Keto Stories

Leah

Leah was 5 months old when she was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms, a catastrophic epilepsy. We treated Leah with the “gold standard” in treatment of infantile spasms, ACTH. For 13 weeks, we endured all the side effects that come along with high dose steroids: weight gain, irritability, nausea, and decreased immunity, to name just a few. We saw our beautiful little girl’s delicate face transform into something we barely recognized. Her little legs looked like pin cushions from injecting the medicine, she stopped developing, and she was so uncomfortable all day that all she could do was moan. Worst of all, 6 weeks after ACTH therapy the spasms returned… Fast forward nearly 2 years, after another round of ACTH and 9 different medication failures, we began the ketogenic diet. Immediately we saw a change in Leah’s alertness and her daily seizures went from 20 to about 8. We have had seizure free days in which we see glimpses of our happy little girl returning to us. We are still in the process of “fine tuning” her diet, and although she is not seizure free yet the difference we see in Leah is worth all the effort.