My Distinctive Allergy Life

“Scratch… scratch…mom, my body is extremely itchy like an army of red ant climb on my body!”. I shouted loud like a thunder.

Hey, I'm Shareen and my dream is become an amiable chef to satisfy my diners. But life is not easy, especially an allergy life. I cannot remember acutely clearly but since I was young I already knew I'm an allergy baby, a intensely fragile allergy baby.

My mom used to feed us fruit before/after every single meal we had and when I was 2 years old after 3 hours I finished my dinner, my body full of rashes appeared and itchy as hell. I cannot stop crying and my mom very distressed and curious to figure what wrong with my body. She brought me to the clinic to do the check-up and doctor said I allergic reaction to something, at that moment my mom just realized she fed me pineapple after dinner and I haven't had pineapple before, not even pineapple juice. What the doctor advised was every time if my parent wanted to feed some new foods or drink only can feed a certain amount.

At that time even I wanted to eat a candy or snack I had to ask the permission from my mom and sometime I just envy of my brother can eat whatever he wants but I could not. Besides that, I merely remembered what the doctor said: “ Allergic reaction will follow the kid until they build their antibodies, the allergy will be much better.”. So I'm itching to get on with it. Every time just hoped can grow up as fast as I can, like a baby girl wants to grow up faster because of high heels, same as here and different at the same time. But the most saddest thing that happened was my allergy problem did not get solved. What happened was, I was getting more different allergy from other foods as well. My body allergic reaction just reach out for a yard after taking an inch, it just being a little monster to me.

“Knock...knock…”.My pineapple allergy not even solve yet my body is welcoming the new allergy. In December of 2015 I was suffering at the rashes appeared again and this time the situation was getting worst. My whole body was getting cracked, dry, red, swollen and itchy at the same time, also because of that my skin started bleeding. That year is my first semester and first time stayed in the new environment, I was wondering it might be the room that I stayed had too much dust but I pretty sure I did not consume any special ingredients. But my skin condition was getting worse and worst, I was asking my mom take me to the dermatologist to do the check-up.

After so many years, my doctor told me:“ Girl, you allergic to more food product as well as the food product you have been consuming recently.”. I was recalling back my memories real hard and I realized it might be peanut. Why I though was peanut butter because I have a habit of having breakfast every morning, either just 2 hard-boiled eggs or 1 cup of milk with cereals, but still I had to eat an additional dish. But at the period because I was busy and focus on my first semester final exam, everyday I ate 2 slices of bread with peanut butter and bring the lunch box with 2 slices of toast with peanut butter and 1 hard-boiled egg as well.

That is why I questioned peanut butter might be the food that I allergy with, but in the meantime I was not going to accept that. My whole life until that time I cannot say no to peanut butter, I tried to be optimistic but I had to comfort myself that not having peanut butter in my life again will be fine, but it is not that easy, life is not easy and will never be that easy. My doctor told me not only peanut butter it is all the nut product I cannot consume especially pine nut and walnut. This news for me is like the sound of roaring thunder. I tried to console myself with the fact that I was allowed to eat walnut and all of the nut up to this point in life.

This is bad news for me together with my entire family and friends, before the peanut allergy happened I already stop eating rice. I knew it is hard to let people believe and accept it especially because I am a Malaysian Chinese, people think I must eat rice for my breakfast all the way to supper. But my body just trained me became a little bit strange. I used to eat rice like a normal Asian should but there was one time I gained too much weight and my mother realized it was harmful for my health so she forced me to diet. The part of the plan for the diet was I cannot eat rice for 2 months. At first it bother me a lot but in the end I got used to it but after 2 months I went back to school and I thought I can eat the rice again. But once I saw it and smell the rice I felt like puking. I tried as hard as I can to take a bite of the rice, in the end I directly run toward to the washroom to puke. All my allergic reactions were not only bothering me at that moment but it was bothering my friends and family as well.

Despite the judgement that has come from the endless allergies i have had, i have not lost my passion to be a chef. I invite the public to keep on judging because I like proving people wrong. They doubt I can be a successful chef because I cannot eat rice, peanut or pineapple. People judged my taste buds just because I am allergies to some foods. The journey to be a chef is harder than other people at the starting point. As mentioned prior, it does not bother or stop me to be a chef the more people judged about me is the more motivation that giving to me and I appreciated it. I never doubt myself, at least I have had the opportunity to eat rice for 16 years and all the nuts for 20 years, I am blessed. Even now I cannot indulge in those pleasures anymore but I still remember the taste, texture and which dishes can go well with.

For all my allergic reactions,every time I go to travel or go having some different food I have to bring my allergy medicine all the time, but at the same time I cannot always consume the medicine because the doctor reminded me if I eat too much medicine it would not works to me anymore. So all I can do it just be aware when I consume any new dishes.

It is a life full of challenges but they are challenges that I had learned to enjoy, and I hope you enjoy this memoir too.

#spinch #allergylife #funnystory #lifestyle