If you know me, you know that I LOVE to eat, especially all the Taiwanese food. I could eat dumplings, fried rice, bubble tea, ect all day!!! You would also know that I tend to like things that are not so healthy.... Like dairy. I always thought my sister was kind of crazy (in a good way) being vegan, even if she did make exceptions with desserts. I told myself I would never go vegan, I couldn't! I liked it too much!
Well, for the last two months my back would start to break out in hives randomly and itch like crazy! The first times was at home. I tried chestnuts for the first time that night for supper. Later after I had gone to bed. My back was a little itchy so I kept scratching it, but it kept getting worse and was stinging. Suddenly, I bolted upward, turned on the light and looked I the mirror and my back. Sure enough, it was covered with red bumps and rashes. I immediately went to my parents who gave me some benedryl. They decided I must be allergic to chestnuts.
A week or so later, on a Saturday night, our family and some other church members and friends took us to Hot Pot for the first time. It's really good and a lot of fun. At each persons place at the table, they have a little stove and pot inside the table. It's full of water and then they bring out two platters heaped with cabbage, lettuce, mushrooms, funky veggie meats, and other vegetables. You turn on your little pot and just add what you want into the boiling water and cook it yourself! You can put noodles in it, get rice on the side, and they have a really good sauce you eat it with.
So, we ate there and loved it! In fact, the Taiwanese were surprised that we liked it! It is very traditional Taiwanese food and they said most foreigners don't care for it that much.
When we got home in bed, I realized that had broken out in hives again. After talking it over, my parents decided that there must have been chestnuts in one of the veggie meats and that's why I reacted. So, the next time we went to hot pot (a week later with some visitors) I didn't eat the veggie meats and I was fine. So, we decided we had figured it out.
But no, it came back again.
A week or two later,my dad had to go to the conference or something far away. We decided we wanted to go have fun and maybe find a last minute Christmas gift for him. We decided to take a friend, Shin, along with help us. He could translate and he knew all the stores, because we had no clue where to even begin. So, we shopped around a little bit and got some of our last minute Christmas gifts taken care of. Then, we were hungry! So we went through the night market and ate something. Shin gave us these sugar/candy coated strawberries on a skewer. They were super good! After that, he took us to a little restaurant. We had some French fries and he insisted that we try this 'butter tea.' To be honest, that didn't sound very appetizing, but it wasn't too bad!
As you have probably guessed, I broke out in hives again. Now we were really puzzled, I definitely didn't have a chestnuts that night and we just couldn't figure it out.
A short time later, we went to CareGroup on Friday night like usual. Joshua (the owner of the house we meet in) cooks us some yummy food, usually some sort of curry, then we sing, have a fun question for everybody to answer, and then we break up (Chinese and English) to have bible study. Well, during the bible study I realized I was reacting to something I ate again. My back was super itchy, and it was worse than all the other times. We left as soon as possible so we could get me some medicine. This was again very puzzling. There was nothing new or strange in the curry and I had eaten it many times before!
Finally, my dad decided that they needed to get me checked.
After school one day, my dad picked me up to get tested. We explained what was happening and they told me they would test to see what I was allergic to. So, they took my blood, gave me some medication to take every night, and told us we would get the results in about two weeks.
So, I just carried on with life. Then, everything changed as the results came back this last Thursday...
"I'm home!" I shouted as I came in the door after school. It was about five (school doesn't end till 4:30!) and I was starving!
I poked my head into my parents room.
"I'm here! What's for supper?" I asked.
"Well... We got your results back..." They answered hesitantly.
"Oh. So, what I'm allergic to?" I asked as I put my school bag down.
"Come on it and we will explain the results." My mom beckoned me.
"I can tell you one thing though, your not going to like it" my dad mumbled.
Getting a little bit nervous, I again asked, "So, what am I allergic to?!"
"Enjoli, we found out that you are allergic to a LOT of things. The number one highest is milk... Which means no dairy so..."
"What!? I'm allergic to all dairy!? You mean I have to go vegan like Emily!?" I exclaimed in horror.
"Yes but it's different, you are highly allergic so you can't have anything that even has a tiny bit, no desserts,..."
"But!..." I interrupted.
"Just wait, there's more."
"More!!?"
"You are highly allergic to dairy, but you are also allergic to eggs, wheat, soy, wheat, gluten, peanuts, almonds. Additionally, you have a mild allergy to rice, sunflower seeds, papaya, and orange."
This was too much.
I ran out of the room and sat on my bed to think. I was allergic to everything!!! I couldn't eat any of my favorite foods! No dumplings, no fried rice, noodles, no bread, no pizza, no ice cream, or any good thing it seemed!
My parents came back into my room and explained that I might be able to eat some of those food sometimes if I am really strict for like 3-6 months. If I don't eat any trace of those foods, I can eat one of those things (not dairy though, it's too high) once, every four days (as long as I don't react) but I have to switch it up. He also explained that I have to be strict because if I just continue to eat it, my allergy to them will increase and will increase to the point I could die or something if I ate one of those things. My allergies might explain why I've always had dry skin, or eczema.
As you can imagine, these last couple days have been pretty hard. It's hard to find things I can eat, and when we find something, I can't just repeatedly eat it or I might become allergic to that as well. So it has been challenging.
But, you know what? No matter how hard this trial may be, I know God will help me. Just like in my favorite bible verse Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."
It may be hard, but I will live. I need to be thankful for the food I can eat.
Another verse comes to mind...
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (Matthew 6:25-26 NIV)
I just need to think positively. Because of all my allergies, I will probably be a lot healthier and I won't have as many health problems when I'm older. I can relate and sympathize with others who have similar problems. Before if someone had a bunch of things that they couldn't eat I would think, "That's horrible! I'm glad I don't have that, I would die if I couldn't eat 'this or that' !!!"
So, through this, God is teaching and growing me. In the mean time, I will remember His promises in Philippians 4:-3 and Matthew 6: 25,26.
Thank you for all of your prayers!
