tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31132785638164797252024-02-21T03:09:09.755-07:00Corn Allergic: What I Reacted To TodayThe joys of living with a severe corn allergy in a country that runs on corn! "If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning."-Catherine AirdChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-81511425896832377602013-09-22T15:32:00.001-06:002013-09-22T15:41:40.145-06:00You Know You Have a Severe Corn Allergy When (list in progress)1. You burst into tears of joy when a friend working on an organic farm offers to work with their butcher to get you safely processed food. <div><br></div><div>2. Your CSA (weekly box of safe food) packs a separate box of food for you during corn season. And transports it in the front of the truck. </div><div><br></div><div>3. You've heard of the new restaurants but they don't make up part of your mental map. There are zones that are just blank <i>(food for other people here)</i> blocks in your mind. </div><div><br></div><div>4. You think of movie theaters and Mexican restaurants, with all the airborne corn proteins, as the Death Zone. </div><div><br></div><div>5. You know the places<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> where you can get a safe sparkling water in a bottle when you go out with friends. </span></div><div><br></div><div>6. You have colleagues that you think of as poisonous, not for the quality of their work or their content of their character -- because of their cologne or perfume or soap or shampoo or dryer sheets or makeup or all of the above that is fragrantly off-gassing corn all day long. </div><div><br></div><div>7. Your decision to attend an event includes figuring in both the likelyhood of a severe reaction and how long you will be sick afterward from exposure to "environmental" corn. </div><div><br></div><div>8. You love people but hate their chemical-flowers-in-a-can smell. </div><div><br></div><div>9. You have two first aid-kits in your car, one corn-free one for you and one for other people. </div><div><br></div><div>10. Your friends have created rules and earn point for not killing you. (<i>My game is called DNKC -- Do NOT Kill Christine (tm). Yes, there are prizes. It used to be called Try Not to Kill Christine, but it was pointed out that the title was a bit pessimistic and Yoda would not approve.)</i></div><div><br></div><div>11. You have flinched when hugging/kissing an adored relative because you touched your cheek to their face powder or got their lipstick on you. As the hives start popping out, you just keep smiling and ignore it for as long as possible. </div><div><br></div><div>12. You know<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> how long you can go without scratching in public once the itching has gotten to the "like a monkey" stage. </span></div><div><br></div><div>13. You wonder if it would be appropriate to send holiday cards to your compounding pharmacy and your great doctor's office. Valentines Day might see a bit odd, but you do <3 them for helping you stay alive. </div><div><br></div><div>14. The day that Organic Valley started adding corn to their whole milk (aka. Vitamins A & D) was a day of mourning for you. </div><div><br></div><div>15. You are still holding a grudge against Enjoy Life for not taking your report of a severe allergic reaction seriously in 2007, and ignoring/denying the continuing reports of many, many other corn allergy folks in the ensuing years. Nope, now that their chocolate is listed as "May contain traces of corn" in 2013 after they publicly denied it for 5 years --their credibility far from restored. Can't believe they spend so much $ on marketing their product as allergy food and have such horrible protocol for dealing with reported reactions. </div><div><br></div><div>16. You love Annie's Organics because of how wonderfully they dealt with a reaction report. (I'm still impressed years later wih how they dealt w mine -- they were concerned, researched the issue, made a correction with a new supplier, reported back. And 6 years later I recommend their products that I can't eat to people who can. Kudos to Annie's Organic's.) </div><div><br></div><div>17. You know that if a product says "Corn Free" on the label, it's probably not. </div><div><br></div><div>18. Recipes that are promoted as allergy safe including "Corn Free" make you laugh. </div><div><br></div><div>19. You play "find the corn" on food labels for fun, not because you actually thought you could eat it. </div><div><br></div><div>20. You have learned how to cook/can/dry/grow/distill your own food. </div><div><br></div><div>21. You know more about our food system than you ever wanted to know about any industrial process. </div><div><br></div><div>22. You don't think of yourself as a foodie or a control freak, but if: you don't know where it came from; how it was grown; what happened to it post harvest; and you didn't prepare it -- you surely are not going to eat it. </div><div><br></div><div>23. You have a beauty regimen that consists of a soap, shampoo/conditioner, food grade oil for moisturizer, deoderant and safe toothpaste. (The oil may be the only item you can buy easily in your local grocery store). </div><div><br></div><div>24. Your lunch looks and tastes better than the leftovers everyone else brings to the office. You don't share. </div><div><br></div><div>25. You would rather be hungry for a few hours than eat somehow that will make you sick. It probably won't kill you to miss a meal, but an anaphylactic reaction just might. </div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-45647972993521535352013-01-06T11:25:00.002-07:002013-01-06T11:30:13.751-07:00Let's talk about it!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In the past few weeks I've received a few emails from people just starting out on their corn allergy journey. While I don't wish a food allergy on anyone, I do get get the fun of sounding like a grumpy old timer. I like to fire up the Commodore 64 and reply, "Back when I was diagnosed, there wasn't anything on the internet for people with corn allergies. Just advice from the allergist on not eating popcorn and corn chips! Get away from that processed food before you drop dead." I usually like to follow up such sage comments by putting on mom jeans, black socks, brown sandals and yelling at those darn kids to get off my lawn.<br />
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In the interest of being a good corn-free citizen who has survived an entire decade with a corn allergy and is now enjoying a large corn-allergy and corn intolerant community on the web here are a few good spots to hang out while figuring out how to live a corn-free life.<br />
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Facebook:<br />
<b>Corn Allergy and Intolerance Group</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/cornallergy/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/cornallergy/</a><br />
I recomend this group as an interesting place to start for people with either a corn allergy or intolerance. Lots of people with different levels and types of reactions and good discussions. The group varries from people with a strict scientific testing perspective to people who are willing to try anything labeled a cure so there are lots of interesting discussions. Very friendly and helpful members who share info and support one another. The majority of very active posters are from North America, but there are members from across the globe. <br />
Some group jargon that will help you communicate and understand a typical phrase that would be put at the end of a post about a product. If I posted saying something was safe for me, I might write: "I am a swift reactor to contact, inhalation and ingestion, only allergic to corn. I'm corn free, I can't do corn-lite at all!"<br />
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Corn Lite: You can eat some foods that are cross contaminated with corn in the processing or have a small amount of corn derivatives and are either ok or willing to put up with the discomfort. Mostly people with a food intolerance or a non-anayphyactic allergy.<br />
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Corn Free:You (try to) avoid all corn containing products. Usually due to severe allergies and/or anaphylactic reactions.<br />
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Reaction Levels: immediate or swift reactor vs slow or delayed reactor -- this is the amount of time it takes you to develop symptoms to exposure to your allergen, it can be min. for an allergy or much longer in the case of food intolerances.<br />
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Sensitive to: Contact (skin), Inhalation (fumes/dust), Ingested (food)<br />
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<b>Corn Allergy Awareness</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/60220625854/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/60220625854/</a><br />
Smaller group, more focus on Canadian products but lots of cross over with the Corn Allergy fb group. Same friendly and helpful vibe as above.<br />
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<b>Corn Freedom</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/corn-freedom/264504334407" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/pages/corn-freedom/264504334407</a><br />
Take this page with a grain of salt -- this mom w/ a corn allergic or intolerant child is interested in advocacy, which is great, but is at the beginning of her food allergy journey and <i>IN MY OPINION </i>still is eating/feeding a lot of corn intensive products and mistakenly promoting them as corn free. It may be that her child is able to tolerate corn lite foods, but she sees them as corn free -- it is a typical part of the journey and she is getting more comments from people with more experience w/ corn allergy. As with any food recommendation -- use caution. More interesting to watch than to participate in for me.<br />
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<u>Good FB Info pages</u> -- not all corn specific<br />
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<b>Corn Free Foods List</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CornFreeFoods" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/CornFreeFoods</a> NOT all corn free, many products are <b>just low corn/corn lite and are tolerated by people with a corn intolerance</b> and need to be tested CAREFULLY by you! There are only 4 safes thing for me on the the entire list, so proceed with caution. This is a good place to start if you are trying to find safe foods, but may foods on there need to be retested. There is a visual Pinterest board maintained by fb folks that is a little more up to date -- <a href="http://pinterest.com/stripeysocks/corn-free-visual-the-list/" target="_blank">http://pinterest.com/stripeysocks/corn-free-visual-the-list/ </a>Assume EVERYTHING is corn-lite and test carefully. It is a good starting point but don't assume that anything is totally safe for you.<br />
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<b>Asthma and Allergy Foundation</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AAFANational" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/AAFANational</a> Good info feed.<br />
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<b>Team Anaphylaxis</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Anaphylaxis/159511227477594" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Anaphylaxis/159511227477594</a> Mostly focused on advocating for children's issues, good info for communicating about threatening allergies.<br />
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<b>Food Allergy Mom Doc</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FoodAllergyMomDoc" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/FoodAllergyMomDoc</a> Interesting and thought provoking posts from a doc w/ two allergic children.<br />
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American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanAcademyofAllergyAsthmaandImmunology" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/AmericanAcademyofAllergyAsthmaandImmunology </a><br />
Good info on current research for people w/ a science background. <br />
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<b>Outside of Facebook</b><br />
Avoiding Corn Forum on Delphi -- <a href="http://forums.delphiforums.com/avoidingcorn/start" target="_blank">http://forums.delphiforums.com/avoidingcorn/start</a> The long running, sprawling and full of info forum. There is talk of the hosting platform transferring to a more usable format for mobile devices.<br />
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You are not alone! Feel free to send me an email (cornallergy at gmail (dot) com ) and go connect with some of your peers.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-2809719392903250222012-10-15T22:46:00.002-06:002012-10-15T23:15:37.530-06:00Feeling a bit blasé?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I poisoned my self quite nicely this weekend. A combination of impatience and excitement led me to overlook how long I should let the glue dry on my scuba equipment before I got it near me under pressure.<br />
