Life Lately: Tackling New Health Challenges with Food Allergies
- Amanda MacGregor
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
The lack of new entries to be posted on the site over the past year did not go unnoticed to me. I carried it around like a burden every week. It was like a chore I didn't finish, a task I didn't accomplish. I felt incomplete.
Life lately has felt a little too chaotic. These days have been fast-moving, heavy, and uneasy, with an unknown lurking around the corner. On a personal level, new health challenges were revealed as my unknown.
At first, I considered not writing about them. I thought, "Maybe I will just keep this personal and ignore the span of time with nothing new being posted". I was going to leave the gap unanswered. It took me too long to see the obvious. Why would I not use the very platform I built for my overall health journey? The one I built about managing life with multiple food allergies. The same place I went to share my journey when I was diagnosed with Intestinal Candidiasis. Utilizing this outlet to blog about how I was managing it, along with my food allergies, the emotions I was feeling, and the challenges I was facing. Why is this latest addition any different?
In hindsight, I think it was because I didn't want to face the reality that I have yet another health issue to take on. I've been reluctant to acknowledge that much of the year was a frustrating loop of trial and error, constantly working and reworking, experiencing dizzying highs and crushing lows. However, if there's one thing I've learned in the 12 years since I started this page, it is that I am not alone. Someone could be going through something similar always seems to find these entries and send me a message, telling me how much they helped. That is why I made this post. I want to continue sharing my story in the hope that my words can be a voice for others going through a similar experience.
AD
Before we jump into the nitty-gritty, I wanted to take a moment to share the hardest obstacle Joe and I faced in 2025 - the passing of our beloved cat, Smokey. We dedicate this posting to our loving memory of him.
New Allergist and Testing
To kick off the year, I received the news that my doctor, who was helping me manage my food allergies and intolerances I developed during my candida journey, wasn't returning to the practice. After careful consideration, I decided to leave the practice and search for a new doctor closer to home.
As part of the new patient evaluation, they performed both skin and blood allergy tests. In addition, the doctor mentioned how my medical history sounded like I could be suffering from Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), so she ordered testing for that as well. Naturally, as most human beings would do when they get told about a new ailment, I googled it. MCAS has a laundry list of symptoms, allowing me to fall into a handful of them. Even through skepticism, I found myself considering the diagnoses, thinking how it would at least be an answer.
However, the results came back negative. Meanwhile, the food allergy tests cleared me for a few items, including coconut, but my anxiety has kept me from reintroducing them. The fear of a reaction is real, and I've been holding off, despite the good news. Reintroducing new ingredients would be a huge step, allowing me to try new products and add more meals to our routine. But for now, I'm scared, and that's okay. I pinky promise that when I do try them, there will be another wordy entry explaining what I did and how it went!
AD
Nightshades Trial and Error
This experience could help explain my hesitation about trying coconut and nutmeg.
During my new patient evaluation, I mentioned that nightshades were a trigger for my candida and that it had been years since I'd eaten them. My last doctor had suggested the possibility of reintroducing them this year, but then she left, and my new doctor agreed, advising me to try one nightshade at a time to monitor my reaction.
By the time I worked up my courage to finally give it a try, it was summertime. Our garden was in full bloom, and farmers' markets were being held every weekend. Living in New Jersey, and Joe also having plenty of these growing in our garden, I decided tomatoes would be the first nightshade I would test.
At first, all went well! I started with a small amount of diced tomatoes in a salad. Three days later, I tried a little more on top of salmon tacos. Again, all went well. When I upped the dose 3 days later, that is when the symptoms started to kick in, and I got violently sick and had extreme abdominal pain. I will admit that I did work up the courage to try one more time to solidify that the reaction was indeed from the tomatoes. After getting the same result, we decided to put nightshade testing on hold. For now, I'll continue to avoid them, but I'm open to revisiting the testing in the future....far future.
