Adventures in Allergy Treatments - Day 12

NASAL ALLERGIES

Okay, today has been the worst day since before I started the treatments.  I have been sneezing on and off and had to blow my nose quite a few times today.  I am not alternating between running like a faucet and being so congested I can't breathe though.  Also, no sinus pressure and no sinus pain even though I've been sneezing and my nose has been running.

I have another treatment scheduled for Monday, so hopefully I get back on track. I still maintain that even with the sneezing and nose running today, my symptoms are entirely better than they were. I swore I was allergic to myself because it didn't matter where I was or what I was doing, I had extreme allergy symptoms. I thought when I went to North Carolina last year, that I would get away from whatever I was allergic to.  Not so much, which lead me to think I was allergic to my self.

GLUTEN SENSITIVITY

As far as the whole bee thing goes, I think part of the issue with my arm is hypersensitivity to inflammation.  After getting stung by that darn bee yesterday, my entire arm hurts and I've had some of the burning and tingling in my pinky and up the back side of my arm to my scapula.

While I've been tested for Celiac before and the test was negative, it seems as though I have a sensitivity issue more than an actual allergy.  I have had joint pain as long as I could remember, been lethargic, always cold and had some intense digestive issues over the years.

The pain in my left arm had been so intense that I could not use my arm.  Multiple specialists couldn't figure out anything that could have been wrong, and I had tried so many homeopathic remedies it was ridiculous.  I had even tried cobra venom. COBRA VENOM!!!!!!!!

After being told "just don't use it" about by arm (not that easy when you are a lefty, but I did it. I managed 3 semesters of art school teaching myself to be right handed), I didn't really know what else to try and had resigned myself to becoming a righty and learning to do everything over again.  Until a friend told me how awesome she felt after going gluten free.

I figured it wouldn't hurt to try.  I don't think there is really any one "right" way to live, you have to listen to your body to find the right balance for you.  I had maintained a low fat, high fiber diet for most of my life.  I added fat back into my diet in September 2010 after reading "Eat Fat, Lose Fat" by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon. Just that addition made a world of difference in how I felt.  But I was still eating a lot of grain based foods (though I was at least eating my grains properly soaked/sprouted/fermented).

In January 2012, I made the leap to gluten free.  For a bread addict like myself, it was not super easy, but it was easier this time around than the time I had a trainer put me on a low carb diet (I thought I was going to kill someone for a muffin) because I was also eating low fat as well as low carb.

I can say that after 6 months of gluten free, I have become really good at listening to my body.  I usually tell within 3 hours if something has gluten in it or has been cross contaminated.  I also kept a pretty boring diet for the first few months so I was really able to pinpoint any issues.  For the most part, I'm eating a modified paleo diet (I like my raw dairy) because there aren't a ton of really good gluten free alternatives to bread and baked goods.

Again, I don't think there is any one right way to live, but if what you are doing obviously isn't working (you shouldn't feel like crap all the time - that is NOT normal), it may benefit you to try an alternative to what you are doing.

Gluten Free Goodness

I admit I still have cravings for foods I can't eat.  Typically attempts to recreate or purchase something pre-made are a great disappointment. 

Well, not tonight.  

I really wanted breaded chicken strips.  Every once in a while, I really love breaded chicken strips - in a salad, with honey mustard, you know stuff like that.  

I've made a few attempts at breaded chicken over the last few months and the Nan didn't approve. I've tried almond meal, coconut flour, etc.  They were okay, but not great.  

Well, tonight I tried something a little different. And it was AWESOME!!!!!!! (even the Nan approved) 

Here's the recipe: 

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 cup almond meal

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1 teaspoon celtic sea salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayanne pepper

Freshly ground pepper (I didn't measure it out, it's a pain to measure while grinding)

2 eggs

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Slice chicken breast thinly, about a 1/4 inch thick. 

Heat oil of your choice over medium heat (about 1/8-1/4 inch deep) in a skillet/frying pan. 

Mix all dry ingredients well in a shallow bowl.  

Beat the 2 eggs.  

Dip the chicken in the beaten eggs and dredge through in the almond/tapioca mixture.  Place in heated oil and cook until golden on both sides. 

Serve with your choice of dipping sauce (I'm partial to honey mustard or jalapeno yogurt dip) or slice for use in a salad.  

It hit the spot, which I haven't really been able to say about a lot of the foods I've tried over the last six months (especially pre-made foods).  

Since I can't enjoy a nice cold one, I tried J.K.'s Solstice Hard Cider.  I had tried a gluten free beer (corn based) a couple of months ago and was sorely disappointed.  It tasted sort of like super watered down raspberry soda (it was a "raspberry ale").  Well, I was definitely not disappointed in the Hard Cider.  It was crisp and delicious, refreshing and definitely observed the law of one-itudes.  

Adventures in Allergy Treatments - Day 11

Okay, it's day 11.  I woke up slightly congested on the right side, but I was able to get the congestion moving within a few minutes and it is still a thousand times better than it was 12 days ago.

No headache today, which was awesome. Unfortunately, I can't tell if the slight increase in congestion is related to the move into the new office or not. It was only a week at the old office and I felt great and then we moved to the dungeon Monday and have had a slight increase in symptoms.

A few sneezes here and there, definitely better than before.

Even with the slight increase this week, it is still a massive improvement over a box of Kleenex a week and uncontrollable sneezing.

I have another treatment scheduled for Monday.  Perhaps an adjustment and time to get used to the dungeon  and I'll be back on track.

An allergy note, I am NOT allergic to bees.  I had never been stung by a bee until today and my mom is deathly allergic.  I was sitting on the library lawn enjoying my book and lunch.  When it was time to go back to work, I went to get up and smashed a bee.  In his anger, he stung the crap out of my finger. I cursed him and then apologized to him for smashing him.

