Keeping Death In Check

[rovingjack]

I guess I'm necromancing this topic.

over the last month or so I've had mild cold like symptoms. I eventually got a real cold that lasted several days, and when it was done I still would get some symptoms especially when eating. well on new years I had a bit of soy sauce on something and went into uncontrolled shivers in the theater when I went to watch star wars. I wrote it off as disconcerting and weird. Then I had some snacks that were spicy a few days later.

So here I am a ten days into the new year, whenever I eat vegetables and ham I start coughing for about a half hour after. but it seemed to settle out, but then eating corn chips that list ingredients as corn, corn oil, and salt; I get a sense of post nasal drip, the cough comes back and I get a sense of nervousness (some chill and restless muscles that are not quite twitchy but tension and discomfort). Woke up feeling a bit better ate my veggies, with only mild cough after eating which might have the hiatal hernial/ heartburn. Eat my ham and felt a bit phlegmy and coughing, settles out within the hour.  Then after a half hour I ate some corn chips (made with corn, corn oil, and salt) and definate nose running cough an shivers. It comes and goes the last three hours.

Odds are good I might have to add an allergy to corn (in the ham, soy sauce, corn chips). Testing often misses it, so getting any confirmation will be difficult. While the dangers to my health means I need to do something about this before I risk anaphylaxis. trouble is that corn is in everything: the ham, the vitamins I need, any chips, medications, even shampoo and conditioners. There is also a chance that things I need for my dentures are a risk.

In fact this is a situation that sets me back even worse than I was two years ago. Because now eating wrong won't just make me sick, they might actually just kill me and on top of that dextrose, which is in almost all IVs is corn derived.

Honestly I'm anxious, and depressed a bit by this. My future has become far more complicated. I will likely be losing weight rapidly as I cut things out of my diet with risks of allergic reactions. Struggling to get doctors to work with me on this. And eventually the results will be chronic worry about everything around me making me need to rush to the hospital.

[Hurricane Annie]

 
Roving Jack, get it checked immediately. It may be a lingering virus or it cold be something far more serious. Ask for a chest and neck xray  and blood tests.

edited to add: if you have any lumps, swellings or achey spots   go ASAP and tell the doctor about them.

[Prof. Cecily]

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
I've just finished catching up on this thread and I'm with Hurricane Annie.
Get thee to a physician.

I remain yours,
Prof. Cecily

[rovingjack]

Roving Jack, get it checked immediately. It may be a lingering virus or it cold be something far more serious. Ask for a chest and neck xray  and blood tests.

edited to add: if you have any lumps, swellings or achey spots   go ASAP and tell the doctor about them.

you must have a great medical system there. They wouldn't do blood test or xrays of any kind, justed listened to my breathing, said since it's lasted this long we should have me on an antibiotic, and wrote the perscription before sending me home.

temp is not abnormal, blood pressure is a bit low but not bad, but my lungs just feel raw right now. I'm scared of antibiotics due to past experiences but I suppose I should give this one a go soon, so that if i have a reaction i can reach a doctor and get to the emergency room.

[Hurricane Annie]

Roving Jack, get it checked immediately. It may be a lingering virus or it cold be something far more serious. Ask for a chest and neck xray  and blood tests.

edited to add: if you have any lumps, swellings or achey spots   go ASAP and tell the doctor about them.

you must have a great medical system there. They wouldn't do blood test or xrays of any kind, justed listened to my breathing, said since it's lasted this long we should have me on an antibiotic, and wrote the perscription before sending me home.

temp is not abnormal, blood pressure is a bit low but not bad, but my lungs just feel raw right now. I'm scared of antibiotics due to past experiences but I suppose I should give this one a go soon, so that if i have a reaction i can reach a doctor and get to the emergency room.

we have a shocking medical system here and it took me years to get diagnosed with something truly awful that is now in long term remission.  I wish I had known to  push for tests that would  have  discovered it far earlier .  I was given such a run around that when things became  grievous and the  breathing slowed  and swallowing was near impossible ,  it  took a lot of convincing from older folk to  take  my growing  lumps to the doctors . It turned out to be nodular sclerosing Hodgkins lymphoma in its last gasps.   The tumours were blocking my wind pipes and pressing on my heart . I would have been dead in a few  weeks .


which brings us to another  philosophical  conundrum  - Is Consumption  steampunk ?

