A few months ago I began to develop a rash. I initially had only a spot, which I wrote off simply as a spider bit, but soon I had to admit that I was either being bitten a lot or having an allergic reaction. I Googled bedbug bits, photos of which did not at all resemble what I had, much to my relief*. This left me with little doubt that my spots were indeed allergenic...but to what?
Laundry detergent, soap, lotion, even shampoo - I changed it all, to no avail. Dairy**, soy, even wheat*** - nothing. Rats! Drat! Nuts! Wait, nuts? Nope. I returned my normal diet (as normal as a plasma giving vegetarian's diet can be), frustrated and fearing the eternal itch...what if I'm allergic to my own sweat****?!
Several days later I'm sitting at work eating my lunch. I forget what I'm eating, but I'm enjoying it with a smoothie to the tune of orange, mango, strawberry, and banana - the usual. I quickly finish everything in the last few minutes, as I usually do as the result of spending the first half of my lunch joking around with coworkers and customers. I clock back in, immediately incredibly itchy. I'm sweating for no apparent reason. My stomach is cramping, and I have a general uncomfortable and confused feeling. Suddenly I remember that the packaging on the strawberry puree changed around the time my rash started! Did the ingredients change as well?
I check the box to find the ingredients identical. While I'm reading, I get short on breath. I feel like my throat is swelling, and I look slightly swollen (so I've been told). I have spent enough summers as a camp counselor to recognize these symptoms - anaphylaxis!
Even in this state, or perhaps as a result of the rush of adrenaline to my brain brought on by this state, I remember
being five-years-old: STRAWBERRIES! How could I have been so blind? It was dormant for twenty-five years, but it has returned.
Because it so mild, my symptoms faded over the course of about an hour without my needing of an EpiPen. With strawberries removed from my diet, the rash took only a few days to fade. Everything seems to be back to normal.
About two weeks later I had French toast for breakfast. Without thinking, I started putting strawberry jam on it. Realizing almost immediately what I was doing, I didn't add any more. I knew though what I had to do: I warned my roommate that it was test time and pre-phased him on what to do should I react. I ate it. Shortness of breath; sweating; minor swelling; rash: culprit.
It's amazing to me that we sometimes overlook the most obvious things. We over-complicate things and circumvent the answer that is right in front of us, only to have to circle back around nine Dantean circles later. In the end, I thank God that I eventually figured it out. Well, that, and that I'm not allergic to my own sweat.
*Bed bugs have become a very serious problem over the past two or so years here in Seattle, to the point that I know of an entire building, containing offices and rather expensive apartments, that did a building-wide fumigation on Monday. The threat of infestation was quite valid.
**To be fair, cutting out dairy had a huge positive impact on my overall health, though it did not affect the rash, which is the germane consequence. While I have begun consuming it again, it is in very reduced quantities.
***I didn't actually eliminate wheat, but I greatly reduced it. I'm a man, not a robot!
****I remember once watching a bit of The Maury Povich Show, and a girl claimed to be allergic to her own sweat. Another claimed to be allergic to water. I have my doubts about the legitimacy of either claim.
A few months ago I began to develop a rash. I initially had only a spot, which I wrote off simply as a spider bit, but soon I had to admit that I was either being bitten a lot or having an allergic reaction. I Googled bedbug bits, photos of which did not at all resemble what I had, much to my relief*. This left me with little doubt that my spots were indeed allergenic...but to what?
Laundry detergent, soap, lotion, even shampoo - I changed it all, to no avail. Dairy**, soy, even wheat*** - nothing. Rats! Drat! Nuts! Wait, nuts? Nope. I returned my normal diet (as normal as a plasma giving vegetarian's diet can be), frustrated and fearing the eternal itch...what if I'm allergic to my own sweat****?!
Several days later I'm sitting at work eating my lunch. I forget what I'm eating, but I'm enjoying it with a smoothie to the tune of orange, mango, strawberry, and banana - the usual. I quickly finish everything in the last few minutes, as I usually do as the result of spending the first half of my lunch joking around with coworkers and customers. I clock back in, immediately incredibly itchy. I'm sweating for no apparent reason. My stomach is cramping, and I have a general uncomfortable and confused feeling. Suddenly I remember that the packaging on the strawberry puree changed around the time my rash started! Did the ingredients change as well?
I check the box to find the ingredients identical. While I'm reading, I get short on breath. I feel like my throat is swelling, and I look slightly swollen (so I've been told). I have spent enough summers as a camp counselor to recognize these symptoms - anaphylaxis!
Even in this state, or perhaps as a result of the rush of adrenaline to my brain brought on by this state, I remember
being five-years-old: STRAWBERRIES! How could I have been so blind? It was dormant for twenty-five years, but it has returned.
Because it so mild, my symptoms faded over the course of about an hour without my needing of an EpiPen. With strawberries removed from my diet, the rash took only a few days to fade. Everything seems to be back to normal.
About two weeks later I had French toast for breakfast. Without thinking, I started putting strawberry jam on it. Realizing almost immediately what I was doing, I didn't add any more. I knew though what I had to do: I warned my roommate that it was test time and pre-phased him on what to do should I react. I ate it. Shortness of breath; sweating; minor swelling; rash: culprit.
It's amazing to me that we sometimes overlook the most obvious things. We over-complicate things and circumvent the answer that is right in front of us, only to have to circle back around nine Dantean circles later. In the end, I thank God that I eventually figured it out. Well, that, and that I'm not allergic to my own sweat.
*Bed bugs have become a very serious problem over the past two or so years here in Seattle, to the point that I know of an entire building, containing offices and rather expensive apartments, that did a building-wide fumigation on Monday. The threat of infestation was quite valid.
**To be fair, cutting out dairy had a huge positive impact on my overall health, though it did not affect the rash, which is the germane consequence. While I have begun consuming it again, it is in very reduced quantities.
***I didn't actually eliminate wheat, but I greatly reduced it. I'm a man, not a robot!
****I remember once watching a bit of The Maury Povich Show, and a girl claimed to be allergic to her own sweat. Another claimed to be allergic to water. I have my doubts about the legitimacy of either claim.
A Berry Strange...Oh Wait, I Already Used That Pun!
It is likely in the future to have more severe reactions-you should be extra cautious by closely reading labels and see a Doctor or Allergist to confirm the allergy and likely be prescribed an Epi-Pen.
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