Saturday, February 12, 2011

What not to do (Food Allergies)

If you know someone who has food allergies, it really isn't helpful to say, "I know you can't eat this but just try one bite; it's so good."

First, you could be putting their life or health in danger.

Second, just think for a moment. If you "know" they can't eat something, WHY would you offer it to them? Is it because you want to show off that you can eat something they can't? Is it because you don't respect them or care for their health? Or maybe you'd like to see what it might do to them (which is just pure evil). Remember, they aren't going without yummy foods for fun, they are doing it because they have to.

If it helps, think of food allergies like poison. If someone is allergic to a food and they consume it, they are consuming poison. Some poisons will kill you; some will just make you sick. Either way, it's not a good thing. You may think a "little bit" won't hurt someone but would you consume just a "little bit" of Drano? Or how about a "little bit" of rat poison? I mean, if you're not drinking the whole bottle of Drano or eating the whole box of rat poison, it might not kill you, right? There are people that can die if they eat just a tiny bit of peanut butter (for example), read up on Anaphylactic shock, if you need convincing. Some people won't die but will experience shortness of breath, vomiting or any number of not fun symptoms (sounds like poison, right?). Symptoms can even occur 2-3 WEEKS later. So next time you want to offer someone "a little bit" of something they tell you they are allergic to, ask yourself, would you give them Drano to consume?

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Lessons I've learned along the way...

I've learned or been reminded of a number of things in my path to find the cause of my dry eyes. Here are some:

1. Family, friends & neighbors (if you're lucky, like me, your neighbors are friends too) are amazing. Making soup, driving for hours to help, playdates, phone calls, just being there, these are the things that make the world go round and I feel so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life.

2. Label-reading can be surprising. Who would have guessed my chewable vitamin C contained dairy? Or the fancy mustard in my fridge?

3. The prospect removal of a major food group (dairy, in my case) is much more mentally palatable than an incurable disease.

4. The difference between lactose and casein issues are that lactose is digestive and casein is an allergy.

5. An awful lot of dairy-free items contain nuts or nut-products, which really sucks if you also have an allergy to nuts.

6. The disappointment of learning that a common everyday item like margarine frequently contains dairy is outweighed by finding a vegan substitute that is available at most or all of the major grocery stores you frequent.

7. A daily affirmation feels a bit hokey but sure is handy when you're having *another* blood draw.

8. Discovering a soy milk that you like can result in lasting joy. Pearl Unsweetened doesn't have that funny taste that so many soy milks have.

9. If you think you have an allergy, consult an allergist and get a scratch test. A Vega Machine isn't going to give you accurate results. Food allergies are difficult to diagnose to begin with and while it may seem appealing, the Vega Machine just isn't going to cut it. My Vega results diagnosed me with wheat issues but no dairy. My scratch test diagnosed me with casein (dairy) but no wheat. Even my naturopath said to trust the scratch test over the Vega results. Ultimately, the only way to know is to eliminate the food in question to begin with but a scratch test is going to be a much better starting point than a Vega test. Of course, this is my opinion and I'm not a medical doctor, naturopathic doctor or doctor of any kind. I'm just speaking from my personal experience and the advice of my naturopathic physician.

10. I miss cheese. Oh, and Twitter is an amazing resource for things like allergies. I've gotten recommendations, tips & encouragement from people that have been-there, done that and it really helps.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Love this



Stunning. Available at Nordstrom & Neiman-Marcus for a cool $850. Net-A-Porter has one in silk (no leather) for $350.

Prescription Drugs & Vitamins

Good news, the Bausch & Lomb Ocuvite w/Lutein that I am taking does NOT contain casein / dairy. The calcium carbonate in it, is from lime. Thank you to Bausch & Lomb for making it so easy to get that information.

I've also learned that my various eye drops, including Restasis, Refresh PM Refresh Celluvisic and Refresh Optive do NOT contain dairy / casein. A phone call to Allergan confirmed that. Thank you too, to Allergan, for being so responsive to allergy concerns.

I wish I could give the same thanks to Walgreen's. I called my pharmacy this morning to ask if any of the other prescriptions I have might contain casein and you'd think I had asked her for her right arm. The hemming and hawing, the obvious lack of concern for my health, was actually a bit alarming -after all, why does the pharmacist ask if you have any allergies every time you fill a prescription if they really don't care?
I started the conversation by saying that I had just learned I was allergic to casein and needed to find out if any of the prescriptions I currently have contain it. The response I received was nearly "What do you want me to do about it?" Well, um, for starters, help me figure out if my prescriptions contain casein.
I told her I didn't mind doing the research and had already called some of the companies myself but in the case of generics, I didn't know where to start. Finally she offered to get the me the ingredient lists that come with prescriptions (unfortunately, I never kept them) but even that was clearly a major ordeal for her. She said I could come pick them up and I asked if tomorrow would be all right and it was clear from her response that it wasn't. She wasn't listening particularly well either because I told her more than once during the phone call that I had already checked with the company that produces Restasis and she continued to list that as one of the ones she would need to research on her time off. I'm not really sure why Walgreen's would expect a pharmacist to research medical information for a customer on his/her time off to begin with, that seems like it would be part of their job if it concerns prescriptions filled at that company.
Anyway, the pharmacist begrudgingly agreed to gather the information I needed and have it ready for me by tomorrow. I'll cross my fingers as I haven't had a lot of luck with Walgreen's pharmacy in the past; I only continue to go there because it is convenient and my insurance pays more towards prescriptions there than some of the other stores in the area.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Like a treasure hunt...

