This post is an update about my health and my most recent visit to my rheumatologist. Nothing bad happened.
Here’s what got done:
Rheumatologist at first thought I only had fibromyalgia. Not sure why.
Category: Out of Spoons
The PSL Contains Gluten
So, today, the pollen count finally calmed down and my allergies were not as horrifically bad as they have been for weeks. So, I had a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. I had one during the weeks I was sick, but too sick to realize that the PSL was actually making me sicker.
Barely drank half the PSL and got all the symptoms I get that indicate that I’ve been glutened. After doing a bunch of research online – it turns out that the sauce in the PSL from Starbucks contains gluten.
Still Counting the Pollen
This year, I decided to document my struggle through the fall pollen season in the form of haiku. If you’re going to complain about your health – you might as well do it in a creative way.
I also wanted to share how bad my allergies were due to the fall pollen season and give people a glimpse into what it is like to be me. This year’s fall pollen season started August 9, 2016, and it continued through September 30, 2016. That’s a total of 53 days of being sick, in a row, with no end in sight.
When Optimality Isn’t Optimal and Gluten-Free is Optional
It all started with a news article that was retweeted into my Twitter feed. The article was very short, and reported that many people were going gluten-free even though they had absolutely no medical reason to do so.
The person who was retweeted into my Twitter feed is someone I do not know. She commented: “I’ll say it again, Unless you have a diagnosed condition, gluten free is not a “healthier” option”. According to the person’s Twitter bio, she is a PhD Researcher (Molecular Nutrition). I’m inclined to believe that she knows what she’s tweeting about.
This got me to wondering about something. Why would a healthy person willingly choose to restrict their diet unnecessarily?
Continue Reading “When Optimality Isn’t Optimal and Gluten-Free is Optional”
Saga of the Rising Pollen Count
In 2015, I suffered through the worst pollen seasons I’ve ever experienced. The spring pollen season went away – and the fall pollen season started not long after that.
I knew I would be going through the same allergen induced agony again this year. I believed it would be easier since I had lived through it before and kind of knew what to do to alleviate the worst symptoms. You can probably tell from the “selfie” at the end of this blog that I was in a ton of pain by the end of August.
Allergy Season Selfie
I took this “selfie” in the midst of a horrible fall pollen season. The pollen count has been too high for my allergic body to cope with for weeks now, and I’ve reached the point where I’m in tons of pain that nothing can take away.
It hasn’t killed me yet. I’m still here.
As Close as I Can Get
A loud, very nearby, engine was bugging me.
I looked out the window to see where that vehicle was.
It turned out to be literally in front of my mobile home, in the parking space right outside my window.
Fireworks and Smoke
The haiku in this blog were written right around the 4th of July. Some people where I live like to shoot off fireworks all month long. The smoke was not good for me.
Working On It
This month involved working on things that could potentially improve my health. Things are moving slowly, but hopefully headed in the right direction.
Rheumatologist
Checking up on me today
Confused him last time
June 2, 2016
Had blood test today
Am borderline anemic
So spacey right now!
June 2, 2016
Pushing the Envelope
The phrase “pushing the envelope” is an idiom that can be explained as “to approach or extend the limits of what is possible”. May turned out to be all about that, quite unintentionally.
I was pushed out of my comfort zone in many different ways. I wrote very few haiku in May. I guess this is what happens when your physical body needs extra energy to cope with allergens, irritants, and chronic illnesses. Something had to give, and it turned out to be the poetry.