Corn Allergic: What I Reacted To Today

Wecome to Absurdia

2011-04-16T14:57:00.005-06:00

I 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Welcome to Absurdia.

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.

I need to have my passport stamped, clearly we are not it Kansas any more.

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.

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.

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.

Wonder if I'll need a visa and shots if I'm staying for awhile.

*Walgrenes benadryl -- listed as "virtually" corn-free on the corn free foods list

The blessings of food allergies

2009-11-26T09:01:00.004-07:00

While 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This year I will be healthy and thankful and full.

Fashion Crisis

2009-07-24T19:08:00.003-06:00

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.

How will this work if I wind up in the ER?

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.

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.

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.

Perfect.

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.

Open Wide

2009-07-15T04:52:00.004-06:00

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."

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.

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.

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.

Firm, rational, clear. I can do this.

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?

Firm, rational, clear. And calm.

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.

Firm, rational, clear, calm. And in control.

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 Let's try not to kill Christine today I'm happy to be there. If they can't, I don't have to stay.

Firm, rational, clear, calm, in control. With a happy smile.

Open wide? With caution, thank you.

Touch / Don't Touch

2009-06-30T17:39:00.006-06:00

This allergy at times feels like you are playing a meta children's game with rules made and enforced by one of the trickster gods that doesn't mind a little pain as a teaching tool or finds it amusing to watch a human squirm.

The trickster god I'm most partial to is Sun Wu-Kong (孫悟空), the Monkey King, from Journey to the West. In some lesser translations he is referred to as Naughty Monkey. It’s easy to imagine a naughty, prankster monkey changing the rules on what's safe in Touch / Don't Touch quickly and capriciously just to watch what happens — then swinging by his tail, rocked by laughter at the antics of this silly human who can't keep up with his rules.

I don’t know if a malicious Monkey King, Kupua, Iktomi or maybe Loki designed the rule set I should have been following this past week. My safe zone has been shifting around the edges and it’s increasing my reactivity.

I wonder what it takes to bribe a god to get just 5 minutes with an English copy of their rule book?

I’m having problems with my game because I’ve changed a few habits, broadened my horizons and have my wheat allergic brother visiting. Unfortunately some of his staple foods contain high amounts of corn and while he is being as careful as possible, I know that he’s not used to dealing with my protocol and while he tries, he’s not always as careful as I’d like. He’s also introducing some unsafe chemicals into my normal safe zone.

If the gods have been a little capricious for you with the Touch / Don’t Touch rules, here are some helpful hints, with links. Remember, this is what works for my individual case, your results may vary. Trial one new thing at a time and use caution, please!

Touch:

Kitchen
Dishmate Ultra Washing Liquid (Pear smells best IMO)
Electrosol Dishwasher Tablets (the name is changing to Finish, I hope it doesn’t mean an ingredient change)— original only, not the citrus scent. I have no idea why this doesn’t bother me, it was a lucky accident that I discovered it. The citric acid in the Ecover dishwasher powder makes it hard for me to breathe. Again, reactions may vary. Trial carefully, this seems like is shouldn't be safe, but it has been fine for me.
Brawny or Bounty Paper Towels — Just remember to look for the cute lumberjack, but watch out for the glue on the first and last ones.

Bathroom
Kiss My Face Olive Oil Soap — only the pure olive oil, no other kind is safe.
ShiKai Natural Everyday Shampoo & Conditioner — (no other type of Shikai is corn free).
Scott’s Regular Brand Toilet Paper — there are some places you really never want to be itchy. Only the cheapest version is safe, this is the one time this allergy saves you money! I don’t know about the recycled kind they are now marketing. I may trial it when I’m having a good month.
Moisturizer — I’ve given up the search for a safe moisturizer, but Whole Foods 360 Organic Olive Oil and Trader Joe’s Organic Olive Oil work wonders. Just put it in a small plastic spray bottle, spray a little in your hand and pat it on after your shower. You do need to wait a few minutes before touching your clothes.
Deodorant — Almay Clear Gel, Fragrance Free works okay for me, but if you react to that, try one of those Thai Deodorant Crystals. You’ll still sweat, but you won’t be smelly.
Toothpaste — Adwe Labs Cool Mint Gel, Kosher for Passover works for me. (Word to the wise, if your partner isn’t eating your same foods, make sure they brush with a designated allergen free toothbrush and your toothpaste before kissing you. Just tell him/her you’d like to know that is it the kiss, not the allergy, making your pulse race and taking your breath away. :P)

Laundry
All Free and Clear — this has been working really well for me. I'll sometimes add baking soda, and a little organic apple cider vinegar if I’m trying to get a smell out (from clothes that have been borrowed or given to me) since there are no masking fragrances in this the detergent the smells from other detergents take a while to wash out.

Don’t Touch:
The easy answer is, don't touch anything you don't know is safe. But that is just impossible. The day to day ones that seem to stay on the rule book are:
Tape
Glue
Stickers
Stamps
Regular Toothpaste
Corn filled processed foods
Perfume, cologne
Corn based alcohols, alcohol swabs
Baby wipes
Makeup
Hairspray and other hair goop
Gasoline w/ ethanol
Corny people — get good at that superficial air kiss with your family and close friends.

If this is just too much, you can always rewrite the rule book and pull one over on those trickster gods.

Take on the Corny World
Wear Gloves — Powder free, latex free. Touch anything. Break the rules. Laugh at fate, but not too loud.

Remember, gods aren’t know for their sense of humor. I’m still paying for my lapses of last week, trying not to scratching like a naughty monkey.

Breaking Rules

2009-06-26T19:54:00.001-06:00

I 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.

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.

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.

I take for granted that my internalized rules of behavior will keep me safe. Apparently I need a refresher this week.

The crash course:

If you don't know what is in/on it, don't put it in your mouth.
Be prepared, carry your emergency supplies everywhere, everyday.
Speak up, if you need something to be changed to keep you safe.
Move it, get and stay away from airborne sources of your allergen.
Stay calm, try to relax and give yourself a break when reactions happen.

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. Ke garne? Something to look forward to next week.

Be safe. I am your horrible warning.

Besties

2009-06-24T18:21:00.008-06:00

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.

I think I used to be more normal (though my Lakota brother may disagree with that one). Not so long ago my best friend was human. I haven't gone completely around the materialist bend, at least it's not diamonds that are this girl’s best friend.

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.

Today is not a good day to die, but I carelessly, friendlessly, sauntered in that direction.

First mistake, leaving home without my best friend, the Activeaide bag (2 Epi-pens, Benadryl, Gloves, Zantac).

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).

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.”

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.

---
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.

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 Tod 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.

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.

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.

*(Thanks for the all the music Jed, it’s 100% corn free and fantastic!)

Christine, Horrible Warning

2009-06-18T16:06:00.002-06:00

I 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]
did they get corn in that!"

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:

Christine,
...You are in the back of my mind as my "horrible warning" when I eat. (that
doesn't sound right, but you know what I mean) You have really helped me get
a better understanding of what a corn allergy means. For you it is a
disability. I am truly hoping that I can maintain my life as-is. When I
fall off the wagon my reactions have been...not life-threatening. I do
think of you when I do it...makes me feel not so alone.

-s

SushiQ,

I had to laugh when I read about being the horrible warning; one of these
days I'll be a good example. Ha! I think the horrible warning is much more
effective.

Years before a food allergy was ever suspected I started to think I had
problems with sugar because whenever I had something sugary, like cake or
soda I'd start to feel flushed and ill. Sugar in my tea wasn't a problem but
most sweet foods were making me sick; I now know that I was reacting to all
the processed corn syrups. This was just after I had returned from several
years in Asia where I was not getting a lot of corn sweetened foods or
general corn in my diet. So, that was the point where a diagnosis (perhaps)
could have stopped me from getting to my current point of super caution with
food.

Easy to see in hindsight, but I was in grad school and far too consumed with
studying to pursue it other than to avoid foods that were making me really
sick. I didn't figure it out and eventually got to busy to pay attention to
what was going on with my health; work, work and more work. I escaped the
American food system 2 more times with work in India and Nepal and now that
I think about it I noticed problems with food at home after being out of the
country for few months. Taking that break from corn was enough to make me
aware that I didn't feel right after eating a lot of processed foods. But I
never made the connection with a real food allergy till I had my first
anaphylactic reaction. After that, I started to become the horrible warning.

If it helps you move through the learning curve for avoiding corn faster
than I did (it took me YEARS) or makes you think twice before eating
something iffy, then being the horrible warning is well worth it. You are
not alone, there are more and more of us diagnosed with some level of corn
allergy or intolerance every week. Don't be like Christine isn't much of a
slogan, but I do hope the idea that no matter how severe your reactions
are this allergy is manageable, comes through on the blog.

We're in this together and I'm on your team!

-c

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
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 "Christine, Horrible Warning."

Cowgirl up

2009-06-15T19:08:00.008-06:00

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].

Many years ago, a doctor had said about a vitamin I poisoned myself with (it said corn free on the label), “If you don't know what the heck is in it, don't put the darn thing in your mouth.” Smart woman.

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.

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...”

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.

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. GET IT OUT 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.

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 If I didn’t make it, I don’t eat it rule. I may not want to cook every day, but that is just too darn bad, do it or be hungry.

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 CSA, 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?

Two statements that really resonate with me when I think about our food choices:

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." - Michael Pollan, Omnivore's Dilemma

and

"How we eat determines to a considerable extent how the world is used." - Wendell Berry

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. Ick. The corn used in packaging and processing is not required to be disclosed on the label. Double Ick.

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, adaptation 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. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Do you know where your food comes from? If you don’t, are you really managing your allergy?

That’s the question I’m going to ask myself the next time I’m temped to go for convenience.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Find a farmers’ market, sign up for a CSA, get local food near you:
www. localharvest.org
Find out more about the multiple benefits of local food at:
www.foodroutes.org

Buy Fresh! Buy Local! Be Safe!

Ordering Nothing

2009-06-10T15:33:00.007-06:00

Having 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.

This won't work in every situation, you will need:

1. An easygoing dinner companion, preferably one that is hungry
-someone who understands your allergy, knows you can’t eat anything off the menu
-someone interesting enough that you are there for the company, not the food!
2. Forethought and planning!
-eat beforehand
-warn your dinner companion that you are going to order an appetizer only, and you are ordering just to order and you need someone else to eat it :)
-don’t order something made with your allergen or a food that you have a hard time resisting
3. The ability to act
-you can still look happy to get the food and enjoy the smell (as long as you are not hungry, this will be fine)
-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

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.

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.

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.

(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.)

I’ll have a ?

2009-06-04T16:24:00.008-06:00

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 Ted, 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. (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.)

I’ve always preferred caffeine to alcohol, ordering like Radar O’Reilly 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.

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*

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.

**Yes I know it’s a screw top on the water, humor me.

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*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.

Living With Food Allergies Carnival

2009-05-28T00:01:00.006-06:00

Welcome to the May 28, 2009 edition of Living With Food Allergies Carnival.

Managing your Food Allergy and Your Life:

Gabrielle shares A Lesson: Always be Diligent about Labels posted at Peanut Free Mama.

Karen Blue tells us about Planning a getaway posted at Avoiding Milk Protein Blog, saying, "Tips for traveling with allergies"

Ruth Smith presents Entering School With Food Allergies posted at Best Allergy Sites.

Jennifer B has a warning -- Beware Food Allergy Profiteers posted at Food Allergy Buzz.

Lara DeHaven answers the question we are always asked: What Do Ya’ll Eat? | Texas Homesteader posted at Texas Homesteader.

Christine has another good side to food allergies, with The Food Allergy Test of Character posted at Corn Allergic: What I Reacted to Today. 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?"

Christine also shares a little corn allergy humor, about one of those really I'm not crazy, I just have a severe food allergy days in Exactamundo! posted at Corn Allergic: What I Reacted to Today.

Recipes and Recommendations:

Lara DeHaven will make you hungry with My Favorite Wheat-Free Products | Texas Homesteader posted at Texas Homesteader.

Ruth Smith has good news in HomeFree: The Healthier Cookie Alternative posted at Best Allergy Sites, saying, "HomeFree has a new and dedicated facility. Read what they are doing to keep their cookies and our kids safe."

Ali from Whole Life Nutrition shares a yummy recipe Dark Teff Sandwich Bread posted at Whole Life Nutrition.

Alisa presents Sweet Sundays: Dairy-Free Rice Puddings posted at Go Dairy Free.

Alisa some great ideas with Homeade Turkey Breakfast Sausage - Quick & Lean posted at One Frugal Foodie, 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!"

Sure Foods Living has tempting treats, Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich - gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free posted at Sure Foods Living.

Sure Foods Living has a lot of information for you on Hot dogs and sausages: gluten-free and dairy-free list posted at Sure Foods Living.

Gabrielle has a find for the peanut allergic vegans out there, Vegan with a Peanut Allergy? Have I got a product for you... posted at Peanut Free Mama.

Rachel tempts you to get cooking in Love and Apple Pie posted at Rachel's Recipe Box, saying, "This is an allergy-friendly, gluten-free apple pie"

Alisa has good information just in time for summer on Choosing a Sunscreen for Sensitive Skin and Allergies posted at Go Dairy Free.

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That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Living with Food Allergies Carnival using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

The next Carnival will be June 11, hosted at The Allergic Kid.

Technorati tags:
living with food allergies carnival, blog carnival.

Exactamundo!

2009-05-27T19:21:00.007-06:00

"Not crazy, corn allergy."

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.

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.

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 Willy Wonka hands difficult not to notice.

So, "Not crazy. Severe corn allergy." Out come the gloves, and Ms. Wonka is ready to tape up signs and handle all manner of poisonous objects.

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 Fonz, 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.

Quirky? Exactamundo!

Submit Your Posts for the Next Food Allery Carnival!

2009-05-25T19:30:00.004-06:00

It's almost time for the next Living With Food Allergies Carnival, so please submit your posts!

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 you reacted to today...whatever is on your mind!

Go to http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_2597.html before 9pm on Wed May 27th and submit your post. If you have a problem, email me at cornallergy at gmail (dot) com

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.

So, anything to do with living with food allergies, send it in. Anything on another topic, sorry wrong carnival.

Passing the Food Allergy Test of Character

2009-05-22T10:15:00.006-06:00

I've changed.

For the better and the worse. Quelle surprise.

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.

For the worse, I test people like I test food. No, I don't use the poison protocol 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.

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!)

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 caused my food allergies. *sigh* I though we had moved beyond the language of blaming people for diseases. Really, darlings, that is just so 70’s. 1670s.

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+.

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 Activeaid 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+.

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!

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.

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?

If I Had An Allergic Reaction: A Video

2009-05-20T04:22:00.003-06:00

If I Had - An Allergic Reaction - Dr. Robert Wood, MD from http://www.insidermedicine.ca

Your Wed. PSA

If I Had - An Allergic Reaction - Dr. Robert Wood, MD

Back to Basics

2009-05-19T05:59:00.001-06:00

I'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.

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.

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 salicin 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!)

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!

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.

If that doesn’t work, Peppermint Tea!

Pay Attention

2009-05-18T07:37:00.002-06:00

All 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.

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.

The Upside of Food Allergies

2009-05-12T16:41:00.011-06:00

It's Allergy Awareness Month and Food Allergy Awareness Week! Yay.

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!

These are the good things that having a severe corn allergy has done for me:

I eat GOOD food — organic, pesticide free, gmo free, mainly locally grown by farmers I know (Hi Roy & Hope, Patrick & Angela, Dave, Adam, Donna, Anna, Sue and Chuck!)

I have few vices — caffeine is really it. A good latte makes my day and I drink a great organic black/green Earl Grey tea. Bliss.

I live simply — no makeup, no hair products, no perfumes, no artificial anything, what you see is what you get.

I clean naturally — no chemical household cleaners which have been linked to a host of respiratory issues.

I am an informed consumer — I know way 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.

I am prepared — if anyone needs allergy meds, my Activeaide bag always has 2 Epi-Pens and Benadryl.

I speak up — 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, then I resort to being a jerk (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.)

I appreciate breathing — (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.

I have a built in litmus test for people — 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 NOT 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 miles for them.

I come with a warning label and disclosure — 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."

I enjoy the alternatives — 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.

I am grateful for my friends — 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.

I understand this is life and death at times, but it can still be funny — 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.

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. Happy Food Allergy Awareness Week — Be Safe and keep talking about your allergy!

Adaptation

2009-05-11T06:58:00.010-06:00

I wrote a while ago about how real friends don’t try to feed me anymore, 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.

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.

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 "Uncle Ted", 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.

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.

How to prep for a visit to a severely corn allergic friend:
~Wash your clothes in a fragrance free detergent (All Free and Clear is easy to find)
~DO NOT use dryer sheets – they all have cornstarch in them.
~Switch to fragrance free products 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.)
~If you are serious about doing your coiffure, find fragrance free hair goop, 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.

Here's the basics on the corn free stuff:

Corn free shampoo & conditioner: ShiKai Natural Everyday Shampoo & Conditioner (no other type of Shikai is corn free)
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.
Almay Clear Gel, Fragrance Free seems to be corn free, it is used by several people on the corn allergy board with no reaction
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
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)

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.

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.

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!

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.

Adaptation, the test of true friendship.

Wrong Impulse (Purchase)

2009-05-10T08:55:00.000-06:00

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.

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!”?

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.

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!

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.

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.

It Takes an Office

2009-05-06T19:11:00.004-06:00

I 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.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

It takes an office.

Like Garlic for Vampires

2009-05-03T19:05:00.006-06:00

Having moved cross country at the end of December, I'm doing a lot of meeting new people and the whole I've got a severe corn allergy song and dance. Perhaps little intro cards with my general warnings and disclaimers would be a the way to go, a combination time saver and ice breaker. Also, it would keep me from developing these pockets of people who want to discuss their digestive issues at parties. I'm sure the hosts love that.

I met a friend's wife for the first time today and she asked if I was excited about an upcoming movie. Automatically I responded, "Can't go, popcorn." My quick witted friend quipped, "Ah, that would be like garlic for vampires.

I'd been likening the atmosphere in a movie theater as being similar to having a handful of anthrax thrown in front of a fan -- in terms of peril for the severely corn allergic. Being in a movie theater where there is an incredible amount of corn protein floating in the air is a recipe for disaster, the idea of all that airborne posion terrifies me. Anthrax blowing around may be a fitting analogy, but it lacks something in the way of poetry and humor.

Like Garlic for Vampires it is. Thanks D.F., nice one.

Being the Horrible Warning

2009-04-30T19:44:00.006-06:00

Part of the excitement and dread of starting a new job as someone with a life threatening food allergy is having to train a set of new people not to endanger your life with their normal behavior. No one in my home office has a problem with not making popcorn and it has become a habit them to take my car for gas whenever anyone gets a craving for a midday junk food. My food is still interesting to everyone, but in a good way.

Fortunately for me, in that one member of my “away team,” (we get together a couple times a month) has several food allergies and another member had an anaphylactic reaction to a bee sting – so generally the team is up on the concept of what can happen if you have a serious reaction.

That said, I am still the poster gal for FOOD ALLERGY for the regional offices. The CEO always wants to know what in the world I am eating when we have working lunches. I try to be as normal as possible while still being safe, which is not always easy. But, it was recently pointed out to me, I am the HORRIBLE WARNING in this blog’s tag line.

