Back in July my feet started itching. The itch was so painful and distracting that I almost wrecked my car on my way to work. There were seconds of let up when I could focus on the road again but those were quickly interrupted by the intense itch that consumed my feet and gradually spread to my hands.
I spent the rest of the morning asking around for Benadryl and finding new and inventive ways to scratch my feet and hands while still being able to perform my job duties. The following day, when the itching returned full force, I finally broke down and bought some of my own Waldryl. While I was a little drowsy, the medication seemed to provide an end to the itching. After 2 days of itching and pain I could finally concentrate and my feet and hands slowly started to return to normal color and size.
I googled possible causes of the itching - environmental allergies, athlete's foot, stress... The list seemed endless. At least I had found a way to stanch the bothersome itching, though, once the meds had run their course through my body the itching returned with a vengeance. In my Google searches I discovered some cheap and clever ways to get rid of different causes of itching - soaking my hands and feet in bleach, oatmeal baths, aloe vera gel or lotion, etc.. I had some Clorox wipes on my desk so I even decided to try those.
Oddly enough about a week before all of this began happening a coworker suggested I see an allergist - I had had a bad run with what I thought was food poisoning, felt a pretty steady stream of muscle tension and I always felt or looked bloated. She proposed that it might actually be allergies. She also noticed that I was taking a number of antianxiety medications and said that there is a strong possibility that once my allergies get under control I would probably be able to get rid of a lot of the meds I was currently on. It almost seemed to good to be true. I'm a big supporter of taking medications if they improve overall well-being and quality of life. Though, if taking on my allergies meant I was going to get a better night's sleep or decrease the likelihood of recurrent anxiety then I was more than willing to listen to what she had to say.
Her word of caution was that the only way to see results would be to take the process seriously and that would entail almost an entire overhaul of my life. At the time I thought I understood what that meant and was more than willing to nod my head and say "I think that's definitely something I can do" and still be smiling at the end of the sentence. I made an appointment with her doctor that same day.
Fast forward several weeks to my first appointment with Dr. Jeremy Baptist - I'll address his specialty and the controversy that surrounds his practice at a later time. I gave him my symptoms and he emphatically agreed with my coworkers suggestion that my symptoms sounded like they were related to food allergies. Mind you, when the itching came about I hadn't eaten anything new, hadn't started using a new soap, wasn't really doing anything that I hadn't been doing for most of my adult life. I had been tested for allergies back in 1998 and learned that I was highly allergic to molds, cat dander, and a number of other random allergens that I really never came in to contact with. 12 years later I was about to find out if I had new allergies.
The first point of attack would be skin testing and blood panels to see what allergens I reacted to. The blood panels would also look at vitamins and nutrients I was deficient in and also look at my thyroid levels. The skin prick test was scheduled several weeks later - the main caveat being that I had to be off of allergy meds for a week prior to the testing so that we got a true reading of the allergens effect on my body. The blood tests would be revealed several weeks later.
Deep down I had a pretty good idea that I was probably allergic to a good deal more than I had been during my previous testing. I decided that I could pretty much deal with any allergies so long as I could still eat eggs, mayo and mushrooms. The list kind of grew to cheese and ketchup, wine and pork, etc... A week before my skin testing I stopped the antihistamines. After about 2 days the itching and pain became so bad that I had to call in sick at work and spent the rest of the time on pain meds, sleeping pills and ice packs. I got to a point where I was ready to walk away from the testing and deal with whatever problems may be a result of allergies. Somehow I found the strength to suck it up and went in that Monday to face the firing squad
The skin test revealed an INSANE amount of allergies. I've attached the skin results to give you a better idea as to how severe the reactions were. For those allergens that had the most intense reaction I immediately began cutting them out - milk, wheat, yeast, molds, mushrooms, etc... I wasn't entirely clear on what all of the marks meant, I just knew they were beginning to paint a picture of a world devoid foods and drinks that I had grown to love. Mind you, much of this had also contributed to about 40 pounds of excess weight but I believed my life was better with them in it than without.
The blood tests weren't remarkable in that they showed anything different, they just showed that the initial skin test results were indicative of something much larger. The folder Dr. Baptist gave me included a new meal plan prefaced with "These are the things that must be eliminated from your diet": Yeast Breads, Alcoholic beverages, All cheese, honey, Many condiments, Mushrooms, Olives, Sourdough, Sugar Cane, Vinegar. The rest of the packet listed a four day rotation diet that is put together to ensure I never eat the same thing more than once in a 4 day span. Apparently many allergies can develop from repeated, over consumption and this diet was put together so i could keep track of what I could eat on which days so I didn't develop any more allergies. At this point in the assessment I wanted to cry. I felt like I was being told that I'm allergic to air. The betting pool at work was about to be blown to hell because the only person who was going to win it was the person who would have bet on "Everything I currently eat and enjoy".
