Thursday, June 05, 2008

Itchy Itchy Cocoa Puff!

That's an expression Eric claims he grew up with, and he says it whenever he's itchy. Now that I think of it, it probably means something obscene, so if you know what it means, don't tell me.

I've been having what I think are allergic reactions. It starts with a tingling/burning sensation around my lips, and within a few hours develops into all over itchy-ness and hives. I'm having one today that started last night. I could hardly sleep I was so itchy. I should have just gotten up and taken some Benadryl, but for some reason that didn't occur to me in the middle of the night. This is the fourth reaction I've had in about 6 weeks, and I think I know what's causing it: Red 40. Yep, I'm turning into one of those crazy people who thinks the government is trying to poison us through our food colorings. The first two times I had a reaction I had been eating Fruity Pebbles (go ahead and laugh, it's funny. Sometimes I'm like an 8 year old.) I thought I was getting my first ever cold sore, so it took me a couple of days to realize that it was probably an allergy (once it spread from my lips to all over my body that was a good clue.) The third time I had just eaten Red Vines, so that was another clue - Red Vines have a super short ingredient list and Red 40 is on there. After that I made up my mind to avoid Red 40 and see if I had any other reactions. Last night when my lips started tingling I couldn't think of what it could be since I hadn't had anything that was red - until I realized I had bought a case of Cheerwine (the most delicious soda ever) at the grocery store and had some on my way to Enrichment. It didn't even occur to me that it was red because I drank it right out of the can. When I got home I checked the ingredient list: sure enough, it has Red 40. Crap.

I need to make an appointment with an allergist. Eric just started a new job a couple of weeks ago, and they put the wrong name on the insurance cards so we're waiting for new ones. As soon as we get them, it's off to allergy testing for me. For now I'll be drowsy on Benadryl, trying not to scratch all my skin off.

8 comments:

  1. Man that is so crazy Chelsea! Good luck! I'm interested to see if it really IS the Red 40...

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  2. Okay, I seriously hate allergies. They are the worst. Hope you get it figured out.

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  3. I was un-diagnosably itchy during my last pregnancy (apparently that can be a side effect/symptom of being preg-o) and it was MISERABLE. My sympathies.

    We are going through the process with an allergist for Emma right now. She is reacting to SOMETHING. I set an appointment a few weeks ago, and we still have one more week to wait. (The next appointment available was not until July). You may get insurance cards before getting into see an allergist. :0)

    Best of luck!!!

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  4. I hope you get it all figured out. Allergies are scary, because each time you have an allergic reaction, its going to get worse. You'd better get to an allergist.

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  5. Marie, That is a great point, I hadn't thought about waiting time for an appointment. I don't even know which doctors are under our new plan, I'll have to figure that out. Good luck with figuring things out with Emma! Poor thing.

    Christie, Yeah, it's definitely worse this time than it was last. Yuck.

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  6. Yuck! Good luck finding out what it is. I'm allergic to pineapple. I found this out at my sister's wedding when my face swelled up to about four times it size and was an angry puffy red. The wedding photos I'm in are awesome. Something for all posterity to remember me by.

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  7. I also saw a blurb on the news a couple of days ago that a bunch of artificial dyes have been linked to ADHD in kids, and a consumer advocacy group is trying to get them banned. So you're probably right that it's causing your allergies too! Those artificial ingredients are EVIL!

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  8. Welcome to the allergy game! So sorry to hear about all the itchiness! If you are looking for an allergist, I love ours! Anita Wassan--she's in Lansdowne by the hospital. Good luck!

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Give it to me straight!

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