This is a bit of a surprise, since I actually though I was a good example. I don’t try to cheat with a little bit of this or that (not because I don’t like it, but because the Epi-Pen/ ER visit combo really takes a bite out of a workday) and I don’t complain when the rest of the office does special treats. A lot of teambuilding revolves around food events; ice cream socials potluck lunches, pizza and more. As long as it does not involve cooking corn in the office, it doesn’t bother me. I like the smell of the foods I used to eat. Even if I can’t eat them, it usually doesn’t hurt to enjoy their fragrance. I get something to drink and join the fun.

These days, if I don’t make it, I don’t eat it. A few of my ingredients come from a can or a box (a few Amy’s and Pacific Organic soups, some unsalted rice crackers) but most things come from the farm. I’m careful; I’m vigilant about cross contamination with my cooking and eating utensils, I’m know where my food comes from, I know all my farmers by their first names, I carry 2 Epi-Pens and back up meds at all times and hope to see them expire without having to use them, I know many of the names corn hides under in processed food and how to avoid it. I’d like to think that I am a good example of preparedness, awareness and common sense.

But, I’m not.

I am the horrible warning. . I don’t think it is a bad life – sure ice cream and junk food are out of my diet, but I don’t really think I needed them in the first place. I’m losing weight and feeling better than I have in ages. I don’t mind my lifestyle, it works for me.

Still, as it was nicely pointed out the other day, I am the horrible warning.

As we were digging into our lunches after the first 2 hours of a marathon meeting, the away team member with food allergy remarked “I am so much more careful now about my allergy since I met you.”

Great, I thought, I’m spreading food paranoia. “What kind of reactions do you have, have you every had an anaphylactic reaction?” I had to pry, since I was wondering if she had a food intolerance or a true allergy and if I really was making her parinoid.

“Well, when I was tested I had not had an anaphylactic reaction, but was having other skin and other problems. My allergist told me to avoid X and Y, which I do, to keep it from progressing to anaphylaxis. I’ve been avoiding them for years, but I don’t always read labels that diligently or talk to wait staff. Since I’ve started working with you and seeing how carefully you have to live, I’ve gotten worried about it. So now, I’m much more careful.”

Score 1 for the Horrible Warning.

Dine In / Help Out

2009-04-08T04:08:00.004-06:00

I've seen "dine out to end hunger" where restaurants pledge a percent of their profits to the local food bank. These days, participating it that kind of thing is too risky for me, if I don't cook it I don't eat it. In this economy, dining out is a luxury for many people too.

Feeding America has teamed up with Stouffers for a "Dine In" campaign that doesn't cost you a cent and just your email address can generate a $5 donation from Stouffers to help feed hungry children in America. For that I can put up with a little junk mail from Stouffers. (There is a box you can check so that you don't get any more email from the campaign.)

Here is the deal:

PLEDGE TO HOST YOUR DINNER AND STOUFFER'S^® WILL DONATE $5 to Feeding America to provide meals for children and their families struggling with hunger

Pledge to have a dinner with family and friends to talk about childhood hunger and STOUFFER'S® will donate $5.

Go to their webpage to register your Dine In dinner.

By simply hosting a dinner with your friends and family, you can help can make a difference for the more than 12 million American children and their families who don't have access to regular healthy meals.

This takes seconds to do. Please help a hungry family by pledging to have a meal with family and friends. Kuddos to Stouffers for doing this.

Getting out of food jail

2009-04-01T18:15:00.004-06:00

After I wrote about being over food (getting your veggies from canned soup can do that to a gal) I read post on the Delphi forum by someone who said they felt like they were in food jail since there is so much that is off limits when what is gas ripened or waxed is poisonous when you have a severe corn allergy. I've been in food jail. It was not a nice place, but...now..

I have my GET OUT OF JAIL FREE card! I have a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) winter share at a wonderful local farm. I wrote them an email about how pathetic my diet was, what I am allergic to, why the grocery store is not safe and begging to buy half a share or any extras that were available -- I was really wondering how I was going to make it till the farmers market opened here if I couldn't get in. I got teary eyed when I opened the email saying I was in for a winter share, plus the a full summer share and an egg share! Fresh picked veggies from a local organic farm. What could be better?

In the winter, we get a box every other week, in the summer it is every week. Oh the yum, yum, yum of it all. I can look at people at work eating processed, packaged, frozen foods and feel pity for what their lunch tastes like compared to mine. BIG change. Before that I was smelling their food and listening to my stomach growl. Not any more! I've been doling out the baby radishes like candy this week, they are so tasty.

If you don't know what a CSA is...read this
If you need to find one near you go to http://www.localharvest.org/ (hurry up, summer shares are filling up).
This week I am eating:
Mixed Salad Greens
Collard Greens
Mushrooms
Onions
Potatoes
Turnips
Baby Radishes
Spinach
Chervil

For dinner I chopped up a bunch of mushrooms, tore up a little spinach, and put it in a big bowl of hot water with a little soy sauce and an egg. Microwave for 4 min. Et voila! Fresh soup for supper. Life is good again.

BTW this is not an April Fools post. There really is food out there for you even with a severe corn allergy, you just need to find your farmer and/or start putting in a garden. Simple, fresh and local is the key to get out of food jail.

Kosher for Passover -- Corn free shopping online

2009-03-06T19:57:00.001-07:00

Passover Shopping on the Internet to Increase
From: www.koshertoday.com
(New York) With the return of www.kosher.com and the addition of www.Koshergourmetmart.com , shoppers for the upcoming Passover holiday will have many shopping options over the Internet. www.kosher.com is scheduled to open its Passover aisle on March 25th. www.Koshergourmetmart.com includes such Passover items as Organic Whole Wheat and Organic Spelt Shmura Matzos from the Chicago Shmura Matzoh Factory, an all chocolate seder plate and an edible chocolate basket with chocolates, Melfer's Macaroons, Rue Lafayette Francois Payard chalav yisrael cakes, foie gras, and tea, and Igourmet Chalav Yisrael Parmigiano Reggiano, Double Gloucester Cheese English Cheddar Cheese and Red Leicester Cheese.

Yummy, Yummy Mercury

2009-01-29T08:49:00.006-07:00

I must admit to a bit of schadenfreude when I read about the research finding of traces of mercury in corn syrup. So that's what that ridiculous Sweet Surprise campaign was trying to do, get some good publicity for corn syrup before the mercury hit the fan. Then I started getting worried about my friend's tiny little kids who eat normal kids stuff that is laced with corn syrup, and friend who drink soda, and all the people out there without corn allergies who eat normal people food and have never thought about all the nastiness that goes into the corn refining process in general. Oh my, 3 seconds of schadenfreude gone, replaced with a bunch of worry.

From what I've read, the study was done in 2005. The information should have at least alerted the FDA to do further testing, but they sat on the information. The Corn Refiners Association take on the whole thing is that the data is outdated, the study is poor, the technology has moved on, and gosh isn't corn syrup yummy and good for you. Really, read the press release for yourself.

Yes, I'm a bit jaded, but that is because this wonderful industry is killing me. Nothing personal I'm sure. I don't know how much there is to worry about in terms of the mercury, but considering the FDA's track record for alerting us to problems early, I'm a little less trusting than I could be. If we worry about kids getting mercury from tuna fish, it would stand to reason that we would want to investigate the amount of mercury their small bodies are getting from HFCS. In general, HFCS is not such a great thing, so if this gets people to start thinking about sweetening their food in other ways or swiching to less refined products, it may be a very good thing.

For those of you without a corn allergy, who would like a little less High Fructose Corn Syrup in your life, here is an interesting site, Stop High Fructose Corn Syrup. This link takes you to a list of common foods that are HFCS-free (but not necessarily corn free): http://www.stophfcs.com/list.html

Over food

2009-01-19T09:50:00.005-07:00

I've been eating the same few things since the move and I'm down to my last few safe cans of Whole Foods tuna that came cross country with me. I need to get my act together and start checking the frozen foods section of "health food" aisle in the grocery stores to see what is available that might be safe. I'm not setting a good example of how to live with a corn allergy these days, mostly I'm feeling like I am just over food.

I'm content enough to eat the few things from the corn free list that I've been able to find and have eaten before, but I think that a diet of soup, rice noodles, applesauce and eggs is not going to be healthy in the long run. I don't feel like trying a new brand of frozen veggies in the hope I won't react and winding up in a benadryl coma for the rest of the day. I don't want to experiment and hope for the best. I just want to keep eating my bowls of safe soup till the spring comes.

Maybe I'll try again when the farmers markets come back. Till then my world its still divided into poison (corn-taminated) and safe, with most of the common products falling into the poison category. Maybe I'll get a new burst of hope an optimism with the inauguration tomorrow. Maybe my tastebuds will revolt and force me to get some variety into my life. Till then, I'm pretty much over food.

(Maybe when I re-read this post, I'll be embarrassed at my own whining)

Thawing out

2009-01-15T07:58:00.003-07:00

That was a bit of a hibernation following the food allergy carnival post! My apologies for the long delay.

I've just relocated across the country and have been spending my time trying to find new sources of corn free products. Since I'm now on my own in a town without a Whole Foods, which was my stand by for everything from tea to frozen veggies, my shopping options are much smaller and it is taking more time to find things that are safe. Fortunately the two major grocery stores have organic sections and carry Amy's and Imagine Organics soups. I've found eggs, and milk that are okay and a few other of my regular brands, but I've been eating a lot of soup lately.

Needless to say a few of my upcoming posts will be about finding corn free options in the middle of winter when your shopping is limited. I haven't felt like testing new things, because without a watcher, provoking a reaction is just too risky.

So the bad thing about moving is needing to develop a whole new support and information system to deal with the allergy. The good thing is that I am not allergic to the water here, so I am one well hydrated gal and I can have a cup of tea at the local bookstore without having to explain too much. Also this town doesn't seem to have been sucked in quite as much by the hooey about corn plastic being good for the environment (more on that later!) The bad news, it is still cold. :)

Living With Food Allergies Carnival

2008-12-24T07:27:00.018-07:00

Welcome to the final

Living With Food Allergies Carnival of 2008!

I hope your year end celebrations are safe, happy and allergy free! We have a holiday cornucopia of offerings for your reading pleasure. So snuggle up somewhere warm and enjoy!
Because so much of our celebrations revolve around food, lets start with the great recipes that have been submitted.

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Recipes
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Alisa presents a trio of delicious sounding dairy free recipes, just reading them made me hungry. They offer modifications to be egg free too!:
Gifts from the Kitchen: Gingerbread Granola posted at One Frugal Foodie. She also brings us dairy and egg free Snappy Molasses Cookies posted at One Frugal Foodie.
and a very yummy looking BRYANNA'S BOURSIN®-STYLE SPREAD App-easing Recipes for Vegans, Dairy-Free Dieters, and All Other Party-Goers posted at Go Dairy Free.

Alison tells and shows us how to do a great gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, and nuts free holiday food craft project in I made an allergen-free gingerbread house! posted at Sure Foods Living - for celiac disease, gluten intolerance, food allergies, peanut allergy, nut allergy, gluten-free diet, gfcf diet, dairy-free, egg-free, soy free or other allergen-free living.

Hannah has a great recipe for gingersnap truffles, no dairy, eggs, wheat or nuts! Last-Minute Gifts posted at BitterSweet.

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Gift Ideas
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Another seasonal set we can't miss are gift ideas for the food allergic

Libby has some great ideas for The Allergic Kid: Gifts for Families with Allergies & Asthma posted at The Allergic Kid.

Thinking about giving See's Candies or want to know what is in them before biting into that tempting gift? Alison has the 411 for you! See's Candies Allergy Information posted at Sure Foods Living - for celiac disease, gluten intolerance, food allergies, peanut allergy, nut allergy, gluten-free diet, gfcf diet, dairy-free, egg-free, soy free or other allergen-free living.

Ria Sharon has found some interesting news Just in time for the Holidays posted at Check My Tag Community.

If you are shopping for someone with a corn allergy, my Amazon Wish List for the Corn Allergic and Allergy Gift Guide may provide some hints. At this point, I suggest a gift card. :-)

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Holiday Travel
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What would any holiday be without holiday travel? This one seems to be full of people waiting at the airports. I'm so glad not to be there and I hope that those of you who traveled have had smooth, safe journeys, and arrived with the minimum of stress from weather and the the added bonus of trying to stay safe from your allergens.

As Jennifer O. recently discovered, one airline is particularly dangerous for the peanut allergic! Comments From the Peanut Free Gallery: Not So Nuts About Southwest Airlines posted at Comments From the Peanut Free Gallery.

My not at all harrowing tale of traveling over 1,500 corn filled miles, Over the River and Through the Woods.

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News
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Had enough of the holidays? Too much sugar and calorie dense food? Or are you tired or carting your special meals to every family gathering and having people say "Oh, you poor thing." Time to forget about the holidays and read some real news:

Living with Food Allergies
Jennifer B faces the loss of an old standby "Another One Bites the Dust" posted at Food Allergy Buzz.
Becky Ellis is waiting for Allergy Testing Tomorrow posted at Boys Rule My Life.
Emma presents Another myth busted: nuts and allergies don?t go hand in hand posted at Baby-Log.

Gluten / Celiac
Amy Leger has learned to Always Keep a Gluten-Free Eye Open! posted at The Savvy Celiac, saying, "Proof to never let your guard down. Just when you thought it was safe to judge food from the gluten-free (or peanut free, dairy free, etc) identifier on the shelf at the store, think again. This luxury of having a sticker on the shelf, identifying gluten-free items, was incorrect for the first time I’ve ever seen; incorrectly marking a product that had wheat — as gluten-free."

Amy Leger shares Gluten-Free a “Yuppie” Diet? Celiac Skeptics — Get Educated! posted at The Savvy Celiac, saying, "Today ABC News posted an article about how celiac disease is still considered a health issue that is met with others’ skepticism. Do these so-called skeptics not think it’s real that I had a daughter who could have died as her health deteriorated dramatically in the months before her celiac diagnosis? This is a topic I get feisty about."

Stefanie tells us about Clearing the Vegetable Confusion for the gluten and dairy free diet! posted at Gluten Dairy Free Blog.

Lindsay B. brings us information on The RSI-Gluten Connection--Is Your Diet Causing Your Pain? posted at Ergoblog, with a post that, "Discusses some of the health issues that can be caused by undiagnosed food sensitivities."

For those of you in warmer climates! Food Allergies and Hay Fever!
ICIM Medics presents Every year hay fever seems to ruin my summer posted at Health Questions, saying, "Q : Every year hay fever seems to ruin my summer. What do you recommend to minimize the symptoms?"

Best wishes for a safe and healthy 2009 to all!

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
Living with Food Allergies Carnival
using our
carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

living with food allergies carnival, blog carnival.

Over the river and through the woods

2008-12-20T04:49:00.002-07:00

The joy of holiday car trips are only compounded by adding a corn allergy into the mix. Living in Colorado where E-85 gas (85% corn ethanol) is available at most gas stations and like most of the US our gas has corn in it, I've become a gal who resorts to getting other people to pump her gas or deciding to fill the tank right before I go home, so I can take some benadryl and go to bed. All the corn fumes at a gas station set me off, while I can make a quick drive a few blocks I really don't want to go further than that, lest I become a real traffic hazard.

So, crossing the country for the holidays this year meant 2 choices, several planes packed with people covered in corn (perfumes, hairspray, etc.) and airports full of it or a 26 hour car trip involving either pumping corn containing gas and getting poisoned with ethanol fumes or driving allover creation looking for full service stations in unfamiliar towns and possibly a hotel stay.

These things are not such fraught decisions for the rest of the U.S. I think most people base their decisions on what is quicker and more economical. Of course, not flying on that airline that still serves peanuts, (Southwest) if you have a peanut allergy is a BIG consideration!

Luckily for me, my brother came to the rescue and made the cross country drive with me. I packed a bag of safe linens and a pillow in case we had to stay somewhere. Being the total Rock Star driver that he is, not only did he do almost all of the driving, he also dropped me off at the door of each rest stop and went to pump gas. Honestly, I felt like a princess, or at the least, precious, if somewhat bedraggled, cargo. I also now feel bad for every rotten thing I ever did to him when we were kids.

This is the first time in years I've made it home without being drugged up to deal with the airports. So Hooray for My Brother and Happy Holidays to All! I hope everyone has had or will have safe travels and and enjoy whatever holidays they celebrate during the end of the year.

Amazon wish list for the corn allergic (updated!)

2008-12-18T06:53:00.000-07:00

I put a few items on an Amazon Wish list for the Corn Allergic -- you'll notice that MY shipping address is not attached, these are my suggestions for your loved ones with a corn allergy.

So although I do desperately covet each and every one of these items particularly the bread machine, mini-rice cooker and Bento food packer, I will try to drop some hints of my own on my family or eventually do some shopping on my own. ( I've already read The Omnivore's Dilemma and seen King Corn) I've heard wonderful things about the Kindle from a few people on the forum, seems very pricey to me, but if you are looking for the ultimate gift for an allergic person who has trouble with new books, papers and magazines and can't stand to wait for them to off gas for a while, there you go.

These are gadgets that I think would be quite amazing for the corn allergic, who have to make and pack everything they eat! Christine's Holiday shopping bonanza. Or get the The Omnivore's Dilemma and King Corn video for friends and family who just can't understand. I've had a chef at the one restaurant I really trust come to the table to say "kudos to you for eating out" after he found out I have a corn allergy. At another coffee shop, a barrista who has just read Omnivore's Dilemma was happy to give me a real cup with out the usual song and dance after finding out about the corn allergy. We chit chatted about how corn is everywhere, what a change!

Check it out and let me know what to add so you can send your friends and family there!

Allergic to your shampoo and conditioner?

2008-12-13T06:18:00.005-07:00

If your allergen is everywhere, like good old corn, then yes this can be a problem. I assume for people with contact allergies to wheat, soy, coconut, etc. the issue is the same.

There is usually a thread going on shampoo issues on the Avoiding Corn Forum and it typically comes down to two solutions. Wash your hair with the one *currently* corn free shampoo/conditioner (ShiKai Natural Everyday Shampoo and ShiKai Natural Everyday Conditioner), wash your hair with a safe body soap or baking soda and use an apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse.

It does cut down on your time in the beauty aisle, not that there is much in that aisle without corn anyhow. Lots of people on the board swear their hair never looked better after going to the baking soda / AVC method and it is also a great cost savings. No more wasted bottles of expensive organic super gentle formula shampoo looking for one that is completely without a trace of your particular allergen(s).

I haven't tried it yet, but I am getting curious. Here is the link to the Herbwife's Kitchen Blog. http://crabappleherbs.com/blog/2008/02/01/simple-herbal-hair-care She gives all the details on how to make the switch without looking like a mess. Sounds like something to start transitioning to during a vacation when you have a little time to experiment. Or for a New Year's Resolution!

Let me know how it goes if you take up the challenge! It may be happening soon on my head. I'll keep you posted. It's so dry in Colorado that, like most people with long hair, I try to shampoo every other day at most, so it may not be so hard to make the transition.

Muppet eyes and fish lips

2008-12-06T09:46:00.005-07:00

Of all the stupid mistakes I've made, this one takes the cake. In a tired daze I mixed up the toothpastes and brushed my teeth with Crest with Scope. It took a second or two for me to realize my mistake after the Sonicare had spread the toothpaste throughout my entire mouth. Those seconds were enough time time for all the corn hidden in that little tube to turn me into the new Food Allergy Muppet.