[Cora Courcelle]

Roving Jack
Have you tried rice based products like rice cakes and rice flour? My husband has Crohns disease and when it flares up his digestive system tolerates these best.  He has also found that UHT milk (Ultra Heat Treated) is better than just pasteurised. Soya milk is usually ok too.  He has had Crohns for over forty years so we know how it feels to have a very limited choice of foods that are 'safe' - and the consequences of straying from them.
Hope you avoid the emergency room.

[rovingjack]

The night after my first dose of meds, I developed sores on my tongue and irritated mouth and eyes. I didn't take another dose today but called the doctors to let them know what was going on. They asked me back it for an exam. I drove through the snow and got there.

I'm running a temp, now apparently, and when I got there I notice the first sign of hives on my left hand. The doc suggested I can wait and let it run it's coarse or I go get a perscription of prednisone.

I really feel like I should be under observation. From what I've read the drug, azithromiacine, will stay in my system for days or even weeks even though I only took the first dose. and even worse than that theres the risk of a serious complication in which my skin can form deep blisters and begin to slough off in areas. Which leads to risk of infection and sepsis.

meanwhile there's also risk of liver problems developing. not to mention ongoing allergic reaction potentially going as far as anaphelacsis.

it bothers me that they'd just send me home with a perscription with something progressing and with the risks this has.

[Prof Marvel]

Greetings Jack -

azithromycin ( which I am on right now) has a half-life of "68 hours" , so 68 hrours from the first dose the symptoms ought to begin to subside. 136 hours after the first dose you have 1/4 of the dose still in your system.

The symptoms you report are among the common side affects. they can include nervousness and headache as well.

Serious reactions are rare.

if you don't live alone, You don't need to be under medical observation.

The big important symptoms are anything interfering with breathing, chest pains, big hives, sever dizziness, or swelling from the neck up - then  GO TO THE E.R. immediately.

If you can tolerate it, see your MD for  about a weeks worth of corticosteroid (such as prednizone) which can help with the symptoms.
Don't settle for a single injection of steroids (unless long-lasting)  as the antibiotic "quarter life" is 5.6 days - longer than one injection
usually lasts. 7-10 days worth of Steroid pills give you the option to stop if needed.

The above comes from Mrs Marvel, who used to teach Pharmacology to Med Students, and still consults/discusses current Rx biochemistry & etc with our primary & secondary MD's and MD friends.

The original issue does sound like a reaction to Corn, which Mrs Mrs Marvel has not been able to tolerate for some years now.
Our Household must be gluten-free (diagnosed celiac) corn-free, soy-free, potato free, nut free and shrimp/shellfish free. We are now eating like rich India people - beef, chicken, fish, lots of rice and fresh or frozen garden veggies. Almost no prepared and few packaged foods.

You would be amazed what has wheat, soy, or corn in the ingredients!

Thank the heavens we can still eat rice and yams.

Often prescription and OTC drugs have Corn Starch or Wheat as a filler , especially generics, so one must be vigilant.

It is difficult, but do-able. Patience and diligence are essential.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

yhs
prof marvel

[Prof. Cecily]

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

Roving Jack, get it checked immediately. It may be a lingering virus or it cold be something far more serious. Ask for a chest and neck xray  and blood tests.

edited to add: if you have any lumps, swellings or achey spots   go ASAP and tell the doctor about them.

you must have a great medical system there. They wouldn't do blood test or xrays of any kind, justed listened to my breathing, said since it's lasted this long we should have me on an antibiotic, and wrote the perscription before sending me home.

temp is not abnormal, blood pressure is a bit low but not bad, but my lungs just feel raw right now. I'm scared of antibiotics due to past experiences but I suppose I should give this one a go soon, so that if i have a reaction i can reach a doctor and get to the emergency room.

