Hi. My internet identity is Gienah Ghurab.
When I was a child, I did not like eating corn dogs or Cheetos. I thought they tasted great, but they made my mouth so uncomfortable; my tongue and the insides of my cheeks would sting and swell. However, I thought that everyone had this reaction. I didn't think anything of it.
At approximately age ten, I began to have occasional anaphylactic "attacks". My family knew I was allergic to something, but no one realized that they happened after I ate certain foods. At first these episodes were fairly light; they consisted of wheezing and hives and were usually over within an evening. As I aged, they became more frequent, lengthy and severe.
I didn't realize I was allergic to corn until I was thirty-five. I had planned to visit a relative in the hospital and stopped for a meal at a Mexican restaurant across the street. I ended up in the emergency room. I was wheezing, swollen, and had hives. My fingernails turned blue and my blood pressure was 70/40. I had abdominal cramps so bad that they eclipsed my labor pains.
The emergency room staff discharged me with the instructions that I needed to visit my doctor, who referred me to an allergist.
I underwent a skin-prick test; approximately a dozen possible culprits were dotted down my arms. I didn't react to any but one: I had a spectacularly bright, raised, red itchy splotch that signalled I was allergic to corn.
This diagnosis was confirmed by a RAST blood test. My allergist advised me to eliminate corn from my diet. A nutritionist was on staff, but my insurance didn't cover the visits, so I declined them. I tried to educate myself via the Internet and books.
After forgoing corn, corn syrup, and the like, my health began to improve. I lost weight. I felt less pain. Feelings of depression lifted.
But it was so difficult to avoid corn! Not only did I have to watch for "corn" on ingredient listings, but also caramel, dextrose, malt and many other items on a list.
I started slipping. I'd buy yogurt that had corn-derived ingredients. I ate several bites of popcorn at the movies. I didn't have an "attack" from these meals. I knew I was still allergic - it just took a taste of a tortilla to cause my tongue to tingle - but I was, I said, grateful that I had a higher threshold than some of the people who had nut allergy horror stories.
I could handle some corn.
Or so I thought. Last week we wanted to celebrate my husband's forty-first birthday. He chose one of his favorite restaurants - Mexican. I made certain to order a menu item that had no corn in it. However, I did not inform anyone that I had a food allergy. My flour tortillas were served on top of a tortilla made of corn. I did not know this until I cut into the food with my fork, placed a bite in my mouth, and instantly suffered a burning, swelling sensation. I could taste the delicious, forbidden food, and I felt a sinking feeling.
Uh-oh.
My eyes, ears, face and chest started itching. I could feel my throat starting to close. My eyes started swelling shut, as well as the sinuses in my nose. I broke out in hives. My chest and torso turned redder than any sunburn.
My Epi-Pen had expired. I took some Benadryl and we left the restaurant. I probably should have visited the emergency room, but it was my husband's birthday. I didn't want to go to the hospital!
I was unable to return to work the next day; I was still incredibly swollen, and that was only the most obvious symptom.
I didn't start feeling better until forty-eight hours later, and even then, I wasn't well. It took me approximately a week to return to "normal".
It is, perhaps, a new "normal". Due to my prior laxness, we had very little truly corn-free food in our home. Every meal I tried to eat made my mouth tingle to different degrees; several caused me to break out in mild hives. These were items that the uninitiated would never think of as containing corn, such as biscuits and chocolate. I took a Maalox one afternoon and my tongue swelled and burned.
I do not know if my hightened reactions are temporary or permanent. I do know that I have to be more vigilant about ingesting corn.
But... a bowl of Raisin Bran Crunch isn't going to kill me, is it? A plate of nachos, yeah, but... surely I can have popular brands of ketchup and salad dressing from time to time?
Do I really have to be so dramatic? Must I actually cause everyone around me to change our entire lives? It is frustrating. It requires so much effort...
