What Does a Rabid Fox and a Gluten-filled Toddler Have in Common?

[pinit]I must admit…I never in a million years thought I would be making this comparison. And, honestly, I’m still shocked that I’m writing this. But, after my last day and a half, I can’t help talk about it!

Yesterday proved to be a very eventful day.. one that I honestly do not want to repeat.

I walked outside about 4:30pm to get the mail and on the sidewalk was sitting a Fox! Now, I must tell you, that although we live on a beautiful conservation lot, with woods behind us.. we also live in a cul-de-sac in a subdivision. So, for a Fox to greet me in the broad daylight at the mailbox was MOST unusual. And, quite frightening, I might add.

My first instinct was to run back inside and get my husband. But, he was on an appointment. So, my 2^nd inclination was to get a really good picture of it, before it ran off. Because, it would definitely run off once it saw me… right?

I snapped a few pictures with my phone, but the Fox was a little too far away, so I couldn’t get a really clear image. Well, much to my surprise, the Fox was not going anywhere, so I ran back in and got my fancy camera to really zoom in. At this point, the Fox started walking toward our yard, but in a disoriented way. As I continued to zoom in with my camera, I noticed that the Fox was foaming at the mouth. It appeared he/she was not doing well.

At this point, the Fox fell on the ground and started shaking violently. It was one of the most heart-wrenching scenes I had witnessed with an animal. By this time, I had already put in several calls to my husband. And, I had called FWC (Florida Wildlife Control) to see if they could come pick up the Fox. But, they told me… NO. They said we would need to humanely euthanize the animal or call somebody who would. (i.e. Trapper)

My husband finally calls back and tells me his location and instructed me to keep an eye on the Fox and make sure no one goes near it. Suuuurree, way easier than it sounds. My son is crying at this point because he can’t understand why I keep disappearing outside. But, none the less, the neighbor across the street also comes out and starts helping me.

This episode lasted about 45 minutes and we witnessed the poor Fox continuously shaking his head in the air, convulsing on the ground and walking around completely disoriented, obviously not aware of his surroundings. It was pretty clear that this animal had been infected with Rabies or some other awful disease and needed to be put out of its misery. I guess that made it a little bit easier… but not really. We are such animal lovers and hate to see one suffering. But, alas my husband finally came home and did what was necessary to help the Fox and keep the neighborhood safe. I will save you from the gory details, all of which I know nothing of. As, I hid inside.

So, by now you’re probably asking… what in the world does this have to do with a Toddler?! Well, if you remember my post “A Different Child”, you probably already know where I’m going with this.

Last night, my husband went to the grocery store to get some provisions. And, he thought it would be sweet to get our son some new snacks. Because, hey… he has eaten the same ole snacks for several months now. But, what Matt didn’t realize was that I was not just being a boring mom. There were indeed very few options for gluten free, dairy free and sugar free snacks for Toddlers.

So, Matt found a couple Organic teething snacks for Eli. And, he was really excited about them… he claimed to have read the boxes and they sounded good. Now, I immediately recognized the boxes because I too had looked at these as possible options for Eli…. several times. But, each time I put them back on the shelf because they had gluten in them. And, I remember what happened last time he ate gluten.

Well, just like last time, I caved in because I didn’t want to hurt Matt’s feelings. As, he did go out of his way to get something special for Eli. And, this morning when I was making breakfast for Eli, I thought ..”Eh what will it hurt.. these things seem really small.” Ha! Famous last thoughts..

I fed Eli a teething wafer, along with the little cereal bites. Both containing gluten. Then he ate the rest of his normal breakfast. Everything seemed fine.

Until I got him down from his highchair. Eli walked a few steps and started screaming. He started slapping his belly and slapping his head!! Now, this is not normal behavior for my child. Given, he has been a little temperamental while he’s teething, but nothing like this. He continued to scream and the next thing he did was sit on the floor and purposely banged his head on the tile! He hit it so hard that he had a large read mark on his forehead. This absurd behavior went on for a couple hours until Eli went down for a nap. I figured the worst was behind us.

About an hour and a half later, I hear Eli awake in his room. Except he did not sound like his happy self. Typically, when he wakes up from a nap, he is saying Dada or Mama or just talking to himself while he plays with his stuffed animals. Well, this day he was in there whining. When I went to pick him up, he started crying and resisting me and then started slamming himself on the bed. He continued to do this for what seemed like an eternity, until Matt came in and was able to pick him up. He kept crying and whining and did not want to be let go.

At this point, I kept having flash backs of the Fox. I saw him shaking his head violently (or as Eli was hitting slapping his head and banging it on the ground). I the Fox convulsing on the ground, (or as Eli was slamming himself on the bed). Both episodes were very bothersome to me and I kept asking myself what do these two things have in common?

Now it’s obvious why the Fox was acting crazy.. he had contracted Rabies, which is a virus that acts as poison to the body.

So, what about the gluten? Is it possible that gluten acts as a type of non-lethal “poison” for some people? Or, maybe all of us.. and we just don’t realize it, because we’ve become accustomed to its effects?

Honestly, I do not have all the answers today. I know that people can be allergic to gluten and it can wreak havoc on the digestive system. But, I don’t completely understand why or know any intricate details. What I do know is that I am going to seek out the answers from some trusted sources. And, I will most likely have a follow up post soon.

But, in the meantime, Eli is sticking with the basics…Boiled or Baked.

~This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday, Women With Intention Wednesdays and A Little R & R.  Be sure to stop by and check out the other awesome bloggers!~