Despite furious gargling, rinsing, spitting and much repeating, all the corn did its work. Inactive Ingredients: Hydrated Silica , Sorbitol , Glycerin , Tetrapotassium Pyrophosphate , PEG-6 , Disodium Pyrophosphate, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, Flavor , Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Alcohol 1.14%, Xanthan Gum , Sodium Saccaharin Carbomer 956, Polysorbate 80, Sodium Benzoate, Cetylpyridinium Chloride, Benzoic Acid, Domiphen Bromide .0002 wt%, Titanium Dioxide, Blue 1 , Yellow 5.

I thought by now I had seen all the bizarre reactions I could have, but trying to join the cast of the muppets is a new high, or low. I'm still not sure. I've discussed this with a few people and our guess is that combination of the corn alcohol in the scope and the Sonicare turning everything into a fine mist the culprit in this one. Along with the usual swelling of the airway, lips, tongue, blah, blah, blah, my tear ducts swelled up so the tops and bottoms of my eyes stuck out like muppet eyes. Muppet eyes and fish lips, not a look for the faint of heart. This was topped by the beautiful beast I became in the morning, the swelling migrated to give me enormous bags above and below my eyes, basset hound style. By the time I made it into work, I had perfected a mournful howl to go with my new image.

The safe toothpaste normally use is Adwe Labs Cool Mint Gel, Kosher for Passover so it is corn free for sure.

Yellow is the color

2008-11-29T18:10:00.013-07:00

At the conclusion of a doctor's appointment a few weeks ago, I needed to have blood drawn for some lab work. I don't have a fear of needles, or seeing my own blood or blood in general, but as I made my way to the lab the tiled hallway stretched longer and longer before me and little prickles of fear sweat started freezing the back of my neck. As the worry set in, I began wondering if I should take Benadryl now, if I needed to arrange a ride home, if I should come back later when I had time to have a reaction and be sick for the rest of the day.

There is never a good time for an allergic reaction, thus dragging my already sick self into the lab and trying to explain my situation seemed like the easiest option. I kept the "this is not going to end well" panic down by promising myself that I could just get up and walk out if things weren't going my way. I handed my slip in and waited to make my case.

My case was simple, I was going to have an allergic reaction to the little white square of corn alcohol that was going to be rubbed allover the sensitive skin on the inside of my arm in preparation for this blood draw. Just thinking about it makes my stomach clench, I react to the just the fumes* from corn derived alcohols, the idea of swabbing it allover a large patch of skin sounds like torture. My case was also that I wanted to avoid this dousing in corn. I would be happy to wash my arm with an antibacterial soap that I was mildly allergic to as a compromise of sorts. As I started coming up with wilder ideas about what to do to avoid the SWAB OF DOOM, boiling water did not seem entirely out of the question. Could I present my case and get my concerns taken seriously before I panicked and gave up on the process?

Far too soon my name was called. As I was ushered back to the lab, the trepidation on my face and the death grip on my bag of emergency meds tipped the experienced phlebotomist off to a lurking problem, but she assumed that it was the usual and began to question me about nerves and fainting. Before she could begin her prep and get out any alcohol, I blurted out nervously, "I have a problem with the alcohol wipes. I'm severely allergic to corn, the alcohol is made from corn and gives me a reaction. Could I just wash my arm really well?"

That must have been a new request. Her face registered surprise for a moment, then her eyes twinkled at me as she asked "Are you allergic to shellfish?" When I assured her that shellfish present no problem, she pulled a bottle of Betadine out of the cabinet with the flourish of magician. "As long as you don't mind turning a little yellow, this will do."

Grinning, I rolled up my sleeve and replied, "I look good yellow."

Since I assumed that I was going to have to get sick to get this bloodwork done, a little yellow stain was nothing. I still would have thanked her profusely if she had perma-stained my arm and my shirt. I doubt that she often gets people that are so happy to have their blood drawn. If I had a bit of my brother's musical talent, I would have done a Gene Kelly singing strut out of there.

At the time I wasn't sure about the Betadine, but it seemed worth a try and worked like a charm! Combined with paper tape and cotton ball she used afterward, I had no problems at all. I took everything off about 10 minutes after the draw and washed my arm with safe soap. There's no point in pushing it. I'm going to pick up a pack of iodine wipes to add to my first aid kit.

Has anyone out there with a corn allergy, without a seafood allergy, reacted to Betadine?
Active Ingredients: Povidone-Iodine 10% - 1% Available Iodine
Inactive Ingredients: Pareth 25-9 , Purified Water , Sodium Hydroxide

*discovered recently that I react to the fumes from corn derived alcohols inadvertently, it was being used in another room and I was getting sick-- yet another of those blind tests that keeps life so interesting

Cornupia - Oh no!

2008-11-26T06:11:00.005-07:00

Karen at Avoiding Milk Protein Blog, brings to our attention something else to be wary of this holiday season (not the secret ingredient in the stuffing that the chef won't disclose) corn fiber yarn.
*shudder*
Cornupia is yarn made from 100% corn fiber.

One more reason to keep speaking up so your knitting friends and people around you know that you are allergic to corn. It would be awful to accidentally wrap yourself in 100% corn fiber. That sounds like a bad horror movie device, something straight out of my nightmares, putting on a beautiful handmade scarf and breaking out in hives, or having your throat swell shut. I'm sure, like corn plastic, it is considered to be hypoallergenic. (Considering the reactions many of of us have had to corn plastic, we know that is not the case). I don't really want to find a store that carries it and go rub it on myself to see what happens, but if anyone has encountered it, I'd love to know what happened.*

I know that corn is used in paints can be in eco friendly tiles and carpets, but now that yarn can be 100%, it makes want crawl back under my cotton sheets.

Speak up, stay safe!

*11/28 Stephanie Lee has just confirmed (in the comments) a contact reaction to corn yarn.

But of course!

2008-11-16T06:20:00.006-07:00

Traces of Corn Found in Almost All Fast Food ; only 12 servings out of hundreds had nutrients that didn't contain it, researchers say is the headline for an article that made me talk to my computer. I was so surprised that I asked the Mac, "What 12?"

Seriously. I can't think of a single thing at a fast food place that I would feel completely safe putting in my mouth. Here is the beginning of the article:

THURSDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that many fast-food meals begin with a single ingredient: corn.

Researchers uncovered signs of corn in food items from Wendy's, McDonald's and Burger King.

"We found that corn is not just a grain used in the production of fast food, it is the basis of all fast food," said study author A. Hope Jahren, a professor of geography and geophysics at the University of Hawaii. "Of the hundreds of fast-food meals we purchased across the country, there were only about 12 servings of food that could potentially be traced back to something besides corn."

I guess those 12 were the dressing free salad options. I assume the citric acid wash, which contaminates the salad with corn for the corn allergic, does not count as the basis of a meal for most folks. The dressings, of course are full of corn.

I found myself continuing to talk to the Mac while I read the rest of the article. (Please note, I usually don't talk to inanimate objects. I'm chalking this up to having spent a lot of time at home by myself for the last few weeks while I've been sick. Or this virus has gone to my brain and I am finally cracking up. Hard to say.) For the most part, I wound up imitating that old Grey Poupon commercial and saying "But of course!"

The researchers analyzed the food to look at how corn is used in the production of fast food and to the results are not surprising to those of us who try to avoid the stuff on a daily basis. The exceptions in their finding were what kept surprising me. "12 Burger King burgers bought on the West Coast came from cows that didn't exclusively eat corn-based diets." I assume the reporter mean finished on corn. Cows do not naturally eat corn, they don't have the digestive system for it, but it does fatten them up quickly. In CAFOs they are fed corn in high amounts in the last few months of their life, along with large amounts of antibiotics to deal with the concomitant problems. For a good overview on the US food system that supplies our fast food and unsettling details on CAFO system, check out Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan's NYT article Power Steer.

While I was reading, I couldn't help thinking that the corn allergy group could tell the researchers what does and does not contain corn quite quickly. Of course we are not lab instruments, so what can report is going to get anyone published in a science journal. I feel more like the human analogue to the truffle hunting pigs, I can detect corn with a high degree of sensitivity but I do NOT want to eat it.

With the scientific research in, now maybe no one will want to eat it. But of course, that could just be the virus talking.

I'm back

2008-11-15T22:32:00.002-07:00

Sorry for the long silence. I've been sick and sleeping 12+ hours a day. Amazingly enough, it was not caused by or related to my allergies.

I was shocked. I thought my overactive immune system was killing all the bugs and just attacking me. Who knew something could get through. I'm finally on the mend and should be back to posting soon.

Another "its all in your head" mis-report.

2008-11-03T06:06:00.005-07:00

I frequently hope that my allergies are "all in my head." A very close friend was convinced that it was just stress, but after witnessing a reaction she is now one of my biggest advocates. A. is fond of agreeing with me when I say this is all in my head, he has a stock answer these days. "Yes, it is certainly in your head. In your lips, tongue, eyes and throat. Not to mention the bright red cheeks. In and on your head."

Depending on which news coverage you read, it is also all could be all in their head for 1/2 of the patients in the study at an allergy clinic in Germany. Only the Nursing Times highlight the fact that this is a group with a SUSPECTED food allergy, not a diagnosed food allergy. Still the 3 headlines that I saw first thing this morning are:

Overestimated And Underestimated Food Allergies
--Half of all food allergies are not food allergies at all. This is what Cornelia S. Seitz et al., allergologists from Würzburg University, concluded in a study with 419 patients, as presented in the current edition of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2008; 105[42]: 715-23).
Food Allergies are Not What They Seem
--Half of all food allergies are no allergies at all, according to a new study based on 419 patients in Germany.
Half of Adults in Clinic had No Food Allergy
--Half of all adults referred to a specialist clinic with suspected food allergies were found to have no food allergy, according to research.

These are the 3 articles that came up in my Google news reader this morning. It is early, I'm sure we will hear more about this. The real story is, don't self diagnose for food allergies, don't cut food families out of your diet on a whim, there can be other medical issues causing reaction type issues. It also emphasizes, at the end, that true food allergies are dangerous.

The headlines, however, read like it is all in your head. Well, half of our heads. Or half of my head. I may need some corn-free coffee before I figure that one out. Considering that too much of my life seems to be a double blind test where I am trying to find the new source of corn after a reaction, I'm sure this one is not about me.

Watch out for well meaning relatives with the "a little bit won't hurt" syndrome during the holidays. If they've read this article...yikes!

Food Allergic for Obama

2008-11-01T20:25:00.007-06:00

I have a life threatening food allergy and for this reason I'm voting for Obama for President.*

Why does who is president have anything to do with food allergies? Why do politics belong on a food allergy blog? I have a lot more to say about who I think should be president and why, but I'm going to limit myself to only information that is really relevant to those of us who depend on medical care and scientific research for our personal safety. Of course, food allergy parents have to look at the longer term for what will be good for their children as well.

The questions that are crucial to all of us are simple:
Which administration will better fund health and science research?
Which administration will be more open to health care issues?
Which administration will value scientific inquiry over ideology, dogma or party line?

From what I've read, Obama seems the clear choice. I'm not going to change anyone's mind in a simple blog post, but if you are still deciding how to vote on Tuesday, here is some allergen free food for thought:

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America-Obama vs. McCain: Health Care Research Agendas http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=5&sub=75#Research
A post from Families With Food Allergies for Obama on the Obama Blog Site
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/foodallergy/gGg27Q

Allergy & Political Humor - When I was talking about the election with her parents, Grace, the allergy aware 4-year old, asked me, "Would you vote for Obama if he had corn in his tummy?" Note that a tummy full of my allergen is her excuse to get out of being tagged or tickled when we play. I told her, I'd vote for him even if all he ate was corn. She looked shocked at this and finally said, "You reeeally like him." Out of the mouth of babes.

*Truth in Blogging: There are many, many more reasons I'm voting for him that have nothing to do with my personal health situation and a lot to with the good of the country as a whole. Also, I live in an early voting state, so I've already voted.

Thanks Astellas!

2008-10-22T22:21:00.006-06:00

My Google news alert for corn allergy popped up something amazing today, it is the first time I've ever seen this in a write up about a drug:

Solutions containing dextrose may be contraindicated in patients with known allergy to corn or corn products.

Wow. Thanks. I've been explaining this to by doctors for years, some of whom believe me the first time and some of whom I've had to argue with to get a safe prescription. Having it on a medical warning label means I've got back up, I'm not just being one of those "hysterical overreacting allergy women." Nice. This isn't a medication I take, but if one company starts taking corn allergy seriously maybe the others will.

Here's the press release for the curious. http://www.ibtimes.com/prnews/20081022/il-astellas-fda.htm

Running the corn gauntlet

2008-10-18T08:31:00.003-06:00

I'm trying to psych myself up to go last farmers market this morning. I love the farmer's market. It has been my main source of safe food since the late spring and I'm planning to buy as much as possible today, for as long as I can last.

For the last 2 weeks this has become a danger zone for me since fall is here and everyone is decorating with dried corn. I reacted to the corn in the air 2 weeks ago and spent the rest of the day in a benadryl haze, skipped it last week and really, really, really want to go this week.

I'm thinking about wearing a particulate filtering mask to see if it helps, but I'm also wondering how crazy I am willing to look just to stock up on winter squash. Pretty crazy is my guess. Stupid corn.

Update: I'm willing to look like a sick duck to stay safe. The particulate mask worked wonderfully. It has an odd, duck bill shape and may have potential as a Halloween costume. Only one person asked about the mask, but she is a friend and already knows all about the allergy.

Whole Foods $5 off $25 coupon

2008-10-16T21:51:00.003-06:00

Go here http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/wholedeal/index.php to download a coupon for $5 off a purchase of $25 or more. If your town is like mine, this is one of your prime sources of allergen free foods. I spent $30 there last night.

I'll be using the coupon and stocking up on things for the next few days. It is good through 10/23. Since I don't have a choice about where I shop for a lot of what is safe for me, I feel great about getting a discount!

Real friends don't try to feed me

2008-10-15T09:03:00.007-06:00

I am a bad guest, in that you can't offer common hospitality to me, in terms of food and drink, when I come to visit. A corn allergy means the set of things that are safe for me is small and I would rather be able to spend time with you than to eat something that might make me sick just to be polite. If you love me, or even just kind of like me and want to avoid drama at your house, you won't try to feed me. Of course, if you secretly hate me or really want to use the Epi-pen, then feeding me is a good idea.

I'm a good guest, in that I come prepared. Even if I am just going to a neighbors, there is usually a snack and a drink in my bag so that I don't try something new out of hunger. I usually carry healthy, organic snacks, and I share.

I've been thinking about this because Grace had her birthday party this weekend and A. and I went to help wrangle the hordes of kidos dressed up as princesses and super heroes. All in all it was a very successful kid fantasy of a birthday party, with a princess cake, castle piñata and lots happy kids. I realized after the party, not once did anyone offer me a piece of corn-syrup filled cake, ice-cream or candy, despite the fact that all the kids and their parents were munching away. Not once did I have to stop and say, "No, Thank you I'm Allergic." I was just another grown-up doing my grown-up duty of encouraging tulle-clad princesses around the room to the next game. My real friends don't try to feed me anymore, they've learned that almost everything 'normal' has corn in it.

Real friends:

Don't try to feed me
Do wipe down their children after they eat
Do keep the obvious allergens "secured" when I am at their house
Do ask before they cook or spray anything around me
Do let me bring the ingredients if they really want to cook something for me and let me help (Thanks for the Fry Bread H & M, I'm still dreaming about it)
Do invite me over for lunch or dinner and let me bring my food -- I want to go out, I just need to bring something safe
Don't eat ALL of my special food, but do try it
Don't use air fresheners or smelly candles when I are coming over
Don't bother to offer me thing they know I am allergic to, even when everyone else is eating them
Know how to use an Epi-pen and where I keep my emergency medicines.

Real friends just deal with the fact that this is my "thing." Everyone has a thing, mine has to do with food and not dying over lunch. Some people enjoy drama, I try to avoid it. My real friends get it.

Ouch!

2008-10-13T06:21:00.006-06:00

I don't get big hives, but I sometimes get, I believe the scientific name is, little red itchy bumpies. Yesterday had a new, exciting type of reaction to going after something scary growing under the bath mat with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I can't figure out what to blame for the reaction; mold, Mr. Clean, something I ate earlier?

Painful Red Bumpies! There is a symptom I never want to see again.

I could feel each one of these pop out. Talk about panic inducing reactions. Each one erupted painfully and I was reduced to whining and cringing just hoping they would stop. They started on my back and moved out to my arms and legs. It was like evil chicken pox in double quick time. I was joking that I had some new version of the plague since they hurt so much.

I used to think that hives would be a nice easily identifiable symptom, but I take that back. I've never heard of hives hurting, and I never want anything like that again. Benadryl helped, but I'm afraid to get into a hot shower this morning, since that can reawaken my skin reaction. Also, I lost most of Sunday to a Benadryl coma, but at least I am well rested.

Welcome to the Club / The Rules

2008-10-05T22:52:00.003-06:00

I've gone for years without meeting, in person, anyone else with a corn allergy. In the past 3 months, a good friend of a good friend was diagnosed with a corn allergy, I met a woman a Whole Foods who was having a hard time the pastry counter try to find something corn free -- who was just diagnosed with a corn allergy, two weeks ago I met a waitress at the 1 restaurant I trust who was just diagnosed with a corn allergy, today I read at Everyday with Food Allergies that her friend's child was just diagnosed with a corn allergy too.

Welcome to the club everyone.

I'll teach you the secret handshake later, the first thing you need to know, everything has corn in until proven otherwise. Your allergist probably doesn't know this, because it is not a common diagnosis in the US and the list of things you need to avoid has the obvious things like popcorn and corn chips. What you may need to avoid is actually a much more complex list, depending on the severity of your allergy;there is a lot of hidden corn in foods & drugs that most allergists are not aware of unless they have corn allergic patients. The links you need are here: http://www.cornallergic.org/links. This is going to seem like a lot of info, but remember you will feel better as you eliminate hidden corn from your diet. Talk to doctor and go back to her/him with your info.

If this really was a club, our top secret handbook would start with these rules:

If you don't know what's in it, don't put it in your mouth.
When in doubt, spit it out.
Say it loud and proud, "No, Thank You. I'm Allergic."
Test new foods like they could be poisonous.
Trust no one with your food, till YOU are comfortable they understand the consequences.
Emergency Meds -- Don't leave home without them EVER.
Have a safe place for your food - Make some space, be it your home or your room and a kitchen cupboard and a shelf in the fridge, an allergy free zone.
If it goes in you, on you, or you touch it or breath it in, it must be allergen free. Check everything - food, drinks, medications, toiletries, cosmetics, cleaning products. You are not paranoid, you are smart and safe.
Don't Panic -- staying calm during a reaction keeps you safe and helps minimize the reaction.
Get a medical alert bracelet-- wear it (There are options for every style).

Welcome to the club. Keep talking about your allergy, I want to meet you!

Reset to normal

2008-10-04T19:09:00.006-06:00

The problem with being diagnosed with a life threatening food allergy as an adult is that you have a lifetime of normal habits and behaviors that are not compatible with your continued survival.

Sometimes I reset to normal and do something like use a friend's lip stuff without thinking, or say 'Thanks' when someone offers me a piece of gum, or let a friend's child put stickers allover my face. Normal stuff. Safe enough for the rest of the world. If I've reset to normal, I'm relaxed, happy and not worrying about what I'm going to poison myself with today, so none of this seems dangerous. It usually takes moment before I remember -- I can't do normal people stuff, if I'm going to touch, taste or breathe it, it has to be corn free.

