Along with my asthma, I seem to have developed allergic reactions to some foods. (Or maybe I had this first before the asthma...?) When I eat certain foods, I find that I can't swallow or breathe. I have to stop chewing, take deep breaths and wait for the sensation of not being able to breathe go away. So far, this has happened when I would eat chicken adobo and my chicken with cream sauce dish. So, at first, we thought I might be allergic to CHICKEN. But then, it happened again when I ate the Swiss Steak that I cooked for the grandkids. So, now we're thinking that maybe it has to do with the sauces.
Last night, however, I had the scare of my life! We were having dinner with some friends at a nice Filipino restaurant here in Cebu which they own. There was SO MUCH food to choose from! I decided I wanted to try everything, even just a spoonful. First up was the monggo soup cooked with coconut milk. Superb!! Then, I had some crispy pata -- SO yummy and crunchy! After that, I tried the eggplant salad, followed by the Philippine spinach salad. So far so good. No negative reactions to any of those foods. Next, I decided to try this veggie dish cooked with coconut milk. I thought it would be OK because I'd just finished a bowl of monggo soup with coconut milk. I was on my 3rd mouthful when I started to feel like I was running out of air! I tried to swallow so I could take a breath, but I felt like I was drowning... I was given a glass of water. I took a swig, hoping it would help matters, but I couldn't seem to swallow the water, either! I reached for my rescue inhaler and took one puff. It didn't seem to do anything, so i took a second puff... All of a sudden, I just started throwing up!! Good thing I had gotten a wad of tissue out of my purse and was able to catch most of the yuck. But, there sure was a lot of it!
FINALLY, i was able to get a big breath of much-needed air! I was able to stand up and go outside to get some fresh air! One of my friends, a medical doctor, accompanied me to make sure I was OK. What a relief to be able to take big gulps of air and feel my lungs working again!!
Needless to say, I was very embarrassed!! But, my friends started to tell stories about their relatives who have experienced the same thing. Maybe they were just trying to make me feel better... Of course, that set off another round of conversation about WHAT might have caused me to react so violently!! I think everyone agreed that it might be the spices in the vegetable dish. The only common spice that might be in that dish, the adobo, the chicken with cream and the swiss steak would be black pepper... I will just have to be very careful from now on. I will have to stay farther away from spicy foods (I do already!). I will have to avoid any dish that has a thick sauce...
It sucks getting old and having so many things I need to avoid. BUT, if i want to live to see my grandkids graduate from college, get married, and give me GREAT-grandkids, I will do what I need to do... :-)
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