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Fortunately for me, our wonderful scuba gear guru for the club came over to do all the hazardous material handling -- acetone and silicone glue, even taking the drysuit outside at 10:30 at night so that the acetone fumes would not come into the house! What a guy! I, unfortunately, did not think through how long I had let this glue cure and get washed out the last time I had used it to repair a wetsuit. This time it was going to be pretty close to me, pressurized inside a drysuit -- I should have let it cure for a a few days and washed it for a few more before getting it anywhere close to me. I am now paying for that little lapse of judgement. Also -- I was feeling a bit indisputable since I have been eating prednisone and zantac like skittles to survive a big gala at work.. All and all a recipe for disaster. Hoist by my own petard, mas non?<br />
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So, now on day 3 of having hands like catechers mitts and a face like a basket ball, sporty but uncomfortable, I was ready for hypocondria search time on the interwebs. Just looking for a way to reduce swelling post reaction -- I know what I did and that clearly I'm a horrible warning and menace to myself. No need to remind me.<br />
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I may, however, may be getting a bit too blasé about this whole "life threatening allergy" concept.<br />
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The first answer I found, on WebMD, <i>"Allergic reaction. Sudden swelling of the hands and face may be a
severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) and needs immediate medical
evaluation."</i><br />
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The first thought that popped into my head, "I can breathe, it's not an emergency. This is useless."<br />
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When is it an emergency? I noticed during our second descent that I was working too hard and using my air quickly. I was having some issues and brought my buddy back to the surface after about 10 min since we were just doing a quick tour around the shallows to adjust some equipment. Since I felt off, I opted to hang out while the instructor took him out to test his navigation skills. I hung around near the shore testing my new valve and just floating around checking out the adjustments to the suit to make sure nothing was leaking.<br />
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When they came back to shore, my instructor noticed that I looked odd -- I told him that I thought was breathing a bit to hard on the easy dive and was going to drink something hot and see how I felt. Also, I opened the neck seal on my suit to see if I was just asphyxiating a just little from being sealed in too well. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is is a fish or Christine having a reaction?</td></tr>
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My buddy and I slogged our way back up the hill (this is cold water quarry diving -- drysuits or 5-7mm wetsuits are <span class="st">de rigueur</span> pretty much year round) -- leaving our gear at the bottom for the next dive. Not thinking that I was having a reaction, I was SHOCKED when I saw my face in the window of the SUV. I looked like an unhappy grouper -- mottled skin and puffy puffy lips. As much as I like the fish, I really don't want to look like one of those guys!<br />
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My dive buddy, who was working on his skills for his advanced certification, clearly earned his advanced allergy card that day. All I said was "I think I'm having a reaction to my suit, I need to get out of it." He dropped his sandwich on the ground and was ready to jab me with a the epi-pen, cut me out of my suit (Please, please, please, no holes in the drysuit!) or grab the oxygen tank and crank it up in a flash. Had I needed any serious assistance I would have been in good shape. But I was already popping my meds, proceeding calmly and waiting till I could get a hand to get the neck zippers open calmly and carefully, since I'm still looking for a corn-free wax for the zippers. Not only did he get me divested of my corn-y gear in record time, he carried my tanks and heavy gear back up the hill while I staggered around while the corn-free Benadryl was kicking in -- and then he drove my car back home. That is major points in Do Not Kill Christine. <br />
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So when is it an emergency? I'm getting good at staying calm and watching what is going on, probably because I don't want to: 1. accidentally drop dead, 2. unnecessarily use the Epi-pen. That's a very fine line. It can be a bit of an out of body experience to watch yourself be almost consumed by the sensation that you choking and the concomitant urge to run in circles making the international throat-grabbing sign for "I. Can't. Breathe! while instead keeping your butt planted in your seat and slowly counting your inhales and exhales. Calm, Slow, In, Out. I'm breathing. My nail beds are not blue. It's not <i>really</i> an emergency. <br />
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For me, there are two signs that it is time to crack out the Epi-pens. When, after a few moment (that feel like years) I can't catch my breath after I've moved into the easy-breather position -- head toward knees, shoulders moving up and down with each inhale in an effort to make more space -- and and I'm getting confused about what to do. At that point it is hard to remember that when I can't figure out what to do, it is a sign that it is Epi-pen time. The other sign is the "feeling of impending doom" or just the plain old "Oh $h*%" feeling where it becomes clear that this is not going to end well.<br />
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Then it is Epi-Pen time.Uncap, swing and jab firmly into thigh. Fight the urge to pull it out at the first sting and count to ten. By the time I get to eight, that band that has been tightening around my ribs and the squeeking stiffnes in my lungs has disapeared. The world starts to swing back into focus on nine and by ten, I'm gulping in a full breath and so so so so very happy that I can get so very much air into my so very open lungs. Bliss for a moment or two, while I grab my allergy buddy and head off to the ER to get stabilized. <br />
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I've had two rebound reactions, so I'm a big believer in following up with IV prednisone, benadryl and a nice nebulizer of albuterol or xopenex. And in theory being observed for the next 6 hours. That depends on the ER. I have had a few reactions where I can see in retrospect that Epi-Pen would
have been a good idea, but it ended well and I had a watcher with me at
the time. I just didn't want to go spend the next 8 hours in the ER particularly on a weekend night when it would be full of the drunk/drugged/overdosed/crazed. Afternoons are a much better time. But really, that should not be a factor in the decision.<br />
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Not every reaction sets off the entire cascade where I need to go to defcon-whatever and jab myself with adrenaline, and I do live VERY carefully. When it does, I am SO grateful that to have Epi-pens. I'm even more grateful to my absolute rockstar friends who will jab me, since it is hard for me not to flinch and pull the pen back out when it stings. That's a real friend.<br />
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Today I look like a cross between an unhappy grouper and a baseball beta-version of Edward Sissorhands. I'm conjested and less than 100%, but I can breathe. This is not an emergency and not likely to become one unless my fashion crisis, of wanting to wear a retro hat w/ a veil till I look less pelagic, counts.<br />
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When is it an emergency for you?<br />
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<br />A handy site that lets you prepare a customized anaphylaxis / Epi-pen action plan: <a href="https://allergysafecommunities.ca/pages/emergency-form.asp">https://allergysafecommunities.ca/pages/emergency-form.asp</a><br />
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You can add your photo, specific allergy information and 3 emergency contacts. There are also fill in the blank sheets with Epi or Twinject instructions available<br />
<a href="https://allergysafecommunities.ca/pages/default.asp?catid=38">https://allergysafecommunities.ca/pages/default.asp?catid=38</a><br />
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<br />Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-77929544346449300032012-10-06T10:41:00.001-06:002012-10-06T15:55:11.226-06:00It's just food --people!I've been quiet for a while. While I've had plenty to say, it hasn't felt appropriate for a public forum. Why? Because I am cranky. Having a food allergy is not easy, particularly one where that food protein is not broken down when it is fractionated for industrial uses (glue, cleaning chemicals, fragrances) so that you always need to be on guard. It is not easy to avoid these things, particularly if you 1. Work 2. Socialize 3. Go to school 4. Leave your house. <br />
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Right now I'm in the car outside of a funeral home. I'm going to the outdoor service but avoiding the jammed together with perfume and makeup wearing people part of the day. Hugs and kisses will be bad enough for my over active immune system. There is only so much you can do to change the behavior of elderly relatives who wear powder, perfume and lipstick and give you a big smooch on the cheek when the see you -- I'm happy to see them no matter what the occasion and as long as I'm not turning blue and flopping around on the floor, I'm ok with the fact that I'm going to have a hard time breathing for a few days after I touch them. Que Serra. There is only so much you can control. <br />
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What we can control, as food allergic people and food allergy parents is the food we eat and feed to our children. I've been both worried and dismayed by the number of people 1. are willing to "cheat" or regularly eat "corn lite" and admit to eating/feeding things they know are not safe to their children 2. . seem confused and surprised by how reactive and generally ill they are 3. spend a great deal of time and money on substitutes for "normal" food.<br />
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This is not just a corn allergy phenomenon, Ira Glass did a intro segment on This American Life with clips of people with food allergies who regularly wind up in the ER because they knowingly eat food they are allergic to -- repeatedly. Holy Flying Monkeys People! IT'S JUST FOOD! Living without a single food is not going to kill you, eating it just might. <br />
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With the corn allergy, I'm constantly exposed to blind tests where I will react to something in the air or on my skin. At this point, I can't imaging willing eating a handful of popcorn or biting into an ear of corn on the cob -- even though I can remember how good they tasted.<br />
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It's just food. I'm not starving. I really like breathing. I live in the US, I have access to locally grown corn-free organic fruit and veggies that I fortunately can afford to buy (instead of expensive shoes). Why should poison my food just because I'd like some mayonnaise on my tomatoes? I just don't know. <br />
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Seriously? It's just food! Have a food allergy? Do the hard sleuthing to find out what is safe for you. Eat that. <br />
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Please don't poison yourself knowingly. Is there something you love to eat that makes you or your child sick? It is poisonous to you/her/him. Poison. Period.<br />
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Be healthy. Live long. Prosper. <br />