Reset to normal is sometime followed by a lot of emergency medication and and the internal chorus of 'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!' Most often it is followed by my snatching my hand back, and doing what Erma Bombeck (one of my mom's favorite humor writers) called the last breath performance. Dramatic inhale, followed by a screeched "OHMYGOD! I CAN'T HAVE THAT -IT HAS CORN IN IT!!"

I've lived in a few countries where you can't drink the water. From this I have a complete set of practical behaviors for dealing with water that is hazardous to your health, that I can follow without error for months on end. How to deal with bathing and washing dishes in non-potable water and filtering and boiling water to have potable water for cooking and drinking, this can be done without a fear of a reset. But it is JUST water, just one thing. Once you got used to the fact that you could not eat off a wet plate, not to rinse your tooth brush in the sink and remembered to keep your mouth closed in the shower you would be fine. If you reset to normal and drank water from the tap, you went to the pharmacy, got your meds and waited to see if you got sick. Even then, the consequences of a reset were not immediately life threatening, just very, very uncomfortable.

As incredibly difficult as it must be to deal with a food allergy as a child, these kids have a distinct advantage over those of us with adult onset food allergies. They grow up with the set of normal behaviors being ones that will protect them from harm. [All you Allergy Moms & Dads, keep up the good work! If my mom were here, I'm sure she would be ready to grab the gum out of my hands before I hurt myself and give me a time out for playing with corn-adhesive stickers.]

I think it is safe to speak for everyone with severe food allergies in saying that constant vigilance is wearying. I know that sometimes I get tired of trying, I don't want to bother with going to new places, meeting new people, having to explain that a corn allergy means that I'm allergic to most "normal people food. " It's exhausting. I don't like talking about my medical issues all the time, I'd like to think that there is more to getting to know me than learning about corn allergies. Given all of that, it is not all that surprising that when I'm relaxed, or very tired, I return to my pre-allergy default behaviors.

Reset to normal feels great. But, it means that I'm being an idiot. It means I have a medical problem that I'm ignoring. This, managing a life threatening food allergy, is the new normal. So is remembering to check, talk, ask and make sure EVERYONE around me knows it, so that if I forget, they will remind me.

By everyone, I mean everyone. My smallest advocate is turning 4 next week. [I've been meaning to give her a name for the blog -- it's been a toss up between Princess Sassy Pants and Grace. I'm going with Grace for simplicity's sake.] We were at the playground and while I was chatting with a friend about the food choices for her wedding, Grace suddenly leapt off the bouncing orange snail she had been happily riding, and jumped in front of us looking furious. She stood there, arms akimbo, fists bunched, brow furrowed, glaring, and bellowed, "Christine is ALLERGIC to CORN!!" The caterer, in Chicago, got the message loud and clear.

Even if I can't take Grace with me everywhere, I need to remember that this is normal from here on out. Maybe on bad days, I can bring my pint-sized bodyguard.

--------------------------
*In case you are wondering, corn is in the zanthan gum in the lip stuff, the sorbotol in the sugar free gum and the adhesive in the stickers.

A spoonful of HFCS

2008-09-28T10:27:00.002-06:00

I usually have something to say about how dangerous corn is for the corn allergic, but I was reading the FoodRoutes website this morning and saw a very interesting article from the New Scientist about how High Fructose Corn Syrup is bad, bad, bad for everyone. Of course any bad news about corn is good news for the corn allergic. After all, less of it in our food means more safe food for us. I dream of things like catsup and salad dressings without corn syrup. Here's the news:

Soda Warning? High-fructose Corn Syrup Linked To Diabetes, New Study Suggests
ScienceDaily (Aug. 23, 2007) — Researchers have found new evidence that soft drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may contribute to the development of diabetes, particularly in children. In a laboratory study of commonly consumed carbonated beverages, the scientists found that drinks containing the syrup had high levels of reactive compounds that have been shown by others to have the potential to trigger cell and tissue damage that could cause the disease, which is at epidemic levels.

HFCS is a sweetener found in many foods and beverages, including non-diet soda pop, baked goods, and condiments. It is has become the sweetener of choice for many food manufacturers because it is considered more economical, sweeter and more easy to blend into beverages than table sugar. Some researchers have suggested that high-fructose corn syrup may contribute to an increased risk of diabetes as well as obesity, a claim which the food industry disputes. Until now, little laboratory evidence has been available on the topic.

Read the full article at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070823094819.html

Not quite what the "High-Fructose Corn Syrup, it's made from corn, it's safe and yummy" commercials were trying to sell. I don't know when these commercials first appeared, but it seems to be quite close to when this article came out at the end of August. Coincidence? You decide.

A Letter to the CRA

2008-09-25T17:57:00.002-06:00

An open letter to the Corn Refiners Association from another member of the Avoiding Corn Forum, posted with her permission of course. She is a mom with a corn allergic child --I've often wondered how hard it must be to be a parent of a child with this allergy. I'll let her tell you:

September 17, 2008

To: Corn Refiners Association
CC: Senator Dianne Feinstein
Senator Barbara Boxer
Food and Drug Administration
Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network
Local newspapers editorial columns

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen of the Corn Refiners Association:

I am writing this letter in response to the “Sweet Surprise” advertising campaign.

My husband and I have two sons. My oldest, Alex developed allergies and sensitivities to some foods as he grew. We monitored and modified his diet and environment as he became older, but as he reached 2 years of age, he became very sick with frightening physical and emotional symptoms.

We finally discovered that Alex was suffering from severe food allergies. However, it took me months to discover what food. He was reacting to almost everything he ate, every day. I finally discovered the culprit. It was corn. I had never heard of a corn allergy, and I certainly didn’t realize that some form of corn was in nearly every item in our home.

It has been over a year now that we have been avoiding corn. It has completely changed our lives. We no longer eat out, and I make many things myself from powdered sugar to play dough. I learned to shop on the internet, at farm stands, and health food stores for safe foods; and can no longer just drop into the local supermarket. I bring my list of safe foods carefully researched by a diligent online group which can be found on the Avoiding Corn forum on Delphi Forums.

I recently saw the “Sweet Surprise” ad on television and in a magazine. It was so disheartening to see these ads. I’m not a food chemist, and so can not respond to the allegation that high fructose corn syrup is “just like” cane sugar or honey, but I can comment on the ubiquitous nature of corn in our lives. It is absurd to even offer that corn syrup is “OK in moderation”. There is no way to limit corn syrup to “moderation” in the Standard American Diet. In the blogging community this topic frequently comes up even among people without food allergies. Finding one loaf of bread without corn in the bread aisle of a regular grocery store is impossible.

Corn hides behind hundreds of different names, and you don’t know if there really is corn in an item until you call the manufacturer, and sometimes they don’t know themselves. There is even corn in the inactive ingredients of the majority of medicines, even allergy medicines! I know that I am not alone in asking that corn not only be labeled clearly, but to put an end to the ubiquitous nature of corn in our lives.

It is time for the monoculture of corn to end. This “Sweet Surprise” campaign is transparent as a last ditch attempt to save the omnipresent corn monoculture, but we are not going to buy it. Please recognize that it is time to diversify, it is time to clearly label what is going into our foods, medicines, and products. It is time for people like my son to have a chance to find healthy food to eat.

Pass the High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Please

2008-09-24T22:48:00.005-06:00

Exactly how stupid does the Corn Refiners Association think the American consumer is? Watch these advertisements, pay particular attention to the nutritional value of the items being discussed, then choose your answer.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup Commercial #1

And next we have...
High-Fructose Corn Syrup Commercial #2

Please carefully choose your answer:

Easily Persuaded
Extremely Gullible
Complete Idiots

For extra credit:
How cynical is Christine feeling today compared to the cynicism of these ads? Please keep your essays under 1.5 pages in length, no deductions taken for general rantiness or creative spelling.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

2008-09-19T18:53:00.007-06:00

I received an unexpected and technolust wish fulfilling gift the other day. This astounding surprise gift came from a longtime friend who said he thought I could use some cheering up. This gift goes far above and beyond the cheering up category -- I'm perma-cheered and spoiled rotten.

I still can't find the words to properly thank him, I don't know that it is possible. I do know that the proper application of surprise technology is better than a whole bottle of the anti-depressant of your choice. When I asked him what in the world possessed him to send me the new iPod touch, he said "I haven't heard such unbridled desire for a toy in anyone's voice outside of a ten year old, how could I not..." (I had been talking about how I waaaaaanted one, but didn't neeeeed one and how cooooool they are -- yes I am a bit nerdy). He also noted that this now qualifies me as his adopted niece, which I guess means I'm getting younger. That works for me.

I've been jumping up and down and squealing like a little kid who just got a puppy. I've also been randomly grinning at people since opening the box. Fortunately for me, this puppy only wants to be charged up and be fed music, books, games and software updates, and requires no potty training. This. Is. The. Best. Toy. Ever.

I couldn't sleep the first night, I kept waking up and grinning. I think that "Uncle Ted" is right, I did need some cheering up, even though I didn't realize it. I feel like my ego is re-inflated and I'm ready to take on the world again. Having to always be on the look out and advocate for yourself in a world where most normal things can be poison can take a bit out of a gal. I didn't realize how down I was till I got back up. I've gotten worn down by the day to day, it feels like corn has gotten everywhere and in everything and there is nothing, in the face of the corn lobby and FANN's indifference, that can be done to protect the corn allergic. Keeping myself basically safe and kind of healthy can be a lot of work, and I'm an adult. I can't imagine how difficult this is for a parent of an allergic child.

Certainly the toy, oh what an amazing, wonderful, unexpected, fabulous gift that I adore has made my day, but mostly the act of being given such a fantastic thing out of the blue is what has added bonus points to my sense of self. I'd like to think I am at a point in my life where I don't need external validation and things should not add to my sense of self or self worth, but Uncle Ted's amazing gift has made a huge difference in my outlook. I feel a like I've grabbed a particularly valuable object in a video game, one that supercharges your character's life force. For me, add one shiny new surprise iPod and and my will to live is topped off. Apparently I needed some external validation, and this is it. I'm validated and ready to take on the wide world full of corn.

Also, fortunately for me Apple has not been sucked in by the ridiculous claims that corn plastic is eco-friendly. The packaging was basically corn free -- not that I would have able to slow down by a nanosecond to open it carefully had there been suspect materials. It soooo would have been worth a 3 day Benadryl coma.

I'm going back to playing with my International Talk Like a Pirate Day & Mid Autumn Moon Festival from gift. Thanks Uncle Ted, you are The Best Ever! If I could sprinkle this post with glitter and rainbow hearts to show how 10-year-old purely happy I am, I would.
Oh wait...

A difficult question

2008-09-15T16:06:00.006-06:00

A few weeks ago, while we were setting up for our big end of summer event at work a puzzled, perhaps somewhat exasperated, co-worker asked me, "What doesn't have corn in it?" This question was prompted by my wearing latex gloves (powder free, of course) to work with normal everyday tape and glue.

It was quite early in the morning and I was wearing gloves because I was doing everything possible to prevent a reaction, since this was an all day event and because I forget that I should not touch things like tape and glue. I haven't had this allergy my whole life and the skin reactions only started a few years ago, so I still do things out of years of habit. I'll get busy and tear a bunch of strips of tape and put them to my hand so I can grab them quickly, just like anyone else. Or, I'll misplace the scissors and use my teeth to tear tape, normal everyday, not so hygienic solution. But then, unlike most people, I'll have a reaction to the corn in the adhesive. Or, just like anyone on would, I'll use a finger to wipe up some glue that oozed out from the bottle. Oops, poisoned myself again. Nice. So gloves seemed like a good idea. Except that wearing hospital type gloves to do normal set-up tasks makes people wonder if you are developing a germ phobia on top of this really annoying allergy.

Her simple question, "What doesn't have corn in it?," took me a moment to respond to -- I was thinking about the number of products that corn is in, the unlabeled corn that is in our meat, dairy, cheese, canned goods, dried fruit, fresh produce, all the GMO corn being marketed as eco-plastic, the corn in makeup, lotions, carpets, fuel, paint, particle board, and so on. What doesn't have corn in it? The first answer in my head was, "@#$% if I know," (I was pre-coffee grumpy) but fortunately my self-censoring was working and the answer that came out was
"Me."

Your "What Corn is In" PSA for today

2008-09-14T22:22:00.003-06:00

Corn allergy? Read it and weep.
Everything below is directly quoted from the : http://www.ontariocorn.org/classroom/products.html put out by OntarioCorn.org

A Zillion Uses for Corn

Question:	Of 10,000 items in a typical grocery store, how many would you guess would contain corn in one form or another?
Answer:	At least 2,500 items use corn in some form during the production or processing.

How Corn is Used in Some of these Products

Beer	Beer manufacturing is a process of treating malt to convert and extract the barley starch to fermentable sugars using the amyloytic enzymes present in malt followed by yeast fermentation. However, demand for lighter, less filling beer, especially in the U.S., has permitted use of more refined carbohydrate sources of two types: a) dry adjuncts, primarily dry milled corn grits, broken rice, refined corn starch, and more recently, dextrose. b) liquid adjuncts, namely corn syrups
Cake Mixes	Cake mixes use a pregelatinized corn starch that will form a paste in cold or warm water. In baked goods that use yeast for rising, dextrose is used as a yeast nutrient.
Candies	Corn syrup is used in hard candies to provide a body giving them chewiness and a desirable mouthfeel without excessive sweetness. Candies that are coated use a pyrodextrin corn starch for the coating.
Carbonated Beverages - Coke	High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) blended with sucrose in a 50/50 blend is sweeter than the same concentration of sucrose. The use of HFCS in carbonated beverages is common throughout Canada and the U.S.
Cookies	Corn starch, corn flour or dextrose may be found in cookies.
Corn Flakes	The flaking grits are cooked to a rubbery consistency with syrup, malt, salt and flavouring added. After tempering, the cooked grits are flattened between large steel rolls, followed by toasting in travelling ovens to a golden brown colour.
Corn Starch	Corn starch is derived from the wet milling process and is an important manufactured product. Some uses depend on the properties in the dry state, but most applications relate to its properties as a cooked, hydrated paste.
Corn Meal	Corn meal is a popular dry corn product because of its long shelf life. It is used to produce an assortment of chemically leavened bread and fried products like corn bread and muffins.
Cosmetics	Corncobs, when finely ground, are relatively dust free and very absorbent. This absorbency makes corncobs useful carriers for pesticides, fertilizers, vitamins, hand soaps, cosmetics and animal litters.
Granola Dips/Granola Bars	Some types of Granola Dips use dextrose as a sweetener.
Gypsum Wallboard	Starch-containing corn flour is gelatinized during the manufacturing process; It functions by controlling the rate of water loss during drying of the board. Soluble carbohydrates migrate to the surface and control the rate of crystallization of the gypsum, providing a strong bond between the gypsum and the liner.
Instant Coffee & Tea	Maltodextrins are derived from the wet milling process. They are a dextrose equivalent product of complete solubility but little or no sweetness. Maltodextrins are sprayed on instant tea and coffee to keep the granules free flowing. This solution is also used in instant soup mixes or other packages where the contents must be be kept free flowing.
Mars Bar & Twix Bar	Many candy bars contain corn syrup.
Paint and Varnish	Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol is a resin developed from processing corncobs. These resins are useful in the paint and varnish industry as solvents for dyes, resins, and lacquers.
Paper Products	Paper products use raw starch in the manufacturing process. The properties of high paste viscosity and strong gels are useful in specially coated papers. Pyrodextrins are also used for paper manufacturing for the adhesive property on remoistenable gums for postage stamps and packaging tape.
Pharmaceuticals	Aspirin - an oxidized starch paste, which dries to a clear, adherent, continuous film, is spread in a thin layer over the aspirin.Intravenous - some IVs consist of dextrose and water solutions. Antibiotics - preferred carbohydrate sources are corn syrup, dextrose, corn starch, lactose and sucrose. Cornsteep liquor was early found to provide a ready source of soluble nitrogenous nutrients plus unknown growth factors that stimulate antibiotic production. Over 85 different types of antibiotics are produced using corn.
Snack Foods - Corn Chips & Doritos	These snack foods are generally made from whole corn (cornmeal). The high starch content of cornmeal and flour is important in giving a high puff in preparation of extruded (pressed) snack products in which a delicate corn flavour is desired.
Spark Plugs	Starch is used in the production of the porcelain part of spark plugs.
Tire, Rubber	In the production of tires, corn starch is sprinkled on the molds before pouring the rubber, to prevent the rubber from sticking to the molds.
Toothpaste	Sorbitol, which is produced from the corn sugar dextrose, is used in toothpaste as a low-calorie, water-soluble, bulking agent.
Whiskey	The major carbohydrate in the production of whiskey is corn.A typical Canadian whiskey is made from a mixture of about 90% corn, 5% rye, and 5% barley malt.
Yogurt	Some of the different brands of yogurt use corn syrup as a sweetener.

Invisible Illness as Assertivness Traning

2008-09-13T09:10:00.008-06:00

I'm a polite person, my mother raised me that way. I believe in good manners, and, despite the media 'overshare' culture we live in today, I've always felt that there are some things better kept to yourself. I'm just barely old enough to remember when we didn't have people on talk shows sharing their most intimate secrets. I've always felt that they are just plain tacky. Now I've become one of those people. I have an invisible illness and I tell people about it. All. The. Time.

No, I have not gone on a talk show telling people about the latest stupid thing I've done, thank goodness. My mother would start to haunt me if I did that. But, If you meet me in a work or social setting and if we are going to know each other for and extended period or will be eating together, I will manage to work into the conversation the fact that I have a food allergy. Not just any old food allergy, but that I am severely allergic to corn. This means I am allergic to almost all prepared foods, cleaning products, air fresheners and perfumes. That always I carry two Epi-pens, that there are very important instructions for the EMTs on my allergy bracelet (some IVs have corn ingredients and could kill me), and that if you see me swigging from a flask it is just Benadryl, not alcohol.

I now wear the biggest allergy bracelet I can find, because I need to have a lot of information on it and because it helps me talk about having a chronic illness that I need to manage. I used to not mention it until there was a problem, even then I would do my best to hide the fact that I was having a reaction till it got to the point that I had trouble breathing. When I first started reacting, I would often wait to take anything until I could have someone else confirm that I was actually having an allergic reaction. This was despite the symptoms I could clearly feel, shortness of breath, dizziness, tight throat and chest, a too big tongue that was suddenly getting in the way of my teeth. My external early phase reactions may be invisible to others who don't know me well or who are not particularly observant, a red flush across my cheeks and nose, hoarseness, a change in the shape of my lips, red eyes -- these subtle signs mean CHUG Benadryl now. But, embarrassed and wanting some confirmation that this really, really, really was a reaction before I went into a Benadryl coma and lost half a day, I would wait till someone else could clearly see that I was having a reaction--swollen lips & eyes, labored breathing. That often meant waiting till I was clearly headed for, or already was in, trouble, then it was too late to put the breaks on a reaction with Benadryl and was time for the Epi-pen and the ER. Ouch.

Now, I push myself to speak up about my allergy for multiple reasons. Food allergies are an invisible illness, no one can tell that you have a problem till, in my case, your head swells up, your throat swells and you stop breathing. Understandably, there are many reasons I try to avoid this scenario. There are also many reasons I speak up.

The first is so that people will know that they can't feed me, it is just too dangerous. I still feel bad about this, and if someone insists I try to say something funny like, "My allergist says I can try new foods in the ER waiting room. But I really don't like to eat there, the decor is so institutional." The second reason is speak up is for the next person with severe food allergies, so they don't have to to the whole song and dance with every person new they meet. It such is a relief for me to meet someone who already knows allergy issues, so by spreading a little education it I hope to make it easier for everyone else. The third reason I talk about my allergy is that by speaking up I am creating my team. My close friends and family, of course, are already members of the "Let's try not to poison Christine today" team. Some days we win, some days we lose. There is so much out there I can't control, but by increasing my team I have additional advocates and eyes. In the corn filled US of A I know I need all the help I can get (Did you know that there is corn in your table salt?).