Adventures in Allergy Treatments - 10

Okay, it's been 10 days.  10 glorious days of breathing. Through my nose. Unlike creepy mouth breathers.

I can say with certainty the headache yesterday was work related.  I couldn't pinpoint a smell yesterday because it was faint but it was enough to get to me. I was able to identify it today (someone's lotion). That coupled with a lack of adequate water equaled a killer headache for the last two days in the afternoon.

I stopped by the store and picked up a couple of gallons of water to last the next few days until we get water delivered at the office on Monday.  (The only sinks are in the bathrooms or in the print shop - the print shop water smells like sewage)

Proper hydration definitely makes a difference. I made sure to take potassium at lunch and between that and the water, the smell didn't get to me QUITE as much.  I still don't know how to broach the subject of overwhelming fragrances in the office, especially in the basement without a lot of ventilation.

I still had a bit of congestion when I woke up this morning, but it resolves itself within minutes instead of one or more hours.  A few nose blows, and I'm good to go these days.  If I sneeze, it's 3 sneezes and I'm done. Usually I will sneeze uncontrollably.

I still haven't used a neti pot, taken any benedryl or used any sort of sinus/nasal remedy in 10 days.

I still think that the air feels rather "cold" coming through my nose.  I love not being a mouth breather any more though!

Adventures in Allergy Treatments - Day 9

Okay, it's been 9 days of being able to breathe.

Unfortunately, I am not sure if it is the air in the new building or if someone is using scented lotion or something in the afternoon, but yesterday and today, after full days in the new office, I have had a wicked headache by 2 p.m..  I haven't missed taking my potassium at lunch, so I don't think that is the issue. I've avoided everything else that may or may not influence the results of the adjustments, but I didn't really figure in the air in the dungeon.

There is a slight smell that I can't place in the afternoon.  I am not the only one who has had this problem (the person who sits next to me is having similar issues with afternoon headaches and not being able to place the smell either).  I'm actually glad I'm tracking all of this so I can try to determine what triggers my allergy symptoms.

Even though I have been getting headaches the last two days, I can still breathe through my nose.  I was a bit on the stuffy side waking up this morning, but still much better than it was.

After leaving the office, my headache started to subside in about an hour.  Coincidence?  Maybe.

Adventures In Allergy Treatments - Day 8

I think adventures in allergy treatments sounds a little better than "Endonasal Balloon Therapy" (really, I just got tired of typing it).  It at least sounds a bit more fun. 

I woke up this morning slightly congested on the right side from sleeping on my side.  While it was more congestion than I have had for the last week, it was still less than my best day previously.  I sat up and things got moving. 

I felt a bit foggy today, but I think that was more desiring to be outside since I got moved to the basement and there are NO WINDOWS!!!!!!!!!!!  Well, there is one in a conference room, but I don't think I want to go in there.  There is a sign on the window warning people to be careful of the snake when opening and closing the window. 

I had a few sneezes here and there throughout the day.  The thing that sucks is the first week I was in a different office building all together, so now I'm not sure if any mid day sneezing is related to overall allergy symptoms or if it is related to the new building's air. They told us they had the HVAC system cleaned and evaluated before moving people in, but you never know how well anything gets cleaned.

It's really hard to do a "controlled" study to see what works and what doesn't. BUT, I have made it through an entire week with no benedryl, no allergy medications of any sort, minimal nose blowing and no neti pot.  For me, that is a pretty big deal.

I'm trying to convince my mom, who can't go a day without a Zyrtec D (can't even get out of bed in the morning without it) to try it. 

Endonasal Balloon Therapy - Day 7

Okay, it's been a full week since starting the nasal adjustments.  Today was the second treatment, which went much faster and more smoothly than last week.  My chiro was happy to hear that I am documenting the results I'm having, both good and bad. 

I did find out that while some call it Endonasal Balloon Therapy, it is also called the Nasal Specific Technique (my chiro's preferred reference). 

I will say that the jaunt through Bloomingdales messed me up seriously.  I was sneezing and nose running pretty much all day from it.  I woke up mostly able to breathe through my nose (it was slightly more congested and I feel it was related to the reaction to the cosmetics/fragrances). 

I got a call from my chiro's office just before lunch, asking if I could come in at lunch or if I could leave work early to come in.  I ran down at lunch (we moved to the new office today, so I'm really close to the chiro's office). 

I had her do the nasal adjustment before my normal adjustment, and it was super fast this time!  She's also getting the feel of using the nitrile (which is less stretchy than latex), so she was able to feel when she hit the right level of inflation. 

This time there was FAR less nasal discharge from the actual adjustment and I even teared up less.  I was back to my office in 1/2 an hour including drive time. 

I had a bit of a headache this afternoon, but I think that was partly due to the fact I didn't get any potassium at lunch (I thought I needed CVT glasses because I was getting a wicked headache every afternoon. I also was seriously craving salt in the afternoons as well. Turns out eating a banana or taking a potassium supplement has helped immensely).  My desk wasn't fully unpacked and once I got it unpacked, I didn't really think about the potassium. 

Overall, I still maintain that letting someone stick "balloons" up my nose is worth it.  I am only blowing my nose a few times a day, only sneezing a few times a day and fewer headaches. 

I know I try weird for weird's sake most of the time. I've tried anything and everything for my allergies (which I never had until AFTER moving back to Northern CA after living in San Diego): bee pollen, local honey, SinuOrega spray, various herbs, Elemental Silver spray, coconut oil up my nose, all with zero to minimal results.  It has been a week and I have greatly reduced symptoms. 

Life is so much more pleasant when you can breathe.  Exercise is almost enjoyable again now that I can breathe through my nose.  I didn't realize how limited my breathing was until after the first adjustment.