Getting Clean!

As you may recall, I went on a bit of a rant about cleaning products earlier this month. Of course, for my one or two actual readers, you probably forgot because it's been two weeks since I last blogged, but nonetheless, I did. Well. Have I got some news for you!

I got the full line of Shaklee cleaning products! I frickin' love this stuff. An allergenistas best friend when it comes to cleaning. Not only is it eco-friendly, but the stuff cleans everything quickly, easily, without toxic chemicals or harsh perfumes! Woohoo! As a result, I can happily say my house is much cleaner than it's been in a while and I actually... wait for it.... want to clean now! Amazing what happens when you don't feel sick from cleaning, huh? Yeah!

I got the starter kit, which has all of the cleaning products in it, including hand soap. Now, you might find it funny that I mention hand soap... but for me, this is a huge one. Think about most any handsoap you have ever used... ok, now think about how it smells. Yup, that fragrance is enough to make me want to rip my skin right off, and usually makes me nauseous, too. When you are allergic to fragrances, the typical precautions everyone else follows to prevent the spread of flu and colds or just basic personal cleaning, I guess, becomes off limits. Call me gross, but I just don't use the stuff 98% of the time, not out of laziness or lack of caring, but out of lack of ability. However, I can tell you I don't get the flu, so I think it actually might help my immunity on that one. That's a story for another day though.

Being excited about hand soap... sure doesn't get anymore thrilling than that in this allergenistas life. :)

A Conversation

I've been chatting a bit with one of my most favorite girlfriends about "getting the diagnosis" of food allergies. Her daughter has life threatening peanut allergies as well as a host of other medical concerns that have caused my friend a lot challenges in making sure her little "Pumpkin" is safe and healthy. The last year or so, she and I have developed a great support system through each other and share information about food allergies and the allergen-free lifestyle. To say she has been a great support for me, would be an understatement. She is one of my few friends I actually consider a "safe" friend- meaning I trust she will always be sure that my allergies are considered and observed. Takes one to know one in a way.

Anyway, she and I were messaging about getting the diagnosis of food allergies, and I think her response to the conversation was both profound and elegant. Even though she is not the one in her household suffering with food allergies, she has to deal with this life-altering crisis as well as any person who gets the diagnosis themselves as she cares for her little girl. I have to share this:

I had an incredibly difficult time adjusting to [daughter's] food allergies, but had no choice since my options were life or death, you know? Going to the grocery store gave me so much anxiety, it took me nearly three times as long to shop for "safe" foods than it used to, and even then, the labels were wrong and caused allergic reactions. It's just not truly "safe" out there. We all learn by taking risks of what our bodies tolerate us being exposed to, and depending on the severity of allergy, it can be incredibly stressful and cause stand-still amounts of anxiety.

[Our newly diagnosised friend is] also an adult who can choose whether or not she wants to avoid those foods. Emma Jo has less of a choice; I choose for her, and to me, it wasn't a choice, it was a HAD TO, you know? [Others] may not perceive [their] allergies as a "have to" when it comes to strict avoidance. Also, constantly battling for inclusion and equality while living with food allergies -especially during the holidays!- may cause strain in family relationships while [a person] grows to learn about how to live successfully in spite of them. Also for me, I had to let go of the importance food had in my life. I really didn't want to find alternatives to foods that were so easy and had comforted me so well throughout my life when the truth was it was the people that made the time valuable and not the food. When I finally let go of the power I let food have over me, I was more willing to try new things and settle into our new version of "normal."

My allergy free bagels will never taste as good as Panera bagels, and my snickerdoodles will never be the "same" as the ones I had growing up, but that had to be OK, you know? For a long time, it wasn't, and I was angry because I had to find a new way to cope with the emotions I was eating for all those years. I still over eat from time to time, but I feel much worse nowadays when I don't value myself enough to take better care of my eating habits than I ever did before. This also doesn't mean I'm not going to balloon up to 300 lb.s if Pumpkin ever outgrows her food allergies!! I have a list of things that are on my top "must buy and scarf immediately" if/when she passes a peanut oral challenge :o)

Maybe [friend] just needs some time to grieve her old foods. Food has a significant role in our lives and culture. Letting go of that may take a long time.

