Hi. I have been diagnosed as someone suffering from environmental and food allergies. Nothing remarkable about that. Millions of people live with some sort of allergy. The part I have difficulty with is that all of the allergies seemed to surface at the same time. Mine wasn't a gradual procession. Let me explain...
I live in Puerto Rico. Moved here in 2005 from Las Vegas, Nevada. Reason for moving.. the only family I had there was my church family. When I moved here I moved into the mountains.. as rural as it gets. You could wake up and there would be no water for days. Power goes out better hope it's not on a weekend. Family members used horses whenever they needed the lawn mowed. You get the picture.
Well I lived in the mountains for a year and a half. I had enough of the farmer's life. So I moved to the big city.. Guaynabo. Only predominantly english speaking city in Puerto Rico. I was home.
Three weeks later I wake up with a swollen left hand. I haven't felt the same since. Every week some part of my body swelled up. Lips, ears, eyes, feet ... you name it - it probably swelled up.
I had tests done by an allergist and he informed me that I am allergic to trees, bushes, mites, dog and cat dander, grass, corn (corn syrup and starch), black pepper, american cheese, wheat, condiments, tomatos, soy and a couple more that I can't remember. Actually after the nurse said corn syrup, I stopped listening. Do you realize that over 85% (my guess- I could be way of) of all foods are made with corn syrup? No more cereal, cakes, Baby Ruth's. No more A1 steak sauce. AHHHHHH!!!
Anyway, these swellings that all of a sudden started to plague me caused me to miss a lot of days at work. I currently have no time accrued and have used at least 117 hrs with no pay. While I work for the federal government and it may be difficult to dismiss some - it's not impossible. So I wanted another opinion. I went to my primary physician.
My PP believes that the apt I reside in is sick and that I am okay. He has a hard time grasping that this is a coincidence. I tend to agree. My allergist and his crew believe otherwise. Note: I want to state the obvious that while my allergist is a professional he does have an economic interest in me. Rumor has it that he is repairing a very nice yacht.
I currently take generic benadryl and zyrtec. Twice a week I get my vaccines. On the occasions that I have to go to the Emergency Room I'm given sumadrol(?)/benadryl drip and a 4mg dose pak of Medrol. I still manage to swell up.
My diet consists of steak, pork chops, cooked with garlic, onions olive oil. Chicken with no seasoning except salt. I eat pasta rustica no tomato sauce once every two weeks (my allergist allows me to introduce one banned food or ingredient a week).
Why this blog? Not sure. I do need some help with the menu. I am not very creative when it comes to cooking. I'm interested in others out there and their food allergies.. how do you manage?
I'll post articles that you may find interesting. Hope you'll do the same.
Thanks for listening..
Ciao
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4 comments:
This is very interesting because I have also become one of those people suddenly allergic to everything after a move. I'm 24, I used to live in a hot, humid, tropical climate then moved countries to a a place where I'm basically in the desert. Almost immediately I started developing allergies to random things. First it was parabens (a preservative very common in moisturizers/creams/makeup) then it progressed to food: citric acid, wheat, dairy, and bananas. I still get hives but I'm at a loss to what exactly is causing it now. I've done the elimination diet, and it just seems like as soon as I've pinpointed an allergy I develop a new one. I really suspect it has to do with the climate shift. My body is just going haywire; that's the only way I can explain so many allergies simultaneously developing at once.
Hey I hope your condition is much improved. I am going through the same thing. I know this note is many years late.. But have you read the yeast connection? It's a book that describes how many people who have sudden onset food and environmental allergies are actually suffering from a Candida albicans fungal overgrowth in their body. When this fungus gets out of hand, it immediately sensitized a persons immune system. I tested positive for it in my blood.
Hi there,
The same thing has happened to me over the last year. I'm still struggling with it, but I've felt the best while eating paleo. Give it a try, it may help if you're still encountering all your allergic reactions.
Thank you for all of your suggestions. Thankfully I moved out of the apartment and all of my swelling episodes have ceased. I narrowed the possible causes of my episodes down to mold that was growing in the bedroom closet, which was where I spent most of my time, and the power lines that were located within 100 feet (maybe 50) outside of window.
I now eat ALL of the foods that the allergist assured me were the cause of this affliction.
I actually stopped going to him when I heard him speaking with another patient who had interrupted my visit to ask about my doctor's yacht. My allergist replied that he was making repairs to his yacht and made another comment regarding a new one.
That was my last visit. He always dismissed all of my alternative causes for my swelling up and was adamant that it was food related.
It was my private physician who confirmed for me that the allergist was incorrect when he (physician) could not understand why I intermittently swelled up after eating forbidden foods as opposed always swelling up.
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