In 2011, I woke up and couldn’t walk without excruciating pain radiating through my body.  I called my chiropractor and asked if he could get me in because I needed to be “fixed”, so I could enjoy my weekend with all my sister-in-laws in Texas in just a few short days.  He said “Yes, can you come right away?”

“I can come as  soon as my morning commitments are over, will that be ok?”  I was catering a luncheon for one of our local schools.

I hobbled in and he told me to lay on the table.  He went through the normal reflexology items and did a few adjustments.

“Meredith, your back was a little out of alignment. But, I really want to check your nutrition.”

I responded with, “thanks, but there is nothing wrong with my nutrition.”

I left and finished my day, which included a run to Sonic for a Route 44 Cherry Limeade. Dinner included a pasta dish, with extra cheese, bread sticks, and a large Coke with a few refills.

I woke up the next morning feeling worse than the day before, but I still made a run to Sonic for breakfast, (Sausage, Egg and Cheese croissant, with hash browns and a Route 44 Cherry Limeade) becuase I was running late for the 2nd day of luncheon catering, this time for another school.

By the time the food was out, I was in so much pain that my friend kept telling me to leave and go get myself looked at.

I took her advice and called my chiropractor and jokingly said “you have 30 minutes to fix me, I need to get on a plane to Texas.”

 After doing a few tests, he left the room and when he came back he said “Meredith, have you ever considered a total water fast for the rest of your life?” Within the hour, I was walking out of the chiropractor’s office wanting to cry.

I left that day, knowing that my body did not like food.  And that if I wanted to start walking without pain, then I would have to make some changes.

Over the next month or so, I stopped crying every time I went to the grocery store; I only cried when I wanted to find something new to eat.

My final diagnosis,  NO MORE:

• GLUTEN
• CORN (or any byproduct ie High Fructose CORN syrup or CORN syrup, Corn flour, etc… you get the point)
• DAIRY
• EGG whites
• and PEANUTS (or anything made with Peanuts)

Over the years I had learned that I could cheat, or at least I thought so, except for Peanuts. My Peanut allergy is not bad enough that I need an epipen, but I do carry Benadryl and I stay away from Peanuts and anything cooked in peanut oil.

At the end of last year, I was tired of following my diet. How bad could it be? So what if I get a Migraine from the Corn syrup, the Gluten, is not that bad.. just a feeling that my hands are swollen when I wake up.

There it was, a Krispy Kreme Glazed Cream filled donut… how bad can it be?  Within a minute, the headache came on, no biggie… I am used to that symptom. A small migraine was my common side-effect if I happen to not see there was corn syrup in something.  Then I started tripping and I was dizzy.  This went on for the entire day.  I even tripped trying to get out of my van that night, 8 hours later.

NO, it can’t be a symptom…. oh yes it can….  a side-effect of a Gluten intolerance.

That was scary.  I learned my lesson.  No more Krispy Kreme or any food item filled with that much gluten and corn for me. I started to really watch my gluten and corn intake.

So why this post as we enter 2017… this year I have been sicker than I want to admit. It started in February, then in June, September and now today.

In February, I know what started the Bronchitis like symptoms, I got a head cold/flu.

But in June, I made excuses because I did not want to think that my dairy allergy could be the culprit.

September, I still had a rattle, but I said “Oh, I had a little ranch dressing, I’ll be fine”.

But these past weeks… My excuses included:

Oh, I’ll be fine.

It definitely could not be a dairy allergy.

I have been doing so well.

Come on what do you want? It has been Thanksgiving and Christmas.

[ctt template=”8″ link=”61d0C” via=”yes” ]I didn’t cheat that much. #foodallergies #glutenfree #dairyfree @duffy66[/ctt]

I go get all the Natural Products I can. Teas, Vitamins, etc… but last night as I laid on the couch trying to sleep, praying that God would allow me to get to the doctors office… praying my doctor would actually be open, the day after Christmas.

 With every breath, less and less was getting into my lungs.

I got up every 4 hours and made a Breathe Easy tea. The warmth of the coffee cup on my chest, seemed to open up my airways so I could breathe.  Finally, 8am rolled around, my doctor will not be in till tomorrow.  The Vanderbilt walk-in clinic is open. I get ready and my husband drives me over there.

Just sign-in and we will call you up.

A few minutes later, my name was called. Ma’am you do understand there is about a 55 minute wait. I nodded in between coughs gave her all the information and then went and sat down.

After sitting a waiting, my name was finally called.  The Nurse Practitioner came in a few minutes later and started to put the stethoscope up to my chest and said

“wow, you get the prize for being the weaziest.  I am going to give you a steroid shot and a steroid pack. You will also have a breathing treatment and go home with an inhaler and cough medicine and cough pills.” 

The Nurse Practitioner, was talking about a reactive airway. Something triggers the inflammation and before you know it… you are here. But what could be your trigger?  My amazing husband kept saying “can a dairy allergy cause it?” To which I kept saying “I have cheated that much.”.

The entire time I kept lying to myself by saying, ” I didn’t cheat that much.” God kept gently reminding me of how much I did cheat since Thanksgiving.

I started reading up on reactive airways and dairy allergies.  As I kept reading, I found out how quickly bronchial airways can become inflamed and death can be the result.

Death… or a Choice to Cheat?  For me it could have the same outcome.

I have been saying for the past 5 years, “mine (food allergies) aren’t that bad and I can cheat a little. Well after these past few days and more so, last night wondering if I would wake up, I have a major choice to make.”

You see, it is still a choice.  I have been living in denial that my dairy allergy is NOT THAT BAD… so I would cheat.

We live in a First world country and I can get to the doctor for a breathing treatment to open back up my airways.

Right?

Wrong?

Why do I want to put my body through this?

This was a conscious choice that I made to cheat on my food allergy diet, it not a medical condition like asthma. It is 100% a choice of  living in denial, that my excuse, “I can cheat just a little, becuase it doesn’t affect anyone but me.”

Because of my conscious choice of “cheating”, it affected me by being sick even thinking I may not make it through the night.

But it also affected my husband because he took care of me.  It also affected our budget.  We do not have $500 of indispensable income.  It also affected my daughter because today, she wanted me to go shopping with her.  It also affected an out of town visitor and her children, because we were not able to see them again while they were visiting and I had promised her son I would cook and bake with him.

I know that there will be things that I accidently eat (ie while traveling and not getting all the ingredients in the spices or sauces).

But today, I choose not to cheat on purpose.

Today I still have to live with the consequences of cheating since Thanksgiving.

Just today I have spent $270.  Earlier this week I spent almost $100 on a chiropractic appointment and vitamins.  A week and half ago we spent over $100 on other “Natural products”.

So this “choice to cheat” cost almost $500 out of pocket expense…just because I said “it’s not that bad.  I didn’t cheat that much and it will only affect me.”