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Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-84309365364902641602011-04-16T14:57:00.005-06:002011-04-16T16:54:39.924-06:00Wecome to AbsurdiaI blame a lot of my physical problem on stress and too often refuse to fully believe that I'm having a problem unless I can observe some sort of symptom (fever, racing pulse, swollen lips...). This is yet another reason I am the HORRIBLE warning, rather than the good example -- my history shows I'll slog till I'm seriously sick and whine about feeling cruddy along the way. Pleasant for everyone, effective coddling for the germs or histamine trying to takeover my body. I may be creating my own strain of supergerms that are strengthened by whining and caffeine.<br /><br />Yesterday morning I was just going to make it on time to work when I got stuck in traffic. The normally swift moving highway went from creeping along to a complete standstill. As I sat there worrying about being late and trying (unsuccessfully) to log onto my work email via phone I started to feel the beginnings of a reaction-- tingly lips, painful joints, itchy throat. It wasn't something I eaten, since I'd postponed breakfast in favor of taking the dog for a springtime run. I had a paranoid thought that it was the exhaust from all the cars sitting still and made sure the air was on recirculate.<br /><br />After a lifetime in traffic I finally approached my exit, where rubberneckers slowed things further with taking time to gape at a the accident made frighteningly beautiful by firetrucks spraying shimmering arcs of water over the highway onto a flaming tanker. As the full trucks sped back down the highway in a water-relay, police directed morning commuters slowly through the exit.<br /><br />Chest tight and throat itching, I finally made it into the office where I can top off my daily dose of allergy meds and histamine blockers. I start digging through my in-box and get an email that puts me at risk for a cerebral aneurysm -- I can blame my slowly worsening symptoms on this.<br /><br />Feeling like I'm on the edge of a major reaction make me nervous, which has the potential to make things worse. I do a little yoga breathing and take care of a few happier items before calling my direct teammate in the main office. "Amy." She has a friend with mega-allergies and a husband who is an ER doc and a good sense of humor, thus she can be relied on to be the voice of sanity. I call her to update her on my having made it into the office and joke that that everything will be fine as long as its not a popcorn truck that is burning.<br /><br />Despite my pledge to keep my whining to a minimum, I'm tell the only other person in the office (my wonderful emergency contact) that I don't feel so good when she says makes the connection to the burning tanker truck. I honestly don't think a popcorn truck is on fire and the 10% ethanol gasoline in even the biggest truck engine would have burned away so quickly that it can not possible bother me.<br /><br />Welcome to Absurdia.<br /><br />She quickly finds the news: Ethanol Tanker Crash -- 8,000 gallons of ethanol are burning about half a mile (800 meters) from our office. Fire crews are keeping it under control while the fumes burn off. The highway will be closed for the next 5 hours as the truck burns.<br /><br />I need to have my passport stamped, clearly we are not it Kansas any more.<br /><br />I'm visiting Absurdia today. The thing I'm deathly allergic to is spilling on the ground, putting fumes into the air and ON FIRE across a big field from my office. That's why my lips are pufffed up and my throat itches. That's why my chest is tight. That's why I'm dizzy. That's..uh....it could EXPLODE!! OH. For. Pete's. Freaking, Sake. 8,000 gallons of CORN on FIRE is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day in anyone's book.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />The good news is I'm not at risk for an aneurysm (today)...I can stay and hope that this is as bad as it gets. Or I get the heck out of dodge before something worse happens -- like the tanker exploding. I may think my job is important but there is nothing that requires me to risk my life, we are not preforming surgery or talking people off ledges.<br /><br />Epi-Pen in hand, I take a couple wal-dryl* and drive home (not recommended procedure) to put my head under the pillow till I feel ready to deal with Absurdia. I may be having culture shock.<br /><br />Wonder if I'll need a visa and shots if I'm staying for awhile.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />*Walgrenes benadryl -- listed as "virtually" corn-free on the corn free foods listChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-12246197138230582132009-11-26T09:01:00.004-07:002009-11-26T09:28:29.843-07:00The blessings of food allergiesWhile it may seem easy and obvious to be grateful for the lessons of a food allergy and for being able to find locally grown, safe organic food -- I'm thankful, I'm grateful and I'm enjoying the blessings of a severe corn allergy this Thanksgiving.<br /><br />I may not be so thankful this evening after being around 21 regular people who wear makeup, perfume, and use scented detergent. At this moment, I'm happy, I'm healthy and I'm full.<br /><br />We cooked an heirloom turkey from farm yesterday. The first turkey I've had since high school. Just washed it, rubbed it with some good olive oil, some sea salt and organic pepper and stuffed some fresh rosemary, sage and diced onions inside. This toddler sized bird went on top of more onions and fresh spices and a cup or two of water -- into the oven for a few hours. I had no idea how amazing turkey is -- as a matter of fact I may have some for a snack now.<br /><br />The blessing of a food allergy -- even before this allergy progressed to the instant karma of anayphylaxis, I would get sick during the holiday feasts, without a clue as to why. This year there will be no crazy indulgence, this year there will be no pumpkin pie or cranberry relish but there will also be no wobbling florescent jello ring with suspended bits of chemically altered and preserved fruit making me ill. There will be no corn-syrup marshmallow topped sweet potatoes and no joint pain. No butterball turkey (injected with corn filled saline) and no crashing headache. <br /><br />This year there will be a feast. Made by me. There will be squash, turkey, field greens, spinach, sweet potatoes and carrots all from a local farm.<br /><br />This year I will be healthy and thankful and full.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-36820026852332208162009-07-24T19:08:00.003-06:002009-07-24T19:26:46.006-06:00Fashion Crisis<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDd95ED4zJS3QOOkPgqRCflKfdJK33cl1H29DvrAFUXTzuXhkZutYywgvNNU25d6gM35me97owl3ZVoeBWXyTImWL6a6l8ODm3AK3vbEn4jMpFQx33jhdYV-6QMUCZEU9l6PoGaHY5WRu3/s1600-h/dressed+myself.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 198px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDd95ED4zJS3QOOkPgqRCflKfdJK33cl1H29DvrAFUXTzuXhkZutYywgvNNU25d6gM35me97owl3ZVoeBWXyTImWL6a6l8ODm3AK3vbEn4jMpFQx33jhdYV-6QMUCZEU9l6PoGaHY5WRu3/s320/dressed+myself.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362202796544698098" border="0" /></a>I took me three tries to get dressed for work today. Not because I'm particularly fashionable, if is clean and matches I'm good, but rather because each outfit kept failing the one important criteria that only occurred to me after I had gotten fully dressed for the first time.<br /><br />How will this work if I wind up in the ER?<br /><br />Outfit 1. The skirt has to go, too cold in the hospital. Once the IV goes in I'm begging for warm blankets from the Bearhugger.<br /><br />Outfit 2. Rejected again. The pullover sweater is comfy for the dentist visit, the reason for my considering the ER as a possible destination today, but I don't want to get my head stuck in it when I am trying my best to breathe. Pullover is out.<br /><br />Outfit 3. Pants. Button-up blouse. Button up sweater. Warm, soft, easy access for those heart monitor stickies if needed. Light on the jewelry, Medical Alert easily visible. Purse with Epi-Pen, other emergency meds and a list of corn-based ingredients.<br /><br />Perfect.<br /><br />Bring on the dentist and all those chemicals. They were great the first time and I hope they can continue this streak. I have a designated friend to meet me at the ER if everything goes wrong and a good day planed after this if everything goes right. Either way, I'm ready.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-24505027040727765562009-07-15T04:52:00.004-06:002009-07-15T07:19:01.463-06:00Open Wide<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilO6FsX06tJ5ohyphenhyphenG3cYVI5emkmNCxV1ikuqqRREPFvnFdHxcGtdW7jsCUNPv01UwNhR-U9wJN_sXQKeY_HcgoFHhikOfB2jxxnKxwWLjse1lkbSfboitK3PNL8xK_m3tpWBHImR2MKpL8U/s1600-h/smile.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilO6FsX06tJ5ohyphenhyphenG3cYVI5emkmNCxV1ikuqqRREPFvnFdHxcGtdW7jsCUNPv01UwNhR-U9wJN_sXQKeY_HcgoFHhikOfB2jxxnKxwWLjse1lkbSfboitK3PNL8xK_m3tpWBHImR2MKpL8U/s320/smile.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358640965297544242" border="0" /></a>There are better ways to introduce yourself than " Hi, I have a new patient appointment for tomorrow afternoon and I have a bit of a strange question. I have a severe corn allergy which means I can be allergic to the powder used on medical gloves. I want to make sure that it is not a problem if I bring gloves that I am not allergic to for the dentist to use."<br /><br />The nice man who answered the phone assured me that they have people with allergies come in all the time, so they don't use latex gloves. After three rounds of "I'm not allergic to latex I'm allergic to the powder that is used on latex or latex-free gloves," I got the okay to show up with my pretty purple gloves for the dentist to use.<br /><br />Step one, done. Now all I need to do is get them to rinse off everything that comes out of packaging before it goes in my mouth. I'm sure I'm going to be their crazy patient for the day -- maybe the week or the month. But I am SO not in the mood to get sick for the sake of being polite. So, the thing I need to remember going in to this is to be firm, rational and clear about what I need to be safe.<br /><br />Frankly, it makes me quite nervous to put anything unknown, or out of my control in my mouth. I don't eat processed food, why would I be okay with opening my mouth for one of those dental x-ray things fresh out of the packaging? I want to know what is in/ on it, what it has been wiped or powered with, what was on the line where it was made. Too many questions that no one has ever asked the dentist, questions that they will have no idea about.<br /><br />Firm, rational, clear. I can do this.<br /><br />This may not be the most fun day I've ever planned, but I chipped a molar and need to get it fixed now. Tomorrow is just x-rays and consultation. No cleaning, no chemicals, not a lot that should be too out of bounds. It is a good chance to talk to them and see if they can work with me or if I need to try another office. I have no idea what I'm going to do about getting my tooth fixed. Pre-medicate and hope for the best?<br /><br />Firm, rational, clear. And calm.<br /><br />Breaking in a new set of people not to kill me, medical professionals at that, is not as easy as one would hope. The corn allergy is a rare enough diagnosis (particularly as reactive as I am) that they may not have encountered anyone with this little issue and can dismiss my strange requirements as those of an over reactive hypochondriac - till it is time for the Epi-Pen and the ER. If they have a sense of humor, I will be fine. Pretty purple gloves, safe soap; honestly I'm not crazy, I'm just trying to keep breathing.<br /><br />Firm, rational, clear, calm. And in control.<br /><br />It is too easy to become passive in a medical situation -- doctors, dentists all have worked hard for their expertise and I am there because I need their help. We've been taught to be good and cooperate to get the best care. Reverting to a child who says "Ahh" when told to open wide is not going to do me any good tomorrow or any time in the future. I need to remember that I have a uncommon problem that can be life threatening. If they can play <span style="font-style: italic;">Let's try not to kill Christine today</span> I'm happy to be there. If they can't, I don't have to stay.<br /><br />Firm, rational, clear, calm, in control. With a happy smile.<br /><br />Open wide? With caution, thank you.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-90204866870573682642009-06-26T19:54:00.001-06:002009-06-26T19:57:40.141-06:00Breaking RulesI have the evil red bumpies today -- the smallest and most upsetting of my reaction set since it actually hurts. I did it to myself at work, sorting photocopies. While chatting with a colleague, I carelessly licked a finger to make flipping pages easier, did it again and POP! Evil red bumpies.<br /><br />I hate this reaction because I feel each little bump erupt, and have a hard time not getting irritated. Like with most difficult situations, staying calm seems to make reactions less intense, more bearable. When you've just poisoned yourself and your instant karma is small points of pain, it can be a bit difficult to remember this.<br /><br />Over the last few years I've broken myself of the habit of chewing on pens, putting a hairclip in my teeth while doing my hair, holding nails in my lips. The thousand thoughtless things that touch our lips in any given day are now off limits. A pen fresh out of the box is just as off limits as a pen from my desk. It's not germaphobia, it's possible corn contact. I have no idea what as used in the factory or even what was on the hands of the last person that touched this thing. Maybe it is skin safe, but do I really need to take it to the next level of testing by putting it in my mouth? Yikes.<br /><br />I take for granted that my internalized rules of behavior will keep me safe. Apparently I need a refresher this week.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The crash course:</span><br /><ol><li>If you don't know what is in/on it, don't put it in your mouth.</li><li>Be prepared, carry your emergency supplies everywhere, everyday.</li><li>Speak up, if you need something to be changed to keep you safe.</li><li>Move it, get and stay away from airborne sources of your allergen.</li><li>Stay calm, try to relax and give yourself a break when reactions happen.