Couldn't have said it any better myself. I think that is one of the things that food allergies does for us- teaches us how to view food in a whole new way then we did before, and it's importance becomes less of a festivity but more of what it aught to be in the first place- nourishment so we can live and breathe and do what really matters in life. If the whole country took that viewpoint on food, we could solve this healthcare crisis pretty quick... well, that, and some excercise. :)

Getting the Diagnosis

I remember when I first confirmed that, yes, I did in fact have food allergies. I was in Chicago, and it was the summer after my first year in grad school, 2003. I had just gone to a new allergist about a mile south of my apartment on inner Lake Shore Drive. I did two rounds of allergy scratch tests- environmental and food. I asked them why I was doing the food allergy testing- it wasn't something my previous doctors had ever done before. They told me they did it with all of their patients, so I went along with it thinking I wouldn't have any reactions. Boy, was I wrong- and all of the little light bulbs in my head starting going on when I saw the results. Apples, carrots, peas, cantaloupe, berries, egg, and the list goes on. The struggles of the whole last year came crashing over me- all of the strange lip rashes, hives and other unexplained "reactions." I couldn't believe it, but I finally had my answer to making my mouth stop hurting and swelling. Granted, I had one good friend (he was fabulously gay, I loved him) told me people paid good money to have lips like I got after eating foods I was allergic to, but theirs probably didn't puss and itch in quite the same way.

For me, the results were both a relief and a knife in the heart. Carrots, peas and apples were my most favorite, coveted foods. I ate them all the time and had been since I was little. I was relieved to know that I could finally stop the swollen lips (which were quite uncomfortable, I might add) and hurting esophagus, but I was at a lost for what to eat. With so many foods taken away from me, how could I ever eat again? And what would I eat? Surely nothing could be healthy, because they just don't make healthy food without those items?

Obviously, through this blog alone, I think we have shown that healthy comes in a million different varieties, and I can do it all allergen free. But, we are also talking about a good 7 years experience under my belt, and a lot of label reading and trail and error behind it.

I've also gotten quite good at responding to people about my long list of food allergies. For example- and I've been meaning to share this one!- at my work holiday party last weekend (which was a blast), my coworker who organized it was diligent and had given my list of food allergies to the catering company. The catering company assured her that at least one dish would be safe for me to eat. I got to the party and watched the catering staff in the kitchen preparing the food- it looked absolutely scrumptious and poisonous all at the same time- carrots were everywhere (yikes!) and what didn't have carrots in it was slathered in cheese (double yikes!). Clearly the catering company chose to ignore my food allergy list completely. My coworker was mortified on my behalf and I assured her that I knew she had given the list and it was okay (she's a bit of a people pleaser). So, being the responsible allergenista that I am, I spoke to the caterers to double check ingredients and see what we could make happen for me. One of the caterers happens to also be a coworker so I talked to her. After having to painfully explain to her that I "no, I cannot eat the beef tenderloin wraps with the carrots if you just take the carrot out because the carrot has already gotten it's juices on the food and made a lovely sauce in the pain that, subsequently is filled with carrot juice," she asked for me to list off more of my allergies. After giving her the cliffnotes version, she looked at me and said, "girl, what do you eat?" My response? It's brilliant- "I eat food just like you and everyone else, it just doesn't have things I'm allergic to in it." I thought that was good, no? I was proud of myself for not only standing up for myself, but, I felt, for everyone who has food allergies like mine.

She ended up scraping cheese out of one of the chicken phyllo dough wraps they made (it was at least not so heavily covered in cheese so I could eat it without fear of spending the whole night in the bathroom), and then she whipped me up a great spinach salad with zucchini and pear. I have to say, the dinner was quite satisfying and tasty.

Anyway, after 7 years of experience, and especially after going through the last year and a half with my new found food restrictions/sensitivities I can look through my allergenista lenses with a positive, fulfilled frame of mind. I no longer see the restrictions, I only see the opportunities. And that's kind of fun!

The reason for this post is because I have a friend who just had blood tests done to determine if she had food allergies and the results were a definite "yes." She is definitely grieving for her losses right now, and I understand where she is coming from. I just hope that by sharing information with her and all the great resources I have discovered she can find the same level of excitement and contentment I have of life with food allergies. There are so many foods out there, the possibilities are endless even if you can't have a few of them. Here is her official diagnosis:

Basil, Blueberry, cottage cheese, swiss cheese, coconut, crab, GLUTEN, lettuce, Cows Milk, peas, pineapple, white potatoes, safflower, strawberries, tomatoes, wheat, bakers and brewers yeast, yogurt, buffalo, blue cheese, cranberries, flaxseed, kiwi, goats milk, nutmeg, paprika, radish, red snapper..., vanilla bean, whey, some molds

The list seems long, and there are quite a few zingers on there (lettuce, vanilla, etc), but my brain is already going to a million places of the wonderful things she can eat without these items in them. It will be GFCF diet, and she definitely has some extra challenges because of the potato allergy (a common ingredient in GF foods), but manageable nonetheless.

So, to my girlfriend Liz. Welcome to the food allergy club, I promise we are a friendly bunch. Love and hugs!