bluedreampurple

Mystery solved

Okay so I want to share something that for about two years has alluded me as a mystery illness and caused quite some embarrassment for me and even quite a few missed days of work. 

It all started when I started this healthy living/diet kick ( which was alarming) and I went to three different doctors for it, very frustrating with this painful and very obvious issue I was having. 

I would post pictures but it’s so horrible that if you would like to see them I’ll email them to you upon request bc they are to embarrassing to post

So it all started two years ago ( when I was unknowingly pregnant) as oddly enough I’ve never had this issue before I got pregnate. But I woke up with swollen lips. The were Huge! Two days before they started to feel chapped. I thought nothing of it as my chapped lips usually heal very quickly without any attention to the problem, but this time they felt like they exploded! They were chapped, itchy, swollen, and just a nightmare all together to deal with. Needless to say I flipped on the guy I was with thinking he had possible given me something, as he had also had chapped lips several days before me. He assured me that wasn’t the case and told me to go to the Dr to get it all figured out. So I go like a day later, I being the blunt person I am ask, IS IT HERPES !?!? With a horrified look on my face fearing and expecting the worse. He kinda laughed and said no I don’t think so it looks like A burn. Did you burn yourself or have you been in the sun? No I responded. Well then, he said, your having an allergic reaction to something do you have any allegies? I was like well no, not that I know of; well except the antibiotic bactrum that I have not taken In weeks. He asked me if I’d eaten an nuts (typical allergy foods) I was like no just some mangoes is the only thing out of the ordinary. And he was like ah ha! You have a citrus allergy. I was kinda skeptical since no testing was done but I was like alright I’ll just stay away fro. Mangoes because I know for a fact that other “citrus” has no ill effect on me. So I go on for almost another year no problems. I had some minor chapped lip issues (later attributed to copious amounts of raw tomatoes I craved while being pregnate) but nothing like the mangos reaction. Then around my birthday I wake up with swollen itchy lips. I had been doing a Candida elimination  diet so I thought maybe that was the problem. I waited that one out and used coconut oil for relief. Then when I got fired from my job I went and used all my insurance I had paid for, at the doctor. I showed him the pictures of my lips, which at that time were normal, because picture evidence was all I had of this incident that kept occurring. I mentioned I thought that it could be Candida, he thought I was crazy and that there would be no way I had thrush, Candida of the mouth, unless I had cancer or AIDS or something like that. In which he tested my blood and everything came back negative, no STDs no aids, all normal blood work except low vitamin D. I mentioned that I had gone to the doctor before and he diagnosed it as an allergic reaction to citrus and had also ruled out herpes. He said for sure it wasn’t herpes and wasn’t Candida that it was probably staph or allergic reaction to something;  and that I needed to come back in to have it tested as soon as it flared up again. Now I am particularly like the dr. had insinuated that I was crazy, So once I got my blood work results I decided to go to a different doctor when and if this happened again. About another six months goes by nothing out of the normal and then all the sudden again another really really bad flareup. I am devastated can’t really figure out why it keeps happening. I had made a citrus bowl but no mango in it. So I decide to go to the doctor and have them take swabs and send it to the lab for testing. Now when I go in the nurse practitioner immediately says oh it’s herpes freaking me the F out considering I had already had blood work done proving that the wasn’t the case and that both doctors before her had said it was definitely not herpes. She immediately tries to prescribe me medication for the virus. Now me being the scientifically minded person that I am said wait a second I’ve already been tested for that and it was negative so can you please just take a skin scrape and send it to the lab and let me know if this is possibly staph or another type of bacteria. She actually refused to take the skin scrape and said that she knew exactly what it was and that she was prescribing the medication.  I again refused the medication and insisted on the skin scrape. So she’s seeing that I would not budge on my decision left the room and got a regular skin scrape and then a specific skin scrape for herpes. I paid around $180 for this entire visit and was told I would have the results in a week. The week goes by I call for my results and they’re at lunch. I call back when lunch is over straight to voicemail. I call back several days later still no answer. I think OK no big deal they’re busy i’ll go up in person since I’ll be in the area to get my results. When I go in there are no results or any records of me being there. Me thinking this is very strange trying  to figure out what’s going. They finally get back to me after they have already closed and I have waited several hours in the waiting room say that the labs after I suggested calling them for more results said they had never received anything in the first place. So the doctor blamed the lab in the lab claim to have never gotten anything so we conclusion was the carrier person lost the results. Sits at that point it had already been two weeks and my lips were completely healed and no scrape could be taken again. And if this was what I thought it was which was a bacterial infection of stuff I needed them to take another scrape. So me beingunhappy that two years down the road I still can’t figure out this mystery illness ask for a refund of the money I paid and they told me to come back in as soon as it flares up again. So then a couple days ago my boyfriend gets poisoned oak (he works outside) I do some research on some things I can help relieve his itching. And I come across this: 