In a moment of serendipity, The Greater Knead revealed their new branding, and with it, a massive win for me: their soft pretzels are now made without potato starch! It was the perfect sign that a nightshade-free life would be okay, even if momentarily.
Get 10% off your entire order with The Greater Knead when you use our promo code AMACGREGOR10!
New Diagnoses
I've never been open about my women's health on this page. It felt too private and, to be honest, a little embarrassing. I was also unsure how to introduce it. I thought it would be strange to suddenly mix in topics like "How to Find Condoms That Won't Give You an Allergic Reaction" or "My Menstrual Cycle Routine: Products I Use to Keep My Eczema at Bay and My Cramps Away" alongside new recipes.
As women's health becomes a more mainstream topic and more women bravely share their stories to educate others, I now feel encouraged and confident enough to add my voice to the conversation. Maybe I can provide some insight, being someone with food allergies, and how I tackle my women's health obstacles with my already strict restrictions. Besides, I found it super therapeutic to blog about my Intestinal Candida journey; why not do the same for this?
For starters, I used to hate going to the gynecologist. At the last gynecologist's office I was a patient of, they did not take my corn allergy seriously. When I told them the rubber gloves and coverings they put on their equipment would cause me to react, they brushed it off and said, "Just shower after your appointment". Every visit, I would return home rashed and swollen down there, and it would last for days. My next grievance with this doctor's office was that they wouldn't treat me for any of my symptoms because I "refuse to go on birth control". It wasn't that I wouldn't go on it; it is that I am allergic to it. Having a corn allergy, there is a lot of medication I cannot take, especially if in pill form, because corn is an active ingredient.
AD
Feeling defeated and worn down that this is how my gynecologist would treat me, or not bother to treat me for this matter, I regret to admit I avoided my visits as much as I could. However, I was borderline going way too long without getting checked up and knew I needed a new gynecologist. By this point, my sister was pregnant and frequently visiting her gynecologist's office. She offered for me to join during one of her visits so I could chat with the doctors in person and see if their answers eased my lingering concerns.
After a pleasant and reassuring conversation with one of the doctors, I finally made an appointment. Upon my visit, I was greeted by my doctor, who reassured me that they were a latex-free practice, and the gloves and rubber they used were also powder-free (powdered gloves can be coated with corn). I told her my long-lasting symptoms, as well as newer ones I have been experiencing. After a couple of tests and an ultrasound, this office confirmed I do have PCOS and started me on a journey to managing it.
PCOS is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, which is a disorder caused by ovarian overproduction of androgens, resulting in abnormal periods. The “cyst” in polycystic refers to small sacs of fluid that develop in the ovaries of some women with this disorder, including myself. My other gynecologist wouldn't even test me to see if I had PCOS because "what does it matter? You need to take birth control to treat it, and you refuse". Turns out birth control is not the only way to treat PCOS.
Into 2026 with New Health Challenges
The months of silence on this page were not a sign of giving up, but rather a reflection of a life that felt too heavy and chaotic to share. That emotional weight—the burden of the unknown—was finally lifted with the clarity of reassurance.
What this year's loop of trial, error, and reluctance has truly affirmed is the central reason I built this platform: I am not alone. Every post I've written, from managing food allergies to navigating Intestinal Candidiasis, has been a lifeline for someone else, and that is a truly amazing feeling. Now, I have another story to share—my women's health journey—a subject I was once too hesitant and embarrassed to blog about. But having found a supportive new doctor and received a Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome diagnosis, I feel empowered to add my voice to this crucial conversation.
This journey is far from over. There's the anxiety around reintroducing foods, and the future possibility of revisiting the nightshades trial. There will be more tests, more frustrations, and definitely more learning. But the days of carrying this health journey in private are done. I'm choosing to face these new challenges openly, hoping that by sharing my experiences—the good news and the bad outcomes—my words can lend a helping hand to others. We can turn the unknown into a path we walk together.
Hugs & Cookies
