The ‘itching palms and soles of feet’ saga continues after yesterday, my test coffee, made from fresh ground beans, initially seemed to not cause any reaction. By lunch time though I was rubbing my palms and wriggling my feet. The itch was back…
Having already collected a whole rash of allergies I am still very much in denial. So I told myself that the uncharacteristic overdrinking the night before could be the cause… the eyes were sore and I had some hives down the side of my face and across my back too so it must just be another punishment from mixing my drinks. Right?
Last night the itching on the soles of my feet drove me mad.
So today, now having a mini break in Somerset with the in-laws, much to the MIL’s confusion I abstained from the morning coffee. I cannot even bear to explain why… she will think I’m a complete freak-a-minute if I declare yet another thing I can’t have.
Anyway here I am, wheezing away, while FIL and neighbour quaff their coffee and I sit across the table enjoying the aroma and convincing myself it’s really not long since breakfast so I don’t need a coffee anyway. Who am I kidding?
Then I realise I’m wheezing… not really badly, enough to make me aware and to be thinking, ‘I’ll get the inhaler if it gets worse’. Well they’ve guzzled their coffee now and the wheezing is subsiding. A mere ten minutes later and I am wheeze free.
But I’ve just remembered that this house is dusty and I’m always wheezy when I stay here.
Denial… denial. Could it really be that suddenly, after a life time of drinking coffee, usually only one day and slightly less frequently lately as I prefer to buy beans, grind and make it fresh, that I might be allergic to it? It is not always possible to buy beans, all the shops seem to sell is pre-ground coffee so sometimes I don’t have any for a while.
And as my breathing returns to normal I may have to the face the fact that if this is what I think it is it may be curtains for my beloved coffee…
Do you have a mold allergy? Coffee is a moldy food.
Hi Kathryn, well I guess I do, kind of. I was quite ill when we lived in a very moudly old damp flat. It gives me asthma and I react to tree mould. I never knew coffee was mouldy. Thanks for the comment. Another thing to consider. Weird though, that I have had no problems for YEARS and suddenly I might. It is still not conclusive, as in the words of the last nurse who did allergy tests on me – I’m one of the most allergic people she’s tested! So I am never quite sure what causes some of my reactions. I could just have asthma for no reason…
Coffee beans go through a fermenting process. Black tea is also not good for those with mold allergies. I drink only organic green tea.
Yes, makes sense. I too love green tea and also rooibosh and other herbal teas which are just dried and not fermented. You could be onto something there. Now I might just go and have a good cry to mourn my morning coffee. It is Sod’s law, I can hear myself saying to a friend just the other day, ‘at least I can drink coffee…’. Funny really I suppose.
I know what you mean!
Could the coffee have been tainted with pesticide?
Hi Heath, it’s possible. At home I have Taylor’s brand but this latest wheezing was just when three people in a small warm kitchen had nescafe instant coffee. I know instant coffee isn’t great for me. I mean, how do the even make it so that the coffee dissolves totally? I can’t be natural.
I too can’t drink certain kinds of coffee without feeling ill, wheezing, and/or having acid reflux. Try 8 O’Clock coffee or another coffee made with Arabica Beans. Some coffee beans do have pesticides and mold. Also, if you are developing more allergies of any kind, then you have to cut back on the sugar and drinking and start to heal your stomach. It’s leaky gut (and also sometimes a Candida infection) which causes allergies to become worse. Try pro-biotics (organic ones: Greek Yogurt, Keefir, Kombucha tea, and get a crock pot to make meat/veggie broth (cooked for at least 8 hours.)