We also have a shocking health system.
I won't go into details  here about it.
After having followed the thread, I'd not be surprised to learn you've developed a sensitive to your tortilla  chips and ham, given that maize is a substance to which many people are sensitive, including me, alas. Corn starch and/or corn syrup are used in manufacturing ham.

I see I'm not alone.
Dr. Mravel wrote

The original issue does sound like a reaction to Corn, which Mrs Mrs Marvel has not been able to tolerate for some years now.
Our Household must be gluten-free (diagnosed celiac) corn-free, soy-free, potato free, nut free and shrimp/shellfish free. We are now eating like rich India people - beef, chicken, fish, lots of rice and fresh or frozen garden veggies. Almost no prepared and few packaged foods.

You would be amazed what has wheat, soy, or corn in the ingredients!

Thank the heavens we can still eat rice and yams.

Often prescription and OTC drugs have Corn Starch or Wheat as a filler , especially generics, so one must be vigilant.

It is difficult, but do-able. Patience and diligence are essential. ...

Have you been tested for a possible celiac condition or corn allergy?
Sometimes a severe sensitivity doesn't register as an allergy in the tests, as I know from personal experience. However, that severe sensitivity can make life frighteningly painful.

My thoughts are with you, Jack!

I remain yours,
Prof. Cecily

[Prof Marvel]

Greetings again Jack -

It sounds like you are reacting to Corn *and* you got The Cold From Hell that seems to be going around - we both got it out here in the Great SouthWest just before Xmas and have not shaken it yet. Mine turned into a sinus infection that caused wracking coughs every time I ate or drank anything - caused by extreme postnasal drip down my throat. what eating or drinking had to do with it is a mystery, and the quacks won't even offer a guess. In my case I am tolerating the Z-pac ( aka  5 day azithromycin ) but the side effects are dizziness weakness and stupidity :-)
but it is killing the sinus infection I definitely had.

One thing we have found, is that "allergic reactions" can vary from time to tine due to the "glass almost full" vs "glass overflowing" model - under good conditions, the glass is only "almost full and you may not react badly to something. However, too many insults to the body and the next thing has the glass overflowing ....

Please keep posting periodically so we know you are still with us!

In the past I have called cross-country to request local constabulary to perform a wellfare check, and they have always been willing to do so :-) -  they would rather hear a sniffling grumpy tired citizen respond than have to call the Caddillac Station Wagon.

be safe,
yhs
prof marvel & mrs marvel

[rovingjack]

Woke up after a good 8 hours feeling like I'd been sleeping inside a duffle bag.

it's hard to tell if I have any jaundice because my high carrot and squash diet lends me a slight yellowish orange hue. But my eyes don't look yellow and my pale underarm looks pasty white, so my achey back is likely some combination of upset digestion laying around too much and tension.

but aside from a slight itch in areas the hive are much reduced.

Had some weird dreams last night about a weird kid trying to impress a Miley Cyrus clone with his ability become a giant snowman and fight crime.

I'm inclined to see that as a good sign.

[Prof Marvel]

Hi Jack -
so far so good. we are stalking keeping an eye out :-)

as far as food, I have found that plain white rice ( we like basmati if you can find it ) and some kind of
simple protein like chicken or fish ( catfish, cod, tilapia ) seems to help. they go down easy, have
almost nothing bad in them, and are very simple for the gut.

yhs
prof marvel

[Prof Marvel]

Had some weird dreams last night about a weird kid trying to impress a Miley Cyrus clone with his ability become a giant snowman and fight crime.

I'm inclined to see that as a good sign.

Mrs Marvel agrees - it sounds like the immune system ( the giant snowman) is doing it's job.

yhs
prof & mrs marvel

[rovingjack]

Yesterday was a day of digestive protest, in all probability due to the antibiotic, but maybe also a set back toward an inability to handle things like rice and potato again like I dealt with a couple years ago fo the better part f a decade.

