My Story

Hi!

I started this blog to bring together people who, like me, are living with allergies that go beyond the usual seasonal sneezes and sniffles.  If you’re in this situation, you know–it’s not easy!  By sharing our stories, research, and ideas, we can learn from each other and hopefully improve our quality of life.

Blah blah, enough philosophizing. This is my (allergy) story.

At some point, 2006-ish, I noticed a rash on the top of my foot.  It was itchy and peely; it came and went, and I ignored it.  A few years later, I had started running regularly, and the rash started changing and getting worse.  Now it was red and blistery and REALLY itchy.  I figured it was some sort of irritation from working out so much–maybe a crazy case of athlete’s foot–and started trying to treat it with over-the-counter products.  I tried anti-fungals; they didn’t help. I tried anti-bacterial ointments; they didn’t help.  And then, I noticed that the rash was starting to appear on my HANDS.

Instead of running straight to the doctor like I should have, I amped up my self-treatment efforts.  I tried salicylic acid. I tried calamine lotion. I tried wearing thick, moisturizing spa gloves that made me look like Minnie Mouse. I tested my blood sugar to see if I had diabetes.  I went gluten-free.  By then, I had hundreds of small blisters between my fingers; the ones on my palms were starting to join together and form larger blisters (some as big as 3/4″); the tops and sides of my feet were nearly covered and there were some blisters starting on my soles.  The itching was driving me mad; I couldn’t help scratching the rash, which would then ooze, bleed, hurt like crazy, scab over, dry up, and then new blisters would start and the whole cycle would repeat. In desperation, one night I popped all of the blisters (sorry, gross) and soaked my hands and feet in RUBBING ALCOHOL for 20 minutes.  Guess what? It hurt a lot, but didn’t help.

I finally decided that I needed a doctor’s advice, so I went.  He said I had dyshidrotic eczema and gave me an ointment.  It didn’t help.  Two ointments later, I went to a different dermatologist, who took one look at me and slapped a patch test (specifically, a T.R.U.E. Test) on my back.  I didn’t know exactly what she was testing me for and I didn’t care; I was just hoping against hope that it would show something.

And, lucky me! It did. I had four positive results: potassium dichromate, carba mix, nickel, and thimerosal.  So, problem solved, right?  All I have to do is avoid those things and I’m home free!

Eh…not so much.  As it turns out, it’s pretty tough (read: impossible) to avoid EVERYTHING that MAY contain one of these substances.  As my doctor listed the things I’d need to give up, I started getting teary-eyed.

Number one: Leather.  Chrome (i.e. potassium dichromate) is used in the tanning process of most leather.  Bye-bye, shoes and boots.  Bye-bye, purses. Bye-bye, softball glove. Good thing my car has cloth seats.

Number two: Rubber.  Carba mix is a mixture of chemicals that is used in the vulcanization process of many types of natural and synthetic rubber.  Sayonara, sneakers!

And that’s just the beginning.  Here’s a (partial) list of the things that I avoid:

Potassium Dichromate

• Leather – unless it’s vegetable-tanned, which exists, but is expensive and rare
• Makeup – many eyeshadows/mascaras etc. have chromate-based pigments
• Green dyes used in felt and other fabrics
• Foods – chromium is a naturally occurring mineral, and is present in particularly high levels in brewer’s yeast, meat, potatoes (especially the skins), cheeses, molasses, spices, whole grains, and fruit and vegetables
• Vitamins & Supplements – often contain chromium, which is needed for digestion and other functions
• Ink
• Primers and paints – also due to the pigments
• Matches
• Bleach
• Detergents with phosphates
• Medical stuff like chromic sutures and dental implants
• Cement, mortar, varnish, spackle, concrete, bricks, plaster, drywall

Carba Mix

Carba mix allergens (Diphenylguanidine, zincdibutyldithiocarbamate, and zincdiethyldithiomate) may be found in any item containing natural rubber, butyl rubber, nitrile or neoprene, including

• Boots & shoes
• Elastic
• Headphones/earbuds
• Cords, plugs, hoses
• Office supplies – rubber bands, erasers, mousepads, wrist-rests, mats
• Swimwear, wetsuits, goggles/swim masks
• Racquet & club handles, basketballs, rubber balls
• Gloves
• Band-aids
• Condoms, diaphragms and dental dams (!)

Carba mix chemicals can also be found in non-rubber-containing products, such as

• Some soaps, shampoos, hair conditioners, lotions etc.
• Some disinfectants, pesticides, fungicides, anti-mildew, anti-mold, and anti-rust products
• Some adhesives

 Nickel

This is the most well-known of my allergens, and it’s also the one to which my reaction is the least severe.  Nickel is found in most non-precious metal objects, like costume jewelry, zippers, keys, coins, and cans used for food storage.  Nickel, like chromium, is naturally present in food itself–particularly beans/legumes, oats, anything soy, shellfish, mushrooms, spinach and other dark leafies, nuts, dried fruit, tea and chocolate. Note: doctors disagree on whether or not dietary nickel should be avoided as a potential trigger–I’ll share my thoughts on and experiences with this in another post.

Thimerosal

The easiest allergen for me to avoid, thimerosal is an antifungal/antiseptic agent used in the preservation of

• Some vaccines (no flu shot for me, even if I wanted it)
• Some eyedrops and contact lens cleaning solutions
• Some nasal sprays

PHEW…got through all that!  Now back to the story.

So I went home, armed with printouts describing each of my allergies (useful, and available at www.truetest.com), and started filling trash bags with things that I could no longer use. I love fashion and I love shopping, particularly at thrift stores, so it was really sad to have to part with most of my purses and shoes, my fabulous 1980s balloon-sleeved leather jacket…I’ll stop there because I’m starting to tear up! My sports equipment also went out the door–most notably my rubber-soled running shoes (!), leather softball and glove, leather and rubber cleats, rubber-handled tennis racquet, et cetera.  My doctor had put me on oral prednisone, and I used the new, stronger steroid ointment that she gave me, applying it at night and then wrapping my feet and ankles in plastic wrap, and finally, FINALLY, the rash started to heal.

I wish I could say that that was the end of the story, that the rash healed, my skin is back to normal and everything is hunky-dory.  But unfortunately, it’s not.

Three years have passed since my diagnosis. My rash has never completely gone away, and I continue to research and try new things that will hopefully help it to do so.  I’m having additional, “specialized” patch testing done next week (they choose which allergens they test for based on my job and lifestyle–pretty cool) to see if there are other things I’m allergic to that have not yet been identified.

So that’s it for now. That’s my story. What’s yours?

P.S. I work as an executive assistant, not a doctor, so don’t take anything I say here as official medical advice!  Always check with your doctor and stuff.  This blog is about me sharing my thoughts and experiences, which I’ve had many of over the past several years, but again, I’m not a doctor, so please use at your own risk. ❤

Happy allergy-fighting!