Eat, Play, Sleep: Our Journey to Good Health

As parents, I’m sure there is nothing we aspire and pray for more than our children’s good health and protection from danger.

My simple joys are watching my son eat with a hearty appetite, run around with endless energy (drenched in sweat but not feeling tired at all), and lightly snoring, enjoying deep sleep. These may seem too common or ordinary for some, but not for us, especially not for this overthinker mom who prayed for many years for those three simple graces.

You see, there was a time in my son’s life when he struggled with enjoying food and eating (he did not only eat verrrrrry slowly, it seemed he can’t swallow very well and would sometimes even regurgitate food), playing and physical activity (he needed to catch his breath every so often, pant and get sick when over-tired), even sleeping (he is a restless sleeper and would wake up every so often). Not only that, he experienced a barrage of health problems left and right during his first five years that left me and my husband desperate, constantly questioning ourselves what we were doing wrong, often feeling like just point-blank failing at our primary responsibility of taking care of him. Back then I was told that these were all normal and some even jokingly teased me of over-reacting and advised me to just let him be (as if there is ever a parent who will do nothing and let their child suffer). But something tells me that that can’t possibly be his normal.

From atopic dermatitis (when those ugly red spots and flaky-dry skin peppered his still-too-cute cheeks for many months) to cyatonic breath-holding (flashback to those panic-ridden times when his body’s involuntary response to getting upset was to breath-hold, turn blue and lose consciousness – a condition that he would eventually outgrew at the age of five, thank you Lord) to perpetual (and I mean year-round and forever) rhinitis, his first five years of life were definitely not easy-breezy.

While it’s true that cough and colds are common especially for kids whose immune system are not yet fully developed, what he experienced was mucus over-production like no other, that clogged his nose perpetually, so much so, that he was forever congested and speaking nasally in a hoarse voice (ngongo and paos, in local parlance); Worse, the rhinitis almost always led to post nasal drip, and almost always progressed and morphed into a full-blown case of bronchitis and sinusitis, so what this meant for our son was a life bombarded with Western medicines just to allow him a semblance of normalcy. He was on Montelukast and antihistamine (Ketototifen or Cetirizine) all-year-round for three straight years, following doctors’ orders to prevent us from having to resort to steroids and antibiotics yet again, choosing to put him on maintenance medicine because it seemed like our only choice, being the lesser of two evils.

In absence of any alternative, we bit the bullet but did not stop researching and bringing him to various specialists to get to the bottom of his condition. First to a pulmonologist (who ruled out asthma), then to an allergologist (who ruled out allergies as all blood and skin tests were negative), and finally to an otolaryngologist (ENT). And all that while, all I was praying for was to see my son restored to good health, simply enjoying food, just running around without needing to stop to catch his breath or blow his nose, and sleeping peacefully. Was that too much to ask? I was extremely frustrated.

After five years of hits and misses, we later learned in 2015 that those symptoms were apparently all inter-related and the congestion, mucus over-production and restless nights were all caused by his enlarged adenoids and he was diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). For those who are not familiar with OSA and adenoids, the former is a sleep disorder that causes breathing to stop during sleep, caused by the latter (the enlarged adenoids) which are glands found in the roof of the mouth, right where the nose connects to the throat and enlarges when they are fighting off infections. In my son’s case, we’re not exactly sure if the enlargement was caused by the constant post nasal drip, or by environmental allergens that we couldn’t pinpoint, or maybe our son was just born with it.

So, when our ENT doctor suggested a cure that would once-and-for-all allow our son to eat, play and sleep better, we were all ears.

The suggested cure was not easy to swallow and we sought several medical opinions to validate the need, but when the x-rays showed the large adenoids blocking the nasal passages, it all made so much sense. That explained his lack of appetite (try eating with clogged nose) and why eating seemed like such a chore for him (he can’t breathe with his mouth while chewing), the mouth-breathing, the restless nights. Eventually we decided to trust our ENT doctor and in October 2015, our five-year-old son underwent three major surgeries: Adenoidectomy, Tonsillectomy and Myringotomy (the excess mucus resulted in severe ear infection).

