We were at my parents’ house celebrating my sister’s engagement. Her fiancé was about to give a toast when, THUD, Tomas collapsed. He was having a seizure, a BIG one. It lasted about 3 ½ minutes but it felt like an eternity. What came after was worse than the seizure itself. He was lethargic and confused, talking but not making sense and then fell into a deep sleep. I watched him all night. The next day he woke up as if nothing had happened – talking, playing, asking for breakfast. I was so relieved, but it was short lived. As I set his breakfast down, he had another seizure. I rushed him to the hospital where he was admitted. There he underwent a series of tests (VEEGs, MRIs, blood work), and we were acquainted with all the -ologist and -icsts the hospital had to offer. We were told that he had epilepsy. The VEEG showed he was having 3 types of seizures (I didn’t even know there were 3 different types of seizures). It was happening all the time and we didn’t even notice. They threw out a few terms for possible diagnoses, said further testing was necessary, put him on anti-epileptic medications and sent us home with instructions to follow up in a week or two.
The next four months were a blur of increasing seizures, neurologist appointments, VEEGs, and changing and adjusting medications with little to no improvement in seizure control. All the testing came back negative and there was no explanation for his seizures other than "intractable" or "refractory" epilepsy (meaning not responding to medications). We were losing our little boy; he was in a fog of medications and seizures. This was when doctors suggested the medical ketogenic diet as a way to help manage his seizures. They told us that it would involve an initial hospitalization of 1 week and then a strict diet, in which I would have to measure food to the tenth of a gram (0.01 g) for the foreseeable future. I was skeptical. I felt there was NO way that I’d be able to feed my child in this way, especially working full-time and with the crazy hectic life we lived. But I was also desperate and willing to try anything.
We started the ketogenic diet in the hospital on August 20th. We had a rough start; Tomas did not tolerate the diet well at first. Thankfully we were working with an amazing team of neurologist and dietitians through the hospital’s Keto Clinic that knew just what to do. Instead of starting at our goal ketogenic ratio, we started the diet gradually. We began with the Modified Adkins Diet and worked our way up to the goal ketogenic ratio slowly, allowing Tomas’ body time to adapt. It took several months, from August to December, to work up to where he needed to be. Those months were difficult. Every few weeks we were changing ratios and adapting meals, tracking his weight and monitoring seizures. I wanted to quit on many occasions, but what kept me going was the small changes I started to notice in Tomas. Although he was still having seizures, the fog seemed to be lifting. I’d get glimpses of who Tomas used to be. This was the trend: small improvements and fewer daily seizures, until January 27th when my husband and I realized that we hadn’t recorded a seizure since December 22nd!!! Fast forward to February 14th, 2019 – Tomas had his first “normal” 24-hour VEEG since his epilepsy diagnosis.
Fast forward 11mo, and Tomas is currently on a 4:1 ratio ketogenic diet and has been seizure-free for over a year, and off all anti-epileptic medications. I am so amazed with how the ketogetic diet has changed our lives. I meal prep weekly for the family and plan out Tomas’ daily meals in advance. I own multiple gram scales and more silicon molds and spatulas than I can count, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve learned to cook/make things I never thought I could, such as keto bagels, pizza, and even blueberry muffins. We juggle soccer, baseball and gymnastics, eat out, and travel. I didn’t think we would be able to do these things with such a restrictive diet, but I have found that it just takes a little prep work and creativity. Yes, there are still hard days with managing the diet, but the benefits outweigh the challenges. I never thought that our quality-of-life would improve the way that it has.
I’ve decided to start this blog to share our journey (and recipes) in hopes to help out other ketolicous kids and families in any way that we can. There is a huge keto family out there eager and willing to provide advice and support, and we are so happy and excited to be part of it. If you are new to keto and struggling, find support and don’t go at it alone because you are NOT alone. And if you’re reading this now, you are already on the right path. Who knows in what ways the ketogenic diet might improve your life.
Good Luck, and Nom Nom, Happy Eating
We started a few months ago and am so glad I found your page. I have so many questions that I don't know where to start.