Update on Nicholas – Our One Year Homeopathy Anniversary!

I met Pierre Fontaine a year ago today and it was a day that ended up changing our lives. As with any treatment we had done, I had hopes that this would be the one when I walked into his building, but after seeing big-name DAN doctors who didn’t offer me much more than a huge bill and the kind of disappointment that left a pit in your stomach and a hole in your heart, I was trying not to set myself up for disappointment. I figured I was going to turn over this “homeopathy” stone (you know, leave no stone left unturned) and if it worked, great, but if it didn’t, I’ll keep plugging away and maybe another stone will present itself.

Prior to making the appointment with Pierre, I was torn between heading down the Yasko route next or trying homeopathy. I plowed through Yasko’s latest book at the time, taking my facebook friends with me on that journey, posting every tidbit that I hadn’t already known sparking lots of discussions and revelations along the way.

At the time, we were getting close to the “100 round” mark of Andy Cutler chelation and all I could feel was despair. Sure, Nicholas made gains from the AC chelation protocol, but he still had so very far to go. Up until that point, I had been so hopeful, so positive, so damn sure that AC protocol was going to recover my son. But with 90 rounds done and no end in sight, I no longer shared the enthusiasm for the protocol that I used to. When I first heard about the protocol from the various yahoo groups I belonged to, 100 was the magic number to recovery. Some even claimed recovery after the 50 round mark. These days, I hear the magic number has been moved somewhere between 200 and 300 rounds. For more severe kids, it could be 400. In case you’re wondering, a round consists of a weekend that you chelate, so 400 rounds would take you approximately 8 years.

As I contemplated which direction I was going to, Yasko’s protocol wasn’t sitting well with me for some reason. Aside from the cost (which is huge), it just didn’t feel right to me. I had 2 friends who had seen Pierre and both of their children were recovered. (Recovered recovered – no diet, supplements, etc. Not “managed” recovery.) One of those friends, I used to speak to pretty regularly and she mentioned she was seeing good things with homeopathy, but I was too immersed into the AC protocol, that I just blew it off. Because after all, at the time, I felt that if you didn’t fully chelate your child, they would not fully recover. One afternoon when I was in the midst of debating which path we were going to go down, her facebook status popped up in my newsfeed and it blew me away. I emailed her because I just knew it was about her NT (neurotypical) son. When she replied that it was not about her NT, but her ASD child (well, formerly ASD), I picked up the phone and made an appointment with Pierre. I never asked anyone about him. I never even googled his name. Turns out, the least researched treatment was the best move I ever made. Go figure.

The appointment was odd, therapeutic and draining. I left his office wondering if I had made the right decision. But then started to think about when I had used homeopathic remedies in the past – and then remembered that THEY WORKED. A sudden flood of memories, like Nicholas teething and those little pellets that I used to say were worth far more than their weight in gold, hit me. The flu remedy, oscillococcinum always worked. Chestal, a homeopathic cough syrup, also worked. And then the feeling of hope returned to me leaving me somewhat confident that good things were around the corner.

I hoped that maybe he’d climb another rung towards recovery, that we’d hear some more language, that he’d gain another level of clarity, that maybe I wouldn’t have to give him diflucan anymore. A year ago, I could have never imagined my life, our lives, as they are today. It is beyond my wildest dreams. It’s like all of his issues just melted away. I have my son back. I have MY life back. I cherish every moment I spend with my son – remembering all too well that it wasn’t long ago when he used to tantrum out of control so bad that we couldn’t take him anywhere. I remember that it wasn’t long ago when I would cry for hours at a time wondering if he would ever look me in the eye or call me Mommy.

I am happy to report that Nicholas continues to do well. He has been doing great in his mainstream classroom (no aide!), has been making friends, continues with karate and is just such an absolute joy to be around, take places and just have fun with. I never thought we would be in this place – you know – the one where you just get to live life and not be reminded about autism every single second of your day – but here we are and I hope that all of you say the same thing very soon. I am so very, very thankful for every second I get to spend with this little boy who despite what he has been through, has not seemed to miss a beat or let it get him down in any way.

It has been almost a year that we are free from supplements, mb12 shots and I no longer worry about foods, food colorings, etc. I truly thought I would never see a day where I could make such a statement.

Autism was such a road block for our family – it seemed to drag everything down – and it did. With the massive expense of all of the supplements and the huge monthly payment we still have on our hbot (which we no longer use, haven’t for quite some time), we had to focus on what foods Nicholas was eating first before we could think of ourselves. We gained a ton of weight along this journey. (Who hasn’t, right?) We always put ourselves and our needs last. We put every ounce of hope, determination, every dollar we had, every spare (and not so spare) minute we had into our son. And I don’t regret giving so much of myself to my child, nor does my husband – but we have been able to turn our lives around, lose all of that weight (thanks to homeopathy!) and get back on the path we were meant to be on before autism.

The road that we are on has bumps, just like anyone else’s, but one thing that’s not on our route anymore is autism. And for that alone, I am grateful each and every day. It’s time to start saving for college!

Thank you, Pierre Fontaine, we cannot imagine where we would be had we not met you a year ago today.

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16 Responses to “Update on Nicholas – Our One Year Homeopathy Anniversary!”

