O-Boy(s)!: Cave Hike

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Cave Hike

I looking thru the photos from this month and realized I missed these ones that Peter took a few Saturdays ago - the BIG CAVE HIKE! I of course was home being sick. But, the boys all talk about this hike almost every day still, and not because it was fun. This was traumatic. We have long heard about the hike to the Timpanogas Caves. It is at the beginning of the American Fork Canyon, and seemed like a great afternoon activity according to all resources. Well, it turned out to be a 1.5 mile hike straight UP on a skinny cliff-lined trail in 95 degree weather.

The report:

The boys each drank their entire large Gatorade just on the hike up.

Peter had to hold Scotty's hand (or carry him) the entire way so he didn't fall off the cliff.

And the cave was tiny (albeit nice and cold) when they got to the top.

That night Scotty did thank Heavenly Father for the stalactites and stalagmites in his bed-time prayer. So at least he did learn something!

The others have sworn off ever going there again.

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What is FPIES?

I have 2 children that are recently healed from FPIES - Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome. Scotty is 5 years old - and fought this disorder for about 3.5 hard years. Colin is a 20 month old baby - and had a quick recovery. He is recently cleared of all of his symptoms, calling him FPIES free!

FPIES is a severe delayed food allergy of the gut, it is understood to be a T-cell mediated response in which food is considered a foreign invader and the body “fights” it until it can violently expel it; although the exact mechanisms are still not well understood.

Symptoms include: profound vomiting (often to bile), diarrhea and/or constipation. These can lead to: lethargy, low body temp or fever, hypotension, and in severe cases, sepsis and shock. Reactions to food are often delayed - a couple hours or even days.

Many children also experience a combination of discomforting symptoms while the body "fights" this reaction and these can include: extreme stomach pains, gas, runny stools with or without mucous or blood, persistent hiccups, acid reflux, rashes, sleep disturbance, and agitation. Other atypical symptoms I see in my own children are persistent runny noses and ear infections. Sypmtoms can last a couple hours or even weeks after the initial ingestion of a trigger food.

FPIES is a clinical diagnosis (based on symptoms), there is currently no test for it.

FPIES common trigger foods as listed in the literature include, but are certainly not limited to: Dairy, Soy, Rice, Oats, Barley, Green Beans, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Chicken, Turkey, Corn, Eggs.

Safe foods for these children to eat are determined by food challenges either at home or the doctor's office, as directed by the child's physician.

Children diagnosed with FPIES are treated in part with a strict elimination diet - keeping all trigger foods 100% out of their bodies. It is hoped that this will give their gut time to "heal".

Read and learn more in Joy's collection of articles:
FPIES File Cabinet

Also see her great collection of articles at The FPIES Foundation:
Medical Resource Articles

Check out this new great website with tons of FPIES info:
International Association for Food Protein Enterocolitis