Updates for the week!

Here are some changes with Levi that we have noticed this week:

– More energy!

– Still sleeping through the night without his melatonin supplement.

– Climbing on things at the park, not losing stamina even after playing for a long while. 

– Balance has improved a great amount since starting the treatments. 

– Eating all the time and actually seems to be gaining some weight back.  His ribs and chest bones are not so visible anymore.

– Muscle tone in his legs and arms is improving. His calves are smaller and we can actually see real calf muscle instead of just the fatty tissue that it used to be. 

– Holding a pencil the correct way and writing better in school.  Teachers are so excited.

– More sociable and is becoming more articulate.  Using much bigger words than usual and his speech is more clear since starting the treatments.  (Teachers also agree on this)

– Shoulder blades do not stick out as far as they used to. Shoulders seem much more relaxed.

Overall we are just seeing all kinds of change in Levi.  On this list are things that he used to struggle with or could not do at all so these are amazing accomplishments for only using the VECTTOR a little under a month now.  I’ll will keep you updated as we go along!

 

 

 

Should I? Shouldn’t I? I should!

I have gone back and forth with promoting this blog.  I want to scream from the rooftops the information about VECTTOR and all the great things it is doing for my son but in the same breath I want to keep quiet because I don’t want the backlash from the MD community/doctors.  I know people will have their opinions about the treatment we have chosen and say that it’s worthless or that I should have taken our doctors advice in starting steroids.  My words to those people are simple.  You can choose whatever treatments you like for your children but please don’t judge me for my choices.  I am hoping for a cure as much as the next parent but until then it is our job to make sure our children’s quality of life is preserved as long as possible.  Using the VECTTOR and natural supplements is our path.  I am putting our story out there so that parents looking for an alternative treatment can read about my son’s progress and make their own decision.  It wasn’t hard for me to decide this path because it’s the only thing that made sense but I’m sure other people may be weighing their options and trying to do what’s best for their child.  I hope that the information you find on my blog is beneficial in aiding your decision making.  I understand I will at some point encounter someone saying I’m crazy for promoting this but that’s a chance I’m willing to take.  If I can convince one parent to start their child on VECTTOR than it is worth it.  It feel it is my duty to get this information out there.  I had to dig to find out about the treatment.  I want to make it easier for parents who are dealing with such awful news.  A little glimmer of hope can go a long way. 

Little miracles every day!

I just wanted to post a few updates on how Levi is doing this week. Yesterday was his first day back to summer school after starting the VECTTOR treatments.  His teachers were amazed by how well he is getting around.  They couldn’t believe how well he was getting around and he was even better at his academics.  My mother watches my children during the day so she takes them to the park usually sometime during the day. Yesterday Levi climbed all the way up to the monkey bars, held himself up on them, and jumped down to the ground (a very big drop).  He was able to land on his feet and not fall.  This is a HUGE deal for him.  We were so excited!  He hasn’t ever been able to do that.  Also his temperatures are staying steady around 88-93 in his legs and from 93-97 in his hands.  This is making a huge difference in how he is able to get around.  We even noticed more definition in his leg and arm muscles.  It’s so awesome to witness these little miracles every day. 

 

 

Insanity

When we were making our decision on whether or not to put Levi on steroids I asked myself a few questions.  I weighed the side effects against the benefits. Typical side effects include but are not limited to cataracts, hypertension, behavioral changes, and excessive weight gain.  Now I know with a terminal disease you may be asking why I am so concerned about side effects.  My answer is this; if you say my child only has a few years to live his life then why would I make it hell on earth for him?  If he’s gonna be in a wheelchair eventually even after using steroids then why would I make him endure these side effects as well as handle the disease itself? The only thing that made sense to me was to CHOOSE ANOTHER TREATMENT.  That’s when we ran into another problem. There were no other treatments approved to treat DMD.  With all the money spent by pharmaceutical companies to fund research I was floored that they are still using steroid treatment as the only answer.  So began my search for a better answer. 