I'd  say odds are good the drug is clearing out okay. but as symptom of that reaction wain I'm more aware that the ones that lead to the antibiotic in the first place seem to remain, either that of the return from the antibiotic mimics it really well, or they may just be the lingerings of some cold or flu.

Puzzling out the cause is not easy.

My diet consists of 1lb carrots, 2 cucumbers, 1 yellow squash, 1 zucchinni, and 1/2 butternut squash. All peeled and cut into small pieces and tossed into some water and coconut oil to cook soft.

After that I usually have some ham which contains the fewest and simplest ingredients I can find.

in between meals I take in 1-2 ounces of grain or tuber products. (which I've mostly discontinued this week)

I could likely omit the coconut oil easily enough to see if that makes a difference. It would be a bit more difficult to eliminate the rest, one at a time for a few days each, but no impossible. The hardest parts would be the carrots and the ham. I could possibly replace the ham with fish in the short term (but poultry is something which I may have had a reaction to in the past, so any answers would be muddled and confused, and steak causes indigestion, not to mention most meats are plumped, brined or processed with ingredients that have suspect reactions at this time).

The risks of trying something new right now are that right now I might be reacting to things already anyway so I will have a harder time figuring out things.

The issue as I experience it: wake up more or less okay, I tend to sit at the computer for about an hour after waking and have little to no problem. I pop my teeth in, and eat my veggies and within the hour I'm clearing my throat and maybe a bit of a cough, which could be something like GERD. Then I eat the ham, and within ten minutes of that I usually have to blow my nose and always cough a little. Over the last few days there's also been a sensation of blushing on my neck, cheeks and a slight sensation like that on my tongue; which may be due to caloric changes after removing things from my diet.

Priority suspects to check for me: Corn, Carrot, Ham. I can figure out a work around for almost everything else through simple trial and error processes.

other factors that may be suspect of causing symtptoms that are causing this: lingering effects of one or more infections, GERD, stress/psychosomatic, possible reaction to the soft liner in my dentures which is way past it's date and could do with replacing or a whole new set of dentures, physical exertion after an infection, thrush (something I had an issue with when younger and might be one again now that I have dentures), an allergy to yeast (in soy sauce, some flavoring used in some chips, breads and some processing methods of foods, and something I could have an infection with).

options to try on my own: wait at least until wednsday for the reaction to the antibiotic to filter out, cycle in and out foods for about three days each one at a time, make and swap a temporary denture, see if an antihistamine relieves symptoms, avoid yeast foods, and get some testing done when the docs see me on monday or as early as they will do it.

[rovingjack]

Well now things have decided that we should make things more complicated if we can.

On a whim, I measure my blood sugar levels (I'm not diabetic, but got a meter to measure it a few years back as a way of tracking metabolic processes when I was very sick). which are in the moderate hypoglycemic range now apparently. I was in the mid 40s five hours after eating (should be in the 70s, to 90s) and had no idea this whole time. That's sort of terrifying to think about going to bed with those levels and risking the prospect of a coma.

I am not sure what to make of this. In the past week I've cut out most grains, with alternating days eating some rice cakes. In the last 24 hours I've cut out the ham too to see if that made a difference. I've lost maybe 8 pounds in a week (though some of that was likely water weight, and I'd been consuming a bit more sugar over the holidays which can give me a few days of weight that drops back off).

I do find myself wondering if some of the flushing, and mouth tingle are maybe related to hypoglycemia instead of/ on top of, allergies.

It seems entirely too short a timeframe for starvation to set in. But short of that, I can't figure why I would have such low blood sugar.

I've eaten some veggies and rice cakes just about an hour ago and I'll check my levels again soon. hopefully that pushes it back up. after that I'll be seeing about eating veggies and rice or potatoes each meal and maybe see if I can pick up some fish too for protein.

I see a doctor on monday. we'll see what we can get answered then.

[J. Wilhelm]

Not to scare you, but 8 lbs loss in a week is rather steep unless it's all water loss and even then, its dangerous.  My fastest weight loss was 30 lbs in 3 months when I suddenly cut all the carbs off my diet and followed a strict "paleo" diet.

