Do people have anaphylaxis allergies in Australia?

I had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day today and if Australian's do not have anaphylaxis  allergies, I'd like to move there!

I will spare my few readers the gory details (I'd like to keep the one or two of you around!), but just know that I had the worst morning of my life.  It started out on Friday.  Mia and I went out for sushi after dinner, you know to celebrate the fact that we all still had jobs after Jackie's visit.  Sushi was my safe food :)  I had a sinking feeling about the seaweed.  I tried a seaweed salad before and it burned my mouth, so I figured it bothered my allergies.  Perhaps there was something in it that I was allergic to.  Well, it appears a bit more than that.  Saturday morning I woke up in a lot of pain and on the toilet (this is the part where I spare the details).  After some time of  this pain and such, I took my blood pressure, it was super high (think 150/120)!  I should have been on my way to a stroke!  My throat started to feel like it was closing, I tried testing my peak flow (it's an asthma thing).  My personal best is 380 (which I might add, I have no idea why my lungs were in such a good mood that that, I couldn't get that again if I traded my soul to the devil for a new set of lungs!).  Saturday morning my peak flow was at 250, well below my yellow warning section!  I still think I was breathing okay though, hate to see what it says I am doing when I feel like I'm breathing isn't quite so well.  Things began to become progressively worse and I really had no choice but to reach for the epi-pen (which I was prescribed an abundant mess off for the my anaphylaxis allergy to latex/rubber, which I never realized was that bad!).  I was frightened!  It took more than 10 minutes to finally give myself the stupid shot that may have saved my life!  After giving myself the shot, I had to go to the ER (I had already called into job number one, fat man in the sky was okay with it, he worries a lot about me).  I also had to make it to job number two by 1:00...this was going to cut it short!

Anyway, at the hospital, I got an injection of more anti-histamine, a breathing treatment (I guess my breathing was worse than I thought), and an x-ray of my throat (there's a first time for everything).  I was sent home with some steroids and more anti-histamine and the harsh cold reality that I was to "stay away from sushi".  I am crushed!  However, I think somewhere in my mind, I saw it coming.  Most of the ingredients in sushi are a  cross-allergen to the latex/rubber family.  There is a giant list of things.  As I have been told before, you have an allergy bucket.  When you are eating/exposed to your allergens on a daily basis, your body is fighting hard to keep it all at bay.  Once you cut your allergens you start to feel much better, the trade off is the bucket grows smaller.  Your allergy bucket becomes full much more fast.  This is what happened to me.  I ate avocado, a lot of shell fish (love oysters!), and seaweed.  Am I happy about "staying away from sushi"?  NO, I am very upset and don't really know how to cope!  I'm sure I will make it through alive, but this is not my idea of fun!  I will now have dreams of swimming around in pools of raw shell fish.....yummy!

Ugh, hopefully I can fall asleep soon, 2:30 am and I had a long day.  After the ER, I made it to work, with 10 minutes to spare!  I was exhausted there, and still am, but can't sleep because of the bruise on my legs!  I am also dehydrated and have a cramp due to my throat  hurting so badly that I can't swallow well!  Ugh, enough complaining, no wonder no likes to read ;)  Hopefully, I will find something entertaining in my life, you know besides my trip to North Carolina!  I can't wait for that!!!

I'm complicated....

Anyone who knows me, knows just how true this statement is!  I was complicated before I knew I was allergic to corn...now it really is!

I had my doctor's appointment. I wondered what she would tell me, and I found out!  My asthma is never going to go away.  I am not going to "grow out of it".  I will have to use an inhaler for the rest of my life.  I will also have to visit with an asthma specialist.  My lungs are worse off than my tummy when I eat corn!  There is a number referred to as eNOS (endothelial Nitric Oxide).  This number is supposed to be around a 23.  The first time (back in March) mine was at 97...I made a joke that it was an A-...not funny apparently!  In April my eNOS was at 26.  Yay!  Gold star!  Yesterday, it was at 58...booo!!!  I am not 100% sure what this number means, except it makes the doctor use lots of frown faces and tell me she isn't happy.  After that, she prescribes a ton more inhalers, breathing exercises, schedules me an appointment with an asthma specialist,  and other medications.   At least my tummy feels better, right?!?

