My Story

WTF is a Mom to do….

/ Katie P. Tolley, RN, MSN, CPNP-PC / Leave a comment

There were assignments that had to be done.

There was a long weekend at the beach.

There was a family day when the GF food options just weren’t the most tempting.

That’s where my life as a Mom begins…. over and over and over and over again! (sigh)

Welcome to the world of WHAT. THE. F. IS. A. MOM. TO. DO? I know… the language, but… unless you live it… um…just don’t even. 😉

I have always believed that you have to accomplish your chores, tasks and responsibilities before you get your privileges. It just makes sense.

But, when you have a child that is controlled by the foods that are most of what society eats… and those foods are everywhere…. and those foods completely deteriorate his brilliant cognitive process….

YOU GET A LITTLE PISSED OFF THAT THERE IS NOT MORE AWARENESS! Welcome to my world.

Maybe you know about gluten (and casein) sensitivity, maybe you don’t, but let me tell you, not knowing will be the downfall of our society. I know I sound like a drama queen… But, I’m as serious as I can possibly be. ANYONE that works with kids NEEDS TO KNOW THIS INFO!!

Gluten sensitive people (40% of our population) will feel sick when they eat too much gluten. Period. Symptoms include but are not limited to:

  • brain fog (lack of focus and cognitive functioning)
  • spaced out… think “walking dead”
  • unable to accomplish ADLs (activities of daily living)
  • headaches
  • stomach aches
  • constipation
  • rashes
  • aggression
  • anger
  • frustration
  • lethargy, fatigue
  • obesity, edema/swelling
  • joint pain
  • anxious, depressed
  • IS THAT ENOUGH?!?
  • Sound like ADHD?
  • It’s also ANXIETY!!!!!
  • WE NEED TO WAKE UP!!

We need to scream it from the rooftops! I NEED TO SCREAM IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS!! I’ve lived it in the disastrous, whirlwind of gluten life for over a decade with my son. I was absorbed in the world of pediatrics, and I didn’t know, the awareness IS NOT THERE. The knowledge has not been shared with those that need to know. When I think back, it’s been 3+ decades for me and how long I’ve been affected by my personal struggles and symptoms. And, I see it in the majority of the pediatric patients I see (I only see kids).

This is the primary reason I care…

inflammation leads to

WE ALL NEED TO CARE! WE ALL NEED TO KNOW!!! BE EDUCATED!!! IT MATTERS!!!!!!!

If it was your 14 year old, and you’d been living it for over a decade, and you were finally getting answers, and you started seeing all the things our society was ignoring… and that lack of knowledge and ignorance is the reason your kid is getting “toxed”… You’d be fed up too! Try to detox… yup, it’s really like detox, wanna know more about the addiction and cravings, read this.  IT’S REAL!!!!! BELIEVE IT! I BEG OF YOU! PLEASE! Just start paying attention.

This part of the journey needs to be more understood… it’s the least enjoyable part in our family, honestly it sucks… especially when you know how to fix the problem. The disheartening and discouraging part is the blatant ignorance and denial of nutrition and it’s effects on our society, the problem is being ignored.

I’m ready to SCREAM!!!! I’m ready to share! I’m ready to spread the awareness of what is happening to our kids! I figured it out, and I know I can help others! Interested in funding my Awareness Campaign? Let me know… I’VE F’n HAD IT!!!!

 

*Disclaimer: I’m not against gluten, wheat per se, I am against TOO MUCH and OVER CONSUMPTION of wheat and processed foods. As long as you tolerate wheat and gluten products, make them 20-30% of your diet, if not, 0%, yes ZERO PERCENT of your diet! Period!

This journey is hard, but can be fun, but we ALL need to work together for the awareness of our fellow man, woman, child and for a better tomorrow for our communities.

Peace. kp.

 

Getting ‘Glutened’ is Drugging My Kid! I’ve had it!! (Digestive Health Series, Part 3)

/ Katie P. Tolley, RN, MSN, CPNP-PC / Leave a comment

 

So, What does getting ‘glutened’ look like?

A. Laziness, fatigue

B. Anxious, depressed, irritable, angry

C. Disoriented, unaware, spaced out, Cognitive dysfunction

D. Stomach ache, migraine, joint pain

E. All of the above and then some!!!

Anyone that has talked with me knows this is a hot topic for me. What angers me the most is the total disregard of our society for the people that have true dietary issues that are ignored by the general population, including much of the medical population. As a nurse practitioner, I don’t like to say we’re missing things in medicine, but… WE ARE MISSING THINGS!!!!

As a mom, I knew there was more to it, and I knew I needed to keep searching for answers. Never. Give. Up. That’s going to be the name of my book. I’m not really a very good writer, avoided it like the plague in school. I have no idea where to start with a book, but it’s a goal of mine, and I need to share our story with other families. Moms need to know that it is worth every bit of energy you use figuring out how to help your child. 