Little did I know when I got the food allergy diagnosis that I was also getting assertiveness training. I'm still polite, but now I say thing like, "I'm allergic to your lovely perfume." or "No thank you, I'm allergic." to polite people and things like, "No really, it is quite dramatic when my throat swells shut and it will ruin your party if I eat it and have to call an ambulance." or "I'd love to try it, if you'll come to the ER with me afterwards." to pushy people who just won't take no for an answer. Some days I just want to wear a shirt that says Allergic to Corn, Stay Away from me With _____ but the list is reeeeeally long (182 common food ingredients and growing) so for now I'm going to continue to put that assertiveness training to good use.

"Hi, I'm Christine and I have a life-threatening food allergy."

Invisible Illness Awareness Week

2008-09-08T10:49:00.002-06:00

Invisible Illness Awareness Week
http://invisibleillness.wordpress.com
and http://www.invisibleillness.com

Out of the mouths of babes, part II

2008-09-03T22:32:00.008-06:00

Spent some time with the allergy aware 3 year-old today, she unleashed another allergy gem. We were talking to about the importance of brushing our teeth and out of the blue she jumps up, gives me the HALT! hand, and says:

"You can't go in my bathroom, my toothpaste has CORN in it!"

I don't know where she got that one, I don't think I ever told her about my corn-free toothpaste (Adwe Labs Kosher for Passover Toothpaste), and if I did I can't imagine how she remembered it. Amazing. My brain can't hold a new phone # for 10 min. How do kids do it?

It's poison to me

2008-08-31T16:26:00.000-06:00

Oh good grief! (insert expletives of your choice here) A new self help allergy book has just been published, with many recipes that are purportedly "Dairy-free (no cow's milk), Egg-free, Corn-free, and Gluten-free (no wheat flour or other gluten flour)". If you are only egg, dairy and gluten free this is may be a good book, I don't know. If you have a corn allergy, this book unfortunately has plenty of hidden corn in the corn free recipes listed on the website, so please learn what corn is in before trying any of the recipes and accidentally poisoning yourself. The book is called, Food to Some, Poison to Others and is full of so-called "corn-free" recipes that are clearly poison the corn allergic. I need to write a letter to the author and/or publisher once I manage to calm down.

According to her website, the author has a two children and a husband with Celiac Disease and one child also is lactose intolerant. The write up does not list corn as one of their allergens, so I can imagine she may not know all common things corn is in -- HOWEVER, that does not excuse the publisher, the fact checker and the author from doing a little research on the internet to get the corn list and do a basic cross check before they list a recipe as corn free! Good grief people, Jenny Conner's Corn Allergens site with the list of the 180+ common ingredients that contain corn comes up first on a basic google search! It is not like this information is hidden in a underground vault guarded by Cerberus, two words typed into Google, "Corn Allergy" take you right to a link to Jenny's list and many more pointing out some basic issues for the corn allergic.

Before my head starts spinning around, let me give you an example. I am going to try to be calm and make this fun, you can play along. Find the corn in the ingredients from the recipe for Turkey Pesto Sandwiches, the recipe is listed as AF (Dairy-free, Egg-free, Corn-free, Gluten-free) from eatallergy-free.com

Turkey bacon slices
AF Gluten-free bread*, toasted (examples given Brown Rice Frozen Bread www.foodforlife.com, Tapioca Bread www.ener-g.com)
green or red lettuce (no iceberg please)
slices of tomato
1/4 cup soy mayonnaise + her pesto from another recipe (Soy mayonnaise: Veganaise www.followyourheart.com)

How many of these ingredients typically contain corn? If you said 3, you get a gold star. Where is the corn?
1. Turkey bacon. Most meat in the US is processed with citric acid washes, to kill bacteria, has corn based flavoring (mmmm...) added and is sometimes put on those little absorbent pads at the butcher (more corn). If anyone out there actually knows of a place that has truly corn free turkey bacon, please let the Corn Free Foods list know. This needs a warning, at the very least.

2. GF Bread, if it is commercially made or if the recipe calls for xanthan gum, as most Gluten Free recipes for bread use it-- as the corn allergic know is a gum commonly made from fermenting corn sugar with Xanthomonas campestris bacterium, so it contains CORN!!! Most, if not all, commercial GF bread contains xanthan gum and citric acid (more corn) and often times corn-grown yeast. Absolutely poison to me.

3. Wax on the tomatoes. Corn. Not all wax has corn, you can get lucky sometimes with organic producers that use pure beeswax, but with "industrial organic," you are still likely to get corned.

The lettuce and the Veganaise are fine, as long as that lettuce is not the pre-washed bagged lettuce. That lettuce is also citric acid washed and can cause allergic reactions. Uggh.

So, 2/5 of the ingredients are actually AF (Dairy-free, Egg-free, Corn-free, Gluten-free).

Imagine you bought this cookbook because you have several people with severe food allergies coming over for lunch. One with a dairy allergy, one with an egg allergy, one with a corn allergy and one with Celiac disease. Now you have one lunch guest going to the hospital. Bad host! Bad! But the corn allergic guest in the ER due to an anaphylactic reaction is not really your fault since the recipes claim to be corn free. Now I'm getting cranky again. I just just hate it when people try to kill me with bad information, even if the the recipe sounds good.

Are you up for another round of find the corn? Here are the ingredients from another simple sandwich:

1. Turkey/Sausage loaf (the recipe for that is also given, ingredients for that that generally do contain corn and should at least have a warning are:

Turkey, ground
Turkey sausage
Carrot -- a regular carrot (dirt on) is fine, the ones that have been washed and peeled contain citric acid --corn-tamination
Tomato Paste - citric acid
Salt - iodized salt, or any other salt that has a flowing agent added contains corn :( Sea salt without flowing agents is fine
Organic Worcestershire Sauce -- link provided to one which has no corn syrup, but still contains the distinctly corn-y ingredients of xanthan gum, "natural flavors" and regular salt. Joey's Cooking Corner (Corn Free Cooking Blog) has a recipe for homemade corn free worcestershire sauce.
Rice Bread Crumbs or Rice Thins -- again, needs a warning to check ingredients for citric acid and xanathan gum in the bread
turkey bacon

2. AF Gluten-free bread -- same issue as before

3. Organic Ketchup -- link provided to one with no corn syrup, but the ingredients list "vinegar" -- that means grain vinegar which usually contains corn. Bad for the corn allergic ( I would think it is bad for the wheat allergic too), but according to by brother who is Celiac it is gluten free. I only know about what makes me sick. I've only been able to get corn free ketchup only at the Kosher for Passover stores.

4. Soy Mayonnaise

5. Leaf green or red lettuce

Again, our answer is 3 main ingredients in the sandwich and 8 sub-ingredients in the turkey loaf contain, or have the potential to contain corn and at least need a warning for the corn allergic. The soy mayonnaise and the lettuce are fine for your corn allergic guest.

I started writing this to calm down, so that I would not dash off an incoherent rant filled letter to the author. Initially, I was excited when I saw corn free recipes, I was ready to go buy the book! Then I got that cold finger of fear going down my spine as I read the few recipes on the website that purport to be corn free. I don't want to write something nasty, I haven't read the book, but at the very least the information on the website needs to be modified before someone newly diagnosed with a corn allergy (who doesn't know enough to know these recipes are full of corn) gets hurt. I still need to calm down enough to say this tactfully, but after dissecting the recipes I'm angry and hungry.

I think I can speak for all of us when I say that that the corn allergic want to be included, in cookbooks and allergy free food. We get very excited when a tasty corn free food comes on the market.Enjoy Life initially labeled their products as free from common allergens, including corn. Many of us tried their cookies and granola bars, assuming that the xanthan gum was not grown on corn. I did a happy dance in the aisle of Whole Foods when I read the box and bought every flavor, I couldn't believe it! It was too good to be true, someone had included us in the food allergic specialty foods group! How cool. I was ready to order cases of the stuff.

Throwing caution to the wind, I ate a whole bar in one go. I reacted horribly and so did others. Several people contacted the company to try to figure out where the corn was and why we were getting sick on "corn-free" food. Turns out that their supplier grows the xanthan gum on corn, they were not aware that this was an issue for folks with a corn allergy. Instead of getting xanthan gum grown on a different medium like beets, which is possible, they changed their packaging. It no longer says that it is free of corn. Kudos to the company for quickly correcting their information, *sigh* for giving up on us so quickly. Right now, I am really excited about the Yummy Earth organic lollypops. So good, no corn syrup, no chemicals and the colors come from organic black carrots and pumpkins!

So, how do you tell someone, who has worked hard to develop this book, that her recipes are poison? Well, poison to me. Maybe I'll feel nicer after I've had something to eat.

Out of the mouths of babes

2008-08-28T12:22:00.008-06:00

A friend's three year old, as she would say almost four, almost caused me to drive off the road yesterday. During our drive back from the park she discovered the box of corn-free crackers I keep on the back seat as emergency food. Before digging in she asked if they were corn free. When I assured her that they were, she started eating them up like they were the best crackers she had ever tasted. The crackers are ok, but not really that amazing.

I started to worry that I was going to ruin her lunch by stuffing her full of crackers during her 10 min. in the backseat. So I asked, "Should you be eating all those crackers? Aren't the corn-free crackers just for me?"

She, stopped mid bite and very solemnly assured me, "No, these are mine. I have a corn allergy too." I laughed so hard, I drove right past our turn.

Happily, she had a miraculously recovered from her allergy when it came time for a soft granola bar bedtime snack that is full of corn syrup and other corn-y ingredients (she asked if it was corn free, but decided that it was yummy enough to eat anyway), but she still remembered to wash her hands before hugging me. Now if she can just cure my allergies.

Nominate a Food Allergy Research Members Project

2008-08-27T17:03:00.003-06:00

Lets get some more money for Food Allergy Research! Go to the AmEx Members' Project Find a Cure for Food Allergies before midnight on August 31 (only 5 days left) to nominate this project for up to $1.5 million in funding.

You don't have to be a member to be part of the nomination process, you can sign up as a guest member with just an email address. So, all you allergy folks please get clicking to get your friends and family to get AmEx to donate some of their money. For the final voting only AmEx members will be able to vote.
------------------------------------------------
Here are all the details about the project:

Project
For people with food allergies, a minuscule amount of the wrong food can be fatal within minutes. Imagine if this were you...or your child. There is no cure for food allergies, but scientists believe a cure is within reach. My project is to support a multi-faceted approach to finding a cure: increasing the number of institutions with food allergy clinical programs, encouraging more researchers to study the problem, and allocating more funds to promising research projects.

Problem
More than 12 million Americans have food allergies, including over 3 million children. Food allergies are found among all races and ethnic groups, and can be developed at any age. For unknown reasons, there has been an alarming increase in the number of children developing allergies to common foods such as milk, eggs, and peanuts. In the U.S., food allergies kill hundreds of people each year and are responsible for 30,000 emergency room visits. Millions more are affected worldwide.

Impact
Researchers believe that with $50 million per year for five to ten years, a cure for food allergies can be found. Innovative research is being attempted: isolating DNA from major food allergens and developing a Chinese herbal formula to protect against anaphylaxis are just two avenues that are being explored. Building on progress made in treating asthma and non-food allergies, scientists believe a vaccine for food allergies can be found within a decade if research is sufficiently funded.

Inspiration
This project for my son, who has food allergies...for a 12 year old girl who died after eating a cookie...for a 12 year old boy who died after eating birthday cake...and for a 4 year old boy who died after eating peanuts. It's hard to express the fear that is always present for parents of food-allergic children. Risk surrounds everyday activities, from playdates to school cafeterias to parties to restaurants. My inspiration is knowing that, with enough funds, millions of people can be cured.

I (heart) my doctor

2008-08-24T19:19:00.012-06:00

I dread finding a new doctor. Not because there is a lack of good or even great doctors out there, but because I hate the moment when I have to explain that every time she (or he) wants me to try a new medicine I have to check the ingredients and possibly call the company. If you are a doctor, stop rolling your eyes now! No, I don't have a tinfoil hat and the aliens are not talking to me through my fillings, I am not one of those people. I just don't want to get sicker while I am trying to get well, I have a corn allergy and corn is a common filler ingredient in prescription and over-the-counter medications.

This is why I (heart) my current doctor, her sister has a true corn allergy too. She is fine prescribing me the same safe antibiotic each time I need one (about 1x/year), she wrote me a script for compounded Tylenol without a question, and she believes me when I say, "No, I can't take that." She loves that I check the medication options against a list on my palm pilot and that I research what might work for me and what is not safe. She is my ideal doctor and I got very lucky in finding her. I never imagined finding the perfect doctor for me and I still can not believe how great she is -- on top of having a sister with a corn allergy she is a talented, compassionate doctor and funny too.

I've unfortunately dealt with other doctors, usually briefly, who either would not listen when I explained that I could not take a medication due to a corn allergy, could not understand that I was allergic to a common filler in a medicine, or would not believe that I had a question about the inactive ingredients in what they were prescribing. Let me be clear, I have no problem with their choice of medicine, I go to doctors because I need help from experts. I respect the fact that they are very busy, very hard working professionals with years of study, practice, and experience. I just know that I have been diagnosed with I corn allergy, that corn and corn derived ingredients make me very sick and can make my throat swell shut. I don't expect anyone who is not an allergist with their own corn allergy patients to know all the ins and outs of medication issues. I used to try to explain the corn-in-medicine issue to the few doctors who didn't believe me, but after dealing with an ER doctor who got really ugly about my lack of medical expertise, I have come up with new, unpleasant tactic for those who don't want to listen. I will be a HUGE jerk about it. Here is what I imagine myself doing:

I will smile sweetly, open my eyes wide and say, "OK if I understand correctly, you are saying there is no possibility of a single corn protein being in the medical grade corn starch in this medicine and no chance of it causing an anaphylactic reaction. I believe you, since you are the doctor. Here are my Epi-pens. Here is my Benadryl. I think we may need some assistance and witnesses for this--I'm going to take the medicine in front of you but first I will need you to accept full liability for any allergic reaction, which you say can't happen." Since I live in America, which is a frivolous lawsuit happy country, this is not a nice thing to say, and I would never ever even think of thinking it around anyone who is being rational. Yep, I'm going to be a horrible jerk, but he started it. (I hope that the ER doc was having a bad day and is not really that awful to everyone.)

I really (heart) my current doctor. And I (heart) my previous family doctor, from the other side of the country too; Dr. M. was my doc when we discovered the allergy. He is amazing in a whole different kind of kind of way, as things kept getting cut out of my life while I was working with my first allergist, Dr M. was never troubled by any weird request I threw at him and was happy to give me all the information I needed to figure out if I could take a medicine (I can't imagine anyone else really wanted the inserts from the samples). He and his staff were so encouraging, they would fill me in on the latest info on food allergy research and laugh with me when I told them about my latest stupid mistake.

His PA gave me some of the best advice I've ever received on confusing labels. I saw her for lingering symptoms (fat tongue x 3days) from a reaction to a vitamin that claimed to be soy, wheat, egg, corn and a bunch of other stuff free. It obviously wasn't corn free. She tried very hard to keep a straight face while listening to my fat tongue impaired explanation and finally said, "If you don't know precisely what the heck is in the darn thing, don't put it in your mouth." Words to live by.

After a martial arts injury resulted in a pinched nerve (T-12/L-1) that presented oddly as extreme lower right quadrant pain, Dr M. sent me for a host of uncomfortable and unpleasant tests. From this we discovered my allergy to CT-Dye and just how much corn is in all of the stuff you have to swallow to have your insides looked at and how much corn in the things that mask the flavor of the nasty stuff you have to swallow. Unflavored barium shake anyone? It has been years, but just thinking about that shake still gives me dry heaves. Dr. M. and his amazing staff managed to get all the tests ordered minus the corn ingredients -- that had to be a minor miracle and a major headache.

I really (heart) my doctors. The thing that makes both of them stand out is that they are fine with my coming to their office having researched possible diagnoses and treatments for what is bothering me. I don't do this for fun, I don't know if I am even in the ballpark with what I have come up with, but I do this to see what medications they may want to use so I can check out the inactive ingredients beforehand and come up with a set of safe medications. I am never trying to be difficult, I am trying to be safe and to not throw off their office schedule with requests for extra information. So many people on the Avoiding Corn Forum have not yet found a family doctor who understands their corn allergy, the problems it creates and the steps we take to stay healthy. Every time I read a post about someone dealing with a doctor who can't understand how we react to common medication, I wish the writer could just skip all the frustration and go to my amazing doctor.

I used to have a hard time standing up for myself, but this allergy put an end to that. I hope I will never have to use the jerk speech, I don't like being a difficult/weird/over-informed patient, having to check my medications, or asking the pharmacist to call the doctor and ask for a different medication because they checked and found corn. If I say no to a medicine, it certainly is not because I am second guessing my doctor's choice of medication to treat a particular illness, it is just because I can't take the second dose once my throat has swollen shut. I really (heart) my doctors because they understand and because they would think this post is funny. Maybe I'll send it to them on Valentine's Day.

Packin' Epi

2008-08-24T09:20:00.007-06:00

I've been reading some of the back to school posts on parents blogs and feeling relieved that I don't have to worry about how to carry my 2 Epi-pens and liquid Benadryl with me, since I just throw it in my purse. [Great post links to sites selling a range of carriers for kids at checkmytag.com ]I'll eat those words with a little corn-free mustard now, thank you. I needed a good hands-and-shoulders-free way to carry my emergency meds yesterday.

We had our big end of the summer party yesterday, an all day event with booths, games, a cookout and an outdoor movie. I was only scheduled to work till 8 since the planners decided get a professional size popcorn maker and serve popcorn during the movie. At the final meeting I found out that the cookout menu had been changed and we would also be cooking 300 ears of corn, wrapped in foil on the grill. Oh holy-flying-corn-proteins-Batman! I let the organizers know that I may need to leave when the corn starts cooking, since earlier experiments have shown that being in same house where corn is cooking is not good for my ability to breathe.

I was hoping that somehow foil would magically seal every ear and protect me from corn proteins escaping from the cooking foods and going into the air. Or that the fact that we were outside and that I would stay as far away from the cooking area as possible would provide some help. I try to be logical about this allergy, but I fall into wishful and magical thinking about my ability not to have a reaction sometimes -- maybe if I don't look at the area where they are cooking, and the wind always blows to the north, and I stand on one foot, and hold a lucky feather between my toes, and don't think about anything yellow....right. I never have that kind of luck or anti-allergy magic.

Cooking was scheduled to start at 4, I think it started early, because by the time I noticed my lips tingling and the people I was talking with noticed that I had started to look odd, with my oh-so-gorgeous crimson cheeks and puffy lips, and sound odd, with my raspy voice, it was only 4:02. I sent A. to the cooking area to check, and to let the organizer know that I had to leave and I ran away. Is it bad that all my friends and many of my colleagues and acquaintances are trained know the early warning signs of a reaction?