</li></ol><br /><br />We all make mistakes. Lately it feels like I do more so than most. I have 2 new foods lined up to trial this weekend, but this makes my third minor reaction in a week, so no go. I need at least 5 clear days before risking anything new. <em>Ke garne</em>? Something to look forward to next week.<br /><br />Be safe. I am your horrible warning.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-61312636994184883362009-06-24T18:21:00.008-06:002009-06-24T18:51:00.560-06:00Besties<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghP1Y1N8XKRBayZtc-p62ZVdTIzI5r25JxQovyJqj4t8Rn-C7xk4th0jxn6or9YUYLHHOfcGjXRTEZQZjheiUnTsTImA5CD10XBOSSxFJT9n3fBPbYanRAKs5CK56aYAvx94spBPTyoTqT/s1600-h/auto-injector-pouch-twin-large.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghP1Y1N8XKRBayZtc-p62ZVdTIzI5r25JxQovyJqj4t8Rn-C7xk4th0jxn6or9YUYLHHOfcGjXRTEZQZjheiUnTsTImA5CD10XBOSSxFJT9n3fBPbYanRAKs5CK56aYAvx94spBPTyoTqT/s200/auto-injector-pouch-twin-large.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351055614424545394" border="0" /></a>I'm ridiculously over attached to my best friend. My dependable, there for me, ready in pinch, always got my back, never out of reach best friend.<br /><br />I think I used to be more normal <span style="font-style: italic;">(though my Lakota brother may disagree with that one)</span>. Not so long ago my best friend was human. I haven't gone completely around the materialist bend, at <span style="font-style: italic;">least</span> it's not diamonds that are this girl’s best friend.<br /><br />I never, ever leave home without my best friend. Not for a walk, not for a quick trip to the store, not to go to a meeting, not for anything. Ever. Er..except today.<br /><br />Today is not a good day to die, but I carelessly, friendlessly, sauntered in that direction.<br /><br />First mistake, leaving home without my best friend, the <a href="http://www.activeaide.com/">Activeaide</a> bag (2 Epi-pens, Benadryl, Gloves, Zantac).<br /><br />Second mistake, deciding being on time was more important than being safe. Fortunately I had backup Zantac and Benadryl in my work bag --put some in my back pocket and headed out to a work luncheon (where I was not eating, of course).<br /><br />Third mistake, not making a graceful exit when I saw the corn on the cob being served. I thought, “Outdoor venue, no problem I’ll just stay far away.”<br /><br />Fourth Mistake...that's enough. Suffice it to say I earned another stripe on the horrible warning badge today, took Benadryl with no backup and hoped for the best. I’ve only had fumes from cooking corn require an Epi-pen once, today was not to be the second time time. After it was over, I zoomed home to grab the purse with my Activeaide bag.<br /><br />---<br />I generally have to laugh at the foolish mistakes I make, since in the grand scheme of things my problems are rather minor and manageable. But, even with a large dose of perspective, there are still moments where I scare myself.<br /><br />Driving back to the office after picking up everything I needed to keep breathing in case of an anaphylactic reaction, I attempted to drown out the internal chorus of "Fool!" by cranking the CD to window rattling volume. Instead of helping, hearing <a href="http://www.myspace.com/realfirewater">Tod A.</a> growl out "This is no joke, this is my life," loosed the last reserves holding back the fear. Springing out, all the worse for having been compressed, the consequences I had managed not to think about found physical expression in shaking hands and blurred eyes. Trying to cope at 60 miles an hour, I sang along with Tod through chattering teeth till the adrenaline wore off.<br /><br />I'm still learning to manage this allergy on my own. Odds are, I'm going to screw up. Such is life. I'm lucky to be able to live and learn. After I post this I'm putting my backup Epi-pens in my work bag along with the extra stage one meds. Lesson learned, better preparedness in the future.<br /><br />Then I'm cranking up the rest of the my new music* and dancing around the house till I can't remember what fear feels like.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">*(Thanks for the all the music Jed, it’s 100% corn free and fantastic!)</span></span>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-84410848802546602742009-06-18T16:06:00.002-06:002009-06-22T11:42:20.523-06:00Christine, Horrible WarningI get more emails than I do comments on the blog, I think the comment blocksmay look too small for what most folks with a corn allergy have to say. Ifyou've gotten tired of telling your partners and friends about how thisallergy is taking over your life, you can always comment here or send and email to cornallergy at gmail (dot) com. It is bit of a relief to talk tosomeone that already gets it, for me too. It may take me a few days to respond, the one thing I can guarantee is that you have both my sympathy and my empathy. It's okay to vent or whine a bit, we all do it and I've said more than my fare share of "How the [string of creative expletives deleted]<br />did they get corn in that!"<p>I've been having a really interesting conversation with SushiQ (yes, you canchoose your own blog name) who was just diagnosed a few months ago and ismaking great progress in changing her diet to cut out hidden corn, even taking her own food to events (and having people steal it off her plate since her food is better than what is being served!). With her permission, I bring you some of our conversation:</p><p style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">Christine,<br />...You are in the back of my mind as my "horrible warning" when I eat. (that<br />doesn't sound right, but you know what I mean) You have really helped me get<br />a better understanding of what a corn allergy means. For you it is a<br />disability. I am truly hoping that I can maintain my life as-is. When I<br />fall off the wagon my reactions have been...not life-threatening. I do<br />think of you when I do it...makes me feel not so alone.</p><p style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">-s<br /></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />SushiQ,</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">I had to laugh when I read about being the horrible warning; one of these<br />days I'll be a good example. Ha! I think the horrible warning is much more<br />effective.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Years before a food allergy was ever suspected I started to think I had<br />problems with sugar because whenever I had something sugary, like cake or<br />soda I'd start to feel flushed and ill. Sugar in my tea wasn't a problem but<br />most sweet foods were making me sick; I now know that I was reacting to all<br />the processed corn syrups. This was just after I had returned from several<br />years in Asia where I was not getting a lot of corn sweetened foods or<br />general corn in my diet. So, that was the point where a diagnosis (perhaps)<br />could have stopped me from getting to my current point of super caution with<br />food. </p><p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Easy to see in hindsight, but I was in grad school and far too consumed with<br />studying to pursue it other than to avoid foods that were making me really<br />sick. I didn't figure it out and eventually got to busy to pay attention to<br />what was going on with my health; work, work and more work. I escaped the<br />American food system 2 more times with work in India and Nepal and now that<br />I think about it I noticed problems with food at home after being out of the<br />country for few months. Taking that break from corn was enough to make me<br />aware that I didn't feel right after eating a lot of processed foods. But I<br />never made the connection with a real food allergy till I had my first<br />anaphylactic reaction. After that, I started to become the horrible warning.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">If it helps you move through the learning curve for avoiding corn faster<br />than I did (it took me YEARS) or makes you think twice before eating<br />something iffy, then being the horrible warning is well worth it. You are<br />not alone, there are more and more of us diagnosed with some level of corn<br />allergy or intolerance every week. <span style="font-style: italic;">Don't be like Christine</span> isn't much of a<br />slogan, but I do hope the idea that no matter how severe your reactions<br />are this allergy is manageable, comes through on the blog.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">We're in this together and I'm on your team!</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">-c</p><p>It seem to me, SushiQ and all the rest of the corn allergy people, that there are more of us every day and we certainly are on the same team. I'm still hoping to have one of those perfect moments at a function where I am standing around with a glass of mineral water while everyone else is eating and drinking. I can see it perfectly -- I look across the room...there is someone else with just a glass of mineral water... and an allergy bracelet...our eyes meet...across the crowded<br />room...we say in unison "CORN ALLERGY!" The ensuing hysterical laugher may disturb the rest of the guests, but I plan to introduce myself as "<span style="font-style: italic;">Christine, Horrible Warning</span>."</p>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-81308795106782700172009-06-15T19:08:00.008-06:002009-06-15T20:41:24.675-06:00Cowgirl up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6pfM6Qj6bxJWBzmWDpLwweXVI68kn4kohTzE_H-DmI-VopBLHoSKiq2ppPMiUDO3H6Z_KiJTfMoHkLF18d9fUEAvmJYBqjcRJnO07Cju_xfYXp55zTit-67xHMTDxBuX6DCXveND1Jj0/s1600-h/BFBL.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 88px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6pfM6Qj6bxJWBzmWDpLwweXVI68kn4kohTzE_H-DmI-VopBLHoSKiq2ppPMiUDO3H6Z_KiJTfMoHkLF18d9fUEAvmJYBqjcRJnO07Cju_xfYXp55zTit-67xHMTDxBuX6DCXveND1Jj0/s320/BFBL.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347731497141191234" border="0" /></a>Till about a year ago, I'd never been particularly obsessive about anything. I've regarded this allergy experience as a cross between a scientific experiment where I am both subject and observer and a guessing game with some nasty consequences for losing. About a year ago I fully gave up on making myself sick with the food I love[d].<br /><br />Many years ago, a doctor had said about a vitamin I poisoned myself with <span style="font-style: italic;">(it </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">said</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> corn free on the label)</span>, “If you don't know what the heck is in it, don't put the darn thing in your mouth.” Smart woman.<br /><br />Now, if I don’t make it I don’t eat it. My food comes from a nearby organic farm, grown by an amazing group of farmers. It's local, in season, from people I trust.<br /><br />There are a few exceptions to that rule, currently readily available are a few canned organic soups, milk, spices and a box of rice crackers. The rice crackers may be on their way off the safe list; they never were the most appealing food, but made a good emergency backup to keep in the car. This is all in the past tense, because somehow I poisoned myself with one of my safe, lovely, bland crackers this afternoon. While snacking on one during a coffee break, I was hit by an odd thought. “Wow this tastes great! Kind of like a Sun Chip, a little sweet, crunchy, tangy...”<br /><br />In the microseconds it took for that thought to form, alarm bells began clanging in my head. “Wow, this tastes great!” has often been a phrase that precedes a reaction for me. Internal strobe lights streaked across my brain, Warning! WARNING! Get it out!! OUT! Finally my reflexes kicked in and I, oh so gracefully, spit the chewed up cracker into my hand. Since the allergy lifestyle involves experimentation, I had to look to see if it was different somehow than the rest of the crackers. Nope. Not that I usually examine my food when it is in bolus form, but it the color and texture seemed normal.<br /><br />For a second, I though I had done pretty well not to swallow the cracker, till I felt the warning tingle in my lips and nose and the real emergency response kicked in. <span style="font-style: italic;">GET IT OUT</span> was echoing around my skull as I ran for the bathroom to rinse out my mouth and brush my teeth. Not fast enough to keep myself from needing meds, but good enough to avoid the Epi-pen.<br /><br />Now I’m dizzy, nauseous, achy and about 2 seconds from crying because I’ve lost some convenient crackers from my set of safe foods -- I can barely stand to be around myself when I get like this. In the grand scheme of things, there are so many worse things that could happen; no one is shooting at me, there are no tigers waiting to eat me and I am far from starving. As MTB would say, “Time to cowgirl up and get over it.” I’m just going to have to be more vigilant about the <span style="font-style: italic;">If I didn’t make it, I don’t eat it rule.</span> I may not want to cook every day, but that is just too darn bad, do it or be hungry.