Tingling sensations on the extremities are one of the symptoms of diabetes. Playing with your sugar levels deliberately by cutting carbohydrates can be dangerous too.Is there unusually frequent urination too? Red swollen tender gums? Blurred vision?

[rovingjack]

For the past 8 years of my life I've had what doctors called Inflammatory bowel disease, which prevented me from being able to digest most foods. I had a diet of pretty much what was listed a few posts above this one, except I used to take in honey instead of corn chips, and poultry instead of ham. It was the diet that eased my symptoms and got me back from 40 pounds underweight to 7 pounds under and able to hold it there relatively well.

Then I got what looked like pnuemonia and the antibiotic messed me up enough that I was having trouble eating anything. I lost weight rapidly. After a paniced few months I ended up in what seems to be remission from the Inflammatory bowel disease.

During this whole time my blood sugar levels were pretty constant at: fasting- 76, 2hrs post meal- 95-112.

After that episode there was suspicion of an allergy to poultry, so I looked until I found a ham that I could digest. I also found that I could do corn fairly well in chip form. My symptoms improved enough that I could cut honey way back which was likely good as I'm not sure I was handling it as well anymore (possibly the fructose).

within the last few months I've been sick through unknown mechanisms that have me questioning if I am reacting to some of the few foods I can eat. The doctors again perscribed an antibiotic, under the thought that it could be an infection, that I reacted badly to and I'm still dealing with some of those symptoms since monday.

To test if foods are responsible for my symtoms I'm trying the elimination of corn products. I'm not "playing" with my carbohydrate intakes. I may try replacing it with rice, but I am still limited as to what I can eat and if one of those is causing allergic reaction then I need to not keep exposing myself to them 3 times a day.

If it is corn, it's also possible that some of the ingredients in my ham are contributing to symptoms as well, as they are made of corn. So right now I'm eating mainly vegetables.

I eat my veggies and some rice cakes and an hour later my Blood sugar is in the mid 80s, which is good for a resting level but 1hr post eating really should be a bit higher than that.

I will keep an eye on my blood sugar over the next 36 hours and try eating fish, veggies and potato/rice. If I get persistant level below 60s I will go to the emergency room.

That's the best I can think to do at this point.

[Prof Marvel]

Greetings Jack -

we are still stalking keeping a watchful eye out for you ....

I did a search and do not see that you mentioned any problems with nuts; thus I might recommend you consider the possibility
of adding peanut butter (or some other nut butter) or nutella or (god help me ) vegemite (if you can tolerate them) onto your rice cakes. they are excellent sources of protein and can bring up your blood sugar as well.

good luck
yhs
prof & mrs marvel

[rovingjack]

I was up to about 83, and I can't tell you how much of a difference that made in how I was feeling. I decided I should get some more blood sugar testing supplies and some bananas, more rice cakes, and some fish and shrimp... Only my car has half an inch of solidified/iced snow. So I start scraping and realize I should run it and turn the defrost and heater on... only it sputters itself right out of the first attempt and refuses each after that. I finished clearing it off, tried again, won't start. Came in the house, gave it half an hour and tried again. It looked like it wasn't going to do it, but I revved the engine and it started.

Drove to the walmart which I got to just before they closed, and grabbed the things I needed (left the car running outside, I know better than to court those gremlins). Came home parked where there is easy access to the engine (unlike before I got it started) and did a few turn offs and wait a minute to start it again, just to make sure. it seems okay now, might have just been a factor of sitting through four winter days without a start.

came in and checked my blood sugar, now about 2 1/2 hours post eating and it was at 93. ate 2 rice cakes to celebrate.

I've felt pretty damn good since.

Slight lower back ache when I was hungry around 1 am. Ate some shrimp, veggies and rice cake. ache eased. feel decent. 230 some mild coughing (possible reflux from eating? I'll take it).

about nuts... maybe. I know  few years ago I used to eat legumes in large volumes, ended up with some gout issues, and then later had symptoms akin to now and discontinued in favor of other veggies incase I'd become sensitive. Peanuts being a legume makes me hesitant. And I use coconut oil in cooking daily and am now (past 24 hours) avoiding it to see if reintroducing it will indicate if that was causing any symptoms, and inclined to apply that to nut in general for a bit. Vegamite and it's ilk are yeast related and I definately think I need to give those some space for a bit until I have a better grasp as to what is going on.