I am ferreting out various sources of casein in my diet. This morning, I looked at the ingredient list for my vitamin C tablets, they contain dairy; goodbye.

I called Baush & Lomb to see if the Ocuvite supplement I've been taking contains casein or nuts and they said they would get back to me. She didn't think so but as casein isn't something she's commonly asked about, she wanted to be sure.

I still need to check with various other medications/supplements I have tucked away. The company that makes the B vitamin supplement I've been taking wasn't open when I called just prior to 8am PST. I'm particularly concerned with the various eye drops I've been using but I haven't found a good source of information yet. I will probably have to make phone calls for those too.

I know that anything that contains the word 'casein' is problematic for me but I came across some others while label-reading in the grocery store. Now, anything word I'm not familiar with or that looks like it might contain casein (any calcium or dairy-sounding words) have become suspect.

A few words from today's trip to the store:

calcium propionate - appears to be casein free, it's a preservative
dyglycerides - could be problematic as they are food additives that can be either animal or vegetable-derived. I'm not clear as to whether they have anything to do with casein but if in doubt, do without. I'll keep looking for animal- and specifically dairy-free products.
calcium disodium EDTA - whatever this is, it appears not to be animal-based. I'm not terribly excited about consuming something that causes reproductive and developmental effects but it doesn't appear to be a problem wherein casein is the issue.
disodium inosinate - basically a salt; not a concern for me but if you have issues with MSG, it's something to keep an eye out for.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

The Road to Wellness

It's been a bit of time since I've written and I've gone through much. At least one of my physicians seems convinced I have Sjogren's. After a stumble in confidence and an additional visit to the rheumatologist, I feel confident that I do not have Sjogren's. It IS possible that I have Sjogren's but at this point, there is no reason to believe that I do.

While it is possible that I have Sjogren's, my blood test results have all been negative for indicators and I have no dental or saliva problems. No cavities, no gum disease, my last dental visit was, as usual, a fabulous experience (yes, it's true, I'm one of those weird people that actually love going to the dentist). I feel blessed, I'm persistant, I'm ornery and I have the intelligence and resources to continue my search, even though many of the medical professionals I've encountered are less-than-enthusiastic in my pursuit to find a cause for my dry eye that resists traditional treatment, including glaucoma-inducing Lotemax, hourly preservative-free tears, Restasis, warm compresses and more.

One of my best resources has been my dad. A retired physician, he's been willing to weed through various websites and other information to help me determine what's worth pursuing and what's not. Dad has been a huge support for me when I wanted to give up and when I just didn't know where else to look.

Last Tuesday, I returned to the rheumatologist. She said I *might* have Sjogren's but I definitely *might not* and there was no reason to presume, at this point, that I do have it. The following day, I went to an allergist. My primary was placating me when she wrote the referral and no one else seemed to think it was necessary either. The allergist, himself, told me that under normal circumstances he wouldn't test me but given what I've gone through (I brought all of my medical records), he was willing to do the scratch test for me.

The results were in some ways surprising and others, not so much. I'm very allergic to just about every pollen out there -- that was not surprising. I've always had hayfever, particularly grass, although I was a little surprised that I was allergic to pretty much ALL pollens, year round. I knew I was allergic to cats and dogs but not the degree to cats -- through the roof. And then we tested major food allergies. THAT was the surprise.

I think I wrote that the naturopath I visited over the summer declared me sensitive to wheat and a number of other things. Well, the allergy test showed that I was NOT allergic to wheat but I AM allergic (and strongly) to casein, a milk protein, and almonds. We didn't test all tree nuts so he said to be safe, I should eliminate tree nuts, in general, to see if it makes a difference or not. Milk. Butter. The naturopath's test said those were free and clear and here I was, experiencing a pretty big reaction from the scratch test FROM MILK.

This time around, removing a food product doesn't seem so bad. I don't have the anger I did when I thought I had to remove gluten. It's not because gluten is more important than milk; it's because the possibility of a food allergy, as a solution, is SO MUCH more appealing than an auto immune disorder. Sometimes you have to go a lot further before you realize how lucky you really are. I still *might* have Sjogren's but for now, I'm going dairy & tree-nut free. Some of the physicians I've spoken too feel confident there would be other symptoms besides dry eyes (and inflammation) if dairy / nuts were the problem; I'd be remiss if I didn't try though.

I realize that I may not have any symptom relief for at least 8 weeks and it is possible that eliminating dairy and tree nuts may not make a difference but it's worth a try and the prospect of a diet change making such a big difference in my health, makes me feel pretty good. Plus, it turns out, there's a lot of good dark chocolate out there that contains neither dairy, nor nuts!