Growing up, we ate whatever we liked, which attributed to my digestion issues. Health, although it was poor, was never a driving factor in our food choices. I was particularly fond of plain strawberry pop tarts. Can I get a 'what, what'?!
At this point I was gasping severely and my entire body from head to toe was tingling. You know when you sit in a position too long and the blood flow is not what it should be? Even my head and lips felt that way. It was the most terrifying experience of my life. When I got into the hospital, I told them I was having an allergic reaction. They asked me to what I am allergic to. I'd never been formally diagnosed with any allergies aside from pistachios, but hadn't eaten any, so I didn't know what to tell them.
They rushed me back to make sure I wasn't having a heart attack and told me to wait. I sat there for hours gasping in the same manner and eventually it subsided. When the doctor came back, he told me 'you had an anxiety attack and are pregnant.' It was not what I expected to hear and it made me angry if anything. Sigh. This was the start of a very long journey. I had dealt with anxiety before and albeit I was critically anxious at the moment, anxiety had not triggered this episode. I was pretty certain I wasn't pregnant unless it was another Virgin Mary birth, but I took that silly pee test anyway. Negative ghost rider. In the end, I paid a lot of money to an ER doctor who diagnosed me with two things that were not the reasons for my breathing issues.
After this major episode, I had many smaller episodes of breathing issues. Much less severe, but uncomfortable and unexplained. I went to urgent cares and they gave me breathing treatments and checked my lungs. Always sending me home with the 'everything is fine lecture.' Except I wasn't fine and I didn't know why. It became frustrating. So I decided to do my own research. Everything I looked up pointed back to the same thing, anaphylactic shock, an allergic reaction. Allergic to pistachios and Dimetapp, which I avoided like the plague, but what else? The answer to this question would change the entirety of my life.
I went to a Naturopath. Why not? I had already spent a bunch of money on doctors who told me nothing was wrong, so it was time to try something new. She put me on an elimination diet. I was supposed to avoid most foods except things like rice, turkey, chicken, legumes and some fruits and vegetables. Now, I like my food and I don't like being told what to do. This was not easy. There may have been a lot of grumpy days and an excess amount of tears that consumed me during the three months on this diet. The benefit was I lost about 25 pounds of baby fat during this time. Booyah. Unfortunately, I felt like I was starving All the time and my breathing issues had not subsided. I couldn't take it anymore. So, that's when I had a 'large chunk of change' blood test ordered. This would inform me of my blood's reaction to some couple hundred foods.
Now, you're probably thinking, yeah she sounds dramatic. While I have been called dramatic a time or two in my life, this is no dramatization. I am allergic to all dairy and casein, chicken and turkey. I am allergic to wheat and yeast. I love bread and pastries. I am allergic to coffee beans. Just let that sink in before going on. I am allergic to bananas, cranberries, blueberries, pineapple, bell peppers, peppers in general, corn and severely allergic to avocado. Lastly, I am allergic to all seafood.
Like I said, this list changed my life. Next, the naturopath had me take a body evaluation test. Things like how often I got migraines and how severe they were, how often I was irritable and so forth. My grand total was 92. That number meant absolutely nothing to me at this point. Nonetheless, I embarked on a new, refined, specific diet just for my body. It consisted of rice, vegetables, fruit and steak for a very long time. I lost weight. All baby weight was gone without trying very hard. Unfortunately, I was not happy because I couldn't eat what I loved. It took me a long time to find junk food or desserts I could have, but it boosted my morale once I did.
Fast forward six months. I had been doing this for a while. Time to take that silly test again. This time I scored a 19. Six months is ample time to forget about how you felt or a silly number. After pulling out the original test and comparing, I could see that I felt better. I didn't notice day to day, but looking at my two very different scores, I could tell my diet was working. My body was responding positively to the way I fed it now. My life became better.
This part makes me emotional. I've dealt with chronic migraines every day of my life as far back as I can remember. My migraines were debilitating. I would go blind at times and always get extremely nauseous. They were finally gone! The whole time, my allergy to dairy caused my migraines and I had just figured it out after 20 something years. And my breathing issues, well it could've been a myriad of foods, but it disappeared too. I was liberated with brand new life.
Yes, every time I go to the grocery store I still walk by the bakery to smell the pastries and look at all the pretty desserts. Guilty. Even though I can't eat them, it still makes me happy. No, I don't eat out very much because there are always issues with trying to find me friendly food. Date nights look different. I don't grab coffee with friends anymore. But that's okay because I feel great! I can breathe easy. I don't have to be debilitated by migraines or breathing issues any longer. That horrifying blood test saved my life, in more ways than one.
This intense ordeal has become a huge blessing to me. It has caused me to take on a completely holistic approach to life and now I get to work for this cause. Through a tailored diet, exercise, and essential oils, I am no longer the sufferer I once was.
So, if you're struggling, I encourage you to press on. It's worth it in the end. I'm here to support you! Because a great life is better than just surviving.
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