Overwhelmed

A couple of hours ago I got the results of my allergy tests. I'm allergic to quite a few trees and grasses, which is why I'm constantly congested. Specifically, I'm allergic to Timothy grass, Russian thistle, Ragweed (which is in many, many pesticides, by the way), mugwort, Bermuda grass, sycamore, alder, white birch, American elm, and oaks.

I also have three food allergies: peanuts, sesame seeds, and corn. Corn is in EVERYTHING!!!!! Everything. I need to watch out for any ingredient that says corn (like corn starch and corn syrup), and many that don't contain the word corn. The list includes caramel, any non-specified starch, dextrose, sorbitol (in most toothpastes), dextrin, treacle, fructose, vegetable gum, maltodextrin, vinegar, unspecified malts, xanthan gum, baking powder, bleached flour, powdered sugar, brown sugar, excipients (pretty much any pill), invert sugar or syrup, mono- and di- glycerides, MSG, sucrose, vanilla extract (contains corn syrup), zein, and unspecific vegetables.

I even have to be wary of plastic wrap.

I can't have most breads or store-bought cookies.

I need a few days to comprehend and adjust to this.

I need to get more details from my doctor as to the severity of my allergies, because I'm allergic to what seems like everything.

I was worried about Celiac Disease, but I think this may be worse.

How am I supposed to bake?

Actually, I'm very thankful to my FNP. I told him that I'd found a condition that would explain all the symptoms that have been troubling me over the years, and even though he'd never heard of the condition (Allergic Tension Fatigue Syndrome), he went ahead and tested me for food allergies.

I'm also thankful to http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com which led me to find the condition. It's really neat and fun for those of us who like to play "House."

Anyway, I'm overwhelmed and will have to drastically change my diet.

Waiting again

I'm waiting on new lab results that will tell me what I'm allergic to. Recently I've had more headaches, fatigue, congestion, and stomach problems, all which may very well be caused by allergies. I'm also waiting on a repeat of my vitamin B12 level, as it increased about 1000 units in 3 months (on a much less rigorous regimen of shots than normally prescribed, as my doctor considered my 20 mile drive in the equation).

Weirdly, I tried calling my doctor just now, but my phone wouldn't complete the call, supposedly by "customer request." WTF? So now I have to deal with the automatons with the phone service and be on hold forever when all I want to do is talk to my doctor. I hate so-called customer service lines.

Stuck

I've started a couple of series of books that are supernatural in nature with a female lead character. The series I've been reading are: Anita Blake, Merry Gentry, Mercy Thompson, and Rachel Morgan. Anita Blake started out wondering if she was becoming a psychopath and now is pretty much smut. Merry Gentry was always smut, but smut that lead to magic. Mercy Thompson somehow remains a mellow read, despite the violence of the werewolves. Rachel Morgan started out rather intriguing, someone muddling their way through a rather complicated life.

Now I'm stuck in the middle of book 3, Every Which Way but Dead. I've realized that Rachel seems to be a thoughtless victim. While life swirls on around her, she'd be unable to survive without her friends, but she seems to have a talent for upsetting them. At this point, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to continue reading the book I'm on, let alone the series.