We thought our journey will be all uphill from there but boy, were we wrong. Yes, the surgeries relieved him from snoring and wakeful nights and his appetite definitely improved, but our battle with rhinitis persisted. It was still the same story. He will start sneezing and snorting, then develop runny nose, then post nasal drip, and before we know it, we need antibiotics and steroids again for the sinusitis or bronchitis. I was growing more and more desperate and submitted everything to our Lord.

And in that moment of despair, I decided to take the leap and try something new. Instead of merely responding to my son’s symptoms, I was moved to be more proactive, shifted my focus to boosting his immune system and made it my life mission to avoid activities that will weaken his immune system unnecessarily (inadequate sleep, over-exhaustion, poor nutrition). I started saying no to late dinners, all-day events, and started to supply him with all-natural, organic food. I had three goals in mind for my son – hearty appetite, 9-10 hours of sleep, less sick days. I was a mom-on-a-mission, beginning with that end in mind, and praying day and night endlessly.

It was in December 2016 when I started investing on my son’s health by giving him pure Manuka Honey and Wolfberries daily. This was also the time I was introduced to Young Living Essential Oils. I’m sure you’ve all heard about Young Living Essential Oils – maybe from that passionate friend or co-worker who cannot stop raving about her amazing oils, or maybe you’ve caught a whiff of lemon, lavender and peppermint from that lady in church sitting beside you; maybe you’ve been invited to attend a talk or a casual chat or you’ve been ‘warned’ of it being a multi-level marketing company (for the record it is, and I don’t understand what the warning is for to be honest). As for me, Young Living had me at pure, plant-based and toxin-free. In my mind, I thought: So what if by signing up, I become a member of a “networking” company. So what if my upline earned commission from my purchases? Retailers earn profit from me as well. All that mattered to me were the testimonials of Young Living’s loyal patrons, swearing by its astounding health and wellness benefits, and yes, I want that kind of life for my son.

I started with their proprietary blends, Thieves©, R.C.©, Raven© and Breathe Again© primarily to boost my son’s immune system and relieve him from symptoms of congestion, kind of like the way multi-vitamins or vaporizers are purported to work. All of the above-mentioned blends are made from high-grade, therapeutic, unadulterated, pure essential oils, distilled straight from the plant source, so I’m sure that what I’m giving my son is safe, natural and organic. No it did not cure his rhinitis, that’s for sure and he still experienced occasional coughs and colds, BUT his body is better able to fight off the initial symptoms, and he is able to bounce back to being okay, instead of spiraling down to worse illnesses. It was really life-changing for us. For more information on Young Living essential oils, you may visit their website http://www.youngliving.com.

It’s been a rough start for us health-wise and to be perfectly honest, the cost of this healthier life for him surely is quite high (literally and figuratively 🙂 ) but good health is our true wealth and it is really worth every penny. When I think about it, I would rather spend on the prevention than the cure. As author Andrew Weil wrote in his book “Spontaneous Healing”: “Is it better to put our faith in weapons against external agents of disease or in internal resources that can make us less vulnerable?” I choose the latter and put my faith in God’s pure gifts from nature – manuka honey, wolfberries, elderberries and essential oils (Young Living being my preferred brand).

These days, two years after our switch to a more natural and organic lifestyle, I’m happy to share that my now-eight year old son eats heartily, runs around bursting with endless energy, and sleeps straight and deep. For these and more, I am truly grateful and I really cannot ask for more.

Disclaimer: I am first and foremost a loyal and regular user of Young Living oils so yes, I am very biased . By design that makes me a member / distributor of Young Living essential oils but this is not a business post, nor is it a paid advertisement or a sponsored post by the company. This blog is purely personal and written from my own experience with no intention to influence membership sign-ups for the company.