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Monday, February 13, 2012

sit down, you're rockin' the boat!


I'm a creature of habit. I like things to remain the same, unadulterated by anyone else. I can count on the sun to rise and set, even if I can't see it through the clouds. I can count on my children asking when lunch will be ready at exactly 12:01 p.m. I can count on my Mister sneaking up behind me and kissing my neck while I'm blindly chopping onions. I can count on the dogs to bark every single time someone walks down the hallway. And I can count on the fact that we will have some kind of meat (this varies, so I guess there is hope for me!) for dinner.

I like my life the way it is. It is comfortable.

And sometimes that's not where God wants me to be.

I rarely talk about my faith on this blog because that's not what it was started for. I wanted a place to share whole food recipes (most of the time☺), homeschooling tips, and pictures of our crazy country life. But my faith is a large part of who I am. It is what defines me. I am a child of the Most High. I am a daughter of a King.

The King.

And He loves me with an everlasting love.

And sometimes that love causes me to stretch in ways I never thought that I would.

Last week my Mister and I went in for some allergy testing. Because of the Hashimoto's, and my hubby's chronic evening headaches, we knew there was something wreaking havoc with our health. Now, if you've never had allergy testing but plan to, I'm sorry to tell you, IT HURTS! (Actually, after my tears had been replaced with embarrassment, the doctor informed me that because of the Hashimoto's disease, my skin was extremely sensitive to the scratch tests. That would've been nice to know before all the crying.) My Mister took his testing like a man. Barely flinched. I was so proud.

After 20 minutes, the nurses came back in and read his results. Allergies to dog and cat dander, leaf molds (makes sense since we live on the edge of a forest), dust mites, salmon, and pork. I think he was more disappointed to learn that his dog allergy isn't enough to force the dogs out of their comfy spot by the fireplace.

Twenty minutes after that, they came in to read mine. Allergies to leaf molds, cat dander, and feathers.

Then they started on the food allergies.

Whole eggs, soy, oatmeal, barley, rye, whole wheat, Brazil nuts, peanuts, salmon, cod, shrimp, beef, chicken, and pork.

The nurse asked me if I was feeling okay. I was hot and itchy, but trying to focus on what was being said.

"'Scuse me? Did he say beef? And chicken? And salmon?" (This was followed with an after-crying hiccup I'm sure.)

The nurse left for a moment, then returned with the doctor who handed me an antihistamine and glass of water. "Drink", he said.

I suspected the grains. I hadn't had any glutenous grains since Thanksgiving. Which I should tell you has caused an overall reduction in size of 9 pounds! (The oats were a surprise.) And I was hoping that soy was on there so people would stop telling me I should consume more soy.  But beef? And chicken? And salmon?

"Kim, you're having a reaction to one of the tests."

All I could think was that they were all talking too much, and gosh, wasn't it hot in here?

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME I AM ALLERGIC TO EVERYTHING IN FREEZERS NUMBER 2 AND 3?"

"You broke out in hives, but the antihistamine should kick in any time. Here's a second one in case you need it." 

EVERYTHING?

"Do you need to lie down?"

Do you remember the Tasmanian Devil of Saturday morning cartoons?


Ya. It was kind of like that.

I've been peddling a whole, organic, grown-in-your-own-dirt, grass-fed, free-ranging, grub-lovin' way of eating for the last 3 or 4 years. (2-1/2 on this blog.) I may not be the epitome of health, but I live the life that I preach. And I like it. Problem is, some of it doesn't like me back.

For a week I have been feeling sorry for myself. (I would throw myself a pity party, but I can't have the cake.) And I've been feeling a little lost. Everything that I've known is changed. What was once a normal, comfortable part of my life is gone. Now because of these new results, I have to change.

Here's the thing. God never gives us more than we can handle. And when He pulls us out of our comfort zones, He always provides a safe place to land. He has brought people into my life (some I've never even met!) who are buffering the sharp edges of this change. Vegetarians, vegans, people with severe food allergies (mine aren't life threatening!), and prayer warriors~all helping to make this transition a less painful one.

So what does this new plan look like? Environmentally speaking, the carpets have to go. At least in the living room and our bedroom. The rest will go much more slowly, as finances are available. And the dogs get to keep their warm little spot by the fire, they'll just be bathed a little more often. The leaves I can do nothing about, but I guess some of the maple and alder trees closest to the house will end up in the wood shed.