Dinner with the higher ups was pretty good!  I got to the Glacier Brew House and Jackie and Brian had walked up behind me, just as our table was ready.  Brian had already knew about my allergies, and started to tell Jackie about them.  She was in awe...she had no idea what I was going to eat.  I told her that I called (sorry Jetta, I had to take credit...) ahead and also looked at the menu online.  She wanted to make sure I could eat the appetizer, so she had me order one that I could actually eat!  I had a salad, no carrots, cheese, dressing (just lemon and pepper), although I forgot to add no croutons, so Tony ate those for me!  For the main course, I had the flat iron sirloin, with white rice and asparagus.  When I got it, there was blue cheese on my rice....weird.  Crunch onions, which I am sure are corny!  Oh, and GRAVY.  I have made gravy a time or two in my life and generally cornstarch is used.  I made Tony taste it, he said he thought it was corny.  I asked if it would be appropriate if I sent it back, he said it was okay.   I felt really bad about it all, but I think it would have been worse to not have been able to eat it!

After talking with a co-worker at my part time job, he said that it showed that I have challenges but I make the necessary changes in my lifestyle to over come them!  I hope the big bosses think that way too!

Yikes...dinner out tonight!

So tonight is the big dinner out with the big big boss....if that wasn't scary enough!  Now, I add on my allergies and trying to make a good impression.  I WAS a nervous wreck.  However, my bestie came to my rescue! 

I expressed my concern, again!, about looking bad in front of Jackie.  Jetta asked where I was going and told me to look at the online menu.  I looked, the main course I can do, but the sides, not so much.  Next thing you know, she is telling me that she called (from North Carolina!) and they are more than willing to accommodate me in anyway possible!  How awesome is that?!?! 

I am less nervous now!  I also know that my co-workers will make sure she knows I am allergic to life, as they won't let me forget it either!  I feel much better knowing I won't look stuck up, or a fat girl with an eating disorder! 

I have to go to the doctor's soon, not sure what they plan on doing to me today, but I guess I will find out.  After the doctor is work, then the dinner (which I am still nervous about, but not because of the food).  I took extra time today to look extra pretty :)  A first impression is everything!

When it rains, it pours!

Today just sucks! I am normally pretty darn good about keeping everything cool, calm, and perfectly collected. Today, however is a different story!
I am stressed, I'm not going to lie! First it was my toilet, it went to the crapper (bad pun, but it's my toilet so I will say what I want about it!). I have four inches of water on my bathroom floor! My poor dog just wanted to play in the water! I had to go to work to deal with the billion of dust bunnies that we have been collecting for some reason, and maitence wouldn't come out...STUPID!! I tried everything, even calling my daddy who not only lives across Canada, but also the united states! I don't know what I thought he could do for me, but I called laughing hysterically until the laughs turned into sobbing! And I don't cry, so I am not sure what that was all about!!!!
The big bosses at work are coming up here tomorrow, to say I am nervous is an understatement! Brian, not so nervous about that, as long as you get him talking about himself its all good, but I have never met the other one and she is three down from the top of the chain! Oh and we are all supposed to go out to dinner on Wednesday, how do I do that and look professional? I don't want to look like a super picky eater, or even worse, a fat anorexic! I can't see misled ordering a salad hot the carrots, cheese, crotons, most meat, and oh yeah the dressing! Ordering a glass of water really isn't going to work either, that's just as bad!
On top of all of this, I have been trying to stay positive about the not eating, you know, anything, but enough is enough! I am young! I want to be able to live life! My friends quit inviting me out because they know my life is so limited now! I have been trying to be so positive about all of it, but it's so hard! I think tonight I am going to throw myself a pity party in my new pool, you know my bathroom floor!!

It's been a while...

I haven't had much corn related to post about. 

I had a weeks worth of heartburn.  I felt as if the devil took up residency in my esophagus.  I tried everything that anyone suggested.  I tried Tums even though they are chuck full of corn, a spoon full of molasses, glass of water with baking soda, bread, lots of ice water, nothing helped the inferno burning in my chest.  I couldn't sleep, laying down hurt more!  On my day off, I spent the day napping on the couch, sitting completely upright.  This was very uncomfortable, but it afforded for 20 minute naps, which was way more sleep than I got the night before.  That night, I slept decently, but woke up with bruises on my chest from hugging a pillow so tightly.  Oh yeah, and a weird dream about my boss and an allergic reaction.  Finally, I was at my whits ends, I consulted my "corn people", I really do love them dearly, and they told me to try aloe juice.  Who drinks an aloe plant? This girl does.  However, be prepared that if you drink it, it's not very good.  The taste wasn't so bad, it was the chewing of the juice.  There were chunks of aloe in it!  Gross!  But, it did get rid of the heartburn.  I vowed that if that didn't help, I was going to drink holy water and have a priest do an exorcism!  I was in a bad spot!  I have been heartburn free for 24 hours now!  YAY!!