<br /><br />There is still a choice available, eat what is safe or don't eat. Amazing food from a wonderful farm comes once a week through the <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/csa">CSA</a>, I'm fortunate enough to know the incredible people who grow my food and know that it is all safe for me to eat. They are kind, concerned and careful with my food. Why bother with something that may or may not be okay? Why even support a food system that is not safe for me or anyone else who needs to know what is in their food?<br /><br />Two statements that really resonate with me when I think about our food choices:<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell_Berry"></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">We can still decide, every day, what we're going to put into our bodies, what sort to food chain we want to participate in." - <a href="http://www.michaelpollan.com/">Michael Pollan</a>, Omnivore's Dilemma<br /><br />and<br /><br />"How we eat determines to a considerable extent how the world is used." - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell_Berry">Wendell Berry</a><br /></div><br />If you have a severe corn allergy, the general American food system is not safe for you. The shipped green, waxed, gassed to ripen, processed and packaged food that is so very convenient and so easily available is poisoned with corn derivatives through and through to keep it fresh, keep it shiny, retard the growth of e-coli or make it smell good. <span style="font-style: italic;">Ick</span>. The corn used in packaging and processing is not required to be disclosed on the label. <span style="font-style: italic;">Double Ick.</span><br /><br />It took years of trial and error, truly years of poisoning myself, for me wise up and make a choice. It took more time, more research, and more frightening experiences than I would wish on anyone for me to get to the point where my safety and health outweighed my desire for “normal” food. Now my cravings are for understanding, <a href="http://cornallergic.blogspot.com/2009/05/adaptation.html">adaptation</a> and safety. The fact that this allergy resulted in my eating fresh, local, delicious food is a great bonus. I owe my health and quite possibly my sanity to my farmers. <span style="font-style: italic;">Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!</span><br /><br />Do you know where your food comes from? If you don’t, are you really managing your allergy?<br /><br />That’s the question I’m going to ask myself the next time I’m temped to go for convenience.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /></div>Find a farmers’ market, sign up for a CSA, get local food near you:<br /><a href="http://www.localharvest.org/">www. localharvest.org</a><br />Find out more about the multiple benefits of local food at:<br /><a href="http://www.foodroutes.org/whycare2.jsp">www.foodroutes.org</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Buy Fresh! Buy Local! Be Safe!<br /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-84170307922706917232009-06-10T15:33:00.007-06:002009-06-10T15:55:55.674-06:00Ordering NothingHaving Ted in town gave me the opportunity to test the eating out without eating theory. Eating out without eating is just ordering something small so you don't have to sit there with nothing in front of you, toying with it and/or getting your companion(s) to eat it. You've ordered, so you've fulfilled the general function of a patron in a restaurant, but you haven't eaten anything you are allergic to, so you are not sick. Win/win in my book.<br /><br />This won't work in every situation, you will need:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. An easygoing dinner companion, preferably one that is hungry</span><br /> -someone who understands your allergy, knows you can’t eat anything off the menu<br /> -someone interesting enough that you are there for the company, not the food!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Forethought and planning!</span><br /> -eat beforehand<br /> -warn your dinner companion that you are going to order an appetizer <span style="font-style: italic;">only</span>, and you are ordering just to order and you need someone else to eat it :)<br /> -don’t order something made with your allergen or a food that you have a hard time resisting<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. The ability to act</span><br /> -you can still look happy to get the food and enjoy the smell (as long as you are not hungry, this will be fine)<br /> -share with your companion, but be sure you pick up your silverware and play with a few pieces, nudge a bit around, sip your drink, use your napkin<br /><br />Truth is, at a restaurant people are not paying that much attention to anyone outside their party, so as long as you have decent manners, you can save yourself the big song and dance about your allergy by just doing the appetizer trick and getting a safe drink (mineral water for me, or a cup of tea --yes, I carry corn free tea bags in my purse). I tip like I ate a real meal since I’m still taking up the same space and time from the staff.<br /><br />Ted is more easygoing than most, so my playing with the calamari while he ate didn’t bother him at all. As I've said earlier, I was there for the company, so I was having a great time. The lack of food for me wasn't an issue since I wasn't hungry.<br /><br />I don’t know how well this would go over with someone not so well adjusted to my restrictions or so relaxed. I’ll keep you posted.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(There is always the other option of calling the manager, bringing something you can eat, having them put it on a plate for you and playing a plating fee. And, hoping that it doesn't get contaminated in the kitchen. Of course, I am REALLY careful, due to the severity of my reaction and not wanting to waste time with a reaction while I have a guest.) </span>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-90129487744939186092009-06-04T16:24:00.008-06:002009-06-10T15:55:38.453-06:00I’ll have a ?Recently spent two evenings lurching down memory lane with a college buddy in from the West Coast, no Benadryl or Epi-pens involved. The lurching was due to visiting some of the haunts where we had whiled away a few evenings debating the meaning of life, swapping stories of our latest adventures and dancing off stress. My companion for this time travel was was <a href="http://cornallergic.blogspot.com/2009/05/passing-food-allergy-test-of-character.html">Ted</a>, gentle readers who know him IRL already know this means a visit to every bar from our salad days. For those of you that are fans of 70’s TV, his blog pseudonym comes from a M*A*S*H episode, enough said*. He took me to my first bar in the States and taught me how to tip for drinks, so this re-visit, complete with new lessons, was particularly apropos. <span style="font-style: italic;"> (Point of clarification, I'm not completely without social graces. I'd turned 21 in the Philippines--had been traveling/living in countries w/out the drinking age restrictions or tipping so I missed out on that all-American rite of passage.)</span><br /><br />I’ve always preferred caffeine to alcohol, ordering like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar_O%27Reilly">Radar O’Reilly</a> never botheres me. These days the grape Nehi’s all have corn syrup or other corn derivatives, the only really safe drink is a bottle of natural mineral water; something like a Perrier or San Pellegrino is perfect. Not all bottled water is corn free; I’ve been poisoned by Dasini and Aquafina which makes me leery of any purified municipal water that has minerals added.<br /><br />I’m great to take out for drinks – as I’ve had pointed out soooooo often by friends and family, the allergy makes me a cheap date. No fancy-shmancy $12 cocktails for this gal. Another point in my favor is happy designated driver status, no worries with me at the wheel. Two points – however, going out for a drink in a college town wipes the board clean. Unless you have someone like Ted along to charm the bartender into grabbing some Perrier from the restaurant next door, it’s a cup of water from the drinks gun (definite cross contamination) in a plastic cup (possible use of corn oil on the cup) with a straw (ditto) and, if you are really lucky, a corn-waxed wedge of lime. I was there for the conversation not a drink, so no problem for me. Happy and laughing is a good day in my book. Great friend + witty conversation, what more could I really want? Ted’s chivalry kept bubbling up, so off we’d go to the next den of iniquity in search of good music (abysmal failure) and the elusive Perrier. In two nights on the town, one bar and one restaurant out of an entire college town managed a corn-free cold drink. Not even the nice gay bar could do better than a glass of water. *shrug*<br /><br />I can’t say that the lack of options of this bothers or surprises me. Three lessons, I guess. One, I need to get out more (surprise!). Two, you can’t expect to get a grown-up drink in a college bar. Three, if you do want to have something to drink, listen to your Uncle Ted: be prepared; throw a couple of chilled bottles in that big bag with the Epi-pens and Benadryl; smile; show your medical alert tag; explain nicely and ask if you can pay a corkage** fee for bringing your own drink. If they don’t want to charge you, be sure to tip well.<br /><br /><br />**Yes I know it’s a screw top on the water, humor me.<br /><br />_________________________________________________<br />*It's so difficult to adequately describe a friend in less then a few pages, they come off sounding so mono-dimensional. The best I can do in a small space is to say Ted is a bit of Hawkeye Pierce combined with Captain Sam Vimes and Ocsar Wilde with a soupcon of Ford Prefect. He has a wicked wit covered by a angelic grin that would make Michelangelo weep. Still missing a lot, but for now it will have to do.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-41002320711743814482009-05-28T00:01:00.006-06:002009-05-29T05:01:58.287-06:00Living With Food Allergies Carnival<!-- InstaCarnival Beta Draft HTML for Carnival Edition http://blogcarnival.com/bc/spreview_28486.html -->Welcome to the May 28, 2009 edition of Living With Food Allergies Carnival.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:lucida grande;" >Managing your Food Allergy and Your Life:</span></span><br /></div><br /><b>Gabrielle</b> shares <a href="http://peanutfree.blogspot.com/2009/05/lesson-always-be-diligent-about-labels.html">A Lesson: Always be Diligent about Labels</a> posted at <a href="http://peanutfree.blogspot.com/">Peanut Free Mama</a>.<br /><br /><b>Karen Blue</b> tells us about <a href="http://avoidingmilkprotein.blogspot.com/2009/05/planning-getaway.html">Planning a getaway</a> posted at <a href="http://avoidingmilkprotein.blogspot.com/">Avoiding Milk Protein Blog</a>, saying, "Tips for traveling with allergies"<br /><br /><b>Ruth Smith</b> presents <a href="http://www.bestallergysites.com/news/entering-school-with-food-allergies/">Entering School With Food Allergies</a> posted at <a href="http://www.bestallergysites.com/">Best Allergy Sites</a>.<br /><br /><b>Jennifer B</b> has a warning -- <a href="http://www.foodallergybuzz.com/2009/05/beware-food-allergy-profiteers.html">Beware Food Allergy Profiteers</a> posted at <a href="http://www.foodallergybuzz.com/">Food Allergy Buzz</a>.<br /><b><br />Lara DeHaven</b> answers the question we are always asked: <a href="http://www.texashomesteader.com/2009/04/03/what-do-yall-eat/">What Do Ya’ll Eat? | Texas Homesteader</a> posted at <a href="http://www.texashomesteader.com/">Texas Homesteader</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Christine</span> has another good side to food allergies, with <a href="http://cornallergic.blogspot.com/2009/05/passing-food-allergy-test-of-character.html">The Food Allergy Test of Character</a> posted at <a href="http://cornallergic.blogspot.com/">Corn Allergic: What I Reacted to Today</a>. She says, "Friends, co-workers and family who pass the food allergy test of character are worth their weight in gold. How many people in your life have passed the test?"<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Christine</span> also shares a little corn allergy humor, about one of those <span style="font-style: italic;">really I'm not crazy, I just have a severe food allergy</span> days in <a href="http://cornallergic.blogspot.com/2009/05/exactamundo.html">Exactamundo</a>! posted at <a href="http://cornallergic.blogspot.com/">Corn Allergic: What I Reacted to Today.</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:lucida grande;" >Recipes and Recommendations:</span></span><br /></div><div><br /><b>Lara DeHaven</b> will make you hungry with <a href="http://www.texashomesteader.com/2009/04/14/my-favorite-wheat-free-products/">My Favorite Wheat-Free Products | Texas Homesteader</a> posted at <a href="http://www.texashomesteader.com/">Texas Homesteader</a>.<br /><br /><b>Ruth Smith</b> has good news in <a href="http://www.bestallergysites.com/news/home-free-treats-the-healthier-cookie-alternative/">HomeFree: The Healthier Cookie Alternative</a> posted at <a href="http://www.bestallergysites.com/">Best Allergy Sites</a>, saying, "HomeFree has a new and dedicated facility. Read what they are doing to keep their cookies and our kids safe."<br /><br /><!