Treating The Symptoms
Two Years Ago—
I got sick and stayed home for a few days, and while I wasn’t 100% I was good to go to work. I just had a small lingering cough. (For as long as I can remember I have gotten 2-4 week-long coughs after being sick. Sometimes the cough doesn’t start until, after a week of realizing I’m sick.)
This I realize now became a big mistake.
I worked in a job that at the time required I stay in 30-degree temperatures for 8-10 hours a day. At first, I felt ok, but then the coughing started. My chest hurt from the constant flow.
Then the wheezing came, it felt as though someone had taken thousands of needles and were stabbing me every time I breathed. It was so bad I could barely talk.
I was scared enough that I had to leave work. My manager walked me to my car and I went to an emergency walk-in clinic.
The doctor tested me for the flu, COVID-19, and a slew of common viral infections. They all came back negative. He told me I probably had acid reflux and a less common cold strain.
I was given an emergency inhaler, reflux meds, and a cough suppressant. The meds didn’t work. My cough and chest got worse.
I called out and went to my regular doctor. He told me it was a Viral Lung Infection but that he couldn’t be sure.
I threw out the Acid Reflux and Cough Meds, replacing them with a daily steroid inhaler and antibiotics. It helped some, but not enough.
I went back to work only to have an asthma attack. I could not work in the cold a requirement for my job.
I was sick, and unable to properly breathe for two months. I was also unable to work during this time.
I saw my doctor several more times. He sent me to a pulmonologist, who taught me how to properly use my daily inhaler. (I wasn’t using it right, which is common I’m told.)
I was also given a steroid shot, three different times for mager swelling of my throat.
I slowly got better, accepted I just got unlucky with a bad infection, and went back to work.
It Came Back—
A Year Later—
I had changed doctors by this point as I felt I was talking to a brick wall. While I had gotten better and able to work normally I’d lost my lung capacity.
Before this, I could run two miles but now, I could barely run one-quarter of a mile without difficulty.
No one could tell me why or what was causing this only their best guess. When I pushed they said it could be pollen allergies. They refused to test. Or send me to an allergist.
I found my own. I paid over $1000 by the end of it. The allergist only tested me for environmental allergies. All Negative.
At this point, I was on daily allergy medicine. Finding out I was highly allergic to at least one popular brand. All brands came with bad side effects. Severe constipation, dry eye, extreme sleepiness, runny nose, hunger, nausea, lack of desire to eat, etc . . .
My family kept telling me to go to the doctor. Except I had, several times, several doctors. None knew how to fix me.
I spent many months coughing or wheezing on some level. Sometimes it’d be light other times it’d be heavy or unbearable.
I kept my emergency inhaler on me at all times. It was the only thing that would calm the coughing. I know it drove my family insane when I was around.
My throat was always swollen and painful. And now I had recurring ear infections that at first glance had no cause. My ears were clear and yet they were closed tight from swelling.
I found another doctor, this one sent me to an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat.). After five minutes in front of five students, I didn’t consent to being there.
They told me I had TMJ (a type of temporomandibular disorder that affects the joint that connects your jawbone to your skull.).
The worst part is that that same pain had only been there for less than a day and they would not listen to a word I said as I desperately tried to tell them everything else affecting me.
They never once looked me in the eye. Their students held all of their attention.
I left that appointment in tears. I tossed out the five new medicine prescriptions they wanted me to take and tried to call my new doctor.
The doctor left the practice and I was not allowed to know where they had gone. I was again without a GP.
At this point, I had given up on doctors. I kept spending spending spending. And yet still no answers.
A Year Of Personal Research
All I knew was that the doctors suspected I had allergies, that caused many of my other problems. So that was where I started.
I found out what people with allergies do.
Clean bedding at least once a week.
Regularly take some allergy medicine. The only one I could tolerate that I knew of was Allegra. It helped but not much.
Change clothes when spending time outside.
Avoid dust and being outside during certain times and seasons. (This made me miserable I love being outside in the sun.)
All of these helped me a little bit. The coughing was no longer constant but the swelling and earache never went away.
Next, I found out about toxins in our everyday environment.
I had always been sensitive to chemicals or their usage around me. This information made sense to me. Things like makeup, beauty products, shampoo, soap, bug poison, and air freshener all set me off with rashes or shallow breathing. Some even made me bleed from my scalp. I avoided the last two like the plague.
Makeup was both easy and hard, I’d never really worn it daily because of the effects, (Itchy skin, rashes, big breakouts.)
But I still liked to use eye shadow and lipgloss on dates or when I went out. I finally gave it up and threw all of it out.
Chapstick
Skin Moisturizers - Lotions
That’s it.
My breakouts lessened after this.
I will say that because I had already mostly avoided this, I know it may seem unrealistic to many women.
But I would encourage you all to reduce as much as you can and try to find cleaner brands that do not use harsh chemicals in their products.
Shampoo, Soap, Facial Cleaners
I’m not sure if this will surprise you but it did me.
Most soaps and shampoos strip our skin and body of our natural ability to heal and keep healthy the very thing we are trying to fix.
There are also so many ingredients in most products that it is impossible to look them all up. The ones I did find horrified me.
I found a new brand of shampoo and conditioner. It’s not where I’d like it to be but it’s way better than the brands I used before.
Prebiotic Body Wash - Game changer and a must-have for everyone, allergy or no allergy.
My face you ask? Look above it’s gentle enough that it quite literally replaced my cleansers. I clean my face every time I shower that’s it. Simple, it saves time, and most importantly money.