As I said in my first post I found Dr. Rhodes by his YouTube videos.  I was amazed at first, then skeptical, then hopeful.  Weighing the pros and cons with this treatment was so much easier. There were no side effects to consider. The only obstacle was the cost.  The machine was $4500 and we would have to travel to Texas to get the machine.  Of course I was worried that it might not work but I couldn’t live day to day being able to look at myself in the mirror if I didn’t try it. 

So I scheduled Levi’s appointment and we drove 12 hours down to Texas for our visit.  After the first day of treatments we noticed a change in Levi and it was all worth it. Every day we see something new about him.  Some things he hasn’t been able to do in months while other things he has NEVER done before. I know now that I made the right decision. This machine has almost taken Levi back in time and it’s only been a little over a week! Imagine the results we will see in a few months. 

This brings me to a quote that Dr. Rhodes said to me at our first visit on June 4th. 

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
-Albert Einstein

That quote really stuck with me.  Insanity is what these doctors are asking us to do. They are asking us to give our children the same drug that has been used for years to treat this disease instead of trying to give us other options.  If it kept them out of a wheelchair for years and improved their quality of life enough to matter then I would say we should continue to use it but it doesn’t.  Compare it to having a cold.  If one cold medicine makes you feel worse and also gives you a headache and nosebleeds on top of your other symptoms then it doesn’t seem worth it.  I know that Levi is only 7 and I realize that he may still end up in a wheelchair one day. I’m not saying that VECTTOR is a cure.  What I am saying is that it is NATURAL.  It has no side effects and yet it isn’t FDA approved?  People aren’t lined up to fund Dr. Rhodes’ clinical trials?  It just doesn’t make any sense to me.  You would think the big pharma companies would be jumping on treatment with no side effects, right?  Wrong.  Patients who are well don’t bring in the money.  If you cure the disease then these huge companies lose a lot of money.  I’m not saying that all doctors are bad by any means.  I am only stating the obvious…MONEY talks. There isn’t enough money in a machine that repairs things that they already have pills for.  Those pills conveniently cause other problems and then you are dishing out more and more money for symptoms you only got because of their drugs.  Even our neurologist talked about how VECTTOR was a such a big investment and I should make my decision very carefully.  I appreciate her concern but is a $4500 once really a huge investment?  Steroids would cost way more in his lifetime and I already know the cons outweigh the pros.  I may sound like a conspiracy theorist so call me what you will but you cannot change my mind on the way I see this situation.  If it was your child you may be singing the same song as me. 

I started this blog to educate people about the VECTTOR treatment and to spread the word to as many people as possible.  This machine is working for my child and I have seen it work for others as well.  If you can choose a natural treatment over harsh drugs you should have that option. I shouldn’t have had to dig on the internet to find this.  It should be readily available at clinics around the world.  We have to do better for our children and push our doctors to strive for better treatments.  Quality of life should be at the top of the list not just for us but let’s hold our doctors accountable.  Make sure they do their job and treat the patients.  Did they become a doctor for the perks from drug companies or did they become one to heal people?  Don’t be afraid to hold them to a higher standard.  If they can’t walk the walk and help you find the right treatment (not just the approved treatment) then you should take your child to someone who gives a damn. 

 

 

5am…NO BIG DEAL! :)

We’ve been up since 5am, running the VECTTOR.  I’m on coffee cup number two.  This will be my first day going to work after our trip to see Dr. Rhodes.  I thought I would be more tired but it’s not hard to get up in the morning when your excited to see what the day will bring. 

I am doing some research this morning on a dietary supplement called Protandim.  A few other boys are taking this along with using the VECTTOR and they seem to work alongside each other very well.  Here’s a link to find out a little more about it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protandim

I’ll of course make my decision after further research.  I’ve been studying up a lot on natural supplements to help aid the repairs that the VECTTOR is making.  At this point if we can only put natural things into Levi’s body to treat this then that is my goal.  I know that eventually we may have to look into something stronger but for now natural is the road we are taking.

I hope you have a great day!