-- Carnival Submission --><b>Ali from Whole Life Nutrition</b> shares a yummy recipe <a href="http://glutenfreewholefoods.blogspot.com/2009/03/dark-teff-sandwich-bread.html">Dark Teff Sandwich Bread</a> posted at <a href="http://glutenfreewholefoods.blogspot.com/">Whole Life Nutrition</a>.<br /><p><b>Alisa</b> presents <a href="http://www.godairyfree.org/Alisa-s-Blog/Alisa-s-Milk-Free-Blog/Sweet-Sundays-Dairy-Free-Rice-Puddings.html">Sweet Sundays: Dairy-Free Rice Puddings</a> posted at <a href="http://www.godairyfree.org/">Go Dairy Free</a>.</p><!-- Carnival Submission --><b>Alisa</b> some great ideas with <a href="http://www.onefrugalfoodie.com/2009/05/14/quick-lean-and-flavor-packed-turkey-breakfast-sausage/">Homeade Turkey Breakfast Sausage - Quick & Lean</a> posted at <a href="http://www.onefrugalfoodie.com/">One Frugal Foodie</a>, saying, "Versatile recipe can be used with turkey or pork, and is great for avoiding food allergen fillers that linger in so many meat products. Also economical!"<br /><p><b>Sure Foods Living</b> has tempting treats, <a href="http://surefoodsliving.com/2009/05/21/ice-cream-cookie-sandwich-gluten-free-dairy-free-egg-free/">Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich - gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free</a> posted at <a href="http://surefoodsliving.com/">Sure Foods Living.</a><br /></p><p><br /><b>Sure Foods Living</b> has a lot of information for you on <a href="http://surefoodsliving.com/2009/05/14/hot-dogs-and-sausages-gluten-free-and-dairy-free-list/">Hot dogs and sausages: gluten-free and dairy-free list</a> posted at <a href="http://surefoodsliving.com/">Sure Foods Living. </a></p><!-- Carnival Submission --><b>Gabrielle</b> has a find for the peanut allergic vegans out there, <a href="http://peanutfree.blogspot.com/2009/05/vegan-with-peanut-allergy-have-i-got.html">Vegan with a Peanut Allergy? Have I got a product for you...</a> posted at <a href="http://peanutfree.blogspot.com/">Peanut Free Mama</a>.<br /><br /><b>Rachel</b> tempts you to get cooking in <a href="http://ourgaggleofgirls.com/recipes/2009/05/25/love-and-apple-pie/">Love and Apple Pie</a> posted at <a href="http://ourgaggleofgirls.com/recipes">Rachel's Recipe Box</a>, saying, "This is an allergy-friendly, gluten-free apple pie"<br /><p><b>Alisa</b> has good information just in time for summer on <a href="http://www.godairyfree.org/200905253415/News/Nutrition-Headlines/Choosing-a-Sunscreen-for-Sensitive-Skin-and-Allergies.html">Choosing a Sunscreen for Sensitive Skin and Allergies</a> posted at <a href="http://www.godairyfree.org/">Go Dairy Free</a>.<br /></p><p><br /></p>------------------------------------------------------<br /><p>That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of<b> Living with Food Allergies Carnival</b> using our<a target="_blank" title="Submit an entry to “living with food allergies carnival”" href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_2597.html"> carnival submission form</a>.<br />Past posts and future hosts can be found on our<a target="_blank" title="Blog Carnival index for “living with food allergies carnival”" href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_2597.html"> blog carnival index page</a>.</p><p>The next Carnival will be June 11, hosted at <a href="http://allergickid.blogspot.com">The Allergic Kid</a>.<br /></p><br /><p><br />Technorati tags:<br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/living+with+food+allergies+carnival" rel="tag">living with food allergies carnival</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blog+carnival" rel="tag">blog carnival</a>.<br /></p><br /><div style="clear: right;"></div><br /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-58283210942493579762009-05-27T19:21:00.007-06:002009-06-07T10:58:51.917-06:00Exactamundo!"Not crazy, corn allergy."<br /><br />That line's been pulled out a few too many times for comfort in the past week. It's always delivered with my best toothy grin and a laugh, I'm hoping I can just be one of those quirky gals, not the crazy lady.<br /><br />It's not enough to be allergic to what I eat or drink, what I touch can be a problem. I've been doing a lot of volunteer hours with new sets of people lately, I may only know the director and she doesn't know the full extent of my precautions other than having to count me out when food is involved. Because of this I wind up in some corn-y situations that are safe enough as long as I don't have to touch anything.<br /><br />Like any reasonable adult, I go into this well prepared, with a pair of gloves in my back pocket. Along with my allergy gear, I also carry a box of latex-free (be nice to people with latex allergies!) disposable, unpowered gloves in the car. This latest box is great, they are just the right size, with textured fingertips to make it easy to pick things up. Unfortunately, they are also a delicate shade of lilac making my <a href="http://www.imdb.com/media/rm4264926464/tt0367594">Willy Wonka</a> hands difficult not to notice.<br /><br />So, "Not crazy. <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Severe</span> corn allergy." Out come the gloves, and Ms. Wonka is ready to tape up signs and handle all manner of poisonous objects.<br /><br />I'm fine with this approach, its practical, efficient, I look a little quirky or germaphobic but I'm getting the job done. I'm cool with it, really. Cool like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fonzie">Fonz</a>, till that moment I peel off the gloves, carefully keeping them inside out to contain the contaminants, and scan the room for a hazmat bin to drop them in. I still can't suppress the shudder when I put them in the regular trash.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Quirky</span>? Exactamundo!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-82638685108255670832009-05-25T19:30:00.004-06:002009-05-25T19:40:07.723-06:00Submit Your Posts for the Next Food Allery Carnival!It's almost time for the next Living With Food Allergies Carnival, so please submit your posts!<br /><br />I'd love have a theme with lots of posts on the upside of food allergies or a positive change in your life from having a food allergy or food allergic person in your family -- but really, any post about living with food allergies would be great! Recipes, challenges, how you cope, what <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> reacted to today...whatever is on your mind!<br /><br />Go to <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_2597.html">http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_2597.html</a> before 9pm on Wed May 27th and submit your post. If you have a problem, email me at cornallergy at gmail (dot) com<br /><br />I've been deluged with a bunch of spam posts about miracle weight loss foods and how to live your life with prosperity and success. Umm. I'm falling to make the connection with food allergies.<br /><br />So, anything to do with living with food allergies, send it in. Anything on another topic, sorry wrong carnival.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-51377417893009783672009-05-22T10:15:00.006-06:002009-05-23T10:57:14.557-06:00Passing the Food Allergy Test of CharacterI've changed.<br /><br />For the better and the worse. Quelle surprise.<br /><br />For the better, I take better care of myself and have stopped trying to find "normal people food" that works for me. I'm as done with looking for substitutes, I've moved on to enjoying the complex tastes of my organic locally grown veggies and trying to get as much corn-free protein as I can.<br /><br />For the worse, I test people like I test food. No, I don't use the <a href="http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/universal-edibility-test.htm/printable">poison protocol</a> with them, but it gets close. :P (Besides, if I did a patch test with most people, I'd probably react) It is not a fun thing to do and worries me while I do it since I always want them to pass. But, the people challenge isn't as hard as the food challenge test (the Epi-Pen is almost NEVER involved) and you just have to shake it off when someone fails.<br /><br />In an ethical / moral sense we are always evaluating others, as much as we may like to think that we are not. Is this person trustworthy? Is that guy safe? Is she reliable? The food allergy just amplifies the issue. Allergy parents have this test thrust upon them in a more upfront manner when they are challenged to allow their child to sleepover at a friends house or attend an outing without them. Making the judgment call about the safety of a child must be infinitely more difficult that making that call about your own safety as an adult. I can't begin to imagine the stress. (All my hats are off to you, Allergy Parents!)<br /><br />As I’ve been writing about lately, I do my best to be upfront, provide disclosure and let people decide for themselves. I hope for the best and try to be prepared for the “ maybe it’s just stress,” “my cousin’s friend’s sister once had food allergies, but she did x, y, and z and she is all better now,” and my all time favorite, “You are not going to get better with that sort of attitude.” As if I <span style="font-style: italic;">caused</span> my food allergies. *sigh* I though we had moved beyond the language of blaming people for diseases. Really, <span style="font-style: italic;">darlings</span>, that is just so 70’s. 1670s.<br /><br />All semantics and attitude aside, I think there may be another upside to serious food allergies. The food allergy test of character. Those who pass, usually do so with such grace and style that it brings tears to my eyes. Recently I had to do the whole allergy song and dance for a friend I’d been out of touch with for almost a decade, the last time we had worked together I had been the one finding the fun restaurants, now I’m the one doesn’t eat out. I was trying to avoid talking about allergies at all -- just wanted to catch up on the last 10 years, but the idea of getting together for dinner came up. Long story short, as soon as he had gotten a grasp on the corn is in everything issue, and quickly recognized that I’m really not getting enough protein in my diet (I’m working on it, really!) he was brainstorming unique solutions. I was so charmed by this that I may have missed a few great ideas while I was grinning at the phone. Allergy test of character, Gold Star A+.<br /><br />Went to see a the fabulous Ms. M. in another play last night with my social director, J. While we were chatting during intermission he asked a question about my allergy tag and I realized I never gave him the full brief on my emergency protocol, so out came the <a href="http://www.activeaide.com/">Activeaid</a> bag with my Epi-Pens and Benadryl and I did the quick run down. He had some good questions and we got into a bit of a discussion. When I explained about the Epi-Pen, “I can do this myself, but its better for me if someone else does it because I have a hard time overcoming the reflex to pull the needle out before the 10 seconds are up.” J didn’t miss a beat, he calmly replied “10 seconds. I can do that.” I didn’t realize I was stressed about this, till his answer left me almost limp with relief at having someone accept this so matter of factly and be ready to help. Allergy test of character, another A+.<br /><br />I don’t expect that everyone can step up and say, “You have a reaction when I’m around, give me the Epi-Pen. I’ve got your back.” Or to help me figure out how to solve my food access issues. Mostly, I just hope that people don’t think that I’ve gone crazy and and are willing deal with a few inconveniences in order not to poison me. Let’s try not to kill Christine— it’s a fun game, I play it every day. Poison? Safe? Touch? Don’t touch? Guess!<br /><br />It’s amazing to have people pass the food allergy test of character with such flying colors. There have also been some spectacular failures, those stories will have to wait for another day. For now, I can happily say that this allergy test involves no needles and usually doesn’t hurt one bit. Kudos to all of you that have aced this one.<br /><br />I need to find a nice explanation for this and figure out how to tell people that they have an passed the food allergy test of character with an A+, Gold Standard rating . Thoughts?Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-11374451511281379712009-05-20T04:22:00.003-06:002009-05-20T04:26:46.692-06:00If I Had An Allergic Reaction: A VideoIf I Had - An Allergic Reaction - Dr. Robert Wood, MD from <a href="http://www.insidermedicine.ca/archives/If_I_Had_-_An_Allergic_Reaction_-_Dr_Robert_Wood_MD_1951.aspx">http://www.insidermedicine.ca </a><br /><p>Your Wed. PSA<br /><table style="border-width: 0px;" 400="" border="1" bordercolor="#c0c0c0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="277"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#cccccc"><a href="http://www.insidermedicine.ca/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.insidermedicine.ca/images/top_logo.jpg" border="0" height="18" width="89" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-decoration: none;" align="center" height="30" valign="middle">If I Had - An Allergic Reaction - Dr. Robert Wood, MD</td></tr><tr><td><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=7,0,0,0" id="play_continuous_flvs" height="231" width="355"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.insidermedicine.ca/IMHomePlayerNew.swf"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="FlashVars" value="filename=http://www.insidermedicine.ca/ArchievesXML/If_I_Had__An_Allergic_Reaction__Dr_Robert_Wood_MD_1951.xml"> <param name="BASE" value="http://www.insidermedicine.ca/"> <param name="type" value="application/x-shockwave-flash"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <embed src="http://www.insidermedicine.ca/IMHomePlayerNew.swf" flashvars="filename=http://www.insidermedicine.ca/ArchievesXML/If_I_Had__An_Allergic_Reaction__Dr_Robert_Wood_MD_1951.xml" quality="high" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" name="play_continuous_flvs" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" base="http://www.insidermedicine.ca/" align="middle" height="231" width="355"></embed> </object><script type="text/javascript">strWebsiteID = window.document.location.toString();strSplitWeb = strWebsiteID.split("/")strWebsiteID = strSplitWeb[2];document.write("<img style="'VISIBILITY:" width="'0'" height="'0'" src="'http://insidermedicine.ca/Insidermedicine_Player_License_Check.aspx?WebsiteURL=" xml="If_I_Had__An_Allergic_Reaction__Dr_Robert_Wood_MD_1951.xml'" />");</script></td></tr></tbody></table></p>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-32408357265780737272009-05-19T05:59:00.001-06:002009-05-19T19:13:38.877-06:00Back to BasicsI'm fighting the human version of Ick today; it can't be cured with a little table salt the way my mom used to resurrect our goldfish. The table salt cure contains corn, by the way. People at the office have been calling in or their partners are full blown sick, I have a little bit of a little something mild. The best description I can come up with is I feel like a horse that is off her food. When I couldn’t face my coffee yesterday, I knew something was wrong.<br /><br />So, I'm not sick enough to actually take a sick day and I have TONS to get done if I actually want one of the three days off this weekend. So, if could treat myself normally, it would be take two Tylenol and a Tums and get to work. That's not going to work. I could get a bunch of extra sleep after the benadryl and the Epi-Pen and the IV benadryl...but that is too much drama for a low energy day. So, alternative sources for common medicines it is.<br /><br />After the makers of Children's Motrin decided to change their flavors last fall and add sorbitol and citric acid to the new fun tropical fruit and blue raspberry flavor, I lost my last safe treatment for fever. At that point it was time to suck it up and trial the original form of aspirin, white willow bark. No, I didn't go chew on a tree, I went to Whole Foods and talked to their supplements person to find what looked safe for me. (Put it through the poison protocol and it worked). White willow bark contains <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salicylic_acid">salicin</a> and was the basis for the synthesis of aspirin. An easier option is to get compounded Tylenol made for you, but at $1 pill, it can get a bit pricy. (Talk to your doc before you make any changes in what you use!)<br /><br />Tums are out too, so I go back to that cure-all from the last time I trekked to Mukitnath, near the Kingdom of Mustang, in Nepal. Peppermint Tea. Altitude sickness? Peppermint Tea! Guardia? Peppermint Tea! Lost Passport? Peppermint Tea! Snow Blindness? Peppermint Tea! It's good for everything, so I'm sure that it will help with a little ick. Ick? Peppermint Tea!<br /><br />I'm going to make some peppermint tea and take my willow bark so I can go be a productive member of modern society. Sometimes you have to go back to basics for safety. Next time you can't find a product you need without corn in it, try stepping back to its earlier form. Back to basics is working for me.<br /><br />If that doesn’t work, Peppermint Tea!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-15069326228510005532009-05-18T07:37:00.002-06:002009-05-19T05:57:33.449-06:00Pay AttentionAll weekend something has been bothering me, just nagging at the edge of my consciousness but never coming into focus. It finally resolved itself before I stumbled into the shower this morning. Wrong bar of soap. It had been sitting on the counter, still wrapped, all weekend. Kiss My Face Olive Oil and Aloe has fragrance in it, the pure olive oil bar is fragrance free. I was on autopilot in the store, thinking about trying to get more protein in my diet and grabbed the wrong bar. Not a big deal for most people, but fragrances generally have some corn content and make my head pound at the very least. I was blaming my little headaches over the weekend on all the exciting pollens in the air as spring is finally in full bloom, not on mini-exposures to corn! I’m not sure what would have happened if I had used it, but spending the day scratching is never a good start to the week.<br /><br />After I threw the offending soap out of the bathroom, I had to laugh at the chagrined look on my face flashing across the bathroom mirror. Starting the day with a mini-Zen lesson on attentiveness was better than a morning latte. I’d like to think I have it dialed in on the basics, that I can safely breeze along on autopilot. Pay attention my lesson for today. And tomorrow.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-18704552218986722402009-05-12T16:41:00.011-06:002009-06-25T21:03:58.427-06:00The Upside of Food Allergies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFJ1-viOM7ILiFj22J3WeTyzMjbhNKvkHyo9EKfmHfjk-Uv5DVrTdtCZv4TH-3wLPDV5rK4n-aofO2w7-zynBfcQqn4ZY1FhWNUORdDHVJgb99cuH6VizQYD4P9NeQGQi0QrKmCcBP1VZ/s1600-h/Smiley+Face+600x600.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFJ1-viOM7ILiFj22J3WeTyzMjbhNKvkHyo9EKfmHfjk-Uv5DVrTdtCZv4TH-3wLPDV5rK4n-aofO2w7-zynBfcQqn4ZY1FhWNUORdDHVJgb99cuH6VizQYD4P9NeQGQi0QrKmCcBP1VZ/s200/Smiley+Face+600x600.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335074035421279186" border="0" /></a>It's Allergy Awareness Month and Food Allergy Awareness Week! <span style="font-style: italic;">Yay</span>.<br /><br />It's always food allergy awareness week in my little part of the universe, since you are reading this blog it is most likely part of yours too. I've been meeting a lot of new people lately, so I’ve been explaining my restrictions and adaptations ad nauseum — they are a bit strange for most people, but not that big of a deal for me anymore. Actually, there are a lot of upsides to having a severe corn allergy (depending on what you are allergic to, your mileage may vary). I’m living the healthy lifestyle I always wanted to but never had the discipline or drive for, have your throat try to swell shut a few times and those reserves of will power fill right on up!<br /><br />These are the good things that having a severe corn allergy has done for me:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I eat GOOD food</span> — organic, pesticide free, gmo free, mainly locally grown by farmers I know (Hi Roy & Hope, Patrick & Angela, Dave, Adam, Donna, Anna, Sue and Chuck!)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I have few vices</span> — caffeine is really it. A good latte makes my day and I drink a great organic black/green Earl Grey tea. Bliss.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I live simply</span> — no makeup, no hair products, no perfumes, no artificial anything, what you see is what you get.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I clean naturally</span> — no chemical household cleaners which have been linked to a host of respiratory issues.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I am an informed consumer</span> — I know <span style="font-style: italic;">way</span> too much about our food system, I know most of the chemical names of what is derived from corn and I vote with my food dollar to support food systems that are good for our country and our planet.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I am prepared</span> — if anyone needs allergy meds, my <a href="http://www.activeaide.com/">Activeaide bag</a> always has 2 Epi-Pens and Benadryl.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I speak up </span>— I advocate for myself with my doctors because I can't expect them to be experts on this allergy. I do the research on the medications that are safe for me and present them with the information on inactive ingredients at my appointment (thanks again for the Palm Pilot Jess!). In the rare encounter with a doctor that is unable to listen to medical information from a patient, I try to end the appointment nicely, but firmly. If it is an emergency situation, I make sure I get the help I need and I let them know nicely,that they are threatening my health with their behavior. If they still can't listen, <a href="http://cornallergic.blogspot.com/2008/08/i-heart-my-doctor.html">then I resort to being a jerk</a> (which I really hate -- but reactions make me super cranky so it is a little easier then) till they will. I usually love my doctors so I really hate having to act like that to get good emergency care. (It's a hard job, try help out your doc , PAs and nurses by having good info on hand for them.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I appreciate breathing</span> — (allergy and asthma people, you know what I mean) You never truly appreciate breathing till that moment of terror during a bad reaction. After that taking a good breath on the worst day is pure bliss.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I have a built in litmus test for people </span>— it doesn’t take ages to get a sense of a person’s character when they run into a food allergy issue. A friend who can jab you with an Epi-pen in a crisis is elevated to ROCK STAR status forever. The other extreme is not worth discussing other than to say safety requires getting no closer than a phone call till they can understand that a medically diagnosed life threatening food allergy is <span style="font-style: italic;">NOT </span>going to go away with an attitude change. :P Co-workers and work contacts who deal with this little issue with ease get the gold star and I am extra willing to go extra <span style="font-style: italic;">miles</span> for them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I come with a warning label and disclosure</span> — everyone has a thing, mine is what I have to do to keep breathing. I already wear a medical alert tag, on top of that I force myself to be upfront with people about this thing so I can stay safe. I don't really want to talk about it, but I do, again and again. If you want to get to know me, you get disclosure and you can make the choice. No hard feelings if you decide you can't cope, food is a big deal for a lot of people. My own sainted mother, when she figured out her lasagna was out of my diet, said "If your grandmother were still alive, she would kill you."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I enjoy the alternatives</span> — so going out for dinner is not my first choice for fun anymore. How about a museum? A gallery? A park? A lake? The ocean? (Oh pretty please!) The theater? Live music? Tea or coffee? Let’s go dancing? Watch the sunset? As a philosopher friend says about this blog, "Its the end of the world as I knew it and I feel fine." There’s plenty of fun out there and I find it. In this economy, my choices are starting to look better to a lot of people.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I am grateful for my friends</span> — if you don’t have to adapt to a corn allergy or have a perfume or fragrance allergy, going fragrance free to get in the car with me for a weekend is an effort, but my wonderful friends cheerfully do it without a complaint. They wipe down their kids, secure the corn products, invite me to bring my safe ingredients to cook with them so I can try a special dish -- so much kindness, I get choked up thinking about it. My amazing co-workers keep my gas tank full to keep me away from the ethanol. People are generally GREAT and my friends amaze and surprise me with their kindness and generosity. I’m fine with the way my life works, but they keep making it better and better. I try to let them know how much I appreciate them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I understand this is life and death at times, but it can still be funny </span>— I get some good reactions: fish eyes, Muppet lips, Elvis lip, evil red bumpies who knows what comic treat we are in for next. My advice: don't panic, deal with the emergency, take the drugs, stop the reaction, then look in a mirror and have a good laugh.<br /><br />So, for Food Allergy Awareness week, I am going to make myself aware of all the positive changes I’ve made and all the great things I’ve learned from having a corn allergy. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Happy Food Allergy Awareness Week — Be Safe and keep talking about your allergy!</span>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-90933189863101054652009-05-11T06:58:00.010-06:002009-06-25T21:08:09.966-06:00Adaptation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdo9IJWCwqOsLfANJZMqjTEMTFl1gHZQvbVZRq6fnVvQM28V16Qh-IIFbVoZQkmuGknQdD6zDOc_xX4TQerEeEVZnN1l0ruukO76Vz1shW7Ph5mwU8h9W1fsZN5t4IUSrObrjy5EO85Z3/s1600-h/gh-adaptation_poster.