I left the appointment in shock. Telling people about my results became frustrating because they would ask me how or why I had all of these allergies. At the time I was so overwhelmed I could barely remember how to drive let alone ask questions. So, I left with a lot of information but no real answers to how or why. It seemed almost unbelievable that I had somehow survived for so long with all of these food sensitivities and allergies, yet it seemed even more unbelievable that I would survive the changes I was going to have to make.
I showed the results to my parents. There were just as shocked as I was if not more so. I immediately began looking for doctor's that could give me a second opinion. This just didn't seem plausible. Not only was I going to have to change my diet I was going to have to add about 15 vitamins and supplements. This was not only going to be a massive overhaul of my diet but also a major drain on my wallet.
I found an article in the New York Times that essentially said the testing my doctor did was not enough to unequivocally diagnose food allergies. (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/health/research/12allergies.html) The article made me panic. How could I sign on to these massive changes without knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that these allergies were 100% correct? I called KU med and worked on getting an appointment - I had to send them a referral from my PCP first. While I was working on information consents I started reading up on food allergies and sensitivities. What I discovered was that many of my stomach aches, headaches, sore muscles, asthma attacks, sleepless nights, skin rashes (yep, good ol' itchy feet and hands) were indeed classic symptoms of food allergies. Two weeks into the big change I started to feel better so much so that I decided I didn't need a second opinion to emphasize my need to revamp what I was putting into my body.
While I can't be 100% certain when all of these allergies began, I've discovered from some of the reading that they can stem from problems in the stomach or digestive tract. This was my aha! moment. While spending some time in Honduras back in 2001 I was lucky enough to contract either a parasite or bacterial friend that wreaked havoc on my health for over a year and a half. The pain was so intense that my doctor put me through both a colonoscopy and endoscopy to try and determine what was still causing me problems and to determine how much damage had been done. The diagnosis was pretty much the same across the board - giardia or other type of bacterial infection had attacked my gut and the pain was my body healing.
The stomach ache eventually went away and my weekly doctor appointments became a thing of the past. Though, it was around this time that I remember getting lots of migraines and got sick whenever I ate or drank anything with sugar substitutes or msg. This was also around the time I moved from the confines of KS to New York. I assumed the new problems were due to stress from the move or from a roommate nightmare and not from the stomach drama.
This has been an intimidating path since I first decided to see Dr. Baptist. After the skin testing I shared the results with coworkers and learned about their own allergies and their ways to deal with them. One coworker said that she recognized the methods by my doctor and went on to tell me about a lawsuit that had been lodged against his practice that involved his theories on autism and how to diagnose and manage it in children. I have my own opinions about that whole situation and won't share them here, I will say that the tests were nothing over the top and his recommendations were right in line with what other allergists and physicians have prescribed. What Baptist did for me was provide a starting point. So while I may at times sound overly frustrated or angry at the situation the reality is that I feel like I've been given an opportunity to live a life that is healthier and more enjoyable. The woman who originally suggested I see Baptist is forever in my eyes an angel.
Regardless of what caused me to become so sensitive there is no denying that my body has been under attack for some time now and it's been responding. This is my chance to really listen to my body - allergies are intuited by our bodies. If I feel like crap after I've eaten something then I probably shouldn't be eating it - the feeling means something.
So this blog is about my journey to a body at peace. There are so many hints and small reminders that I wish I would have had when I first got all of this information. I'm down to basics with most of what I ingest on a daily basis - no matter how simple that may sound there are lots of things that I have to incorporate to ensure that eating is a pleasant and healthful activity. I've compiled lists of online shops, local stores, gadgets and other helpful tidbits that might provide some insight or lighten the load for others dealing with myriad allergies. I'll share those as they pop into my mind. I'll also share my daily menus and favorite recipes.
I won't deny that I miss certain foods or that eating out is a giant pain in the ass. There is a lot to think about and all of this thinking is brain draining even on a good day. One day I'll be able to incorporate the foods I'm now having to avoid like the plague and believe me when I say that I look forward to the day, but for now I'm enjoying the secondary benefits to cutting out certain foods - like losing 15 pounds in a month and a half. The nice thing is that for once in my life I'm not dieting to lose weight, I'm actually eating to get healthier. This is a lifestyle change and whatever the sacrifices I know that all of this is totally worth it. I am my greatest investment and that is all I really need to know.
