Against the Grain: When Mom Gets Tested for Food Allergies
There's an ugly truth about parenting: many moms give so much to their children then often lose themselves. I don't fall into that category, but it's certainly harder now to take care of myself when my number one priority is taking care of my kid.
But it doesn't work to make yourself number two. To be strong, as we all know, you have to take care of yourself. I've tried to do that. I joined a gym, for example. But there's one lurking problem I've spent years avoiding: getting to the bottom of my chronic cystic acne.
Years ago this condition actually landed me in a hospital after a cyst under my eye got out of control and resulted in almost 10 days at Cedars - Sinai in Los Angeles, followed by minor surgery.
I did see a naturopathic doctor, who suggested I avoid dairy - and for years I did. Later, someone suggested gluten might be the problem instead - so I've been trying to avoid it. Sort of.
Basically, I make an effort not to eat regular bread and pasta - but I cheat all the time. It's just too hard to pass up on a fresh bagel, a hot slice of pizza, coconut cake at Easter dinner, you get the idea...
I also saw A LOT of dermatologists. They put me on Accutane (twice) and have pushed it since then. I was actually on Accutane when I wound up at the hospital in Los Angeles, so obviously that's not an answer. When I asked the dermatologists about the cause of my chronic acne, they dismissed any possible food connection. "It's hormonal," they said. "You couldn't avoid all gluten anyway, even if you wanted to. Get on antibiotics, and stay on them - forever." None of these were good answers.
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