I'll also say that resolving the hypoglycemia seems to made so much of a difference it's hard to explain. This morning was filled with lethargy, feeling cold, depressed and irritable, slight panic attacks, and a desire to just give up. 45 minutes after eating 4 rice cakes and a pound of veggies and I felt human again and like I could and should do things. around the time I cleared the car off and got back from the store I was thinking about projects I have to do by monday and doing them enthusiastically.

I just need to stay on top of that for a few days, until I meet with my doctor monday afternoon to discuss and be rather insistant we get a chest scan and some bloodwork done, while maybe eating corn so the reaction if any can be observed. Then it's time to discuss the hypoglycemia and any testing we can do to track down what this is about (it's not the first time I've felt like that and I'm wondering if this is related to some other issues I've had), and also see if we can arrange some food challenges for corn, poultry, peas, coconut, carrots, and maybe other tests for other foods I regularly consume but which are less urgent.

[Banfili]

Vegemite (bless it!) is yeast based, so if yeast is a problem avoid it like the plague! It is, however, very rich in B vitamins and iron, and can be drunk as a consomme (sort of like Bovril, but without the meat base). Teaspoon or so in boiling water, stir, cool, sip. It also has a relatively high salt content, but is ok if intake is limited. Can often be tolerated by dodgy guts because there isn't any animal protein in it.

[rovingjack]

and another blood sugar test two hours after eating half a banana and two rice cake (and five hours after shrimp, veggies and rice cake) comes back as 64. I was nodding off. and my not always dependable thermometer is saying I have a low temperature.

so I ate again (shrimp, banana and rice cakes). and half an hour later I'm shaking uncontrollably.

I think I just give up. I'm going to the ER. None of this crap makes any sense and nothing I'm doing seems to be making any posative difference, and it' starting to freak me out.

I'd say wish me luck, but if I don't have any I'm not likely to see the wishes anyway.

[rovingjack]

they mostly played it like I'm a hypochondriac, only as politely as possible. Thing is they may be right in part. I do think the stress and protracted illness is instigating possible panic attacks.

At this point I know I've got some of this cold that hangs around for weeks or months going on. Stress in my life may have triggered it to flair some, which sent me to the doctors which gave me a drug reaction that made things worse, which might just be causing panic attack. Meanwhile colds can trigger GERD which can cause additional irritation and symptoms, and my history of problems with food and possible sensativity to one of my safe foods might be causing physical complication, more stress leading to panic reactions, or a bit of both. Changing my diet might be throwing my system for a loop right when it's already disrupted from the antibiotic and lead to the blood sugar issues.

So all I can do is look at the tests with my doctor tomorrow, explain it as I did here, maybe do a surprise food challenge in his office for corn while I'm in the right place if it turns out to be an issue. See if we can get any more tests run to help us sort out the pieces so they are easier to handle.

Tuesday I go to my councilor and should be able to work through some of the stress and panic reactions better. and by thursday I should hit the 10 day post antibiotic limit and be rid of any remaining effect that may be contributing. Though I will be sure to keep an eye on digestive health for the next 12 month, because I know I have susceptability to problems there.

then it just becomes a matter of letting the cold run it's course and maybe managing some allergies.

[Prof. Cecily]

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
Dear me, what a challenge to happiness digestive problems are.

My diet consists of 1lb carrots, 2 cucumbers, 1 yellow squash, 1 zucchinni, and 1/2 butternut squash. All peeled and cut into small pieces and tossed into some water and coconut oil to cook soft.

Is this what you eat during the day or is it the menu for one meal?
Coconut oil. Why coconut rather than olive oil? I ask because coconut oil is terribly expensive here in Spain and also because I find I have digestive issues if I cook with anything other than pure virgin olive oil.

What projects are you working on at the moment?

