Bank Holiday Monday and Allergies.

Hello Friends and Followers.

So how was your Easter?

My Easter was quiet and most definitely not action packed, which is kind of nice, but then we all like some excitement in our lives. The most exciting thing that happened to me was going to the pub quiz. There were six of us on our team and for a few rounds we were leading the other 5 teams. But then on the last category which was sport, four teams played their jokers and therefore over took us. Hey ho never mind 5th was not to bad, at least it was not last. We played a blinder on the picture round, having got 23 out of 27 right. I am pretty good on the picture round although I do say so myself. One of the questions in the Music round was about dances in song titles and who sang the song. So it went like this ‘Yes Sir I can ………’ the answer was of course BOOGIE, but then I was struggling with the group. The only way to remember it was to sing the song and eventually it popped out of thin air into my head that the group was Baccara. It is amazing the information I retain in my distant memory. Long may that bit continue.

Did you over indulge on the Easter Egg front?

I only ate my chocolate bunny, I still have my egg to go and I should not forget the chocolate buttons. I should not eat to much chocolate because of my Nickel allergy, but with it being Easter, I will indulge a little and probably pay for it later. Oh you did not know that there are copious amounts of Nickel in Chocolate, the same goes for tea as well, they are the two biggest offender.

How do I know this you ask?

I have an allergy to Nickel. Many people have a Nickel allergy. You know that you can have a reaction to wearing cheap jewellery or the buttons on jeans etc, well that is a Nickel allergy. Mine is more pronounced, because I have it internally as well, which makes my insides very sore and therefore makes me poorly. This was diagnosed back in the early 2000’s, when I had a skin reaction to something, which covered Seventy percent of my body, I was quite a sight. Anyway I had thirty six patch test done on my back and within half an hour my back was raw due to the micropore tape and my allergy to that as well. It was then they also discovered I had this pronounced Nickel allergy with three other things. I was given a diet sheet by the nutritionist, which told me what I could and could not eat. There was nothing exciting on this list to eat, it was bland, bland and more bland. So Keith and I went on a mission to find out what foods I could and could not eat.

The list that I could not eat, was much greater than the list I could eat, which was a little depressing, because I loved most of the things on the No No list.

Chocolate/Cocoa Powder. ...
Cashews. ...
Kidney Beans. ...
Green leafy vegetables. ...
Legumes especially dried beans and lentils.
Bean sprouts also have a high nickel content.
Whole wheat and multigrain flours are high in nickel content. ...
Nuts almonds, hazlenuts and peanuts.
Tinned food uncooked, such as fruit.
Spices and Herbs
Porridge Oats.
Tea.
Low Fat Spreads.

The list was endless and this caused a problem, because what was I going to eat. The Nutritionist came up with my diet sheet and then agreed it was so bland and uninteresting, so we came up with a compromise. I could eat small amount of all the things I love, like chocolate, curry etc, but not all at once and every day. So if I have a Porridge for breakfast, Curry for lunch, Chocolate and lots of tea in one day I will be seriously sore for weeks, but if I spread them out of weeks, that is fine and it has pretty much worked over the years. As for the skin side of it, I still get flare-ups every now and again, but on the whole I have it under control. But there are of course a lot of things in every day life which has Nickel in such as money, kitchen utensils, cutlery, scissors, needles, pins, belt buckles, jeans buttons again the list is endless, but I have learnt to live with it.

So chocolate at Easter is a treat for me. I used to eat a lot of the stuff, but these days I am a good girl. For anyone with allergies you learn to cope and live with it. I do not let my allergies rule my life. In the test done they also discovered I am allergic to Cobalt, Thiuram and Neomycin.

So, where might you find cobalt?
Cobalt-colored glass
Cobalt-colored varnish
Cobalt-colored porcelain / pottery
Cobalt-colored enamels
Metal objects (anything from kitchen utensils to items in the medical field)
Vitamin B12
Polyester resin
Cement
Wet clay
Antiperspirants
Magnets
Batteries
Tattoos
Hair dye (light brown shades)
in minerals (smaltite and erythrite).

Thiuram, which is an accelerator used in the processing of natural and synthetic rubbers.

So, where might you find Thiuram ?
Balloons
Elastic bands
Garden hoses and gloves
Kitchen gloves
Pillows and mattresses
Rubber gloves
Rubber handles (e.g. bicycles, car steering wheel)
Rubber kitchen utensils
Elastic in underwear and swimwear
Rubber boots
Sport shoes
Slippers
Rubber insoles of shoes
Elasticised waistbands.

Again the list is endless, but you live with it. I even have my own gloves for the dentist to use when I go for an appointment.

Neomycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic found in many topical medications such as creams, ointments, and eye drops. This all adds up to fun when you go into hospital. For anyone going through allergies, it becomes a way of life. In the 1990’s I spent three weeks wrapped up like a mummy because of my allergies and whilst I laugh about it now, at the time it was not funny at all, but that is a whole new story.

Back to Bank Holiday Monday. It was been a busy day boat wise, with boats coming and going. There has been a lot of walkers as well enjoying what has turned out to be a dry and warmish day. It all gets back to normal tomorrow.