Oh Nuts!

I may not consider myself a picky eater, but I have learned to be one out of necessity.  When you are allergic to so many things, you have to be.

Last week while I was having lunch with a friend, I ordered a salad with walnuts and asked them to hold the walnuts.  When I got my salad, there was a bright, shiny chunk of walnut.  I asked the waiter to take it back, which he did.  Coming back with a freshly made salad was great, but his response wasn't so much.  He didn't really apologize and offered the excuse that just a small piece had fallen in while it was being made.  That small chunk could have caused me to spend the afternoon in the ER.

I often wonder why there are so many people without food allergies who are quick to dismiss those of us who do.  It's not that chose to be allergic to any particular food. It actually makes life just a little more difficult.

Some of my food allergies are minor and won't land me in the hospital.  I can eat avocado, but I can't let it touch my any of the skin on my face or I will break out.  The same is true with strawberries.  I love both of them.  With both, I'll get a little itchy if I eat too much.  Since I love traveling to Mexico, which is the home of guacamole, I'll gladly deal with the itchy occasionally.  The same thing happens with cream cheese.

Other things pose a higher risk for me.  It is a good thing I don't like bell peppers because I learned a couple years ago that I am allergic to them.  Oddly, red bell peppers are worse than green.  My tongue will swell and I will quickly not be able to breathe.

Swelling and not being able to breathe is my common reaction to shellfish and assorted nuts.  Most of the time, kids have allergies that they sometimes grow out of as they get older.  I'm just the opposite.  I didn't have many of these allergies as a kid.  I wasn't allergic to peanuts, walnuts, brazil nuts or hazelnuts 5-10 years ago.  I also wasn't allergic to shellfish until about 12 years ago.

It was rare, but I used to eat shrimp as often as I could.  It never bothered me at all.  While eating it during a girl's night at Red Lobster, I started to feel a tingle in my throat and was short of breath by the time we left.  I tried a few more times and had an even quicker response time. 

I lived on PB&J as a kid.  The only candy I used to eat had peanut butter in it.  About 5 years ago, I started to notice that I couldn't catch my breath after eating a peanut flavored candy.  Not long after that I had a similar reaction to hazelnut candies Kent had given me for Valentines Day.  Finally, allergy testing would show reactions to peanuts, walnuts, brazil nuts and hazelnuts.  Do you know how hard it is to safely eat a lot of foods with a peanut allergy?  Several places use peanut oil for frying or add peanuts to sauces.

One of my craziest allergies is to latex.  Latex gloves will make my hands turn red and swell.  Even latex used in elastic bands sewn in clothes will cause a reaction. 

Of course I have all the fun seasonal and plant allergies.  Just about any flower will make me sneeze or take my breath away.  Mold, grass, dust, etc. all do the same.  Again, I didn't start having these types of allergies until I was 19.

Maybe the worst reactions I have ever had were to medications.  I know this sounds contrary to how many people think, but I would love to be able to take medication for anxiety.  The problem is that most meds used for anxiety I have tried and have an allergic reaction to.  The same is true for most meds used as sleep aids and many, many antibiotics.

I guess I've learned to adapt and stay very alert to food.  But, I can't help but wonder why I seem to be allergic to more things as I age.