Light at the end of the tunnel

This last weekend I crossed a few more items of my post-it note of foods left to try. I'm honestly psyched that what's left fits on a post-it! Such a great feeling! Butter on some fresh bread I tried on Thursday. I forgot just how much I loved it and was so excited I didn't have any reactions so I made grilled cheese later in the weekend to celebrate! It was glorious! haha

On Sunday during food prep for my boyfriends' meal for the week, I grabbed a handful of cashews to test that out. Unfortunately, within 5 minutes of eating them I started to get a tightening of my throat and even tingling in my tongue! So far that is the only one I've gotten that quick or strong of a reaction to. That means it will have to get added to my list of those I can for reals not have. Once I've gone through everything, I'll create an updated version of my current allergy card I bring to restaurants. Right now I'm still using the original one with ALL the categories and just have been crossing off the categories I cleared already.

A few hours later, to cheer myself up, I went and got ice cream at a local ice cream place. I did ask the lady to wash the scoop, however, I did NOT think that even if they washed it it has been used in the buckets of ice cream already and could be contaminated. I was deflated thinking I wasn't going to be able to have ice cream but then she offered to check to see if there were any buckets that had not been opened yet. I was super grateful of her for this thoughtful insight in things I should be aware of in the future as well as her willingness to find something I would be able to safely have! I ended up with a chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream with no reactions and of course after 5 months of no "real" ice cream you know it tasted amazing! (I did find an ice cream substitute that is actually really good, I'll post to the substitutions tab!)

During this journey, I have observed two things that I had not previously encountered or fully valued:

1. There is a surprising amount of hidden ingredients in food and other everyday products that one would never expect. Those with allergies or those who are health-conscious have to be extremely careful and meticulously check ingredients and allergy warnings to ensure their safety. In my experience over the past five months, there have been several occasions where I unknowingly consumed something I was not aware of until later. Fortunately, those items did not trigger my allergies, but it easily could have been different.

2. My belief in the compassion of human beings has been somewhat renewed. Individuals, while I understand that it is their jobs to be accommodating, particularly towards allergies, have shown remarkable empathy and assistance upon seeing my allergy card or learning about my situation. I have experienced numerous occasions where I was provided with a specially prepared meal or beverage to cater to my allergies. I am deeply grateful for their assistance and encouragement in making me feel less of a nuisance when dining out or shopping for food in general.

This coming weekend I plan to try peanuts and crab.. fingers crossed!