It happened, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been, since I fled the area and had my emergency medications on hand. Before I left the house, I was trying to figure out how to keep my emergency meds on me, since my assigned duties would have my running around for set up and then running around with kids -- not exactly conducive to carrying a purse. I used to have a great flat waist pack (not a big fanny pack) that I used when I traveled, but I have no idea where that is, I also have SOMEWHERE in the house, one of those neck pouches that everyone uses for traveling. I can fit a small bottle of Benadryl and 2 Epi-pens in that, hang it around my neck (under my shirt) and stick it in my waistband of my shorts, on the side, IF I could find it. What I wound up doing was taking the mini Camelback backpack A. uses for skiing, and putting a liter of water (to act as a cold pack), the Epi-pens, 2 bottles of Benadryl, and some safe snacks in that and lugging that around for the day. Not the smallest thing, but the best I could do.

So, now I'm thinking about how I want to carry my Epi-pens, other than thrown in my purse. I don't want any of these cute bags that everyone seems to be selling. I could use any of the cute bags I already have for that. I can see the point if have a kid who doesn't want to carry their Epi and the cute bag makes it more palatable somehow. What I want is a bag that says, "Serious emergency medicine here, if I look like I need help, use what is in this bag!" It would be a plus it if protected the Epi-pens better than my purse. I've found a few things for carrying Epi-pens, but none of them work for me, because I also need to carry liquid Benadryl and can't carry the capsules because they are full of corn!

Here are some interesting, more serious, options for carring 1 or 2 Epi-pens:
Take in Case Leg or Arm Case -- http://www.takeincase.com
Ana-Tote http://www.achooallergy.com/allergyaccessories.asp
Medipouch http://www.medipouch.com/twinject-carrier-products.html
Omax Care http://www.omaxcare.com/

The best one I have found for just Epi-pens, and the one I want to order because it is insulated so I don't have to worry about them overheating. (photo above):
Activeaide http://www.activeaide.com/shop/home.php?cat=103
They are in Australia and I am waiting to hear back on international shipping. Right now, their website is only set up for domestic shipping. I may have to ask a friend in Australia to mail it on to me if they don't ship internationally. Still, it is just sized for 2 Epi-pens and I still have to carry my bottle of Benadryl too.

Update: Jennifer of Comments From the Peanut Free Gallery sent this great link
Peace of Mind Allergy http://www.peaceofmindallergy.com/index.php
They have larger bags that can handle 2 Epi-pens and an inhailer or pre-measured dose of Bendadryl. Now I have to decide between a cool looking bag with room for more or an insulated bag for just my pens. Anyone manufacturers want a test reviewer? (hint, hint!)

Jennifer has even more options up here: http://peanutfreegallery.blogspot.com/2008/08/more-epipen-options.html

I'm packin' Epi, are you?

Corn Early Warning System

2008-08-18T15:19:00.008-06:00

Got a call this morning from a friend warning me that decorative corn had been planted along the north side of the library on campus. Good thing the early warning system is working, that is one more place not to walk or bike. I think that pollination should be over by this late in August, but pure corn just flat out gives me the creeps these days.

She just returned from a vacation in the Midwest and had been thinking about me while driving through the miles and miles of cornfields. Thinking, good thing I wasn't with them! We visited family in Pennsylvania last month where they grow plenty of corn, but fortunately for me the cornfields behind my family home were sold years ago and are now part of a development. I am in favor of preserving farmland and openspace, but in this one case I was really happy not to have to worry about corn pollen during my vacation.

That reminded me of a funny moment a few weeks ago in our neighbors courtyard. We were cooking out with them and their visiting niece and nephew who are all very sensitive and thoughtful about my allergy. The kids make lots of silly jokes and bring me invisible "corn-free corn" to eat with the safe food I bring for me to eat. While we were eating, new neighbors came out and asked M if they could use his grill to to grill some corn. M explained that they would have to wait till we were finished and gone from the courtyard because of my severe corn allergy, but that they were welcome to use it then. The new guy didn't seem to get the seriousness of the allergy because he took out an ear of of the bag to show us it was still in the husk, I guess he wanted us to see that the kernels wouldn't touch the grill. He was totally oblivious to the immediate reactions -- shocked looks on everyone's face, the fact that I was covering my nose and mouth while he wiggled it around. Then things happened very quickly; M, who has lightening reflexes (former boxer & MMA competitor 52-2 record) jumps up, puts himself between Mr. Corn and the rest of us and starts backing him up while talking to him very calmly about how corn is dangerous to people with corn allergies and that he needs to put it away, NOW. Like the poor man was waving around a loaded gun. I think he finally got it. M was certainly my hero that evening.

It's good to know that I have an corn early warning system. It is good to have friends who really have your back.

The Things that Fall Away

2008-08-17T21:31:00.023-06:00

When you are diagnosed with a serious food allergy, your doctor tells you don't eat this food or anything made from this food anymore, gives you a few handouts, your instructions for the Epi-Pen and wishes you the best. There is no thunderclap, no ominous chords warning that this thing, just an an allergy, is going to change every aspect of your life. I got lucky, my first allergist was a fantastic gentleman took the time to educate me about how food allergies work and scared the life out of me with a story about a patient of his with a shellfish allergy who died on her honeymoon after inhaling shellfish proteins from a sizzling platter in a restaurant. I left his office feeling lucky that my allergies were not that bad, but I didn't have a clue how much stuff corn was in, how severe my allergies would become over the next six years, or the things that would fall away as I pared down my life into places and things that are safe.

Giving up the foods that make you sick is not that hard, it is not like a diet where you crave things that can enjoy again. You have a huge incentive, and lots of negative conditioning, to avoid foods that that on a "lucky" day, when you stop the reaction quickly, just make you itchy, puffy, wheezy, and nauseous and on a bad one make your throat swell shut. The particular issue with a corn allergy is that almost everything prepared falls away. If it has citric acid or zanathan gum (or any of the 180+ common ingredients made from corn) it contains corn and, unfortunately, I do react, that means simple things like a bottle of unsweetend iced tea (citric acid) have fallen away .

The other things that fall away are places that are not safe. For me that means places that are corn-y, like movie theaters, amusement parks, outdoor festivals, places that have corn containing chemical and perfumes like most malls and a lot of stores. Good thing my allergist had told me the story about his patient, or I wouldn't have had a clue as to why I was reacting to "smells."

Places I don't go anymore, because I don't want to get sick:

The Body Shop; Bed, Bath & Beyond (too many corn-y fragrances) and similar stores
Department stores in the mall (except for one high risk foray)
Movie Theaters, except the drive-in on cool nights when I can keep the windows up
Street Fairs & Festivals where popcorn and nachos are sold
Concert venues where popcorn/nachos are sold -- just missed a great concert at Red Rocks :(
Amusement parks
Cleaning products aisle of the grocery store, I basically shop in the produce and dairy isle
Target -- they sell popcorn inside the front door
Waiting rooms of car dealerships, service stations etc, they tend to be full of fragrance
Whole Foods after 9pm, even their green cleaning products have corn and cleaning happens in the evening
Hair Salons & Spas -- I haven't had a haircut in over a year, after I had a reaction at the Avada salon (yes, their eco-friendly products have corn)
I try to avoid Wal-Mart on general principle, but on the rare occasions I have to go into the store, I have a very short life span; the amount of chemicals in the air gives me about 15 min. before I start to react
Outdoor activities where people are using lots of bug spray (corn, corn and more corn)
Places with poor ventilation and people wearing lots of perfume so that means no:

plays
lectures
dance performances
fancy restaurants (not that we go to a lot of restaurants)

Most restaurants, of course (there are 2 safe places in our town)
Cafes that only use corn plastic cups (they are not as stable or hypo-allergenic as their manufacturers claim, I react to them and other corn allergic people on the Avoiding Corn Delphi Forum report similar reactions)
Swimming pools and hot tubs (wheezing and full body hives, yuck)
Gyms, heath clubs (all the sanitizers and air fresheners)
Homes of friends who use air fresheners or a lot of perfume (it is really embarrassing to run out of someone's house in the middle of a reaction)
Laundry rooms, laundromats -- Bounce dryer sheets are full of corn, I assume the other versions are as well, at least Bounce lists its ingredients.

This list is getting too long. When I started writing, I was thinking that I don't really miss the things that have fallen away, I barely notice some of them. I was thinking that we, the food allergic, just accept what we need to do to be safe and healthy, make these adjustments and move on. Sure, sometimes we whine a bit to our partners or get angry when a manufacture changes an ingredient making a staple food unsafe for us. I was thinking the things that have fallen away are not that important, but I when I re-read that list I realized that a lot of it is fun stuff and my partner has given up most of those things too, since our free time together is obviously constrained by what is safe for me. I don't care about avoiding the stores, I'm happier wanting and buying less, particularly since shopping for groceries at Whole Foods is safer for me but not cheap.

What has fallen away for you? Do you mind or is the trade off worth it? What do you factor in?

For me it usually comes down to whether the event is worth the negative consequences of the smallest possible bad outcome; a minor Benadryl coma, feeling like a dying slug for the next day or two. The things on my list are not worth the negative outcome for me. I'll take risks for big things like a family wedding, but not for little things that are just for a brief amusement. Those are the things that have fallen away.

Allergies and Vampires

2008-08-16T08:23:00.020-06:00

A friend recently got me into Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, as usual I'm several years behind on the latest craze. If you haven’t read the books, all you need to know for the rest of this post to make sense is that they are about Bella, a human, her boyfriend Edward Cullen, a vampire (and his “siblings” Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett, and their “parents” Carlisle and Esme), and her best friend Jake, a werewolf. Obviously there is much more to it than that or people would not be going crazy over the books. But enough said; there are no plot spoilers to be wary of if you are reading the series, but I talk a bit about a one scene from Twilight.

As I was reading I felt myself developing a connection with the vampires, not in a gothy-teen I can identify with undead way but more a boy, they have a lot of food restriction problems and uncontrollable reactions too way. Oh, did I mention that the Cullens are “vegetarian” vampires, in that they don’t eat people? They hunt animals, but people smell very tempting in a way that can cause an almost uncontrollable reaction or make them feel ill trying to control it. Unfortunately, there is no vampire version of Epi-pens or Benadryl to stop their reactions, just self-control.

There is a scene in the first book where, while opening her birthday presents at the Cullens’, Bella gets a paper cut and Jasper goes from normal nice guy to blood-crazed vampire faster than you can say anaphylaxis. In the course of protecting her from his bigger brother, Edward accidentally pushes Bella into the table holding the plates, and she winds up with a huge gash down her arm. So the living room of the vampire home is now contaminated and they flee the room, just as I would if someone opened a bag of popcorn or a corn-filled air freshener in my living room. Carlisle, who is a doctor and not sensitive to blood, cleans the wound and stitches up Bella’s arm, while the more resistant members of the family (who can fortunately hold their breath for hours—wouldn’t that be a nice option!) disinfect the living room with bleach and burn everything that had been used to clean up the blood.

This scene popped into my head last night when I had to try to selectively decontaminate my kitchen in the middle of cooking dinner. I’d bought a bunch of beautiful squash, zucchini and beans at the campus organic veggie stand and decided to cook up a big Thai curry with my stash of the one safe coconut milk. (Mr. Coco brand has no citric acid or xanthan gum, so it is corn-free.) Luckily, I sampled one of the beans while I was chopping them because I had a reaction! (Beans? This is a very weird reaction; I’m going to ask the farmers next week if they were co-grown with the corn.) So, after drinking a bunch of Benadryl and getting out the Epi-pen just in case, I had to stop and think about what the evil poison beans had touched and decontaminate the kitchen so I could finish cooking dinner before the Benadryl coma hit. The cutting board and bowl they were on went back in the sink. I picked up the knife to slice the squash and realized I’d just been cutting beans with that knife! Whoops. All the veggies needed to be rewashed because they had been in the same final wash water as the beans. I wound up just scrubbing down the prep area and starting over. Too bad I don’t have super-vision that tells me where corn-tamination occurs.

The vampires’ sense of smell can cause them pain; mine does too. Of course it is much more elegant and dramatic when you are a fictional vampire and the smell of a werewolf is revolting or the smell of human blood causes a physically painful reaction. Me, I have a nose like a bloodhound and get sick from all the corn in the air—in perfume and air fresheners—and I generally look like an idiot. I can sniff out corn in just about any form. The first indicator is that my cheeks turn crimson, and then the reaction begins. In the last two weeks I’ve managed to have my eyes stream like a waterfall when I walked into the church at my cousin’s wedding, and I had to bolt out of the gate area in a small airport where they had sprayed Febreze to cover construction smells. At the airport, I stood at the edge of the security and the gate areas, close to the construction zone where there was an opening to the outdoors, lips swelling, eyes puffing, swigging from my two-ounce bottle of Benadryl and praying we would board before the TSA folks decided that I couldn’t stand there. My partner talked to the gate agent, asking if we could be the first to board when it was time to go because I was having an allergic reaction to something sprayed in the room. The agent was very confused , but let us go through as quickly as possible when I jogged in with my hand over my nose and mouth, desperately trying not to breath. Such savoir-faire.

I think many of us with severe food allergies can identify with the day-to-day issues of the Twilight vampires, finding safe food, constantly being on alert to avoid things that trigger reactions, and decontaminating our living areas after an allergen has been introduced. So when do the grace, style, and superpowers show up? Considering what a goofball I’ve been lately, I’d settle for any one of the three.

Design Your Own Band

2008-08-14T08:21:00.004-06:00

Check out this site http://www.design-a-band.com for a neat way to make a medical allert allergy bracelet. The site is called Design A Band and they have 10 sizes and 26 color variations, a little something for everyone.
The medical alert bracelet I wear is an engraved silver plate (with a lot of information) that I've made different beaded bracelet bands for, but it is not something that I want to wear for hard use around water or in the woods. This seems like a good alternative for those (all to rare) sporty moments.

With sizes ranging from toddler through XL adult, they have something for just about everyone. This looks like a great thing for kids, since the medical alert bracelet will be just another one of those bracelets that all the kids are wearing. They have lots of clip art too. I haven't placed my order yet, so I can't say anything about service or quality, though I imagine that one silicone band is much like another. I'll try to remember to update this post after I order.

All in the Family?

2008-08-04T08:16:00.006-06:00

In getting ready to go to my cousin’s wedding, I sent her an email about bringing my own food to the reception, since I wanted to enjoy the wedding and not have any drama with an allergic reaction. I had not kept anyone up to date on how severe my allergies had become and was worried that they would try to accommodate me with a special meal when all I wanted was to bring my food so that I could safely enjoy their special day. Her emails back to me were quite a surprise. I’ll let you read for yourself...

From: "Corn Allergy Cousin"
Subject: Re: wedding
To: "Bride to Be Cousin"
Date: Wednesday, July 2, 2008, 7:25 PM

Hi B,

Our RSVP is in the mail and we are planning to attend!!!! We wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Please count us in and put A. down for the Prime Rib selection. As for me, I sent a note about my menu issue with the RSVP and have been planning to call your mom about this as well, but haven’t had 5 min, to myself lately. With my corn allergy, which has become really severe, I was hoping it would be okay if I brought something that I knew was safe for me to eat so I don’t chance having a reaction during the reception.

I spent some time researching the best way to handle this and found that most people with food allergies and either asked the catering staff to put it on a plate for them so it is served with everyone else or just have an empty plate at their seat and serve themselves. This corn allergy is so crazy, it is much safer for me to just take my own food. (You would not believe the stuff that corn is in, like regular table salt!) Please let me know if this is okay.

Love,
C

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Bride to Be Cousin"
Subject: Re: wedding
To: "Corn Allergy Cousin"
Date: Thursday, July 3, 2008, 4:14 PM

Hey C,
I'm so glad that you and A will be able to attend. That is no problem; let me know which way you would prefer so I can email my wedding coordinator at the club. I don't want you to get sick and not enjoy yourself.

I was telling your dad that I have a lot of stomach issues and it makes me wonder if I'm not allergic to something too. It seems to run in the family because M. [note: my younger brother who is gluten intolerant] has a food allergy too.

Sometimes I feel like I have an 'attack' of some sort and I’m doubled over in pain. Recently I had an ultrasound done on my gal bladder and I am scheduled for a scope of my stomach this month. Which I had before and my problem was not solved. I asked my allergist a while ago about a possible food allergy. I'm surprised my stomach Dr. never sent me for testing.....oh well....

Well, I'm glad that you and A. will be at our wedding!!! Just get back to me ASAP about how you would like to be served dinner. Also, I know you will be traveling far, so you are more than welcome to refrigerate your food at my house during the ceremony and I know that all of the hotel rooms have a fridge.

Love,
B

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Corn Allergy Cousin"
Subject: Re: wedding
To: "Bride to Be Cousin"
Date: Friday, July 4, 2008, 7:26 AM

Hi B,
Thanks so much for being so understanding and helpful, food allergies are a pain. For serving dinner, I’d like to do whatever is easiest for the caterers so there is a minimum of hassle and fuss. I’ll bring something simple in an insulated bag with a ice pack and keep it easy to deal with — I just want to avoid a reaction on your big day!

I didn’t discover my food allergy till I had trouble breathing from a reaction, but my allergist and I think I have had it at a low level my whole life since I used to have horrible stomach pain and headaches several times a week ( I never left the house without Tylenol & Tumms) as well a odd bouts of dizziness. Now that I don’t eat corn or corn derivatives, I don’t have the headaches or stomach pain anymore.

My allergist suspects that my mom, and maybe Grandmom too, may have had low level food allergies since the three of us were always hitting the Tumms for our “bad stomachs” but were probably self medicating for a sub-clinical allergic reactions. Try to avoid being allergic to corn, since it is in everything from perfume to wax on fruit and is a real pain to avoid! I’ve gotten more sensitive over time so now I have to carry epi-pens and be very careful, it is considered a life-threatening allergy.

One thing that was helpful for me was to keep a food diary so I could track what I reacted too, but it took a combination of the skin tests and the food challenge diet (you eat just one food family for 3 days to see if you react to it) to determine what I was allergic to — but we got several false positives because of cross contamination with corn and for a while we thought I was allergic to corn, dairy, wheat, nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers), rice and apples but that was due to cross contamination from corn during the test.

I have WAAAAAAAY too much information on food allergies and testing, if you need more. Are they doing the scope and a biopsy to check for gluten intolerance?

We can’t wait to see you!
Love,
C
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Bride to Be Cousin"
Subject: Re: wedding
To: "Corn Allergy Cousin"
Date: Friday, July 4, 2008, 10:37 AM

OMG! So I'm NOT crazy!!! I have trouble breathing too at times after eating AND I always have headaches AND I have had small dizzy spells. Everyone thinks I'm crazy and “it's all in my head.'' My purse is loaded with Tums and Advill too!!!

I'm going to tell my doctor about the family history, I had no idea. Hopefully this will solve it. I THINK they are going to test for food allergy. I have been trying to eat some organic foods lately thinking that I may react to pesticides non-organic foods have.

I will talk to my wedding coordinator about your meal. I will see if they will plate it and bring it out with the meals at your table. Thanks for the info! Talk to you soon

Love,
B
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Corn Allergy Cousin"
Subject: Re: wedding
To: "Bride to Be Cousin"
Date: Saturday, July 5, 2008, 6:00 AM

B—you are SO NOT crazy!! We need to talk! Our symptoms are so similar and I hope I can save you some time with a diagnosis if we have the same issue! (I really hope you don’t have a corn allergy though, it sucks!) If you have trouble breathing after you eat, your allergist needs to take this very seriously! Do you have Benadryl? It is a good idea to carry some in case of a serious breathing problem!

I eat mostly organic food since I react to the trace amounts of corn in pesticides. Call me when you are free, my cell is 555 867-5309 What is your cell #? We can talk tomorrow.