I spent the rest of the morning asking around for Benadryl and finding new and inventive ways to scratch my feet and hands while still being able to perform my job duties. The following day, when the itching returned full force, I finally broke down and bought some of my own Waldryl. While I was a little drowsy, the medication seemed to provide an end to the itching. After 2 days of itching and pain I could finally concentrate and my feet and hands slowly started to return to normal color and size.
I googled possible causes of the itching - environmental allergies, athlete's foot, stress... The list seemed endless. At least I had found a way to stanch the bothersome itching, though, once the meds had run their course through my body the itching returned with a vengeance. In my Google searches I discovered some cheap and clever ways to get rid of different causes of itching - soaking my hands and feet in bleach, oatmeal baths, aloe vera gel or lotion, etc.. I had some Clorox wipes on my desk so I even decided to try those.
Oddly enough about a week before all of this began happening a coworker suggested I see an allergist - I had had a bad run with what I thought was food poisoning, felt a pretty steady stream of muscle tension and I always felt or looked bloated. She proposed that it might actually be allergies. She also noticed that I was taking a number of antianxiety medications and said that there is a strong possibility that once my allergies get under control I would probably be able to get rid of a lot of the meds I was currently on. It almost seemed to good to be true. I'm a big supporter of taking medications if they improve overall well-being and quality of life. Though, if taking on my allergies meant I was going to get a better night's sleep or decrease the likelihood of recurrent anxiety then I was more than willing to listen to what she had to say.
Her word of caution was that the only way to see results would be to take the process seriously and that would entail almost an entire overhaul of my life. At the time I thought I understood what that meant and was more than willing to nod my head and say "I think that's definitely something I can do" and still be smiling at the end of the sentence. I made an appointment with her doctor that same day.
Fast forward several weeks to my first appointment with Dr. Jeremy Baptist - I'll address his specialty and the controversy that surrounds his practice at a later time. I gave him my symptoms and he emphatically agreed with my coworkers suggestion that my symptoms sounded like they were related to food allergies. Mind you, when the itching came about I hadn't eaten anything new, hadn't started using a new soap, wasn't really doing anything that I hadn't been doing for most of my adult life. I had been tested for allergies back in 1998 and learned that I was highly allergic to molds, cat dander, and a number of other random allergens that I really never came in to contact with. 12 years later I was about to find out if I had new allergies.
The first point of attack would be skin testing and blood panels to see what allergens I reacted to. The blood panels would also look at vitamins and nutrients I was deficient in and also look at my thyroid levels. The skin prick test was scheduled several weeks later - the main caveat being that I had to be off of allergy meds for a week prior to the testing so that we got a true reading of the allergens effect on my body. The blood tests would be revealed several weeks later.
Deep down I had a pretty good idea that I was probably allergic to a good deal more than I had been during my previous testing. I decided that I could pretty much deal with any allergies so long as I could still eat eggs, mayo and mushrooms. The list kind of grew to cheese and ketchup, wine and pork, etc... A week before my skin testing I stopped the antihistamines. After about 2 days the itching and pain became so bad that I had to call in sick at work and spent the rest of the time on pain meds, sleeping pills and ice packs. I got to a point where I was ready to walk away from the testing and deal with whatever problems may be a result of allergies. Somehow I found the strength to suck it up and went in that Monday to face the firing squad
The skin test revealed an INSANE amount of allergies. I've attached the skin results to give you a better idea as to how severe the reactions were. For those allergens that had the most intense reaction I immediately began cutting them out - milk, wheat, yeast, molds, mushrooms, etc... I wasn't entirely clear on what all of the marks meant, I just knew they were beginning to paint a picture of a world devoid foods and drinks that I had grown to love. Mind you, much of this had also contributed to about 40 pounds of excess weight but I believed my life was better with them in it than without.
The blood tests weren't remarkable in that they showed anything different, they just showed that the initial skin test results were indicative of something much larger. The folder Dr. Baptist gave me included a new meal plan prefaced with "These are the things that must be eliminated from your diet": Yeast Breads, Alcoholic beverages, All cheese, honey, Many condiments, Mushrooms, Olives, Sourdough, Sugar Cane, Vinegar. The rest of the packet listed a four day rotation diet that is put together to ensure I never eat the same thing more than once in a 4 day span. Apparently many allergies can develop from repeated, over consumption and this diet was put together so i could keep track of what I could eat on which days so I didn't develop any more allergies. At this point in the assessment I wanted to cry. I felt like I was being told that I'm allergic to air. The betting pool at work was about to be blown to hell because the only person who was going to win it was the person who would have bet on "Everything I currently eat and enjoy".