He is so bright, it puts him on a different level. Friends started noticing it before I did, he put concepts together that 2 year olds just didn’t put together. He was smarter than some of the adults in his world and it caused problems. Problems that gradually got worse as the years went on. There were jokes about Einstein being thrown out of school, he even has a hat with Al on it. But, seriously, it took a decade of lots of struggles and difficulties to realize he wasn’t going to get better with prescriptions or school accommodation or anything else traditionally done for bright, ADHD kids. We’d been trying for years, and things were just getting worse… WHY???  Continue reading →

I do it ALL for My WHY?

/ Katie P. Tolley, RN, MSN, CPNP-PC / Leave a comment

HI! A friend and fellow Inspirer asked for some insight about WHY we do what we do? What gives us PASSION, what gives us ENERGY to keep moving forward? What is your WHY?? Think about it, write it down, it might be a little more motivating than you realize…

Tell your story

My WHY is My family. I do everything I do for my kids health and well being. I’m working harder now to spend time on the beach later with my Hubby when we are old and our kids are wildly successful and can take care of us (play along, I have faith).  Continue reading →

Mommy & Daddy Need A Time Out

/ Katie P. Tolley, RN, MSN, CPNP-PC / Leave a comment

Let’s think about this a minute… Time Out? Hmmmm….

A moment to be by yourself.

A moment to be left alone.

A moment to get away from the hype.

A moment to step back and regroup.

A moment to detached from the goings on in the world.

A moment to block out the noise.

YES, PLEASE!! I’ll take that Time Out NOW!

This past weekend, my husband and I Continue reading →

From 6lbs to Bigger Than Me

/ Katie P. Tolley, RN, MSN, CPNP-PC / Leave a comment

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I’ve always known…. someday it was going to happen….

I look up at him now…. My little 6 pound, 37 weeker.IMG_1951

It seems like just yesterday he was obsessed with trains and his batman cape. He was a Conductor/Engineer/Superhero in the making for years. 🙂

And, now, his voice has started changing, it’s so different…. Who is this? This grown boy? This young man.

I knew someday this would happen… but already?

It happened right in front of my eyes…

He was shorter than me just 9 months ago, and now, he’s only a half inch from his father. It’s his year. 6″. Boy to man.

In just 14 years….he’s bigger than me. (sigh)

IMG_1946I always knew someday he’d be taller than me. I even stood below him on the step between our foyer and living room a few different times over the past few years, just to check the view from that angle. He asked me once what I was doing. I said, “Just seeing what it’s like…” and, now it’s happened. No turning back. Life as I’ve known it for the past 14 years is now different.

I do kids, pediatrics, and before that, I delivered babies (loved it!!), I’ve watched kids grow up. Had the chance to watch dozens of kids that I helped bring into this world grow up, So cool! I still get to see many of them. It really is amazing to watch these little babies turn into toddlers… then preschoolers… (but, mine are long past preschool now).

One day, you walk them into kindergarten. At your elementary school (mind blowing kinda day). His kindergarten teacher was also his father’s, just 30 short years ago. Talk about mind blowing for her too. Especially because of the uncanny family resemblance of father and son. You should have seen her face when she realized it.

That was only the first of many mind blowing moments, this parenting thing goes too fast. There are so many “precious memories.” I hope I am filing them all in the right places.  I don’t want to forget ANYTHING. But, I will, we all do.

Today, when thinking back about my little baby, the nights, the breastfeeding, the multiple bags and essentials to tote, it really seems like a lifetime ago. I guess it is… his lifetime.

My precious little baby, my firstborn, my gift from God that He chose to challenge me with… I just look at him in awe sometimes…SOIMG_1956 Much more than he realizes. My Joshie.

As a parent, I sometimes think of MY creation. Well… OUR… my husband gets credit too. I know the whole procreation, reproduction, cycle of life, blah blah… But… I. CREATED. A. HUMAN. BEING. Have you ever really stopped to think about that? I DO. And, have multiple times over the last 14 years.  #SURREAL. That was the first adjective I could think of to describe being a mom after Joshua’s birth… it truly is surreal. just. no. words.

The miracle and blessing of life. Of Family. Of LOVE. #priceless

So, today, on my 14th Anniversary of Motherhood, I know how truly grateful and blessed I am. I have been chosen to raise these precious children.

I will try the best I can every day, and never, ever, ever give up. Even when I have nothing left, I will never let them down, not if there is a breath in my body. I’m their mom. It’s what I do. It’s my job.

Enjoy it!!!! Please. The journey is what YOU make it!

Write your story your way.

LIVE Your Journey!

Walk YOUR path!

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Oh, The Places You Will Go

At some point I may get to add a pic of my tall one… but for now, that camera shy 14 year old alludes me. And, I try to respect his privacy (doesn’t always happen though, so stay tuned). 😉

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Our Joshie

Just to give you an idea of that height… Morgan is actually leaning, Josh hasn’t quite caught him yet, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of days.

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Family Ice Skating at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor

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Caught a pic… a wee bit different from that little boy walking through the waves.