Today, I went to Whittier, AK.  Whittier was nothing special.  There is one building where everyone that lives in that town resides.  I have lived in a small town before, but I could never live as a neighbor to everyone in the town!   One apartment building!  That's it!  No houses!  Lots of boats!  One apartment building!  The harbor was pretty and very Alaskan.  It was what Alaska looks like the movies.  There was nothing to do there...nothing.  There was a 26 glacier cruise, but it leaves at noon...it was 6pm.  So, about 6:25, it was back to the tunnel, where we waited until 7 when we could go through.  The tunnel still amazes me, it was the best part of the Whittier trip, that is until we stopped in Indian, AK for some dinner.

I normally have a very hard time eating out, except for sushi.  They had a sign that said "Fresh Alaskan Oysters" so I knew I could at least eat that much.  The waitress was very sweet and was totally accommodating.  I had 6 oysters in a half shell, a fresh salad with fresh lemon and pepper for the dressing, a gigantic baked potato, mixed veggie melody (void of carrots, she had the cook not cook the broccoli and cauliflower with them, how sweet is that?), and a giant steak cooked to perfection!  Oh yeah, and their fries are made fresh from cut potatoes, so I could eat those too, no citric acid!  The very best part, is that they will keep the kitchen open if I call ahead and let them know I'm headed out!  So awesome!  It was the best dinner out since my diagnosis (well besides sushi of course)!

Silk and carrots

It's been a minute since I updated.  Recently, I found out that carrots are no longer my friend, they put my whole digestive track to a halt...not fun!  I also have made the decision to cut my Silk Soy Milk because it was the common denominator when it came to my stomach pains at night.  I'm trying coconut milk now...let's see how I do...

I found some new food, something to change up my habits.  I was starting to get very bored with my current choices, as I'm sure you can imagine.  My best friend called me to ask what dry stuff she could get for me to eat while I am there to visit my godson.  I named off about 10 things...that's it!  Well, now I have a couple more things to add to the list...yay!  I found a couple of cereals even!!

I went to Seward on a roadtrip the other day.  It was a beautiful!  I even tried to hike back to Exit Glacier (carrying my coach bag, of course....this is coming from the girl who wore Chanel glasses while gold panning).  I made it about a mile before my lungs weren't having it anymore and I also kind of didn't want to get eaten by a bear as I took pictures of fresh bear tracks!  Finding a place to eat was harder than the hike!  There were a couple of bars, and a restaurant called "The Crab Pot".  Well, I guess the crab pots haven't been plentiful yet, as it was still closed for the season.  I could have ate that, I"m sure!!!  So, we went to a restaurant by the harbor and I could pretty much not eat anything there either.  The steak dinner came with a baked potato (covered in butter, not margarine), cooked veggies (cooked with green beans), soup and salad (salad without dressing is generally not good...and soup, well soup is pretty much a distant history for me unless I make it myself).  I was not going to pay $27.00 for steak and not be able to eat anything else!  I settled for a buffalo burger on sourdough with no condiments and french fries.  I knew I shouldnt' eat them, but I had a couple.  The citric acid they put on them tore my mouth up!  I won't be doing that again!  The next road trip I bring along my own food!  TSA better not give this girl any grief on my many vacations this year!!!!

Thank you for reading another exciting addition to my allergic life :) haha

I'm going green...er

This has nothing to do with the environment.  Although, maybe I should be riding a moose to work to save on gas!  It has to do with my eye color :) 

All of my life, I have wanted blue eyes.  My dad has blue eyes, my mother has blue eyes, my step mom has blue eyes, both of my brothers and my sister all have blue eyes.  I am the odd ball out with my green eyes.  I used to even let people believe my eyes were blue, until it ate me up so much that I had to correct them and yearn for my set of baby blues!

May is eye exam month, I went to Lens Crafters today and got my eye exam.  The doctor at the Dimond Center did a much better job than the one at 5th Ave, but his breath was not so pretty.  In fact, it was foul.  Every time he told me to "lean closer to him", I had images of puking on his shoes!  Either way, he got me a new set of contacts and informed me that my eyes have gotten BETTER!  Yes, I said better!  I don't know how or why, but for the first time in my life, my eyes are the same strength and better than they were a year ago.  I am not going to argue with science!

I have been thinking about it for a month or so  now, and I decided to not only embrace being a GREEN-EYED LADY, but to enhance them so I am never confused for having those baby blues.  The eye doctor groaned when I told him I wanted color contacts, but they aren't his eyes!  I tried on 5 different colors.  I really like this Caribbean one, but it made my eyes appear a little blue, so I would have run into the same problem I have now.  I went with a color called "Gemstone Green".  It's very pretty, and he agreed it was the best one I tried on.

Tomorrow, after work, I am going to look for new glasses.  I checked some out at Dimond, but the only ones I found that I liked were Chanel, and I already have some Chanel.  I'm going to check out the Sears Mall Lens Crafters in hopes that they have a pair that I will LOVE!  Oh yeah, and I can't wait to enhance my greens next week!