were happy with our efforts over the past six months, and joyful with the progress, but we knew that we could do better. We knew we had to address the reason why, in spite of our efforts, our son continued to lose skills/language/behaviours that he had just learned.

We then started chelation, using Andy's protocol. DMSA/ALA every three hours. We've finished five rounds in five weeks. At the end of the last round, my son hugged his dad. Something that hasn't happened in eight months. My son looked up at me from the bed the other day, held up an arm and said "nuggle", a word he used to use 10 times a day. And then we nuggled, his cheek against mine, just like we used to do before his regression. Eye contact can sometimes last 15 or 20 seconds, up from 1 or 2 seconds at most. He can play pat-a-cake with his hands now (as opposed to only feet that we would move for him) and he even grabbed my hands and held them still as a joke. With a smile on his face! Some of these changes began before chelation. But now they are coming faster and faster and they seem to be sticking. The word nuggle three days in row, as opposed to once and then gone again for months. Calling his sister's name when she's gone, rather than ignoring her completely while she's around. Watching some kids play on their bikes at the park, instead of swinging obsessively like he's alone in the world.

I read not too long ago a post where someone mentioned a "spark" in their child after changing dosing schedules (and thank you VERY much for sharing that!). That's what we see too. That spark, that used to be in his eyes always, had disappeared. It is coming back now, for longer and longer stretches.

We have far to go. And for anyone just starting this process, I know that write-ups like this make it all seem very quick and orderly, but it's not like that. It's starting supps and then taking them away. And then starting new supps that you should have had in place first, and restarting the old supps, but at a lower dose. It's assuming you might know what you're doing for once, until you start trying to do it, and then it suddenly seems very confusing, and you have to write your listmates again, and again, and again. It's wondering if you're making the right decisions even when the progress is staring you right in the face because how bloody ludicrous is it that someone who is supposed to protect my child from harm would poison him on purpose? If you can get your mind around that seeming impossibility, you can take the steps to get your child better.

There are hardships, most certainly. Hardships of all kinds, and I know that my son's condition is not nearly as severe as many I have read about on this board. But there are many pleasures too. Like getting up twice a night to chelate and being very, very happy about doing so--I mean skipping to the fridge, smiling! Or having your kid look into your eyes and bragging about it when your husband gets home, and both of you tearing up with joy. Or your older son running upstairs to report that his little brother just played drawing with him for five minutes withough interruption.

This is longer than I meant it to be, yet I've left out 99% (thank goodness you say). Thank you so much to everyone on this list who has given of their limited time and energy to help and encourage me. And an enormously tearful and heartfelt thank you to Andy whose protocol has made this possible.

Anita

[My thanks to Anita for allowing me to use her son's story on my site.]