down-time

I had hoped to upload the layouts of our wedding yesterday, having completed a 2-pg spread using various elements from some ADSD Choco-Cherry kits. But the day got away from me (PC was tied up doing backups). . . then mid-late afternoon I was hit with another "major" allergic reaction (systemic/anaphylaxis) & am down for the count. Lord willing, it won't be an all nighter—I'm currently in the rebound stage (like aftershocks in an earthquake). . . and finally got up out of bed so wouldn't keep waking hubby.

♥~♥*♥~~♥*♥~♥
This occurs very frequently as a result of my latex allergy going bizerko (including my chemical sensitivities & new allergies to foods, particularly the latex-cross reactives). I've been on an emotional high & increase in energy because of breaking a record of consecutive "good" days (not needing to use Epinephrine), only to get hit on the 9th day. Great thing is that there was a whole week since recovering from the last major reaction and I was able to get this blog started! PTL! Sometimes it's very easy to pinpoint the culprit (exposure/trigger) and then can take steps to eliminate that particular risk (or at least minimize it)—other times it can be accumulative (several little things adding up to overflow)—some reactions are immediate & some delayed. Keeping a daily log of everything eaten, all my activities, symptoms, meds, etc has helped to connect a lot of dots and make our home safer for me. Unfortunately, due to the nature of our current world, natural rubber latex is everywhere and no matter how "green" you go, chemicals are in everything!!
♥~♥*♥~~♥*♥~♥
The bad news is that there is no cure. NRLA is a progressive allergy (gets worse with each exposure) & the ONLY treatment is avoidance. Avoidance is also necessary with MCS. The biggest danger comes from airborne latex contaminating everything from food to clothing—traveling from one place to another via people (latex proteins bind to the powder in latex gloves & latex balloons & becomes airborne). Things/people can also become contaminated through direct touch from latex gloves. There are so many common things in our homes & offices, it's impossible to avoid 100%. Living in a bubble wouldn't work either because the only safe alternatives to natural rubber latex are synthetics, which are man-made using chemicals!!
♥~♥*♥~~♥*♥~♥

Unfortunately, anyone at anytime can become sensitized/allergic to NR latex—and the same thing applies to chemical sensitivities—anyone at anytime—no one is exempt. Some are at higher risk than others. I hope to include more info in future posts—education is key. I'm where I am today (life-threatening Type I NRLA) because was ignorant "about" latex. . . didn't know its relationship to rubber. . . didn't connect it to other things (ie. balloons, rubberbands, mousepads, rubberstamps, adhesives, non-skid backing, rubber grips, seals/gaskets, padding/cushions. . . just to name a few). . . didn't know anything about it. I thought it was enough to avoid wearing the gloves (or wear as briefly as possible). Boy, was that wrong! Latex even has cross-reactives! many, many foods and pollens have similar proteins & the body actually thinks it's been exposed to latex & reacts accordingly. The highest cross-reactives are bananas, avacado, kiwi, chestnut, potatoe & tomatoe—and stone fruits, many spices/herbs. . . and the list goes on & on & on. AND that's not counting all the foods that have been contaminated with latex glove use in its handling, processing, packaging and/or latex gloves/balloons used in grocery stores, delis, and restaurants. When my body finally cried "enough!", it was too late. I had to change EVERYTHING—what I could do, eat, wear. . . where I could go. . . and am now disabled, homebound 98+%.
♥~♥*♥~~♥*♥~♥

To find out more, please visit the website http://www.latexallergyresources.org. If you suspect you have latex allergy, please talk to your Dr ASAP! Be persistent, ask questions, learn as much as you can about it, and avoid, avoid, avoid. Make the necessary lifestyle adjustments now, while you still have a choice. Not all Drs are knowledgeable about NRLA &/or MCS and many Drs offices & hospitals are still using latex gloves (although that is changing rapidly as more is learned about it). Find a Dr who is knowledgeable or at the very least is willing to learn. Join a support group (LAForum, a yahoo group, is excellent!). Take every precaution now!

♥~♥*♥~~♥*♥~♥

I'll try to write more soon about MCS. Did you know there are over 200 chemicals used in "fragrance" and it's not regulated by the FDA!?? Do you know the dangerous chemicals that are in fabric softener, and that they're designed to permanently reside in the clothing & are released over time??!?? They get airborne, are absorbed into other fabrics & surfaces. . . it's one of my worst enemies! Fragrance is being considered as the "other 2nd-hand smoke". AND, you don't have to breathe them (chemicals) to be affected by them!!

♥~♥*♥~~♥*♥~♥

Well, I'm off to "try" to get some sleep. Hopefully I'll be able to upload the layouts mentioned above sometime this week—the hardest part is already done & saved on my PC (the list of credits), so you may even see them tomorrow sometime.

<'///><
Isaiah 40:31