Some other problems that had just shown up in the years before the diagnosis were severe joint pain and needing to nap after eating, I don’t have these problems anymore either. It got so bad that I would feel drugged if I ate something that had corn syrup in it, like cake with frosting, so I thought the problem was sugar. When I was in grad school I actually went sugar free for a few months, till I had a cookie at a Thanksgiving dinner!

Love,
C

*********
The wedding was amazing, more about that later, but at the reception I discovered that another cousin's 15-month old baby has a severe dairy allergy. This is all on my mom’s side of the family. Just 7 years ago none of us knew a thing about food allergies.

We talked about her taking some Benadryl on her honeymoon, just to be safe since they are going to the food paradise of Italy. But, on the good news side the breathing difficulties after eating may be due to newly diagnosed hiatal hernia, which can be treated. So, I hope that our common symptoms don't indicate allergies after all, but they are so similar I still wonder. She is going to talk to her allergist about food allergies as she has had some other issues with breathing and I think some swelling of her tongue, so I hope she will find out soon.

All by myself

2008-07-27T10:25:00.010-06:00

Cue treacly music...
I spent yesterday the afternoon/evening in Denver shopping for a dress and shoes to wear to a wedding while my partner went to Ellich Gardens (formerly 6 Flags) with our friends and their kids. We had decided that it was not safe for me to go based on the the popcorn and nachos sold in the park, and I reeaally needed to get that dress. That was pretty much it for smart decisions for that outing.

I had already programmed the places I wanted to go into the GPS and was ready to start what promised to be an all day shop-a-thon. Everything was going fine till about 2:30 when my stomach signaled that it was time for lunch. I realized that I very rarely eat by myself away from home and since I was the one with the car there was going to be a BIG problem if I had a reaction. So, I tried to ignore the lunch concept lunch figuring that we could all get something for dinner or maybe I would see a Whole Foods before then where I could get a FAGE (corn free) yogurt. Eventually I pulled into a Safeway to get some water and got hit by a bunch of chemical corn-y fragrances just trying to get to the water isle. That's when I started thinking that maybe this shopping alone day wasn't the best idea.

But, I was on a shopping mission, I had to find this dress and shoes and I had not wanted to inflict this slog on any of my friends, so I kept going. Amazingly enough, I found a dress in a relatively short time. After trying on so many things I think I had too much fashion and too many clothing chemicals so I decided to go to the Apple store for my next errand, a new power adapter. Since I had downloaded all the Apple stores in the US to the TomTom map, it was easy enough to let the GPS direct me there. What I didn't know was that it was not a stand alone store, like the one in Boulder, but was inside a mall. With all the corn-y foods and fragrances being sprayed everywhere, malls are a high hazard area for the corn allergic. I don't really have a good excuse for what I did next, except that I really wanted this power adapter, I am overly attached to my computer and will take stupid risks for it. Geek girl. I decided to go far enough into the mall to look at a map and if the Apple store was too far I would either drive around to avoid the hazards or just quit. So I parked, and I went through the minefield of the Macy's cosmetics area. Nobody was spraying perfume, my lips weren't tingling with "you are being poisoned" warning, things seemed okay as I rushed through the store, trying not to look too panicked. I figured if I ran or looked really nervous their security would have a reason to stop me and only having a limited life span in a mall, so have to get in and out before I hit something that causes a big reaction.

Made it out of Macy's, into the atrium, no popcorn, some pretzel things but nothing pushing pure corn proteins into the air--safe so far and the directory straight ahead. Found the Apple store, 1 floor up, food court far away, Apple store just past the Nine West/Easy Spirit shoe stores. Up the escalator, no perfume on this level, into the Apple store, away from all the smells except technology. Safe. This mad dash through allergen land turned out to be for nothing as there were no G4 adapters in stock. As I prepared to dash back through the minefield to the parking lot, I stopped at the shoe store to find some silver sandals to go with my new fancy dress. After trying on about 6 pair of shoes, I wound up buying the first pair I had tried on -- needlessly prolonging my time in allergen land. At this point I felt like I needed a diving watch to show how long I had been in and how much time I had left, or at least someone with me to tell me if I was showing any of the preliminary signs of exposure.

Since there was nothing I could do about it now, I hustled back down to the first floor, past the pretzel stand, through scary fragrance and cosmetic land and out to the beautiful fresh air of the parking garage where I wanted to take in big lung-fulls of ethanol laden exhaust, but thought better of it. So I hustled to the car, cranked up the a/c with the air on recirculate, and tried to think of somewhere safe to go till it was pickup time from the park.

I wanted somewhere small and quiet, so I picked through the favorites programmed into the TomTom till I found the Tattered Cover , a great local bookstore on the 16th street pedestrian mall in LoDo. Quiet, calm, fragrance free, local, they probably even had something I could eat if I got really desperate. Usually I take food along for me, but it had been a exhausting week and I had not given myself enough time to get organized that morning. I passed a Whole Foods while I was driving, and, in retrospect, I should have just gone there, had a yogurt, bought a magazine and hung out for an hour. The Tattered Cover is a great bookstore, I finally bought Michael Pollan's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, which, if you don't know where your food comes from, you really ought to read (you will also want to visit foodroutes.org and localharvest.org ).

Here is where I made my mistake. I sat down. I relaxed. I got tired. So, I thought I would have a latte. I ordered my coffee, checked to see that the milk was from the local dairy (not the local dairy where I live, but one close to Denver that I thought was corn safe-I had forgotten to recharge the palm pilot and couldn't check the list) in a plastic, not cardboard, container, and I brought my own cup -- all the variables covered. I had coffee at the Tattered Cover about 6 months ago with no problems, I didn't think there would be a problem this time. Unfortunately previous successes do not accurately predict present conditions. The coffee was decent, I was running on fumes so I drank it quickly, rather exercising caution and holding a small sip in my mouth for a moment to see if my lips start to tingle (I am the queen at surreptitiously spitting things out). As I drank the last sip I my face started to tingle and the phone rang, time to go to Elich's to pick everyone up.

Great, now what? If I take Benadry, I can't drive, if I don't take Benadry, I might not be able to breathe. I quickly ordered another coffee, for A. not for me, so that he could stay away for the hour drive home once I took Benadryl, and started popping Zantac. Zantac, according to my allergist, is a histamine B blocker. I was hoping this would help buy me a little time while I drove to Elich's (about 5 min.) 1 min to get the coffee + 5 for the drive, then Benadryl time. I felt like a junkie craving a fix as I drove. I trying to drive safely, keep a eye on the unfamiliar streets, pay attention to the reaction and my breathing, listen to the TomTom, and figure out how long I had before I couldn't stop this reaction and need the Epi-Pen. While my brain was handling all these tasks, there was also that not-so-helpful-internal voice screaming WHAT WERE YOU THINKING! IS THIS HOW YOU WANT TO DIE!

Obviously, everything worked out and I even managed not to used the Epi-Pen although now I think I should have. 3/4 of a bottle of Benadryl and a lot of wheezing and coughing later everything worked out. Today I feel like I was beaten up, but from the inside, and my lungs and throat hurt. That's why I think I should have used the Epi-Pen. My rule is as long as I am breathing okay I don't use it -- my allergist relaxed his initial advice for me or I would be using 1 every week. His advice was whenever your lips or tongue swell use the Epi-Pen. Now it is whenever your breathing is impaired. [Note: If you have an allergy and are reading this --do not change your usage, this depends on how your reactions progress!!! Always follow your allergist /doctors recommendations for the use of the Epi-Pens, these things can save your life! Nothing I say in this blog is actual medical advice, I am NOT a doctor. This is just about the stupid stuff I do. I am the horrible warning, not the good example.]

What I was going to write about when I started this post was how infrequently I am alone all day, particularly when I eat. There are only a few places in our town that are corn safe and they know me, so that is not a problem. The chef at one restaurant recently watched King Corn and thinks that it is cool that I can eat at their place with a corn allergy, and likes making the adapted food for me (no peels on my cucumbers please). When I travel, I am usually with my parner so if I have a reaction he is there to help me deal with it. As an added bonus, he is aware of the early signs ( I get a crimson butterfly mask pattern on my face and a sharpening of the outline of my lips before I feel it) and can start me on Benadryl before it becomes a critical problem and can take over things that I can't do once Benadryl is involved, like driving or decision making. I like to think I am an adult and it would be nice not to need a watcher, but all by myself I am a hazard to myself.

Bad FAAN, good article

2008-07-18T16:27:00.006-06:00

Since the corn allergic got such a cold shoulder from FAAN (they used to put out the completely non-scientific, erroneous and insane information that there was no such thing as a corn allergy, and the corn allergic used to point out how much money they took from groups like Kraft who don't want to start labeling corn in their food. ) They have now admitted, that yes corn may be an an allergen in a few rare cases. Wow! Science! (No we are not bitter about this at all. Notice me not raising money for them again this year at the Denver Walk for Food Allergies, and I like to organize people for this kind of thing.) I still feel compelled to point out that the group that is supposed to be the spokesgroup for food allergies does not feel bound by good science or basic common sense. Bad FANN, no $$ or love for you from those of us with a corn allergy, if I listened to you, I would be dead. Thanks!

So, I love it when corn is mentioned in the mainstream press a a cause of food allergies and food sensitivities. Also, this is just a good article with some nice hints and products:
Allergy-Free Summer Living
also at http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1484066/allergyfree_summer_living/

Here is another article about a mom and her child with multiple food allergies, including corn. She started a store for people with food allergies. Go Mom! If you are in Virgina Beach, check out Navan Foods: The Allergy Free Food Shop. http://hamptonroads.com/2008/07/battling-allergies

Hope you are enjoying your summer, I am counting the hours till the farmers market tomorrow morning!

Count me out - totally, dude

2008-07-12T07:26:00.001-06:00

After a good discussion with the staff nurse, who by the end of the conversation was sounding like she would throw herself in front of the gates to keep me out of there, I decided that this weekend retreat in the mountains was way too risky for me to participate in and I would not go. I wrote this email detailing the reasons for not attending:

Dear Really Nice Upper Manager Person,

Thank you so much for sitting down with me on Wed. to discuss my allergy issues and accommodations that could be made to make the trip to Waaay Out in the Mountains safe for me. I appreciate the time and thought you put into dealing with this issue and the helpfulness of Nice Place to Work in allowing me to make the final decision about my personal safety. As we discussed, ultimately it is an issue of balancing risks and taking into account all the factors. After weighting the risks, I have regretfully decided not to attend.

The thoughtful accommodations for my allergy you offered, of a single room with a private bath, asking people not to spray bug spray or perfume in the buildings, and staying out of the dining hall, sounded like this trip could be a safe one for me. I did take your advice and speak with the conference coordinator and one of the staff nurses yesterday. After speaking with them I don't feel that I can control my exposure to corn products enough in the Waaay Out in the Mountains environment, in a best case scenario, to be able to participate in the activities, or, in a worst case scenario, to be safe. The conference planner and nurse both spoke about the amount of bug spray people need to deal with the biting flies and mosquitoes and about the store that makes and sells popcorn on the premises, among other issues. It sounds like an environment very rich in aerosolized corn products. I think the best case scenario for the Waaay Out in the Mountains trip would, unfortunately, have me in my room within hours of arrival, full of Benadryl, and taking another staff member away from the group as a watcher. (The nurse's office is attached to the dining hall, making that an unsafe area to recover from a reaction and I should not be alone for several hours after even a minor reaction, incase of a rebound reaction.)

Just like a ballpark, where peanut shells and fragments may blow around, is too risky for someone with a life-threatening peanut allergy, this situation is simply too risky for me. I don't know if your allergist discussed the bucket theory of the allergic cascade with you, if you have already heard this please forgive the repeat. Think of your histamine load like filling a bucket, every encounter with an allergen raises the water level in the bucket. If the level is low you have a better chance of stopping a reaction, if your level is already at the top and you add one more small drop, you get an overflow, allergic cascade.

My feeling is, as much as I hate to miss the retreat at Waaay Out in the Mountains, with the small repeated exposures that are inevitable in the 36 hours we are there, there is a large potential to start an allergic cascade that becomes a life-threatening issue. If it progresses to an unstoppable anaphylactic reaction the nursing staff there follows the level III anaphylaxis response protocol, this may not be enough to provide the support necessary for the time it takes to reach an ambulance or a hospital from this remote area. This response basically uses the same emergency meds I carry. The nursing staff there cannot provide ACLS, cannot intubate, and cannot provide other emergency life support necessary in this type of a medical situation given the amount of time until a hospital is reached. If I have a severe reaction, they will inject epi, call the ambulance and start driving me toward Home Town in a Waaay Out in the Mountains vehicle to meet the ambulance coming from Home Town. The worst case scenario is that I add to the horrible warnings about how not to manage food allergies, no one wants this. (US statistics range from 100-300 deaths per year, and 30,000+ hospitalizations from food allergies)

Best case scenario is not zero reactions, with the amount of bug spray necessary to be outside it sounds like corn will be in the air, period. Best case scenario would only have me being a very limited participant and a drag on the rest of the group.

I started to discuss our meeting and my phone call to Waaay Out in the Mountains with Helpful Immediate Managers 1 and 2 before our staff meeting last night. They were trying to brainstorm ways to be able to include me, and while I appreciate their enthusiasm and willingness to accommodate my health issue, I don't think I have fully communicated the scope of the safety issue to them. I didn't have a chance to finish the discussion with, since during the meeting a treat (which I thought it looked perfectly safe, and I didn't eat) was passed out to celebrate the birth of coworker's beautiful new baby and I had a minor reaction to something in the air; I took a little benadryl to stop the reaction and felt too awful by the end of the meeting to further discuss it with them. I am certain that they will respect my decision to choose the safe option, but if they come up with has a corn free "bubble ball" that I can wear, count me in!

Thank you for your willingness to accommodate my health issue. The changes I have made in my life to stay safe and healthy seem so normal to me that I don't think of this as a disability till I try to do something as fun as this weekend retreat in the mountains. Now I see why life-threatening food allergies are included the ADA. I hate to miss both the team-building and the fun of this weekend, but ultimately staying safe is the intelligent choice.

Please let me know if there is any further information you need from me to support my decision not to attend.

Sincerely,
Your a bit alarmed by "we can't protect your airway" staff member who doesn't want to die over a 36 hour team-building program and who really does understand the risks

[I sent this to several friends to review and one friend who is a lawyer commented that perhaps I should not list out any of the areas where corn is an issue since that is a place to start picking at my argument, but I simply mentioned a few things "among other issues." If we want to start picking this apart, corn exposure starts with transportation --can't drive up with a bunch of normal (corn fragrance exuding) people, can't drive myself back if I've had benadryl.I'm waiting to hear back, but I assume from the discussion with Really Nice Upper Manager Person the final decision is mine.]

Count me in, I guess

2008-07-06T13:51:00.012-06:00

I subscribe to the Chronic Babe email newsletter and think of managing my allergy as managing a chronic illness, but I really never thought of having a life threating food allergy as a disability till now. We have a weekend retreat coming up for work and I found out that we will be bunking 6 to a room and sharing dorm type bathrooms. Yes, this is the same work that decided to serve tacos (corn, corn and more corn) making the lunch room impossible for me to be in the common dining area during the most recent training. Now we have a two day retreat out in the mountains of Colorado coming up and I am not sure how to begin dealing with this. Here is the (edited) info that has been sent out to everyone to address my issue:

"About food allergies, most folks will be ok with the choices in the dining hall, but not all folks if they are highly allergic...I did talk with one of your staff members about bringing food ...there is a small fridge in the hall where we are staying. If anyone else needs this accommodation, please let me know."

The accommodation that is being made for me is that I can bring my own food, which I assumed I would do anyhow just to be safe. I'm trying to be positive about this. When I am feeling cynical, the email reads if you have moderate food allergies ( the kind that are not covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act), we have plenty of options for you. If you have a life threatening food allergy, we have a safe space for you to keep your food, but your allergen will be airborne. I don't really know where to begin with this, because this is not being done maliciously, I think it is just no understanding of the dangers of serious food allergies and I 've never worked anywhere that people didn't understand serious allergies before, so this is a new challenge.

When I am not feeling scared and cynical, I try to see this is as a good opportunity for me to figure out how to explain the dangers of a serious food allergy and educate a group of people so that they are sensitive to this issue for staff in the future. That is only when I am calm and able to ignore the hysterical voice inside of me head screaming "This is too dangerous, you are going to be a horrible warning, not a good example." That voice can get really loud!

Here is what I need to be safe:

No popcorn or other pure corn ( like corn chips in corn oil) being cooked while I am around -- popcorn is the worst for broadcasting proteins over a long distance, no pure corn foods eaten around me. (popcorn, corn chips...)
No corn containing products sprayed around me (perfumes, bug spray / hair spray)
A room and a bathroom that I can share with someone who is either not going to use perfume/ hairspray / bugspray /lotions that contain corn fragrances (there is at least one woman I work with who I know will be happy to do this with with me)
Linens that have not been dried with Bounce -- this is full of corn (I will bring my own, but I am worried about the room in general)
I'd like to know -- how long does it take for the EMT/ambulance to respond to this site?Do they carry and administer epi? Do they have IV Benadryl? There are special problems with medical help for the corn allergic -- if I can't talk will they read my medi alert bracelet about no dextrose/glucose (corn) IV and unpowdered gloved only? (What I really want to know is can they do an in the field trach -- that is how worried I am) Inactive ingredients for a lot of medications contain corn, so even in the hospital, we need to stop the docs and nurses and ask them to check the med before they give them. Sometimes they don't believe this is an issue -- then there are more problems.

I don't know if work will want/be able to make these accommodations. Not that I work with an evil bunch of people, they are generally pretty great, but I worry that my needs may see a bit far out to them. I'm worried to the point of thinking worst case scenarios -- my options may be to sleep in the common area, not shower, sleep in the car, eat outside by myself, basically take enough Benadryl that I sleep through the whole thing anyway and generally leave what is supposed to be a team building weekend feeling isolated and de-motivated. That was the unintended consequence of the last one, I hope it is not the same for this one. Of course the very worst cases are joining the statistics of the food allergic, one of the 30,000+ ER visits in the U.S., one of the 100-300 deaths in the US. (statistics vary). I really don't want to be a horrible warning for poor allergy management.

Let me make it clear that I am not asking for accommodation so that I can have fun, I am asking for accommodation so that I can be sure that I keep breathing. On a day-to-day basis I control my environment to minimize risks, this event sounds like more risks than I would normally take for anything. (I don't go to amusement parks, street fairs, ball games, movie theaters, or other places where I can't control what I will be exposed to because of this allergy.) At times I want to ask if I can be excused for safety reasons, but then I feel like I am not a team player. If I didn't have any health concerns, this is a place I would love to visit and to get to stay for free is a real treat. Now what do I do?

[Edit: I was in a committee meeting with one of the planners of the weekend, afterwards we met for a few min. in her office and I had a strange feeling that she read this blog (hi!), since she immediately offered me my own room, asked about reactions to cleaning supplies, and asked what can't be eaten around me. WOW. Either that or she read my mind. This is so different from the last training!

After a great discussion (including emergency response since this is about 1.5 hrs away from the nearest large town) she ultimately left it up to me to decide if it would be safe for me to go and gave me the number of the conference planner on staff there, so I can get in touch with the staff nurse. I still want to know what emergency supplies they have to support a major reaction --worst case scenario if I need real medical support, I would like to know that there is IV benadryl, steriods, and saline available (not glucose or dextrose since those are corn based and deadly) and someone who will help advocate for me in this situation. Without my sweetheart, A., who has been around for all but 1 of my major reactions, I'm very nervous about handling a reaction without someone else who knows what they are doing around a corn allergy. *oh corn is sooooo special*]

So, I still don't know what I am going to do, but I feel like I have the support of upper management without my having to do this big song and dance about what I need to stay safe. I feel so relieved about this, but I think I still need to come up with a concise way to communicate to adults the dangers of a severe food allergy, what I am allergic to and what I need to be safe. Advice?

