regulating digestion with papaya and passionfruit juice

We are in Costa Rica and Valentino’s digestive health is exceptional. I have not had to give Valentino his Creon enzymes and Valentino has two regular bowl movements at the same time daily.

When Val was originally diagnosed with CF, he was clearly a kid that would have severe digestive issues. We’ve already had several scary treks to the emergency room where Val was given enemas. He routinely has either diarrhea or constipation and very odorous bowl movements.

As I’ve learned to adjust the enzyme doses to accommodate the amount of fats in his food, I’ve still been unable to find a happy medium. Val is either constipated and screaming in pain or has complete diarrhea and daily diaper explosions.

Since arriving in Costa Rica, Val has eaten fresh fruits, vegetables, chicken and fish. All the foods are locally grown.

Jean-Baptiste, our cook while we are in Costa Rica, served us a delicious juice on our first morning here. I filled two of Val’s bottles with the juice. Because it is so hot here and Val is sweating constantly, I hoped sipping the juice all day and eating salty foods would keep his salt levels in check. I had no idea the results of Val drinking the juice would far surpass simply staying hydrated. Val has had completely normal digestion/bowl movements that first day of sipping on juice all day. He drinks approx. 8-12 oz. of juice throughout the day.

Jean-Baptiste informed me that it is a juice blend of two fruits known to aid digestion–passionfruit and papaya.

Now we are at the end of our week stay here and I am thrilled and amazed to see Val’s digestion totally regulated without the use of his prescription enzymes. I will continue juicing papaya and passionfruit when we return home and see if this keeps his digestion balanced.

There has been many mornings over the past year that I’ve woken to either a diaper explosion all over the crib or to Val screaming in pain from constipation. I’m excited to see if using natural digestive enzymes found in papaya and passionfruit provide the same results as the do here in Costa Rica where the fruit is locally grown, fresh and Val is also exposed to the salt water and salt in the air.