“The doctor will see you now,” a stout, redheaded, nurse called out from behind the glass partition.
I put down the gossip magazine and kept replaying the events of my Near Death Experience over and over in my mind. Still hoping it was all a bad dream, I slowly made my way back to the exam room.
The smell of rubbing alcohol lingered in the air after the nurse took my vitals. I can’t tell you what she looked like because I was too distracted by the sound of the sterilized, white, paper crunching underneath me. Gazing around, I noticed my purple chart covered in bright orange sticky notes:
Allergic to Aspirin.
See Attached Lists.
I went to grab my file for a closer look inside, when the door flung wide open. “And how are you today, Meleah?” Kindly asked my allergist.
Startled, I quickly replied, “Um…I’ve been better.” A wave of panic began to set it.
I hate seeing the doctor. My visits usually end with bad news. Especially with all of my Annoying Medical Conditions.
“Looks like you had quite a scare the other day. I received a copy of your discharge papers…” his soothing voice trailed off while he read the report.
I nervously twirled my brown hair around my sweaty fingers, anxiously waiting for him to finish. What did the report say? What’s going to happen now? Will I be sent for more tests? A million questions raced through my mind.
My doctor abruptly closed the file and put it down on the shiny, black, desk. He took off his thin, silver rimmed glasses, smoothed his salt and pepper hair, and looked me square in the eyes. “Do you understand it’s a miracle that you’re still alive?”
In that instant, my shock must have worn off. This was no dream. And I broke down.
Sobbing, all I could manage to say was, “Yes.”
I wiped my face with the bottom of my yellow t-shirt, and tried pulling myself together.
“We are going to take good care of you.” He handed me a blue box of Kleenex.
He put his glasses back on, and picked up my file again. “The last time we ran a full-blood-test panel for your food allergies was back in 2008. I am going to order new ones. By the look of things here, you already have an extensive list of ‘Do Not Eat’ foods. We need to find out exactly what else you are allergic to.”
“M’kay.” I nodded, with tears streaming down my red-hot cheeks.
“Because you have Crohn’s Disease, it makes your hypersensitivity to food all the more severe.”
“Why…?” I asked.
He smiled, “Let’s pretend that everyone’s body is like an exclusive Night Club. And, at the door there are two bouncers keeping out the riff-raff.”
I stopped crying and started paying attention. “Okay, I like that analogy.”
He continued, “However, in your case, since the intestines are so damaged, the door to your Night Club is much wider. In fact, it’s probably triple in size. And you still only have two bouncers. They run back and forth trying to keep out the riff-raff, but sometimes, things just slip through. The more stuff that slips through, leads to higher histamine levels in your body causing an Anaphylaxis reaction.”
He put my file back down, and took off his glasses again. I couldn’t decide if his eyes were baby blue, or sky blue, and I couldn’t believe I’d never noticed the color of his eyes before.
His dark brown pants crinkled with each move, before sitting down and crossing his legs. “Let me ask you a few questions…Have you been under a lot of stress recently?”
“Actually, yes.” I sighed. “I was in a car accident about two months ago. And things in my household have been extremely tense, lately.” I really didn’t want to delve into specifics and I hoped he wouldn’t probe any deeper.
Titling his head to the left he explained, “When you only have two bouncers working an already oversized door, it’s very important they don’t get too tired. When you are stressed, anxious, or worried, the bouncers run out of steam – and then they can’t do their job properly.”
“Oh.” I sighed.
“I am also going to run some tests to see if you have ‘Leaky Gut Syndrome’.”
My voice cracked. “What the heck is that?”
“Basically, it’s inflammation and irritation to the lining of your digestive tract. Over time, the intestinal lining begins to wear and break down. That’s from Crohn’s. Large gaps form between your intestinal cells, which then allow toxins, pathogens, and undigested food particles to enter your bloodstream. Soon after, your liver becomes overloaded with toxins. Your immune system becomes impaired after being continuously assaulted by unwanted substances. Your hormonal system becomes fatigued after trying to keep up with both the stress of the intestinal permeability along with the stress of everyday life. Your body is just not designed to handle this chronic state as there is no time to properly rest and repair.”
“Right….” My head was spinning. “Is there anything I can do to help alleviate some of these symptoms? Or is there anything I can do to prevent another allergic reaction?”
“Maybe. In addition to ordering Epi-Pens, I am going to prescribe a medication called GastroCrom. You will need to take 2 ampules 20 minutes before eating any meals. It’s a liquid that should work to coat the insides of your intestines. It’s kind of like adding more bouncers to your door. It’s not a cure. And you still need to avoid the foods you’re allergic to. But this might help prevent future outbreaks. At best, it might lessen the intensity of such reactions.”
