My allergy journey, part 1: This is nuts

Those who know me—especially friends who have attempted to feed me—must think I'm a culinary minefield. In addition to keeping Kosher and being a lifeling Vegetarian (two choices I made), I have always lived with food allergies. That's not a choice.

I am allergic to most tree nuts, and sunflower seeds and its derivatives. The latter allergy is uncommon, and is severe for me. Accidental ingestion can have dire consequences. I constantly check ingredients. I often find myself with only one or two dishes that I can eat at Kosher vegan restaurants (oh the irony) due to the presence of nuts and/or sunflower seeds or oil. Sometimes, I have to switch from eating in to takeout because there are times when I start to feel the effects of the allergens in the food, in the air that I'm breathing by just being in the restaurant. It's stressful, to say the least. 

But it used to be worse.

As a child, I had many more allergies: Chocolate gave me Eczema. I was deathly allergic to peanuts, sesame seeds, amost all beans (except Soy and Azuki), coconut, and mustard. 

My typical reaction can include swelling around my mouth and tongue, serious digestive distress (in other words, nausea and puking), and once in a while, a fever. 

When I was a kid, Carob bars were my chocolate. Instead of Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches, I had cream cheese and jelly sandwiches. I learned the hard way to be careful and to always ask what was in the food I was given to eat.

About 20 years ago, when I was in my 40s, I went to a chiropractor, Dr. Harry Schick in Highland Park, NJ, who claimed he could cure my allergies with NAET (Nambuditrad Allergy Elimination Technique). If I were to explain the procedure to you, you might think it's voodoo. The science was hard to understand, or explain.

But it worked! After a few weeks of treatment, I was able to eat chickpeas, which was life-changing. I cried when I ate my first felafel, and continue to enjoy Humus and other chickpea-based foods to this day. After a few months of further treatment, I was able to eat all other beans, peas, and legumes. My foodie life was definitely on the upswing.

Then we worked on coconut and mustard, and I can now eat these—although I don't like the taste of Coconut. It reminds me of the times it made me sick. So I tend to stay away but if something has coconut in the ingredients, at least I know I'm safe.

Then we moved on to nuts and sunflower, but it didn't work. We hit a wall. It just wasn't working. Maybe the treatments lestened the severity of my reactions, but I could still get sick. So I stopped treatment, and continued to live my life, trying to avoid my special little poisonous allergens.

Dish of death: If I ate this dish of nuts and honey, I probabably wouldn't be here to write about my allergy journey. (Photo courtesy Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka/Wikimedia Commons.)

Enter my new chapter

A few years ago, the young daughter of friends of mine, who was my "allergy buddy" since we shared many of the same allergies, started a protocol that, within a year, eliminated her allergies. Amazing! How can I get in on this? Sorry—the program is only for kids.

I was happy for her, but I was also jealous. Sorry Jennifer, but it's true.

Then, around a month ago, I learned that the treatment, called Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) was now available for all ages from an NYC-based clinic called Latitude. Located in Brooklyn and the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Latitude claims a 92% success rate after 6-8 months of treatment. Suddenly, a hopeful opportunity arose.

And, it's covered by my insurance. 

I spoke to a patient who is in the program, then called the office and, after peppering them with questions that they patiently answered, I made an initial appointment, and took the first step to what I hope will be another life-chaning medical journey.

A bonus (and one of the reasons  I'm sharing my journey here): Since it's located in NYC, I'll have opportunities to do street photography again! And yes, I'll share the good ones at the end of each post.

Stay tuned for part 2: the initial consult.