Well, after months of multiple doctor visits, the one doc who always figures me out, Dr. Dilley, found that I am now allergic to eggs. At one of my initial visits back in 2008, he said, "it's amazing how God brings people together," and those words still ring true. I've blogged about it before, but I began having severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) during my pregnancy with Alex. I never had suspected food allergies before although I did have a lot of tummy problems. I had allergy testing performed during my pregnancy and it came back negative to all allergens. After I had Alex, I had a couple more anaphylactic reactions so I sought a second opinion with Dr. Dilley on the recommendation of a friend. He found that I have a rare food allergy to a food additive, vegetable gum. Those include: guar, xanthan, cellulose, acacia, arabic, gelatin, carageenan, agar, pectin, and the list goes on and on (or so it seems.) They're basically an additive used as an emulsifier, binding agent, or anti-caking agent. They're not good for you because the body can't digest it (think of chewing gum) and they cause gas and other digestive upset although it's not considered bad for you, per the FDA. Not all allergists test for it so I was beyond lucky to have found one that did.
Anyway, fast forward to the present and I finally feel great again. I haven't felt good since having Nicolas, but I still managed to get by somehow. I am really sad that I have to give up eggs because they really are in so many things but I basically just have to eat like Nicolas eats. :) I've had a couple of run-ins with egg-containing foods and the reaction is now so annoying. I get ridiculously fatigued with an upset stomach and I don't like it; therefore, I won't be playing with fire any time soon.
One of the things that I immediately thought about was how challenging it would become to bake. It had lingered in the back of my mind because of Nicolas' allergy but I had only tinkered with cookies. I'm excited that I found a white cake recipe that is egg-free and I will be making vegan pumpkin spice muffins later on this afternoon. This dreary weather somehow needs to payoff for my children. They are so bored in the house today and I hate not being able to get them outside and exercised. At least they'll have some delicious muffins to as a reward for being so awesome. :)