I end with a body lotion by the same company when needed. (It works better than anything I’ve ever bought and I’ve tried a lot of brands.)
A Rose Water Mist (Again same company.) for my face as I’ve found lotions too potent for my needs. Dry Face begone!
The results of these changes were amazing. My swollen throat finally started to clear up. My earache lessened to an occasional throbbing.
No more itchy dry skin. Less rash breakouts.
My personal favorite was the products did. not. sting. It didn’t matter what I used this was always a thing for me. Stinging products were normal.
My cough disappeared . . .
Supplements and How They Can Help
Turns out I needed more electrolytes in my diet. Which translates into Salt.
A lot of salt—
Ok so hear me out. I know, we have all been taught to avoid salt because it’s supposed to cause many health issues.
What they all fail to mention, is that if you eat a basic whole-food diet. It’s hard to eat, too much salt!
On top of that, I work out a lot. Four to five days a week, two for weights, two for cardio, and one for whatever I feel like.
That means I am losing a ton of electrolytes every day.
I also avoided energy drinks because of the amount of sugar and junk they contain. I was a water junkie. Still am. I had a dentist, tell me a Coke was better than some of those drinks.
I have also craved Chips, Dr. Pepper, and Kraft Mac N Cheese for as long as I can remember. Can you guess what all three contain a lot of?
Salt.
All of these were signs that I needed electrolytes that I was not getting.
I just googled this,
Electrolytes like sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium have both direct and indirect roles in regulating your immune system. They protect against infections, modulate the intensity of the immune response, and even play a role in cancer treatment. So whether you’re sick, healthy, or in-between—you want to be getting enough electrolytes.
Blew my mind. What about you?
So I bought an Electrolyte drink mix that contained 1000mg of salt, 200mg of Potassium, and 60mg of Magnesium. One a day.
Fatigue, brain fog, and all of my cravings were better. All because I needed salt.
That Was When I Realized
From the Mayo Clinic,
Your immune system produces substances known as antibodies. When you have allergies, your immune system makes antibodies that identify a particular allergen as harmful, even though it isn't. When you come into contact with the allergen, your immune system's reaction can inflame your skin, sinuses, airways or digestive system.
Our Immune systems are tied to our allergies,
Support it and everything gets better, allergies included. Your body is better, able to help itself and while it doesn’t cure it it still lessens symptoms.
This realization led me to believe I needed a specialist. A different one this time. One who would test everything. If I had to see every doctor in the state I would.
I Found an Immunologist and Allergy Specialist
Five weeks ago—
This doctor spent over an hour with me going over my history.
Gave me a new prescription for a child dose of allergy medicine, and a decongestant until we figured out what was causing my asthma (the first doctor to explain I had that.) and allergy symptoms.
They listened to me.
They ordered the tests I wanted.
They were kind
They listened!
They ordered tests I didn't know about.
Did I forget to say they listened to me?
Why is all of this important?
Well, if your doctor does not listen to you. You have a problem and you will probably end up like me. Lost, confused, and still not know what was wrong or how to fix it.
Do not be afraid to get another opinion or doctor. It’s your health. Not theirs.
Three Weeks Ago—
One blood test and one hundred skin pricks later,
My doctor confirmed I was Allergic to
Wheat
Gluten (It’s in more than just wheat.)
Nuts
All of them are food-based allergens. Those doctors who refused to help me should be ashamed. I ASKED for a food test. MORE THAN ONCE.
I immediately stopped eating all three things.
Now—
It’s been almost three weeks and I am fighting tears as I write this part.
My coughing is gone
My throat is normal
My skin is clear and not itchy
Digestive pain gone
Nausea Gone
My joint pain that I didn’t know was painful I was so used to it, gone
Earache gone
Red puffy face gone
Runny nose gone
Extreme fatigue gone
Brain fog gone
headache gone
Weight gain stopped and reversing
cravings gone
Heat and cold flashes gone
stable mood
I could go on forever
I’ve spent three weeks not eating my allergins. I don’t regret it.
Do I still miss eating normal foods for everyone else? Sure. Will I go back? Never.
I feel as though my life stopped two years ago when everything worsened. I can choose my health in a way I didn’t have before.
I need to go out of my way to find wheat/gluten-free pasta. But I can still have pasta, it’s just a different kind now.
Fruit smoothies all the way now! It’s not too hard, I just need to make sure they don’t put almond milk in it.
There are options for those of us with Allergies to wheat, gluten, and nuts. We can still have tasty healthy meals.
There Are Options
Swap wheat noodles for rice, and corn-based noodles. (They are the tastiest I’ve found.)
Look for gluten-free labels. There are a lot now.
Eat rice or potatoes instead of pasta-based sides.
fruit smoothies are usually the safest. But be careful to ask for all the ingredients.
No nut ice cream is still safe. (My allergy isn’t bad enough to need a nut-free facility. Be careful if yours is that bad.)
I’m still learning and discovering my options and swaps. So far it’s going well. If not a little more expensive sometimes.
In Conclusion
My journey has been hard for the last two years. I know that I am not the only one who has or will go through this. I want you to know you are not alone.
I started this newsletter to help people like me. Lost, scared, and unable to find answers. Please don’t give up. Keep trying. It might take years to find those answers but they are there.
If you are allergic to Wheat, Gluten, or Nuts, or want to follow me on my journey to discovering new foods and swaps please subscribe.