07/07/2022
What a crazy 3 months it has been. We packed up our family and moved from the Black Hills to the Shawnee National Forest area in March. We are going to be purchasing my parents’ house, but their cabin isn’t quite ready yet, so we’ve all be been living together for the past few months. Our plans for the new adventure included Joe working part time from home, continuing to homeschool Teagan, having a huge garden, and adding a few various farm animals to keep my parents’ elderly horse, Sky, company.
Earlier this spring we picked up two bovine beauties. We were learning all about milking and a million other things we didn’t know. At this same time, I was struck with intense anxiety. The mind racing, can’t sleep, can’t eat, whole body vibrating anxiety. After a lot of long conversations we decided perhaps we needed to step back for a bit and take a few things off of our plates while we completed the move and until things settled down a bit from the transition. As much as we didn’t want to, this meant selling the cow and the heifer. Luckily, both girls were purchased by local families that still stay in touch with pictures and we can visit them anytime.
With a few things off of the to-do list, I made some time for a few dr appts. As you know our family spends lots of time outside - gardening, yard work, playing, hiking, etc. We spent almost 3 years adventuring in South Dakota and didn’t get a single insect bite. In the three months we’ve been home I’ve had probably 15-20 tick bites, chiggers, poison ivy, and poison sumac, in spite of wearing permethrin treated clothes and boots. After a round of medication from the dr, some of my rash areas hadn’t cleared up so they ran a blood panel for tick borne diseases.
I tested positive for Alpha Gal Syndrome (AGS).
AGS is an allergy to a carbohydrate called Alpha Galactose. Alpha Gal is found in all mammals except humans, apes, and other higher primates. Doctors have a lot to learn about AGS, but for now they believe this allergy is almost always caused by a tick bite - typically the lone star tick, but not always. AGS causes your body to become allergic to mammal meat, mammal fat, other mammal products (collagen, gelatin, etc.), and sometimes dairy. Additionally carrageenan can often cause a reaction as the chemical structure is similar to alpha gal.
The allergic reaction is unique to each individual. For many, anaphylaxis is common, and as a result I have been prescribed an epi-pen. Other common reactions include hives, rashes, stomach upset, headaches, anxiety, dizziness, and difficulty breathing.
Since my diagnosis, I have cut all mammal products, including dairy, from my diet. The intense, almost debilitating, daily headaches I’d been having for weeks went away within days. The itchy, persistent, not-poison-sumac, rash has completely cleared up. My anxiety is almost completely gone. My stomach upset and nausea are completely gone. My increased joint pain is almost gone.
While I feel blessed to have had such mild symptoms and to have found such rapid relief, I also know that at anytime my reaction to the accidental ingestion of a mammal product could be much different and more severe. As a result, I will carry my epi-pen with me everywhere. It is also a little nerve wracking to know that AGS reaction onset can range from immediate reactions for some people and others can have delayed reactions at 2-10 hours after exposure.
For some people AGS is a lifelong allergy and others’ allergies clear up within a few years. Still others have seen their allergy disappear only to have it come back with a vengeance years later.
This is absolutely an unexpected journey, but if you’re interested, I’ll be sharing recipes, gardening tips/mishaps, remodeling adventures, typical Stanfill hijinks, and various happenings around the Hilltop.
While our goals for Hilltop Highlands might have been sent back to the drawing board, hopefully you’ll stick around for the ride and see how things play out - we'd love to have you.
-Melissa
