Welcome back, ketosis

Seizure control seems to be mostly back, after 2 weeks away. They have been decreasing in strength and frequency. We only saw 1 or 2 yesterday and 1 so far today, so hopefully they will die out again completely.

On Friday afternoon, I caught the first whiff of ketones in Nora’s urine again. Gross, I  know, but it seems to be the best overall measure of ketosis. We are getting more 160+ readings on the ketostix, but still see an occasional low reading, possibility when her urine is dilute.

Her doctor also gave us a prescription for carnitine, the protein supplement to help her process long-chain fats. She had her first dose today. I am glad that her seizure control improved before starting the carnitine, so that we can  better understand the cause-effect relationship of the diet and supplement. I hope that the carnitine can provide a kind of insurance-policy against future loss of ketosis, helping her to process those long-chain fatty acids into energy.

 

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About Christy Anderson Brekken

In no particular order... Instructor and Researcher, Department of Applied Economics, Oregon State University. Educational background: University of MN Law School, 2005. MS in Ag and Resource Economics, Oregon State University, 2011. Teaches: Agricultural Law, Environmental Law. Mother: brilliant 9 year old boy; brilliant 6 year old girl with benign myoclonic epilepsy on a modified ketogenic diet therapy. Married to: Ted Brekken, OSU Department of Electrical Engineering. Ride: Xtra-cycle Edgerunner with kid seat; 400-pound cargo capacity. Grew up: Devils Lake, ND. Lived in: Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, Pohang, South Korea, Trondheim, Norway, Corvallis, OR. Interests: Cooking, knitting, eating, yoga, laughing, hiking, traveling, staying sane.

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