“Alrighty.” I almost felt a restored sense of control.
He clicked his pen and started writing, “Here’s the prescription you will need to take to have your blood-work done. We have to find out what you are allergic to on this list”
All I could see were check marks next to everything.
“Seriously?” I shouted.
“Yes. Seriously.” He smiled at me. “You could be allergic to any and every thing on this list.”
And that’s precisely when my jaw hit the floor.
“The hell….”
I stared at the paper.
“In the meantime,” He cleared his throat, “I highly suggest you steer clear of these foods. I am placing you on a restrictive diet, until the blood test results come back.”
“Well….what can I eat?”
“Funny thing is, most people are allergic to dairy, and/or shellfish. And those are the only things you’re not allergic to.”
“Oh yeah, that’s hilarious, Doc.” I said sarcastically.
“I know. This is going to be difficult.”
Still baffled, I asked, “So…I can eat cheese?”
“Yes. And, you can have PLAIN meats. No spices. No sides. No bread. No wheat or gluten-products. No fruits or vegetables….”
For some reason, at that very moment a Seinfeld episode popped into my head, and I interrupted him, “No, soup for you!”
Thankfully, my allergist has a good sense of humor and laughed along with me.
Long story short, I have not eaten anything other than meat and cheese for the past 12 days. And I cannot eat anything other than meat and cheese until the test results come back.
And so, we wait….
* Have any of you ever been placed on a restricted diet? And if so, why? And, for how long? And, how did it work out for you?
PS: I’m counting on all of you to help distract me. Okay?
Oh, my gosh, you poor thing!! I hope they get to the bottom of all of this soon and get you back on a more balanced diet soon. I am sure it is getting old sticking to cheese and meat. I have a problem with my digestive tract and was placed on a restrictive diet and I totally understand your frustration BUT I do not have allergies to deal with and I hope you get some answers and relief very soon!!
Thanks, Lucy. Imma mess right now!
During my first pregnancy, I was put on a low/no salt diet because I was borderline toxemic. Not only were there very few things that I could eat, it was next to impossible to find salt-free versions of things I COULD eat. (It MIGHT be easier to find these things today–this all happened 30+ years ago.) The last few weeks of the pregnancy found me living on salt-free bread, toasted, with salt-free peanut butter and jelly. {shudder} I am ever so grateful that this was short-term. I cannot imagine what you are going through and I certainly hope they can find something to help you. Even though I have a feeling I might be facing a restricted diet at some point in my future–hey, getting old sucks–I am sure I will never have to go through what you are. Love you, sweetie, and I hope the news isn’t as bad as you are thinking it will be! xoxoxoxo
I love you too, CMK.
I am scared to death to find out the results.
I do NOT have a good feeling about this.
But… It IS VERY comforting to know I have friends, LIKE YOU, in my corner. xoxoxooxox
WOW! I can not imagine how it must have felt to hear your doctor say “…it’s a miracle…”, just reading it gave me a chill. That was, until I read “No soup for you!”. As far as this is from a laughing matter, it’s good that you can still try to. I’m praying for things to seetle down a bit for you, and some good news to come from your blood-letting session. And hey, when my kids were younger, they lived on deli meat and cheese ‘roll-ups’. Let’s hope your doctor can sign your “exclusive night club” up for an episode of “Bar Rescue”.
Oh Jim,
This made me laugh:
“Let’s hope your doctor can sign your “exclusive night club” up for an episode of “Bar Rescue”.
Seriously, you are such a GREAT friend to me.
It helps knowing I have your support.
And…I got the call back from my allergist.
They have my results.
They want me to schedule an appointment ASAP.
Her voice mail was rather cryptic sounding.
So, I’m pretty nervous to see what tomorrow holds.
Hey, they say “Laughter is the best medicine”.
Hey, they say “Laughter is the best medicine”.
Sorry your having such a rough time with your health. Have you ever considered going on the GAPS diet. I’ve heard good things about it for healing Leaky Gut Syndrome and helping with conditions like Crohn’s. It requires that you cut out a lot of foods and follow a strike protocol for eating, but since your diet is already limited that shouldn’t be a problem. It’s a good option for healing the gut and work look at. Here’s the website about the book. http://gaps.me/
Holy crap. The whole “miracle you’re alive” statement kinda makes your hair stand on end. And I’ve never been placed on a restrictive diet… especially not one like yours. That is crazy! I hope your list broadens soon. I would go nuts! Glad you’re ok, though!
Holy crap. The whole “miracle you’re alive” statement kinda makes your hair stand on end. And I’ve never been placed on a restrictive diet… especially not one like yours. That is crazy! I hope your list broadens soon. I would go nuts! Glad you’re ok, though!