I remain yours,
Prof. Cecily

[rovingjack]

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
Dear me, what a challenge to happiness digestive problems are.

My diet consists of 1lb carrots, 2 cucumbers, 1 yellow squash, 1 zucchinni, and 1/2 butternut squash. All peeled and cut into small pieces and tossed into some water and coconut oil to cook soft.

Is this what you eat during the day or is it the menu for one meal?
Coconut oil. Why coconut rather than olive oil? I ask because coconut oil is terribly expensive here in Spain and also because I find I have digestive issues if I cook with anything other than pure virgin olive oil.

What projects are you working on at the moment?

I remain yours,
Prof. Cecily

I cook that all up and portion it out for 3 -4 meals a day.

I used coconut oil because years ago when I was unable to eat almost anything at all I tolerated well, it has a somewhat buttery flavor, is solid at room temperature for much of the year but melts below body temp, is shelf stable for a long time, adds a source of saturated fats that are healthy, and has anti-fungal/anti-viral/anti-bacterial qualities. A teaspoon at a time used in cooking means it can go a long way. And it's a great substitue for butter because it acts tastes and functions a lot like butter in cooking but doesn't contain casein or lactose like dairy products do.

Olive oil here in the US is a tricky business, a lot of people don't realize that the olive oil we get here is in some cases not completely olive oil. There's a bit of a scam going on with non-US suppliers where they either cut the olive oil with cheaper oils, or they import cheaper olive oil from other locations and repackage or mix it before exporting it as their own. So there is literally no way to be certain about what oils I'd be getting. Not really a big health concern right now because I'm not likely to react to any other type of oil, but I take a bit of issue with slight of hand when it comes to what people are putting in my food. I had a similar issue with honey, some imported honeys cut high fructose corn syrups int it because they have a similar sugar profile (almost 50/50 glucose/fructose). I would get sick from some but not others, and the only labeling is Grade A honey. It's not supervised or particularly regulated.

On to todays update: The lab work done on my blood... weren't. Basically they only ran half the tests. Bah, whatever. The Hba1c says my blood sugar for the last three months averages fairly good, so likely the recent issue was intake and absorption based leading to a slight starvation/anorexic result, resolved with rice cakes and bananas. A year ago my liver, kidneys and thyroid were normal so the odds of a difference there now are not impossible but not something to suspect either failing any other signs of issues.

We did a swab of the back of my throat for thrush/yeast. there were white patches but some of that seems to be post nasal drip.

and I got a referral to a new allergist. Apparently the Allergist I had last doesn't believe in food allergies outside of anaphylaxis (that's what the doctor I saw today actually said). Considering the way he sorta blew me off the last time, I can't say I was surprised. Once he knew I had possible Inflammatory bowel disease he literally told my "that's not {his} area" and wrote any food issues like wheezing after meals off as not his area.

I should probably get some probiotics in the next day or so too.

EDIT: Holy CRAP! I just had one heck of a definate reaction after trying my vegetables for the first time in a couple days. my face and arms felt like I'd just opened an oven door and I got a bit of a head rush. geez. I'm not touching those again for a good while and without supervision. Heres hoping that I don't get anything more of a reaction over the next several hours. I'm not sure which vegetable is responsible or if this is a salicylate sensativity, but I will see about finding some foods that won't trigger those reaction that I can resort to.

[Prof. Cecily]

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
Interesting about the issues with good old honest olive oil.
It's strictly regulated in Spain, of course and if the label says 100% virgin oil from the first pressing, you can bet that's what it is.

There was a dreadful occurrence here some years back with adulterated oil and so the purity of the oil here is a big deal.

So. Kidneys, liver and thyroid in good condition and no thrush.
Doctors everywhere are loathe to consider sensitivity to certain elements in the same class as full out allergies.
I myself have a 'sensitivity' to nickel which doesn't warrant the label allergy, yet effectively limits my choice of jewellery. Nor can I wear jeans- the rivets are torture after a while.

Anyway. You have friends here who are concerned about you.
All the best!

I remain yours,
Prof. Cecily.