Staring at her now healthy 4-year-old son CJ, Jocelyn Carter feels an incredible sense of gratitude as Thanksgiving approaches.
For nearly 3 years, CJ had battled a string of health issues that led to trips to the ICU, appointments with specialists and batteries of tests trying to find a diagnosis.
“Last year was our most stressful year. The paramedics came for him three times at our house,” Mrs. Carter recalled.
“It got to the point where the nurses on the ICU floor knew us by name. That’s never a good thing.”
CJ’s health first took a downturn at nine months old. His pediatrician believed he was asthmatic, which was leading to him being sick regularly. Cases of strep, ear infections and croup followed.
When he later enrolled in daycare, the illnesses worsened.
“We were in and out of urgent cares probably every week. Then around his second birthday, that’s when things took a turn and he just got even more sick,” Mrs. Carter said.
After the croup, he started to developing strider. He was admitted to the ICU a total of five times.
“The first time it was about four days, and every time after that was even worse,” Mrs. Carter said.
He went to see a list of specialists, a pulmonologist, cardiologist, allergist, ENT doctor, audiologist and GI doctor.
“All the doctors gave us different points of view,” Mrs. Carter said. “So we treated one thing at a time. We treated his allergies and he kept getting sick. We treated his acid reflux with medication and it worked for about a month.”
Tests for cystic fibrosis and other diseases came back normal.
Frustrated after the last series of tests and a trip to the ICU in February 2023, she began considering a holistic treatment. She took her son to Dr. Dupre Spencer’s clinic in Argyle.
Mrs. Carter said she was skeptical as she explained her son’s medical history. But after the initial visit and adjustments, she saw her son’s health start to turn around.
“We started off with three times a week for 15 minutes. He was just adjusting him,” Mrs. Carter said. “He was taking his body temperature and making sure his nervous system levels were aligned with each other. When he did his initial consultation, his body was in a lot of stress.
“So I really was very skeptical. I saw the results whenever he did the nervous system test on CJ.”
Soon after treatment started, CJ started to feel better and was able to get off the antibiotics, steroids and acid reflux medications. Since starting in May, he has not been sick.
“The only medications he takes here and there is a natural medication like saline for his nose,” Mrs. Carter said. “He did a complete 180.”
His doctors have even been surprised by his turnaround that has included a growth spurt and improved speech.
After not being able to go to the pool last summer, Mrs. Carter said they spent nearly every day at the pool this summer. He also is taking martial arts.
“We’re really happy and we’re going to continue going to see Dr. Spencer weekly,” Mrs. Carter said.
She's thankful her son is back healthy and experiencing the life of a normal kid.
