Allergies

I finally made it to the allergist last week and returned this week for testing of particular allergens to see what exactly is causing my server reactions. The first was back in April when I went for a run after a bowl of pasta. Turned out to not be such a good idea since I broke out in hives from head to toe. A few times afterward I broke out into hives but to a lesser extant, always after eating some form of tomato. At that point I assumed I figured out the cause for sure, tomatoes!

Well, a few months later after a breakfast of toast with PB and blueberries on the side I ended up breaking out into hives while walking to church (no, I don't have a nut allergy). I ran, well quickly walked, to the Duane Reade, bought Benedryl and hopped into a cab back to my apartment and waited about an hour for the reaction to subside.

To end the mystery I finally made my way to the allergist and today found out that I'm allergic to a crazy number of things including hickory (does that mean I can't have wine soaked in a hickory barrel?), grass, mice, bird feathers, milk, tomatoes, oh and the list goes on, but I reacted most severely to about 5 different molds. As a result my doctor suggested I go on a Yeast and Mold free diet for 2 months in order to improve my gut-associated lymphoid tissue.

Foods I'm suppose to avoid:

Beer/Wine (haha-I will limit but avoid? but hard liquors are ok. I don't drink so much but have a wine tasting trip in the works and do enjoy a pumpkin ale from time to time so limit yes, but all together, not so much.)

Fruit juices-freshly squeezed are ok, something about mold on the processing equipment or something

Breads-can only have yeast free (this is will miss, I mean hello no pizza crust!)

Cheese-all cheeses, fresh cottage cheese and plain yogurt ok

Condiments/Vinegars- pickles, olives, salad dressing, mayonnaise, horseradish sauce, tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, mustard, ketchup, sauerkraut, soy sauce, and Worcester sauce

I'll keep you updated on how this diet change goes and how my body feels as a result to the switch. I begin today! Here goes two months September 18th-November 18th, eek ;)

Again thankfully I can eat all the nuts and peanut butter I won't, ok in moderation or I will end up with a nut allergy.

In fact to celebrate being able to eat my peanut butter I had oats in a jar after the appointment!

Doctor also said I should alternate the milk alternatives I drink, too much of one thing is never a good thing and can lead to allergies. I need to go back to my immunology books to figure out why this is true. Anyhow, I used to do this but love almond milk so much I've stuck with it for the most part of the last 6 months?

Apparently the higher power that be wanted to make sure that I follow doctor's order and Silk was 2/$6 this week!

Nicole