  
Reading this I think oh my gosh those are all the things I ate when I had this crazy lip reaction. My mom had just given me some homemade cashew butter. So to test this theory I ate a little bit and then  made chai pudding with some of the butter in it and ate it. And lo and behold next morning woke up slightly swollen lips slightly itchy the onsets of the normal Lip reaction.

Also NO DOCTOR SHOULD EVER DIAGNOSE HERPES WITHOUT TESTING IT, you obviously don’t know the difference between herpes and an allergic reaction and it’s a very upsetting diagnosis especially if it’s untrue it could cause problems in people’s relationships 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anacardiaceae
http://foodallergysurvive.com/mango-allergy/

http://lovelaughlivewell.blogspot.com/2011/05/mango-allergy-fruit-that-destroyed-my.html#comment-form
Okay so after reading and seeing the pics on this woman’s blog I’m feeling brave enough to post mine….

But beware they are gruesome 

MANGO REACTION
   
    
 

CASHEW REACTION 

    
And here are other allergic reactions on the lips to compare it 

   
    
 

bluedreampurple

Links of the day

http://www.boughtmovie.com/future-generations/

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/06/04/alzheimers-disease-cafos.aspx?e_cid=20150604Z1_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20150604Z1&et_cid=DM78202&et_rid=979908498
http://foodbabe.com/2015/06/02/3-things-doctors-say-you-should-do-but-shouldnt/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/
http://www.naturalnews.com/049945_survival_garden_DIY_perennials.html

bluedreampurple

Food storage

Vegetables 

Tomatoes – Always keep at room temperature.

Cucumbers – If you need to keep these fresh for more than a day or two after buying, wrap in a moist towel and refrigerate.

Peppers – Store in a plastic bag for 1-2 weeks in the fridge. If flash frozen, peppers will last up to 10 months.

Green Beans – These keep well with humidity (drape a damp cloth over them) but not wetness.

Carrots – Keep in a closed contained and wrapped in a damp towel or dip in cold water every few days. For lasting freshness, cut off the tops.

Squash – Will keep at room temperature for a few days if out of direct sunlight.

Peas – Place in an open container and refrigerate.

Onions – Keep in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place.

Broccoli – Store in the fridge: either wrapped in a damp towel or in an open container.

Corn – Best to leave these in the husk until ready to be eaten, but more flavorful if eaten sooner. Keep corn refrigerated.

Garlic – Keep away from humidity, dampness, or direct sunlight.

Celery – Wrap in foil and place in the fridge or keep in a bowl of shallow water on the counter.

Lettuce – Keep lettuce damp and refrigerated, preferably in an airtight container.

Mushroom – These are best stored in their original container. Uncooked leftovers should be covered with more plastic wrap before going back in the fridge.

Potatoes – Store in a dark and dry place or a brown paper bag.
Fruits

Bananas – To extend freshness, separate bananas after purchasing and store in a well-ventilated basket.

Apples – Away from heat, these will keep for about two weeks. For longer storage, place in a cardboard box and refrigerate.

Grapes – Store in the fridge, but only wash when ready to use to avoid mushiness.

Peaches – Only refrigerate when fully ripe.

Pears – A cool environment or brown paper bag is best. Pears will keep for a few weeks on the counter.

Watermelon – Let ripen at room temperature for 7-10 days. After that, sliced watermelon can be stored in the fridge for several days.

Pineapples – Can be stored whole in the fridge (cut off the top) or sliced and put in an airtight container (don’t use aluminum foil, as this will alter the flavor).

Strawberries – Keep away from damp, wet places. Refrigerated strawberries placed in a brown paper bag will keep for a week if the bag is kept dry.

Oranges – Oranges lose juiciness when refrigerated. For freshest fruit, place in a ventilated basket and keep on the counter.

Cherries – Store in an airtight container and avoid washing until ready to eat. Keep cherries refrigerated.

Plums – Store at room temperature until they are ripe, and then keep them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.

Blueberries – Store dry in a shallow plastic container in the refrigerator. Do not wash them until you are ready to eat them, because they will quickly mold if they are stored wet.

http://www.gardeningchannel.com/how-to-store-fruits-vegetables-to-last/