In 1993 our son Nicholas was born. He was our first boy after we had two beautiful healthy girls. Soon it became obvious that not all was right. At birth his breathing was fast and he refused to drink.
When he was about nine months we noticed that he was having a seizure. He was hot and the doctor put it down to a “fibril convulsion”, a fit brought on by the inability of his immature brain to cope with his high temperature. However, the “fibril convulsions” became more frequent and even in the absence of fevers.
Nicholas was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was about one year old. He was put on a range of medication witch did not seem to do much to reduce the frequency of his seizures.
We have tried various things. Medication was mostly the backbone of what ever we tried. We went alternative, partly because of the developmental delay witch was obvious by now. Some weeks were good others were a disaster. We counted 27 grand-mall seizures in one day.
One day we saw the movie “First do no harm”, a well known movie in the medical circles, introducing us to the Ketogenic diet. We discussed the Ketogenic diet as an alternative, with parents who had tried it with some success. It didn’t seem to be a solution because our doctor in which we have great trust, never offered it to us as a available alternative, and the people with whom we discussed the diet found it difficult.
Knowing that were willing to put hard work into it, (my wife had spend three and a half years on an intensive seven day a week program with Nicholas) and our attitude towards “the alternative”, our doctor suggested to our amazement to try the Ketogenic diet.
After a stay in the local children’s hospital where Nicholas was started on the diet, it was up to us, mum and dad. Soon after the stay in hospital however, I had to go on a business trip for several weeks. Knowing the work to be done by my wife alone at home caused me a great deal of worry and, I must be honest, guilt.
In an attempt to “make life a little easier” for my wife I started to write this software. While we were using it in the kitchen, we polished and polished it until six months later, other people started using it.
After a couple of days on the diet Nicholas’ seizures stopped…… however the seizures returned but now with a frequency of one seizure every six months. Nicholas completed several years on the diet and after stopping his seizure frequency is one every three months.
I have heard a lot of arguments why the seizures might have reduced. The argument that Nicholas grew-out-of-it might be the most accurate, if that is so, than we are so happy that the Ketogenic diet stopped the seizures long enough to allow his brain it to heal itself.
J.J. van der Wiel
KetoCloud Australia Pty Ltd