Danger! Baby!

2008-06-30T12:23:00.006-06:00

I was going to call this post Poison Baby, but that seems a little too mean since the reaction was not the baby's fault. It's not like she can read the ingredients on what mom gave her to eat, but I should have.

Sunday's reaction was brought to us courtesy of Danger Baby, who disarmed my corn sniffing defenses with her cuteness. I couldn't resist picking her up and playing with her even though she had just finished eating. When she sweetly patted my cheek, the corn oil that dinner was cooked in (she's 14 months old and likes to feed herself)was enough to set off a reaction. Didn't take long before all the fun was over and it was Benadryl and sleepy time for me.

This bundle of cuteness is a friend's niece and her mom has been very understanding about the seriousness my allergy, mom has a penicillin allergy so she knows how much fun a reaction is not. She had been wiping down Danger Baby before I played with her since the baby had been eating clearly corny dinner and snack food every time I had seen her. This time it was a take out food that didn't alert either of us and we were both tired. The cuteness won out over common sense and I'm paying for it with the 1/2 a bottle of children’s dye free Benadryl I drank last night, the asthma, sore throat, stomach problems, Benadryl hangover and the fact that my still swollen fingers are making it hard to type. The Angelena Jolle lips are a bonus though.

Danger! Baby! Don't let the cuteness make you relax your guard.

Who puts corn in everything? Honestly.

2008-06-19T16:20:00.003-06:00

I had one of those 30 second conversations at work the other day that leaves you shaking you head and doubting your sanity. A lovely and sensitive women who is one of the heads of the department I work for happened through my office on the way to a meeting and mentioned that she was going to try to order a corn free option for me for the lunch for our full day training on Saturday. I told her not to bother, that I would bring my own food.

She said, "It's no bother we can get flour tortillas for you, we are having tacos."

I'd like to offer this up as a suggestion, if you know you have someone on your staff that is deathly allergic to a particular food, you might not want to order the meal for the 100+ people who will be at this training to be WRAPPED IN THEIR ALLERGEN!! Honestly.

Okay, corn is a rare allergy. But, the people planning this function know that I did not go to the group bowling thing at the last training because the place made popcorn. They made an effort not to put corn chips in the snack options at the last traning session. They do know how allergic I am and just plain common sense says that if someone has a LIFE THREATENING allergy to a thing, you just do not put it all over the food. It seems that people understand peanut allergy, generally. If you knew that someone on staff was anaphylactic to peanuts, would you roast peanuts or order peanut crusted fish for lunch? No, of course not. That would endanger their life, right? So why would you order lunch wrapped in corn!?!?

I am going to run away during lunch. Inert corn is not a problem, but the way people eat corn chips and tacos really is, since everyone crunches and manages to put plenty of protein in the air, it is the nature of the food. The way I see it, I have two options. I can just not go back after lunch, or I can stay till I get too sick to manage. Once I take Benadryl, my ability to learn anything is gone anyway. I'd like to stay for the training, I love my job. Who puts corn in everything! Honestly.

Edit: BTW I just found out that someone higher up has a mild (as in gets itchy and has some gastro discomfort) allergy to soy and wheat so I assume they decided to fully accommodate her by serving corn as the main starch (what about rice?) and just happened to try to kill me in the process. I might not feel as bad if they had completely forgotten about my allergy instead of choosing not to take it seriously. Honestly.

Dream Corn

2008-06-08T09:18:00.001-06:00

Corn is everywhere in the US and now it is even getting into my dreams. *shudder* I was having one of those long convoluted dreams set somewhere quite fancy, but outdoors - a fancy reception for someone set in a large formal garden . In the dinner part of the dream we were eating (clearly a dream if I was eating normally), I put a forkful of some interesting vegetable concoction in my mouth and realized that there were teeny-tiny pieces of corn in it. This being a dream, the way I dealt with this was by running away from the dinner till I found an area of the garden with a garbage can where I could spit this tasty, but poisonous mouthful out and wipe out my mouth.

After I oh-so-gracefully finished getting every last bit of the dream corn wiped out of my mouth, and enjoying the taste of my linen napkin, I found a little kid watching me. We fell into one of those kid/adult conversations where the kid wants to know why the grownup is behaving like an idiot. I remember saying "Well, corn is poisonous for me, so I can't eat even the tiniest bit -- you wouldn't eat poison would you?" and the kid saying "Corn is yummy, just a little bit won't hurt you..." Apparently the children in my dreams are paid by the corn lobby. Sure, just this little bit of anthrax won't hurt you either, children of the corn.

So, quick pop psychology analysis, what's it all about? I have an RSVP card sitting on the coffee table for my cousin's wedding this August. The choices are prime rib, chicken something, vegetarian available upon request. What I would like to know is can I ask for just a plate? I want to have fun at the wedding and can see just 2 options. 1: take a boatload of drugs for several days beforehand so that I can get through this with no reaction, but be a partial zombie from the Benadryl, and crabby and bloated from the prednisone 2: Bring my own food and not get sick.

So, I'm not sure what to do about this wedding. Option 2 sounds like the easy answer and I suppose I could call my Aunt and ask her if she could just have a place setting for me and no food. However, this is the Italian side of my family and everyone will just fall all over themselves trying to make something that is safe for me. Which is very sweet of them and they are all so nice -- but it is really too hard. I try to take food with me when we go to visit friends and family. When I visited my friend from elementary school, J. in Boston last year, she really went way out of her way to get allergy safe food for me and did an awesome job -- she also spent a fortune at Whole Foods. Her mom also an allergy safe cook--I don't know how she does it, but we've had dinner with them several times since discovering the allergy and I've never had a problem. She introduced me to quinoa too!

My relatives know that I have a corn allergy, but no one knows how bad it is and there is not really any reason to worry anyone since I'm not a kid anymore. My dad is starting to understand how much stuff corn is in, but I really don't keep him up to date every single one of my reactions. He doesn't need to worry about me dropping over from anaphylaxis. Every time I talk to my brother and I've had benadryl, I get a lecture from him -- you shouldn't take that stuff so much. Well, I shouldn't have my throat try to swell shut so much too. He has a wheat allergy that gives him gastrointestinal problems and occasional hives -- If he chooses to eat something with wheat in it or drink a beer he pays for it with stomach pain, but it is not life threatening. We live on different planets as far as our allergies are concerned so I can't expect him to really get it. If I accidentally eat something that has the slightest bit of corn in it, just the wax on a fruit, or if the fruit was ripened with ethyene gas I react. If I don't stop the reaction, my throat will swell shut and I will die. So far I've managed to avoid the throat swelling completely shut bit by using my Epi-pen.

I would like to avoid having to do something dramatic, like using the Epi-pen, or boring, like swigging Benadry and taking a nap, at the wedding. So, option 2 it is. I'm hopeful there will be no children of the corn at the wedding.

Even Whole Foods Can Be a Minefield

2008-06-06T11:15:00.004-06:00

Arrgh, stupid dishwasher detergent! I forgot that I can't just pick up boxes of things that I might be allergic to and read the ingredients to see if they are safe. If I am unlucky and pickup the wrong box of detergent, like the Ecover brand that is made with corn starch, I just might get some on me or inhale it and ruin our late night run to the grocery store by doing my St. Vitus dance of itchinesses.

I manged to hold it together long enough to help my A. get his steaks and wine for the sashlik marinade. Then we made a run for home where I had forgotten the Benadryl. I have been leaving the Beandryl out of my bag when I go to work because I have a bottle stored there, but then I forget to put it in when I come home. Clearly, this is not working. I think it is time to look for a new mini flask to carry it in --maybe it is time to start hinting that I want an engraved one for my birthday. I wonder if A. can get it engraved with the Benadryl label like he put on the last flask. I really liked the flask after he did that -- so smart and funny! Also it stopped the funny looks I would get when I would rip it out of my purse and start chugging Benadryl in public. Yes, I am tactful and charming like that, such savoir-faire.

Overdramatic much?

2008-06-01T19:22:00.001-06:00

There is an interesting new article about how corn is in everything, My 3 Days Off Corn, online at http://wholelifetimes.com/2008/05/healthyliving0805.html . The author tries to go for 3 days without corn. (She doesn't realize it, but she has corn in the wax on her apple in the first thing she eats, and probably in the ethylene gas used to ripen her mango on her first day. But overall I'm impressed by her effort.) If you read the article, the rest of my post makes more sense.

My neighbor lent me the movie Game Plan (with The Rock and some cute kid from the Disney Chanel.) because 2 characters in it have food allergies. The Rock (BTW is his first name "The"?) has a mild allergy to cinnamon which is presented humorously, further on in the movie the kid has a life threating reaction to nuts.

The scene: The Rock makes a dramatic run to the hospital, where she is placed on on a gurney, swollen, gasping for breath, having an anaphylactic reaction. The doctors say "You are lucky you got here in time." She is wheeled off. Clearly she is going to live, not a lot of dramatic tension left. At this denouement, I burst into projectile tears.

Before this 3 hankie moment, I didn't realized how much subconscious stress I've been carrying around about this stupid allergy. Last week was a bad week. I managed to get poisoned 4 out of 7 days, 3 of them by corn proteins in the air, 1 by a safe food -- but I managed the reaction just fine. I have this fear about the reaction that I am not going to be able to manage. If I forget my Benadryl or the Epi-Pens don't work or there is just too much corn out there- that could be me not breathing any more. Some days I try to laugh it off, but deep down I want a bubble or to move to an island without corn.

I'm Ready For My Bubble, Doctor

2007-07-05T14:41:00.001-06:00

Good grief. I thought I had reached the limits of absurdity in reacting to the river & tap water in Colorado. But no, that would be too easy. I now can provoke my typical allergic reaction (swollen lips, throat, itching...) by going into a room with a lot of chemical fragrances. This is really beyond the pale. Here is the the scenario:

Thursday: ran out to the car in the rain, stopped to pick up a friend who was walking home in the downpour. Drove about 5 blocks with her. I opened the windows so that all the perfumed lotions etc. she was wearing would not give me a headache. Drove 5 more min. to cafe to meet A. I was getting the reaction warning of tingling in my lips, but ignored it because I had not had anything to eat or drink for several house, so it could not possibly be a reaction. Yeah. Right.

When I sat down, A. looked at me and said "What happened?" I was getting Elvis lip (right top lip puffs up faster to give me that lovely look.) I chugged some benadryl and we tried to figure out what had gone wrong. The only things I was exposed to were rain and perfumes, none of which I ATE. So we just chalked it up to a delayed reaction (I typically react w/in .5 to 20 min after exposure), and didn't think more about it.

Yesterday I went to pick up a friend at the car dealership and went into the office with her for about 5 min. There was a strong chemical/fake floral smell that was making my eyes water so I went outside to wait for her to finish up. As I sat outside I was feeling increasingly anxious, for no obvious reason. When she came out, she looked at me oddly and asked if I was okay. I didn't think anything about it till I got in the car and realized that I was getting duck lips. Ugggh. I had not eaten or drunk anything for at least several hours. I did not touch the fragrance sources, and was not directly sprayed with anything. I thought I could drive us home, but I had to pull over and swig down a bunch of benadryl as my throat was getting tight and itchy.

So, what is the DEAL! I'm having my typical corn reaction to something in the AIR?? Reacting to the water is not enough? I've done a little reading on fragrance allergies and the main type is a contact dermatitis, which I don't have. Here is a basic explanation of the physiology of the reaction.

"Irritant reactions to fragrances differ from allergies. In most allergic reactions, the body reacts to an allergen that it perceives as a harmful invader by triggering the cells of the body to release certain chemicals. These chemicals, such as histamines, trigger allergy symptoms.

Unlike most allergens, fragrance materials are not protein-based, and they are generally too small to be detected by the body. Instead, they act as a hapten, binding with proteins in the skin. As they do so, they modify the proteins, causing the body to perceive the proteins as a foreign substance, thus triggering a reaction." http://allergy.health.ivillage.com/cosmeticschemicalsmetals/fragrancesensitivity2.cfm

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh. Do I have to cary a filtering mask with me or only go to open air/environmentally responsible places from now on or just stay home? I can't take benadryl without needing a nap, so I'd rather look like bizarro woman in a mask than be groggy or sleep through the day.

Could I possibly get a new body? Maybe have a brain transplant? I am throughly sick of being sick and sick of being me.

[EDIT: I've done a little more research and a lot of fragrances are carried in a corn alcohol base and as I get more sensitive, I guess I react to smaller quantities of corn. meh.]

Nasty Litttle Mini Watermelon

2007-02-24T09:13:00.003-07:00

I feel awful, my muscles and joints still ache, stomach is still unsettled and brain is still fogged from the entire bottle of Benadryl that I drank last night. If I am going to feel this bad the next morning, I think I should get to have some fun the night before. Instead...

I had one of the scariest reactions yet, to a mini seedless watermelon! I have never reacted to watermelon before, but now I hate-hate-hate that fruit. I am totally afraid to eat anything today, since that was such an out of nowhere reaction. This is my fault since I ignored the warning signs thinking that I would not, could not, react to watermelon (I had nothing to eat or drink for 8 hours before I had the watermelon, so I don't think it is a delayed reaction to anything else). And because I ignored the warning signs, as I was very engrossed in a project, I didn't realize I was reacting till I was well into the reaction.

A., who is very calm about these things, got a bit excited because he had never seen me get so far into a reaction before doing something. I looked at him to ask if I looked like I was reacting, he looked totally shocked. If I had been thinking, I would taken a photo. It was really bizarre -- my eyes puffed up, lips turned into a big duck bill, cheeks covered in a bright red rash, pulse over 90, tongue swollen enough to make it hard to talk clearly, painful throat, lightheaded and dizzy, and so on. He jumped up and got the emergency supply bag, he didn't let me get up since he thought I was going to pass out. Because A. was here to watch me, I took huge amount of histamine blockers (Benadryl, Claritin, Zantac and also my Max Air inhaler) and tried not to use the epi pen. (Thanks!) In retrospect it was a bit funny, since I was using swigs of Benadryl to wash down the other meds.

Since he was ready jump in with the Epi-pen if my breathing became too labored or I passed out, I felt safe waiting to see if we could stop the reaction. (A. and J., you both are total rock stars for jabbing me with the Epi-pen!) If I had been by myself I would have used the epi pen, but I prefer not to if we can control the reaction. Also I didn't have the "feeling of impending doom" that is one of the signs that it is time for Epi. But, now I think that I was so engrossed in my project that I just blocked out all the warning signs including that sense of doom. If I had used it, I probably would feel a bit better today. My chest is still tight, but I'm using the inhaler so that should take care of it.

So - how can I react to a watermelon? 2 ideas, either it was ripened with ethylene (corn) gas or it was the wax on the watermelon that got into it when I cut it. Either way, I don't think I'll eat one out of season again. *shudder*

On a lighter note, I now have the most fashionable emergency meds carrier I've ever seen -- I'm using a small Coach purse is just the perfect size for 2 epi-pens and rescue meds. (Many thanks to J! I get lots of complements on it). It is the fanciest bag I have ever had, so it makes me feel happy to carry all my gear.

I've been thinking of making some food allergy t-shirts:
1. First I get itchy, then I get _itchy.
2. Yes there is corn in that, followed by a small print listing of the gazillion things that are corn derivatives.
3. Food Allergies Suck!

Nothing Personal, I'm Sure...

2006-11-06T20:50:00.001-07:00

..but my favorite coffee place tried to kill me! In an effort to be even more eco-friendly they switched to straws made from a renewable resource--CORN OIL! Being the uber-hip place that they are, they didn't feel the need to tell anyone (brag) about this change. I found out the fun way -- by using the straw to drink an allergen-free (for me) fruit smoothie. I took 3 sips and --BAM!--huge, almost unstoppable reaction.

After I downed a bunch of Benadryl, Zantac and Claritin, and got out the Epi-Pen, we tried to figure out what went wrong. The only thing we could identify is that the straw was different (more solid and with a smaller diameter) from before. A. talked to the guy a the counter and found that they were using these wonderful, new, eco-friendly straws. Arrrgh! *head desk* He got them to put a “Corn Oil Based” label on the straw container. yay

I’ve had enough allergy medicine to stop a buffalo, but I still woke up puffy lipped, red-cheeked, stuffed up, itchy and nauseous. This sucks.

Edid: I've since then tried a corn plastic cup, also not labeled, also reacted. I checked out this corn plastic on the web. It is supposed to be stable to 114 degrees and hypo-allergenic. Unfortunately, not hypo-allergenic for the corn allergic or stable enough to keep corn out of the drinks. *shudder* Also, this stuff is made out of GMO, not for human consumption, corn. Uggh. Not as eco friendly as it sounds.

Corn Allergic: What I Reacted To Today

Wecome to Absurdia

The blessings of food allergies

Fashion Crisis

Open Wide

Touch / Don't Touch

Breaking Rules

Besties

Christine, Horrible Warning

Cowgirl up

Ordering Nothing

I’ll have a ?

Living With Food Allergies Carnival

Exactamundo!

Submit Your Posts for the Next Food Allery Carnival!

Passing the Food Allergy Test of Character

If I Had An Allergic Reaction: A Video

Back to Basics

Pay Attention

The Upside of Food Allergies

Adaptation

Wrong Impulse (Purchase)

It Takes an Office

Like Garlic for Vampires

Being the Horrible Warning

Dine In / Help Out

PLEDGE TO HOST YOUR DINNER AND STOUFFER'S® WILL DONATE $5 to Feeding America to provide meals for children and their families struggling with hunger

Getting out of food jail

Kosher for Passover -- Corn free shopping online

Yummy, Yummy Mercury

Over food

Thawing out

Living With Food Allergies Carnival

Over the river and through the woods

Amazon wish list for the corn allergic (updated!)

Allergic to your shampoo and conditioner?

Muppet eyes and fish lips

Yellow is the color

Cornupia - Oh no!

But of course!

I'm back

Another "its all in your head" mis-report.

Food Allergic for Obama

Thanks Astellas!

Running the corn gauntlet

Whole Foods $5 off $25 coupon

Real friends don't try to feed me

Ouch!

Welcome to the Club / The Rules

Reset to normal

A spoonful of HFCS

A Letter to the CRA

Pass the High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Please

Happy Happy Joy Joy

A difficult question

Your "What Corn is In" PSA for today

How Corn is Used in Some of these Products

Invisible Illness as Assertivness Traning

Invisible Illness Awareness Week

Out of the mouths of babes, part II

It's poison to me

Out of the mouths of babes

Nominate a Food Allergy Research Members Project

I (heart) my doctor

Packin' Epi

Corn Early Warning System

The Things that Fall Away

Allergies and Vampires

Design Your Own Band

All in the Family?

All by myself

Bad FAAN, good article

Count me out - totally, dude

Count me in, I guess

Danger! Baby!

Who puts corn in everything? Honestly.

Dream Corn

Even Whole Foods Can Be a Minefield

Overdramatic much?

I'm Ready For My Bubble, Doctor

PLEDGE TO HOST YOUR DINNER AND STOUFFER'S^® WILL DONATE $5 to Feeding America to provide meals for children and their families struggling with hunger