  1. VelmaRodrigues says:

    RN – Can not express how much happiness and joy I feel for you and your family. I smiled the whole time I read your post! I just finished up our 1st consult with Pierre. 2.5 hours in he stopped me and said “I’ve got it – I’m sure of the remedy.” I even questioned him if he was totally sure! LOL He was very confident. I will give it in the next few days. I can only hope and pray we see what so many others have! Thank you for all that you have shared…don’t know that I would’ve gone this route if it wasn’t for you! Thank you! Thank you!

  2. yukon says:

    Hooray! Great blog. Our 3 yo son has an appt with Pierre in June (Thanks to your (and others’) enthusiasm for homeopathy) Our stories sound very similar…we’ve done “famous” DANs with less than satisfactory results and we’ve done 18 rounds of AC chelation. We feel like we’re making significant progress but won’t leave any stones unturned. Our enthusiasm (as always) is a bit guarded…but THANKS for your blog. Good stuff.

    Jim

  3. Mom says:

    Hi Jim! Thanks so much!! Leave no stone unturned has always been my motto while working towards recovery. Good luck with your appointment, I hope it brings you tremendous gains!! Let me know how it goes!!

  4. Mom says:

    Velma – this is awesome news!! I cannot wait to start hearing about all of your progress!! xoxox

  5. selcobb says:

    You have such a wonderful site. I have an appt with Pierre in October (earliest I can get in!). I’ve done about 15 rounds of AC chelation. In your experience homeopathy doesn’t excrete metals, correct? So I would assume I continue with chelation, both approaches seem to benefit towards recovery…

  6. Mom says:

    Thank you!! That’s wonderful about your appointment with Pierre. Keep chelating until your appointment. Once you get your remedy, you will need to take a break so you know for sure that you have the right remedy and/or potency. After that, discuss your plans with Pierre and go from there. Lots of luck with your appointment, please let me know how it goes. Email me after your appointment and I will add you to my support group.

  7. amberbui00 says:

    Thanks for your blog. I am too chelating my son with AC protocol in the past year. Reading your blog and talking to another mom about Pierre gives me the inspiration. So I called the office and had my appointment with Angelica Lemke’s Pierre new co-worker this past week. Reading what you said above to selcobb, I want to know how long one needs to stop chelation before start the remedy? Per Angelica, I can start the remedy right away(I stopped chelation last Tuesday). Can you share your experience?
    Also, can you share how you withdraw the supplements? And what are the supplements that Nichals is/are on now?
    Many thanks, Michelle.

    Amber

  8. amberbui00 says:

    And can you add me in your support group too?

  9. Mom says:

    Hi Amber,

    Thanks for your message!

    As long as Angelica says it’s okay to give, I wouldn’t wait to give it. Before you resume chelating, you need to make sure (without doubt) that you have the right remedy – and I would speak to Angelica before restarting. You may be so surprised by the results, you may not feel the need to go back. That is what happened with us, we had just taken a break to make sure the remedy was what was working (and not the chelation) and my son just soared.

    I withdrew the supplements a couple of different ways – Nicholas got sick shortly after starting homeopathy to the point where I couldn’t get anything in him. We went for a few weeks before he started to lose skills – which was odd, because the most we used to be able to go without getting to that point was a day – after starting his remedy, we lasted weeks. I did have to put things back for a bit, then what I did (and what I highly suggest) is to wean them one at a time and slowly so if you see any changes you can pin point which one you need to keep (for the time being). Slowly reduce the dose until it’s removed, don’t just take it away cold turkey. Start with the one you think is doing the least good and go from there.

    Good luck! I can’t wait to hear about all of your progress!!

  10. Mom says:

    Absolutely – I would love to send you an invite – all I need is the email address associated with your facebook account. (email me – mom (at) recoveringnicholas.com) Or you can send me a friend request (if we’re not already connected) – http://www.facebook.com/recoveringnicholas and I can add you that way.

  11. JLanese says:

    Michelle, I am so inspired by your story. I met with Pierre in February and was prescribed a remedy for my son. Can you tell me how often you gave your son his remedy, and did you make any changes to his remedy along the way or have you stayed with the same remedy from day 1?

    Thanks, I am very new to homeopathy as you can tell!

    Jeannine

  12. Mom says:

    Hi Jeannine,
    It changes from time to time actually. There have been some weeks where it has been 7-8 days and other times where it was every 3-4. Nicholas has been on the same remedy since the beginning.
    I don’t mind the questions!!
    Hope you are doing well!
    Michelle

  13. amberbui00 says:

    Hi Michelle,
    Pls. bear with my questions as I am new with homeo. Based on your comment above, even though you didn’t see no changes good or bad for 6 weeks, you still keep on the same remedy? Can you also share, how do you judge when to give Nicholas remedy (when he is wearing off?)? While we are at this, can you point me to where I can look for the remedy definition?

    As always, thanks Michelle for your help!

    Amber

  14. Mom says:

    Amber – I am so sorry, I am just seeing this comment.
    Yes, we stuck with the same remedy.
    It’s hard to explain because with every kid it can be different, but with Nicholas, it was fairly obvious when it was time for the next dose.
    If you have the name of the remedy, google the name and the remedy and add ‘materia medica’ after it and that should provide some help there.
    How is it going??

  15. Shellye says:

    Hello,
    We’ve been reading this blog with great interest. We were considering DMSA and ran across your detailed experience. Would you recommend homeopathy over the DMSA?
    Eagerly awaiting your reply,
    Shellye

  16. Mom says:

    Shellye,
    I would ABSOLUTELY recommend homeopathy over the dmsa. After 2 years of chelating, my son was still very autistic. Homeopathy recovered him.

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