Experiment Part 1

(I have decided to jump around a bit with my categories of discussion, or “themes”. Because I have had some set backs in the art department, the first is going to be food/health.)

I imagine the following to be narrated by some great actor, with a warming voice. One that oozes eloquence. Or as one friend likes to say, the “Papa Bear” type voice. I will let you decided which actor or actress you would prefer to hear in your head.

Narrator: “The human body: a collection of cells,fluids,muscles, pathways, and sensors. All working together to bring our daily lives into fruition. Functioning like a perfect, well oiled machine that seamlessly completes simple tasks, with complex movements. All without our having to “think” about it. And yet, our brain is thinking all on its own,with out our knowledge or in put. That is...until something goes wrong.”

And cue dramatic music. Fade to black.

Cut to the image of an x-ray, MRI, a nurse drawing blood from a patient. The cliche plastic bag of intravenous fluids being clipped to a stand. The patient and loved one holding hands in the office, waiting for the doctor.

Fade to black.

Fade up to- the dinner table?

Yes, food. Oh glorious food! That which provides comfort and energy to so many, and is a metro-train full of poisonous passengers for the rest of us. Let us skip past  weight and struggle of for a moment- that will be a different post. Today I want to discuss allergies. Food allergies.

Now, I do not have an allergy to peanuts. I will not turn into a balloon and suffocate at the mere sight of a jar of peanut butter. I love shrimp, and can eat it happily without getting hives, or needing to stab myself in the thigh with a needle in order to survive. Instead I have asthmatic reactions to two foods, joint pain from another, and who knows what from a fourth.

What am I allergic too? Well funny you should ask..or at least expect me to say already (geez this broad can ramble). I am allergic to Lemon- NO NOT CITRUS!! For crying out loud..it is possible to be able to eat oranges, and NOT lemon. I am also allergic to Basil -sigh- yes I can eat parsley,sage,rosemary,and thyme. No I have never eaten them at Scarborough Fair, but moving on!

These two seemingly innocent items cause what I like to say, my lungs to shut down. Not anaphylactic shock. Okay I don't know the true definition of anaphylactic shock and at what point it is officially called such, nor how to spell it. (I would like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to the little “abc” button at the top, most people thank spellcheck, the “program”, but I don't think the actual button gets the credit it deserves. Rock on little button!).

What happens feels like my asthma (the too much fluid kind). I can breathe, but not breathe at the same time. And I will admit, over the past few years the reaction has gotten quicker and stronger, with smaller amounts needed to initiate complications. Also..yes my throat has started to tighten. So I guess its like having the distant cousin of anaphylactic shock come over for dinner, and threaten to invite the whole family over to your house for their reunion, because he just LOVES your window treatments.

Mr.Reaction: Ooh! Is that tv 3-d?
Me: No. Good day sir.
Mr. Reaction: But I just want a quick refill.
Me: I SAID, good day!

I discovered the basil allergy in my early teens, eating a personal sized basil and tomato pizza. A few slices in I couldn't breathe and had a horrible migraine. Lemon was in my later teens. For the most part I stopped drinking soda when I was twelve. The only one I would still drink was root beer, 'cause its awesome. You know it is. I would drink tea, lemonade, juice, milk, but mostly I just had water with a slice of lemon. For six years. Then at 18 I had the same lung issues. So...now no Italian restaurants for me. Or fish that I haven't cooked myself. Although, I'm not a big fan of pasta, or fish...so, okay I can deal.

I love, love LOVE onions. I think every meal, every dish, needs onions.White, purple, yellow,green..I don't discriminate. And until a few months ago, I would have them in a salad, caramelized, as a soup that apparently the French invented, or in their famous dip form. That is until my brain correlated the joint pain I have had every day for years with my love of onions. Now, I know this sounds odd, but I have researched (and by that I mean used the Internet to read other peoples problems to diagnose my own, you know you do it to, so.. again, moving on!) and I discovered that one of the main reactions to onions for those allergic to it, is joint pain.

This was after I didn't have any for two weeks, then had a ridiculous amount for two days, and spent the rest of the next three days wishing I could lay on a bed of dry ice if only it would help with the pain. So now I enter into the crud portion of food allergies. Try finding a premade tomato sauce that doesn't have onions in it...ok, I like Alfredo..that's cool.

And restaurants? They love onions as much as I do. A salad bar shouldn't be any problem right? Well so long as I don't get any broccoli,potato, or Chinese chicken salads. Okay..no premixed stuff..ok I can deal. Dishes that they cook onions with, I can pick them out..no biggie... Oh! Wrong!! So meat cooked with onions, ANYTHING cooked with onions, in a broth, sauteed, broiled, fried, simmered or canned. Still no.

Alright, so I just have to be very careful, selective, and creative.

Yeah...

Cue my random picture of a tree 

to inspire hope and tranquility!

Would that be a "Tranquilitree"? 0.o *giggle*