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdo9IJWCwqOsLfANJZMqjTEMTFl1gHZQvbVZRq6fnVvQM28V16Qh-IIFbVoZQkmuGknQdD6zDOc_xX4TQerEeEVZnN1l0ruukO76Vz1shW7Ph5mwU8h9W1fsZN5t4IUSrObrjy5EO85Z3/s320/gh-adaptation_poster.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334694128368606498" border="0" /></a>I wrote a while ago about how <a href="http://cornallergic.blogspot.com/2008/10/real-friends-dont-try-to-feed-me.html">real friends don’t try to feed me anymore</a>, even my family is starting to come around to the idea. I went to lunch this weekend with my father and my cousin and there was nothing I could eat or drink on the menu. (The restaurant was out of both San Pellegrino and Perrier) I ordered water and joked with the waiter about severe food allergies and trying to avoid drama. All in all, I had a great lunchtime chatting with them and no one felt compelled to make a fuss about my not eating. I had planned only to have something to drink, so food wasn’t really an issue for me. In hindsight, I could have ordered a side salad just to have something to play with but it just didn’t seem necessary.<br /><br />Real friends are also willing to adapt their daily routine for a few days to keep me healthy when they visit. A wonderful friend from my undergrad days is coming in from the west coast and I’m on his list of people to see. I need to send him a reminder email about the adaptations necessary so that we can be in a car together and hang out for long periods of time without my reacting to corn carried on his clothes (scented laundry detergent or any dryer sheets) or on his skin or hair. Pretty tough order. I have no idea where we are going, but at least a few hours in the car is a good bet and being stuck with someone corn-taminated is a bad drive and I’ll be sick and cranky when we reach our destination.<br /><br />Fortunately, we’ve been friends for ages, been through crazy adventures on several continents and he’s done more than his share to keep me sane through all of this allergy upheaval so he understands the changes I’ve made in my life to be safe and healthy. Because of this, my list of requirements is not so onerous to him, Or it could just be an Army flashback that lets him accept my seemingly absurd orders. Without the adaptation on his part, I’d just be full of Benadryl and groggy the whole time he is here. This is "<a href="http://cornallergic.blogspot.com/2008/09/happy-happy-joy-joy.html">Uncle Ted</a>", he's a true blue friend and would have stuck with me if this allergy had given me a second head or turned me green, rather than just requiring these annoying adaptation.<br /><br />Last time I saw him was when came to visit in Colorado. I think he was my first fully adapted visitor, since my house is my safe zone having someone else stay requires precautions. If I remember correctly after he got in from the airport he took a shower to get rid of the smell from the regular products he uses and just used my stuff for the rest of the visit, with the “welcome gifts” of his own personal fragrance free deodorant and shaving cream. I’m starting to sound like a hothouse flower, but it’s really not that hard. I’d prefer not to be allergic to people.<br /><br />How to prep for a visit to a severely corn allergic friend:<br />~<span style="font-weight: bold;">Wash your clothes</span> in a fragrance free detergent (All Free and Clear is easy to find)<br />~<span style="font-weight: bold;">DO NOT use dryer sheets</span> – they all have cornstarch in them.<br />~<span style="font-weight: bold;">Switch to fragrance free products</span> for the time you are spending together, go corn free if you are feeling really kind) shampoos, soap, deodorant, moisturizers and shaving creams. (If you are visiting me, please feel free to use my stuff. It will save you shopping time and make me happy.)<br />~If you are serious about doing your coiffure, find <span style="font-weight: bold;">fragrance free hair goop</span>, preferably in a gel. Do not spray anything around your corn allergic friend! Wash your hands thoroughly after applying it and make sure to wash up any spills. This stuff is poison. Just the idea of having it in my house creeps me out. Make sure to take some time to off gas before getting around your friend.<br /><br />Here's the basics on the corn free stuff:<br /><ul><li>Corn free shampoo & conditioner: ShiKai Natural Everyday Shampoo & Conditioner (no other type of Shikai is corn free)<br /></li><li>Corn free soap – Kiss My Face Olive Oil – check to make sure it is fragrance free! There is only the pure olive oil soap is fragrance free.</li><li>Almay Clear Gel, Fragrance Free seems to be corn free, it is used by several people on the corn allergy board with no reaction</li><li>Fragrance free shaving cream – Kiss My Face makes a sensitive skin version that is fragrance free, I don’t know about corn content. If you can shave with soap, use the Kiss My Face Olive Oil soap. If you can shave with oil, use organic olive oil</li><li>Moisturizer – anything fragrance free is okay, since they all contain some corn. I use organic olive oil (no, it doesn’t smell like a salad)</li></ul><br />When I last visited Ted and his fiancée, in California, they both adapted without a second thought – stopped using their perfumes and colognes and other little things to keep me safe. They made a safe bedroom for me to sleep in too. Since it was sunny California, we were able to hit the Pacific Coast Highway in CA style; top down and sea breezes make any car a safe zone. It was never a problem for them to make it safe for me, probably the most relaxing vacation I’ve had in years.<br /><br />I don’t have an issue asking this visitor to follow my regimen. I know he is as practical as I am -- do this and we can go have fun, don’t do it and watch me sleep off the Benadryl. Not a hard choice to make. Still, it is much more difficult to ask this of someone that hasn’t been with me through the allergy discovery process. I worry that I sound crazy because corn really is in everything.<br /><br />I’ve recently reconnected with a group of friends in the city that I haven’t seen since the onset of my food allergy. I’ve been invited to visit a few times, but I yet to work out how to make this safe. It’s not that they would not try to adapt, but there is SO much out there that is normal that is no longer on my radar that I seriously have to think through my request on how to make a safe space. Go fragrance free, no air fresheners, please don’t clean (no chemicals), let me bring my own food and sheets without being offended. It's really not that bad, I'm an easy guest -- need to prepare anything for me or even clean with anything other than water!<br /><br />I’m adapting. Things that once were important or irresistible have fallen away. Food has gone from being a delight to being an enemy and finally is just something to be approached with caution. I’d like to think that one day I’ll wake up and be all better. Who knows, maybe I’ll also wake up and be a princess (Grace would like that). I’m not holding my breath for either. I’m learning, adapting, taking notes when I misstep and making sure I’m smarter for the future. What has made the process bearable are the friends who are adapting with me: my Lakota brother who will happily tell me that I’m a freak of nature but it’s okay because I’m family and his amazing wife who makes me corn-free fry bread; the August bride who wants detailed information to give the caterers so I will be safe at the reception; a long lost friend, who after hearing a little about my food restrictions, immediately started brainstorming how to solve my protein supply issues; 4-year-old Grace who guards me by announcing my allergy to the world; the fabulous Ms. M. who stops in the store to text me whenever she finds something safe; and Drew who saves the organic chives just for me.<br /><br />Adaptation, the test of true friendship.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-46944166774312912512009-05-10T08:55:00.000-06:002009-05-11T08:57:40.702-06:00Wrong Impulse (Purchase)I dashed into the neighborhood drugstore fully intending to buy only a patella tendon knee band, but got a bit sidetracked. One of those eye-catching displays promising to make shaving your legs less of a pain sucked me in and suckered me into buying with out thinking.<br /><br />There are a couple of issues involved in keeping smooth gams when you have a corn allergy. First, of course, none of those nice shaving creams or gels are safe. If the corn-based fragrance doesn’t do you in, the corn derived alcohols and vitamins will deliver the final blow. Even disposable razors are an issue. Ever since they came out with the smooth strips with moisturizer on them, they’ve been full of corn too. So really, who can blame a gal for getting her head turned by the display for “Smooth Away!”?<br /><br />I did take a moment to read the package. It promises to let you rub away hair with micro-crystals. Micro-crystals sound inert and corn safe to me. One of the gals in the office had been talking about using a similar product she bought in Mexico years ago that had worked great for her, so really it seemed like a good idea at the time.<br /><br />I took it home and followed the directions to try it on a small patch of skin. Being cautious, but not really thinking about an allergic reaction, I did about ½ way up my shin. It worked great, for about 30 seconds I was really happy with the product. This is it, I though, no more razors!<br /><br />I barely had time to complete the thought before my early warning allergy signs hit. I was so surprised that I stood in front of the bathroom mirror to watch my lip swell up to make sure I wasn’t imaging this. By the time I started to develop Elvis Lip (one of my all-time favorite reaction looks) my leg was itchy and mottled an alien sort of purple – that startled me enough to run for the Benadryl.<br /><br />After the Benadryl coma, err nap, I took a moment to think about how I had just poisoned myself. Micro-crystals seem like an okay thing to rub on your skin; HOWEVER, just what is holding those micro-crystals to the paper? Corn based adhesives of course. *headdesk* That was a big lapse of judgment. If there is not a single safe moisturizer out there, why would I think I could rub this stuff allover me. Fortunately, I caught the reaction before Epi-Pen time and I can pass the rest of the box onto someone at work. In the future I’ll try to keep my impulse purchases at the drugstore constrained to the hairbands and barrettes aisle – until corn winds up in those somehow.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3113278563816479725.post-27881441972921641732009-05-06T19:11:00.004-06:002009-05-11T12:22:57.200-06:00It Takes an OfficeI talk about my allergy a lot a work, to educate my coworkers and to protect myself incase of an emergency. Unfortunately, I don't have the type of reaction where I can just mention that I have a food allergy and hope for the best. If things go badly wrong, I will need someone to advocate for me with the EMTs to keep me safe from all the great corn containing goodies they carry to save lives -- alcohol swabs and glucose and any IV solution except plain old saline.<br /><br />So I talk and I talk and I talk, talk, talk. Frankly I bore myself. But it has to be done. I wish that Grace, the wonderful allergy aware 4 year old was here to jump in front of me, throw her arms wide and announce to the world "SHE'S ALLERGIC TO CORN" and "THERE'S CORN IN THAT!" with all that preschool attitude and scorn. But instead I keep up my mini seminars and after several months people are getting over the "corn can't be in all of that" or the "she must be nuts" internal reactions to my tidbits.<br /><br />I have to say EVERYONE I work with is nice and no matter how crazy they may think this allergy is, no one has said it to my face. I think the fact that I don't even hesitate to say "no thanks" when the candy and the Ben & Jerry's comes around is what may have tipped the scales in my favor. I'd have some if I could, but none of it is worth a reaction.<br /><br />Nice is far too weak a term to describe my office-mates. I have problems with the ethanol fumes when I pump gas, I mentioned this one day so people take turns putting gas in my car. I never have to worry about an empty tank or taking my chances at the gas station. How great are they? Do you work with people like this? I'm amazed at their kindness. (If I have to pump gas I have a vapor barrier mask that was given to me by my favorite physicist, but I haven't had to use it and now that the warm weather is here I think it would cause a bit of a stir at the gas station.)<br /><br />While chatting with a coworker over coffee, I offhandedly mentioned that I hadn't had my hair cut in about 2 1/2 years since I had a nasty reaction in an Aveda salon. Even at the earth-friendly Aveda there are just too many corn-derived things in the air -- gels, sprays, alcohols. She has gorgeous hair and this state of affairs was completely unacceptable. It didn't take long before she had organized 2 other women with beautiful hair to give their opinions on what needed to be done with mine. Scissors and a trash bag materialized...et volia...Haircut! Split ends (several inches worth) in the trash, not a hair on the floor and my hair looks great.<br /><br />It takes an office.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07256688968327986691noreply@blogger.com1