Allergy Testing pt. 1

So after the challenge that was “special eating” in February, I’ve still decided to get me and the kids a general allergy (blood) test.

We spent something like 2 hours in an 84-degree office answering detailed questions and wracking brains to be sure we’d thought of everything possible for each of the four of us.

And we get to go back on Wednesday for the actual blood-draws/pricks.

Now, part of me objects to the extended torture that is five people in a near-airless 6×10 room– especially since, in theory, the test does everything. But another part is intrigued by the naturopath’s effort to tie diverse symptoms to possible causes or solutions/remedies.

One possibility she suggested is zinc deficiency, that’s been tied to sensory integration dysfunction/sensitivity.  This label is something that can both be scoffed at and tied to G/T kids. This (G/T), if you’ll forgive a mother for saying so, I have evidence all the children are.

Which makes perfect sense, considering their parents’ brains “work differently” as well.

So we are adding zinc to our daily supplements, with the hope that it will level out a spectrum of sensitivities displayed by members of our family (yes, I can be more specific in e-mail if it’s important). The main question is whether a zinc deficiency is playing a role in these behaviors or if they are simply elements of personality. And we can’t even know right away because this deficiency take so long to remedy– anywhere from 2 months to a year, she said.

What I want for myself is my tolerance-level for normal kid-stuff (tapping, touching, chewing loudly, spontaneous explosions of sound) to be neutral again, rather than them feeling like personal assaults. “It hasn’t always been this way.”

The progression toward answers goes like this:

  1. Initial consult (Today)
  2. Blood-taking: full draw from me, prick from each of the kids (next week)
  3. Discussion of results (something like 3 weeks later. Apparently the labs take a long time.)

So we’ll keep stop-gapping with what we know about, experimenting with what we don’t, and generally try to live as normal a life as we can with random tummy aches in a house that isn’t ours…

The upside is that the general level of stress seems to have gone down.  I know I’m more relaxed than I have been, and I think the kids are too.  For all this I am *thankful*!

Waiting…

Well, we’ve made it through our first three weeks on the market without a nibble, so odd are we’re in for the long haul.

I’m in a queer position since I think I can honestly be content either way, but I would *really* like to know so I could feather this nest or… something.

If we sell, I’ll have a new home to build, and it will be exciting, of course. It will also mean being (most-likely) outside of town and (possibly) without a garage for the winter.

If we don’t sell by October we’ll be free of a realtor I will never recommend beyond his selling record (which I’m always very respectful of when I tell the story). And I’ll be in the heart of town with a garage and no extra animals when Jay has his long trip.

But if we don’t sell I might end up homeschooling out of the library– or not, Jay points out since we do have more-or-less schoolbook boxes. (But that’ll mean bringing more stuff home, resulting in a less-clean “show.”  But hey, we’ve got to live too.

The one upside of the stripped house: Laundry only takes two loads.

Shifting Focus

Have you ever noticed  you become like what you spend the most time with?

This is why I’m always awed and grateful about the Really Awesome People who like me and think I’m worth spending time on.

And now I’m finding a combination of that and how guided I am by titles.

“Family News” might be getting a new name and more content soon.  Because I’m realizing there’s stuff I want to write because I want to write it, and not (anymore just) because I think someone else wants to read it.

And I’m realizing a harder time writing about non-writing stuff on Untangling Tales– largely because I’m connecting with more and more “serious” writers on-line and the eclectic stuff seems to be more suited to this spot.  But it will need a new name.

Probably not “little red onions.” I think that name was inspired by the massive amount of reading I’ve been doing lately. (Soon to be reflected in my sidebars).

In Pandora I have a station I call my “Noveling” station that is crazy-broad in content, but perfect for triggering my intent to write. It’s music that I enjoy and engages my story-mind.

Last night as I cleaned my kitchen (hmm, could I make that a nightly ritual?) I had it playing because it’s my favorite, most varied station.

And I wanted to leave the kitchen and go work on my novel.

So I created a new station.  My desire is for the music-task connection to grow just as solid.

Anyway, my desire for a shift is from realizing the fractured nature of my on-line writing.  If I can change my image of this space (and you, beloved readers, can tolerate skipping the things of no interest to you) I would put everything non-writing here, and eliminate the extra little blogs I created out of a sort of “politeness.”

I want the writing to be separate because the more I meet “serious” writers, the more I figure I ought to have a little corner that looks a bit more professional.

But with moving (or not), and homeschooling, and (maybe) tiny-homesteading, and eating up the learning curve and being excited by that: that is different and jumbled together, and I want a place to let it all dance without worrying if this is something *everybody* is interested in.

I like writing for an audience (even if it’s very small), but since I’m in a place of multiple transitions my blogging is going to reflect that.

Just, a new title would be really helpful, too.