Study of One
So, as my regular readers will recall, a while ago I had my allergies re-tested. I noticed a peculiar reaction to eating an apple during my week sans allergy meds, so food allergies were tested as well - and I came up somewhat positive for a few of them. My top three: apples, rice, and potatoes.
Those closest to me may also recall that, for the past few years, I would develop a strange mystery rash/hives after showering (unrelated to soaps, detergents, lotions, or location of shower) that covered my chest and neck - and, depending on the severity, my face, arms, and trunk.
After some experimentation I'm fairly sure that, despite daily allergy medication:
* potato intake is positively correlated to an increase of The Hives.
* rice is also positively correlated to this increase. Since rice was nearly an everyday part of my undergrad diet, this explains my constant (albiet varying) morning hives for the last two years at Point to some degree.
* apples (and apple juice) are positively correlated to morning asthma, especially during the second half of my cycle. In fact, for the past two cycles, no apple products = no morning asthma whatsoever.
...so my "Oral Allergy Syndrome" does actually affect my daily health.
I've been having fun lately making smoothies upon returning home from work. I discovered the joy of white grape juice (instead of apple juice, which is in a lot of other juices/smoothies) and thoroughly relish trying different fruit combinations.
One of my favorite combos (and one of my all-time favorite flavors) is strawberry-banana. Bananas have always been good for those of us who survived eight years of braces, and I'm finally able to justify spending a little cash on some berries. I'm getting my fruit servings, and one of my smoothies often serves as a meal. Yum.
The other day I made a strawberry-banana smoothie. The next morning, I had some hives after my shower. At first, I worried - was I somewhat allergic to strawberries as well? I eventually realized that I had accidentally eaten some rice crackers before having my smoothie, and thus attributed my itching to them.
Last night I had a great strawberry-banana smoothie.
I just got out of the shower - and I'm sitting here with a really good-sized reaction. The spots are even creeping up my face today.
Dammit.
It looks like someone's gonna have to start experimenting again.
Seriously, I'm running out of things that I can eat.
In semi-related news, Storm's been on his new allergy food for almost two months - Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish - and he hasn't had a single new lick/bite spot. His hair is starting to grow back in his old lick areas, and all of his old wounds have fully healed.
His new list of allergies: poultry, corn, and rice. It doesn't sound like much - but, if you're interested, read the back of a few dog food bags sometime to see how difficult it is to find things for him to eat.
Sarah