When the “Right” Choice Isn’t Right

When the “Right” Choice Isn’t Right

“Krishna, it’s time to eat!”

Krishna’s little head popped up from the sofa.

He eyed the dish in my hand suspiciously.

Pulled it towards him.

Inhaled, gently.

Considered.

Then a thin hand shot out and grabbed a mouthful.

He chewed thoughtfully.

I suppose the dish passed inspection.

He finished most of it and dove back under the comforter.

(After I bullied him into washing his hands in a mug of water!)

I sighed in relief.

You see, this isn’t Krishna’s normal—especially after his doctors told me to put him on a keto diet.

“For Krishna, it isn’t just a diet; it’s medicine,” said the geneticist, explaining why in great detail.

But for a vegetarian with dairy sensitivity, a keto diet is tough.

And for a child who is a picky eater and sensitive to a dozen other foods, it is a proper nightmare.

I tried.

So did Krishna.

His gut, however, refused.

A combination of the keto diet and his new medications disrupted his bio-rhythm so severely that he was awake all night and asleep all morning.

This is more complicated than it sounds.

Krishna is usually very attuned to his circadian rhythm.

He wants to sleep at night.

He wants to wake up early.

He wants to eat on time.

All of that was turned upside down for almost a month.

That increased his stress, affected his emotional regulation, and aggravated his gut issues.

And mine too, by the way.

I like my eight hours of dreamless sleep, and I was struggling to get even three.

The point of this story is this:

The most informed, logical decision may still not be the right one for you.

And only you can figure that out.

The keto diet initially worked wonders for Krishna’s mood and helped regulate his digestion.

But he couldn’t sleep on time—even with medication.

That tipped the balance.

And no medical practitioner can make that call for you.

Isn’t this true of life in general?

It is always up to you to make the choice that works best for you.

PS: Krishna approved of the mini puris.

As a small concession to keto, they were dripping in oil.

Share this post:

Recent Posts

Look Beyond the Label

I am an author—an award winning author of fiction and this is the identity that I own with pride. Incidentally, the process of getting here involved quashing a few widely held myths about non-speaking autism and this is something that I have learned to take in my stride. It is also something that made me think about the ways in

Share this post:
Read More »

To Be Seen and Heard

The Invisible Weight of Autism Caregiving About four or five years ago, I was on the phone with Krishna’s psychiatrist. I remember I was walking around the garden while I spoke to her because the house was too noisy to have the conversation inside. We were talking about Krishna, of course. I don’t remember exactly what we were discussing that

Share this post:
Read More »

Am I Doing Enough for My Autistic Child?

When “enough” becomes an impossible question—and how to ask what is needed now Am I doing enough? It is such a familiar question in autism parenting that we can almost skip past the word doing and land directly on more. More therapy, more teaching, more research, more doctors, more effort, more money, more patience, more advocacy. Perhaps more sacrifice. But

Share this post:
Read More »

Autism and Medicines: What Every Parent Should Know

“Will my child need medicines?”“What can treat autism?” These are among the first questions many parents ask after their child is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It is a natural concern. Parents want to do everything possible to help their child, and medicines often seem like an obvious solution. Unfortunately, there is no medicine that cures autism. More importantly,

Share this post:
Read More »

What Happens After Us? (Part 2)

Where Do I Begin? How to plan for your child’s future—one thoughtful decision at a time In my previous article, I shared how Ravi and I came to realise that providing for Shravan’s future would require building a dedicated corpus to support him throughout his lifetime. The realisation was overwhelming. And then came the question every parent in our situation

Share this post:
Read More »

Send Us A Message