Allergies and Living

Having allergies is sometimes not a bad thing. Nor is it a big deal to some people as they might have minimal allergies or maybe just one. To others, their allergies are severe enough that it effects their daily life. Everything they do, everyone the encounter is a threat to their being. For our family its a choice of 'what is in that food?!'.

I have seasonal allergies, and allergic to only one medication. My list isn't long and I really don't have to worry unless I am at a hospital. As for my husband, his allergies are on a list a mile long. Anywhere from medical, to seasonal, to food, it is a wonder that he is still living and can eat anything!

We recently had an unexpected hospital visit in September for my Husband. We were there for about a week with a bad case of Ecol-I. When talking with the nurses, doctors and staff, we had to make sure that they knew that he had food allergies which part of it included eggs. He cannot have certain shots as they do have egg synthetics in them. We had to keep reminding them over and over and over again so that he would not die from just a tiny mistake because of his allergic reactions. After we got home it was more of making sure that hands were washed, and making sure he was handling things properly as we are not sure of where his Ecol-I came from.

While we were in the hospital, it was a huge wake up call for me how severe his allergies were. It was a huge brick being thrown in my face, knocking me to the ground. When we were first married, I knew what he was allergic to and we adjusted our life so that he would eat and stay as healthy as he could without eating healthy. Since then it has become a habit for us, reminding myself some days of what is going on. To help you understand a little more, my husband's food allergies are severe enough that everything from fresh fruits to fresh vegetables, to nuts and eggs, and even soy, he cannot eat it. He pulls lettuce off of burgers at an eating place, tomatoes he gives to me to eat. We have to make sure that his eggs are cooked all the way through before he digs in to them. Any type of veggie that we have to cook or steam until soft and squishy before taking a bite. Yes, it is that bad.

 

 We don't know what effects these food allergies or why they even come on. It could be a specific type of gene that is passed from one generation to the next. There is now more advanced testing that is being done to pinpoint this type of gene to help with future generations. I am hoping we can pinpoint something down for when we have kids. 

Not everyone can eat healthy according to the food pyramid or the new fab diet that everyone goes on. Until you live it or witness it, no one is ever concerned with the fact of food allergies. If they do hear the word food allergies, they judge. They think that you don't like that certain type of food, or that you are a very picky eater. They don't get that even after we tell them that it could kill him, the put their nose up and think that you are trying to get out of it.

Eating healthy & eating not to kill you have brought so many different things to light.

I hope one day that they will find a way to make the allergies go away. But for now, we will keep on living, making sure that food is cooked, checking ingredients, still praying that our children don't end up with the food allergy. We will keep going to doctors appointments, getting scopes done, and picking out certain foods.

I never thought that one day, food would be such a major part of mine and my husband's life.