I left the appointment in shock. Telling people about my results became frustrating because they would ask me how or why I had all of these allergies. At the time I was so overwhelmed I could barely remember how to drive let alone ask questions. So, I left with a lot of information but no real answers to how or why. It seemed almost unbelievable that I had somehow survived for so long with all of these food sensitivities and allergies, yet it seemed even more unbelievable that I would survive the changes I was going to have to make.
I showed the results to my parents. There were just as shocked as I was if not more so. I immediately began looking for doctor's that could give me a second opinion. This just didn't seem plausible. Not only was I going to have to change my diet I was going to have to add about 15 vitamins and supplements. This was not only going to be a massive overhaul of my diet but also a major drain on my wallet.
I found an article in the New York Times that essentially said the testing my doctor did was not enough to unequivocally diagnose food allergies. (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/health/research/12allergies.html) The article made me panic. How could I sign on to these massive changes without knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that these allergies were 100% correct? I called KU med and worked on getting an appointment - I had to send them a referral from my PCP first. While I was working on information consents I started reading up on food allergies and sensitivities. What I discovered was that many of my stomach aches, headaches, sore muscles, asthma attacks, sleepless nights, skin rashes (yep, good ol' itchy feet and hands) were indeed classic symptoms of food allergies. Two weeks into the big change I started to feel better so much so that I decided I didn't need a second opinion to emphasize my need to revamp what I was putting into my body.
While I can't be 100% certain when all of these allergies began, I've discovered from some of the reading that they can stem from problems in the stomach or digestive tract. This was my aha! moment. While spending some time in Honduras back in 2001 I was lucky enough to contract either a parasite or bacterial friend that wreaked havoc on my health for over a year and a half. The pain was so intense that my doctor put me through both a colonoscopy and endoscopy to try and determine what was still causing me problems and to determine how much damage had been done. The diagnosis was pretty much the same across the board - giardia or other type of bacterial infection had attacked my gut and the pain was my body healing.
The stomach ache eventually went away and my weekly doctor appointments became a thing of the past. Though, it was around this time that I remember getting lots of migraines and got sick whenever I ate or drank anything with sugar substitutes or msg. This was also around the time I moved from the confines of KS to New York. I assumed the new problems were due to stress from the move or from a roommate nightmare and not from the stomach drama.
This has been an intimidating path since I first decided to see Dr. Baptist. After the skin testing I shared the results with coworkers and learned about their own allergies and their ways to deal with them. One coworker said that she recognized the methods by my doctor and went on to tell me about a lawsuit that had been lodged against his practice that involved his theories on autism and how to diagnose and manage it in children. I have my own opinions about that whole situation and won't share them here, I will say that the tests were nothing over the top and his recommendations were right in line with what other allergists and physicians have prescribed. What Baptist did for me was provide a starting point. So while I may at times sound overly frustrated or angry at the situation the reality is that I feel like I've been given an opportunity to live a life that is healthier and more enjoyable. The woman who originally suggested I see Baptist is forever in my eyes an angel.
Regardless of what caused me to become so sensitive there is no denying that my body has been under attack for some time now and it's been responding. This is my chance to really listen to my body - allergies are intuited by our bodies. If I feel like crap after I've eaten something then I probably shouldn't be eating it - the feeling means something.
So this blog is about my journey to a body at peace. There are so many hints and small reminders that I wish I would have had when I first got all of this information. I'm down to basics with most of what I ingest on a daily basis - no matter how simple that may sound there are lots of things that I have to incorporate to ensure that eating is a pleasant and healthful activity. I've compiled lists of online shops, local stores, gadgets and other helpful tidbits that might provide some insight or lighten the load for others dealing with myriad allergies. I'll share those as they pop into my mind. I'll also share my daily menus and favorite recipes.
I won't deny that I miss certain foods or that eating out is a giant pain in the ass. There is a lot to think about and all of this thinking is brain draining even on a good day. One day I'll be able to incorporate the foods I'm now having to avoid like the plague and believe me when I say that I look forward to the day, but for now I'm enjoying the secondary benefits to cutting out certain foods - like losing 15 pounds in a month and a half. The nice thing is that for once in my life I'm not dieting to lose weight, I'm actually eating to get healthier. This is a lifestyle change and whatever the sacrifices I know that all of this is totally worth it. I am my greatest investment and that is all I really need to know.
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