We went all the way to the Gulf of Mexico…for a little bit of hope.

I have finally decided to start a blog about my son’s fight with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.  After finding a treatment that is working so well for him I feel almost like it’s my job to share his story with as many people as I can.  I’ll give you a little background on Levi as we go but I want to first share with you the treatment we have chosen, how we came to that decision, and the progress that he has made in the last few days.

On March 22nd of 2012, Levi was diagnosed with DMD.  He is only 7 and for someone to tell us our son would be in a wheelchair by 12 and not live past his early twenties it was devastating.  There is no cure for DMD and the only option we were given for treatment was steroids.  For a couple of days I was completely lost.  I didn’t pray because I was mad at God.  It took a couple of good friends telling me to pray harder than I ever had before but I eventually decided to pray for a sign.  Some reason that my son had to go through this.  That night I decided to search for alternative treatments for DMD and I was amazed to find a video on YouTube about a boy named Gabe.  Gabe had DMD and had been using a treatment called VECTTOR.  Here is a basic rundown of how VECTTOR works:

VECTTOR treatments are a form of electro-stimulation based upon acupuncture, reflexology, physiology, cellular physiology, and anatomy designed to stimulate the nerves to produce certain neuropeptides essential for optimal functioning of the body. These neuropeptides are vital for increasing circulation to the skin, bones and muscles and for reducing oxidative stress. The VECTTOR system is designed to read feedback from the body via skin surface temperatures, throughout the treatment process.

Sounds easy enough, right?  I thought so, too.  So I searched for videos of boys using the VECTTOR and found videos about Dr. Donald Rhodes in Corpus Christi, TX.  This was my sign.  You may not believe in God, fate, or anything like that but this was my sign.  I immediately told my husband and immediate family about the videos I had found.  We quickly came to the decision that with no side effects we had nothing to lose.

I’ll go into more detail later about our trip to Corpus, but that pretty much brings us to today.  We are 7 days into treatment and believe it or not we are already seeing big changes in Levi.  We actually saw improvements on day 1.  Now I am a very skeptical person so I know a lot of you will be second guessing me about what I just said but I promise you that VECTTOR is not snake oil and Dr. Rhodes is most definitely not a fake.

Some of Levi’s major accomplishments this week:  (Before numbers taken on day one, after numbers taken on day 5.)

Shoulder abduction before treatment was 5.0lbs on the right and 3.4lbs on the left.  After treatment it was 4.6lbs on the right and 5.0lbs on the left

Elbow Flex before treatment was 0.0lbs on both right and left.  After treatment it was 0.0lbs on the right and 3.4lbs on the left.

Calf Circumference before treatment was 29cm on both legs and now it is 28cm on the right and 27.5cm on the left.

All of this plus on day three of treatment he climbed in and out of the tub, without falling, completely by himself. That hasn’t happened in months. He even went up and down two flights of stairs at the hotel the last two days of treatment.  He was able to climb up the pool ladder almost by himself yesterday when on Memorial Day he couldn’t even get up one step.  He also threw a lawnmower tire about 7 feet away from him (lol).  Now that may not seem like a lot for 7 year old boy but this is a huge improvement for Levi.  He is walking straighter, with his legs more together, and his balance is amazing.  His energy level is through the roof and he is sleeping through the night without his melatonin supplement.  He is eating like a pig and he is all around a happier boy.

I write all this not to convince myself that it’s working but to convince other parents to take that leap of faith and hold onto that little glimmer of hope in the back of their mind.  There is a choice for a natural treatment that works.  It’s not a cure but it is most certainly a step in the right direction.  I’m doing my part by starting this blog to talk about Levi’s healing and to also raise money for families who cannot afford to make the trip to Texas to get this amazing opportunity.  You can help by spreading the word about this wonderful treatment and don’t be afraid to tell people to contact me with any question they might have.  Thanks for taking the time to read this and please subscribe so you can see all the amazing things Levi is doing!

-Lindsay

Levi @ the beach – Port Aransas, TX