Oh Meleah! Is it horrible of me to envy your nearly all-cheese diet? 🙂
Is there anything you need, sweet thing? I can be there by suppertime if you say the word! And I can bring more cheese!!
For realz.
Wow. Thanks.
Thanks, Mike.
I am certainly going a little nuts over here!
This sucks ass.
Awwww….. Nicky!
I’ve never eaten so much cheese in my whole life!
But, at least it wont kill me!
xoxooxox
Yikes…..I can’t even imagine how I’d feel if a doctor said, “Do you understand it’s a miracle that you’re still alive?”
How scary.
But I gotta say, just from reading this post, your doctor sounds like such a genuinely nice guy; compassionate and caring. And I loved his analogy… “Let’s pretend that everyone’s body is like an exclusive Night Club. And, at the door there are two bouncers keeping out the riff-raff.”
No, I’ve never been placed on a restricted diet, so far in my life. But WOW…after looking over this list, that’s A LOT of restrictions. And thank god you can at least eat dairy products and meat, which totally shocks me because they seem like two things that are very hard to digest.
Like I shared with you previously, a friend of mine in Florida also experienced Crohn’s Disease, therefore I know how challenging and difficult it is to deal with because it affects so many different things.
Hope they get to the bottom of this and discover it’s something simple and easy to control.
In the meantime, just know that I am sharing MUCH ‘good energy’ with you, dear friend.
(((((( Meleah ))))))
X ya!
Aw. I love you, Ron.
You’re so good to me.
They called and they ALREADY have my test results back.
I can’t believe it.
I will be seeing my doctor today to find out what the hell is going on.
I’m a nervous wreck.
My stomach is doing jumping jacks & cartwheels.
It feels like there’s a gymnast running lose in my intestines.
Meleah, I am so sorry you are going through this nightmare. I hope with the right diet and meds that you will bounce back and feel “normal” again. I’m sending you all of my healing thoughts and wishes. This should not be happening to you! Please follow the doc’s instructions to the letter. I don’t want a pretty hair on your pretty head at risk.
I am allergic to crustaceans (shrimp, crab, lobster, crawfish), which drives me crazy here in New England since my allergy is the Anaphylactic kind as well and since asthma makes me more sensitive tot he foods. also, Crustaceans are in everything from MRI dye to vitamins and bandages. Who knew? I can’t imagine multiplying that times a million like you have to. HUGS FOR YOU, old friend.
Before I get into answering your question I MUST tell you again Meleah that your writing is FABULOUS! I read this (and the last post) riveted to the screen and hanging onto every word. If you can take away one positive through all of this, it’s that you are writing some really great stuff. I. Am. Totally. Serious.
Okay, now I have never been allergic to any food or anything for that matter…I can’t relate to what you are going through but my BFF is highly allergic to peanuts and almost died from mistakenly eating peanut butter when she thought it was soy butter. Just like you almost died. You are not only lucky to be alive but also lucky you have such a good doctor AND the MOST lucky to still have your sense of humor. Keep that because it will get you through all this. I will be here for you and definitely keep you distracted (I just mailed my book to you yesterday).
Hang in there. You WILL get through this my dear!!!
XOXOXOXO
OH doll. SO glad you’re alive. Anything else can be managed with care.
Man alive, Meleah! I have no words. I really have none. Keep eating meat and cheese sister, we need you in the blogosphere.
I am so sorry that you have to restrict your diet to that point. After the tests come back hopefully you can add some things back. That is horrifically restrictive. I agree with the others, I am so happy you are still among us though. Take care of yourself and mind the doctor. Him saying that you are lucking to be alive is scary stuff. I will be thinking of you and sending positive thoughts.
I hope you get answers soon so that you can make a plan to get on with things, such as your life. As you know, I had my hives-and-angioedema-palooza that just subsided a few weeks ago. I was placed on a histamine restrictive diet. I finally took myself off it when it didn’t seem to make a difference. Now, I am gluten-free for the most part (slip ups here and there) and doing somewhat better. I will be doing the allergy blood work thing in the fall. I feel for you. I am nowhere near where you are at but not knowing what is going on with your body is very, very stressful.
Oh.My.Word! I can only imagine what you felt like hearing all this.
I know two people with Crohn’s disease but neither have the food allergies to make things even worse. I’m so sorry for you.
I have never been on a restrictive diet. I do have some minor food intolerance, but nothing I can’t live with by cutting out foods with too many additives. I hope it is soon under control for you.
Sounds positively depressing. The up side is that you DO get to eat some of the good stuff like seafood, meat and cheese. And dairy = ice cream. Can you eat eggs?