And the food? Not nearly as horrifying as I once thought. Dairy, legumes/beans, all fruits, veggies, corn, potatoes, and rice are all okay. So is turkey and oysters. I can live with that.

For now. I'm waiting for confirmation from the blood tests, just to be sure. (After all, we're talkin' faith, not trust!☺)

Faith gets out of the boat. The worst that could happen is that I'll get a little wet. But the best? I might find myself doing things I never thought I could.☺

9 comments:

  1. Wow, that's a long list. But honestly, I know two people who also came back with a list a mile long of things they were allergic to, but honestly didn't eliminate every single thing from their homes or their diet. I think that if everyone were to get a scratch test that we'd ALL be alergic to most things. I think it's all about moderation.....and maybe bathing the dogs more often & getting rid of rugs :)

    Good luck and smooth sailing!

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  2. I think CR (above) is right. We'd all be shocked to find out how many things we're allergic to!

    Too bad about all the meat...I can see more vegetarian dishes on your horizion!

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  3. He does love us with a everlasting, unconditional love. Blessings to you!

    You may want to watch the video "Back to Eden" I have posted on my blog and if you haven't I am having a give away!
    http://theredeemedgardener.blogspot.com/2012/02/veggie-seed-give-away.html

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  4. Dang. That would be a tough thing to hear. I'm sure you will get it all straightened out. Good thing they had that antihistamine handy! Keep us posted on the official results!

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  5. I have walked hundreds of miles in your shoes and I know exactly how you are feeling. At one point I was only NOT allergic to 14 foods, turkey, buffalo, goat's milk and a few fruits and veggies. We have spent 23 years trying to get me well and have spent tens of thousands of dollars on treatments. The thing that angers me the most about how the allergies were treated is the quiet little secret that conventional allergy shots are ment to overload the immune system so that you stop reacting. I would have never had the first shot if I had known how much more allergic they would make me. My oldest daughter was severely gluten intolerant and our youngest daughter was extremely food allergic and her reactions caused sypmtoms that caused her to be diagnosed as shcizophrenic at age 16. We learned of a new way of treating our allergies and began our journey about 15 months ago. All 3 of us are food allergy free. It only took a few months for our daughters but it was about 7 months of treatments for me. I refer you to the website of the man who developed this treatment. www.hcmionline.com You are so fortunate to have a practitioner kind of near you in Oregon and the contact info can be found on the website. The cost of the treatment is very affordable, for me personally it only cost about $600 for the entire year of 2011, plus some supplements and herbs that were recommended for me. My thyroid had been almost nonfunctioning for 40 years. Because my body has healed I am free of thyroid meds and my thyroid is functioning normally on it's own. We praise God for healing us through this treatment, all the glory goes to Him. I would be willing to talk further about this with you. I understand that alternatives like this can seem too good to be true but this one is exactly what it claims to be.

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  6. Recently I have had to admit that the deteriorating discs (7) in my back may cause me to SLOW DOWN before I start falling down. My pride keeps getting in the way. Your post reminds me again to give it all to HIM and He will fix it. If not here on earth then somewhere much better. I am praying for you my blog friend

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  7. What about venison?? Can you still have venison??!!! :)

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  8. They don't have a test for that one, but I'm staying away from it until the bloodwork comes back...but oh my, that would be tragic!

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  9. So sorry to read about your results, Kim. Our youngest son has suffered with a plethora of allergies and symptoms from those allergies since his infancy. What has really worked for us (him) has been seeing Dr. Bob Sklovsky down past Oregon City -- don't know if you've ever heard of him. He's an N.D. who has literally changed our son's life. Daniel's allergy list was a mile long, but it's slowly being reduced through simple dietary changes (i.e. drinking raw milk has helped tremendously with his respiratory troubles). Anyway, I know that each one of us in unique and responds to different treatments, methods, etc. I'm thinking how thankful you must be to have been on the real food path as your symptoms could be much worse otherwise. The beauty of the matter is that the Lord is indeed in control of even this situation you find yourself in. :) Will keep you in my prayers for direction and health! Oh, and congrats on the 9 pounds. :)

    Blessings! ~Lisa

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