SPOTS!!!!

This week I haven't done much in the way of painting, I have, however, done a massive amount in the way of scratching! YUK I hear you say and you'd be right!! For some bizarre reason, the allergy I developed this week from my spontaneous urticaria comes in the form of a horrible rash due to a severe allergy to the new laundry detergent I bought. It was on special offer and it's not like I haven't used it before because I have, I have used it many times in the past but I certainly won't be using it again for a while. I am now sitting in my old pyjamas because they are the only things I have that were washed in my old detergent and the only things that don't make me want to scratch like a mutt with fleas!!! It's awful, not even antihistamines are stopping the itching completely and sadly, there is nothing to do except wait for the rash to go and the itchiness to calm down. I am glum! I have washed everything in the house that might have even come in contact with the evil stuff and it's all out on the washing line drying in the sun. It's a good job that my neighbours are used to my bizarre behaviour and thankfully, no one batted an eyelid when they saw me hanging out a load of laundry in my PJ's and 2.30 in the afternoon!

On a brighter note, I have just noticed that I am almost at my 250th blog post. I can't believe it. How on earth did I find so much to waffle on about. Anyway, I was thinking that for my 250th post I would do a giveaway. I have no idea what it will be just yet but I thought as I have never done one before, I might give it a go. So, watch this space :-)

Spontaneous Urticaria and My Great Food Conundrum.

A few years ago, after a particularly delicious breakfast in a lovely little beach cafe with a friend, I ended up in casualty after having an allergic reaction to something. On the way home from the cafe, I began to itch all over and my airway started to close up and in the end I had to call an ambulance. It was scary and worrying and after the ambulance ride to hospital, being pumped full of drugs on the way and a 6 hour stay in casualty to make sure there was no adverse reactions to the drugs, I was given the all clear and was sent home. Over the next week I ended up back in hospital twice more with the same symptoms only this time with vomiting and diarrhoea thrown in for good measure. It was only after that third episode that I was sent off for tests and was diagnosed with spontaneous urticaria. This means that basically you can become allergic to anything at any time and without any warning and despite having copious amounts of blood being taken to try and find out if there was anything in particular I was allergic to, eventually I was told there was nothing else the doctor's could do and was given advice on how to manage the attacks should they happen. Over the last 4 years, since the first episode, I have had many more. They seem to come in clusters and my body seems to be particularly sensitive and prone to more episodes in the week or so after the first one. The last episode I had was after I ate a big bowl of French onion soup and using a process of elimination, onions ....... obviously ....... were flagged up as being the most likely culprit. It's safe to say I no longer eat onions :-) however, as I haven't had an episode for a quite a while now (touch wood!!) I am wondering if it's time for me to try eating them again. The problem is, the more episodes I have and the more things I cut out of my diet, the more restrictive my available food list gets which, when you have to try and live thriftily on a very tight budget, can be very limiting . As my daughter is home from uni for a few more weeks, I am thinking about re-introducing all the foods that I have not eaten for a while to see if I am still allergic to them. It's safer to do this while there is someone else in the house because when an episode happens, it is scary and there is the possibility that I will have to use my Epi-pen if the symptoms get too bad. The trouble is, it's so horrible when it happens and can take anything up to an hour to get it under control, that part of me is really not keen to put myself in that position, even if eventually, all I end up being able to eat is toast :-)