I hope they don’t add anything else to the “do not eat” list!
Sounds positively depressing. The up side is that you DO get to eat some of the good stuff like seafood, meat and cheese. And dairy = ice cream. Can you eat eggs?
I hope they don’t add anything else to the “do not eat” list!
OMG, that’s insane! I’m glad you saw the doctor though, and that he’s keeping a close eye on you. I could be pretty happy living on meat and cheese. It’s pretty much what I do anyways. But I suppose it gets old when everything else is off limits.
I’ve never been on a restrictive diet. I hope you get un-restricted soon!
OMG, that’s insane! I’m glad you saw the doctor though, and that he’s keeping a close eye on you. I could be pretty happy living on meat and cheese. It’s pretty much what I do anyways. But I suppose it gets old when everything else is off limits.
I’ve never been on a restrictive diet. I hope you get un-restricted soon!
That is a huge list. It is amazing you are not allergic to dairy. Thank God there is still something you can eat. You must be really hungry. When I was in my teens I was put on a restrictive diet due to severe asthma and eczema – no dairy, no citrus, no chocolate or coke or coffee, no shellfish, no nuts. It was hard but it did seem to settle everything down. The grossest part about it was that I had to be put on soy milk and in those days they mixed it up from a powder. It was so gross – really bitter and it smelled like wet socks. I still shudder when I think of it. I will be thinking of you every day and KNOW you can get through this XXX
“Approve”
Thanks, Marty.
I am allergic to wine & beer.
[hops, malt, barley, & grapes]
Along with MANY other items.
I have the results but I am not prepared to think about them…
Let alone talk / write about them.
You’re the best, Linda.
I promise – I will absolutely follow the doctors orders to the letter.
xoxooxoxoxo
this makes me want to cry for you. i have never seen anything like it. you are a survivor in so many ways meleah. i admire you for your attitude and always being the girl with a smile or her face, hardly complaining – at least not on the internet – even when you have every reason not to. stay stronger.
Leslie, I love you.
And, I am so thankful you’ve been in my life for the past 20+ years.
I will call you tonight/tomorrow with the details.
I’m just not ready to talk about things quite yet.
I need to process all of this first.
Oh, yay! Thanks, Dana.
I can’t WAIT to get your book!
And, thank you for that WONDERFUL compliment on my writing.
Since I can’t eat, I am putting all my focus on my words!
Apparently, that’s a good thing.
Let’s hope so!
xoxoxo
Thanks, Kelly.
xoxo
You rock, Cheryl!
Thanks, MomZombie.
This is really difficult.
I TRULY hope you do NOT have to go through this too.
But, I’ll be right here for you. Either way!
I hope so too, Babs.
Unfortunately according to my results I have a VERY long road ahead.
Yes, Eggs are SAFE, Linda R.
And I will be eating enough lobster/seadood until I get mercury poisoning.
Meat & Cheese are great, Terri!
Although, I don’t know what my cholesterol is going to look like in a few months!
Oh no! Selma, powered soy milk?
BLECH!!
My doctor thinks it’s so strange that out of all my food allergies none of them are dairy or fish!
Aw…. Thanks, Valerie.
Don’t cry for me! That will make me cry!
And thank you for saying I have a positive attitude.
I’m really trying to hold onto that & my sense of humor.
I suggest an unwooded chardonnay with the cheese and a good gutsy shiraz with the meat. That makes it barely bearable…. maybe. XX
Yeah, I have restrictions too. I would need the need Lactose-free cheese diet.
I’m lucky, not had issues with my stomach so no need to restrict my food. At times I felt like it was the only thing that still worked properly.
I hope the results are not completely devastating and that you’re able to find safe ways to eat.
That is awful!!! I’m allergic to milk and chocolate. An allergist decided this when I was in 3rd grade. I couldn’t have candy bars (except a payday) or ice cream. The only thing I could have at DQ is Mr. Misty. Luckily it wouldn’t kill me if I cheated. Only cause me headaches, stomachaches and ear infections. Some said I would grow out of it but I didn’t. A glass of cow’s milk makes me totally sick. I was a vegetarian for so long my body doesn’t like handle steaks well. It causes all kinds of problems so I rarely eat red meat. Intestinal problems run in my family everyone has either Crohn’s, IBS or diverticulitis. I think I’m lucky to only have IBS. My mom had to have part of her colon removed. I have lived with food restrictions for most my life but I don’t think it even compares to what you are going thru. My heart goes out to you! I guess next month we can share a cheeseburger. You have the meat and cheese and I will have the bun and fries. 🙂 A perfect match.
Too bad I’m allergic to wine!