I am in a pickle...

So this morning I had to go back to the Dermatologist and although my rash was still in evidence it was nothing like it had been at its worst so sorry for exposing people to a picture of my flabby legs (and yes, I am wearing knickers) but this was how they looked before I went to A&E and this was how all my body looked plus I had lumps and bumps in my head and my eyelids were swelling.

When I got to the Dermatologist the reception area was full with several people that I know - why is it that we feel obliged to ask "how are you?" when clearly people are there because they have an issue!!!

Dr Christoforou took one look at my photograph and declared that it was an acute case of Chronic Hives and because it had affected my eyes he was almost certain that it was a food allergy and probably caused by something I have been eating quite happily for most of my life.

I could not get my head around the fact that this could happen without any sort of warning and when he started to give me a list of foods I was to avoid for the next month I just couldn't believe it.  He has asked me to cut out fish and shellfish, nuts, tomato and tomato based products (no pizza, no pasta, no chili etc) bananas, strawberries and canned or tinned products and the real sucker punch - cheese.  I had eaten fish on the Friday before this outbreak and had eaten chili with cheesy nachos the night before.  Dr Christoforou doesn't know if I have a type 1 reaction which happens pretty immediately or a type 3 reaction which can appear about four or five days after consumption (no idea why there is no type 2 reaction).  

I am now to keep a food diary along with a record of my blood pressure and heart beat and take steroids, anti-histamines and beta blockers - boy am I getting my monies' worth out of the GESY system.

After an indifferent start to the month November is turning out to be really quite nice.  The weather always seems to change when the clocks go back but we had a fair amount of sunshine today and the forecast is for some lovely days to come which is good particularly as we have said we will go walking with Jane and John each week.  Obviously I couldn't go today so John went and he did the walk which takes you along the nature trail at Arodes which we hoped would be reasonably level enough for John.  When they set off it looked like it was going to rain but that held off and then the sunshine came and as I came back from the Dermatologist John said they were on their way back too.  We had booked to have lunch in Fitos forgetting that it was Wednesday and so the establishment was full of hunters.  Fortunately I had booked our favourite table Number 1 and it was ready and waiting for us when we arrived.  The only problem for me was that today I just couldn't eat what was put in front of me, I had to make sure nothing was on my banned list - what a pain that is going to be.

Jane and John returned for a coffee and then made their way back home as Mum was going to be going up later in the evening to spend some time with them.

Clare was calling in to let us know the arrangements for Les's funeral (which will be on Monday) and to have a chat about what had happened in his final few days.  It is all very sad, he was such a nice man.  She says that she will not stay in Droushia as it holds too many bad memories and to be fair she had not been here enough to create lots of good ones.  She plans to live down in Paphos in their apartment in Walnut Grove because she has secured a job in Limassol and so it makes the traveling shorter and easier.

We were talking about when Dad had passed away and things which I had to do admin-wise.  We had discussed a lot of this when she first returned to Droushia and she had actioned as much as possible. 

I showed her my memory bear which was made out of some handkerchiefs that had belonged to Dad.  When he passed away I had taken nothing save his Old Spice shaving mug which he had had for as far back as I could remember and which I was now using as a planter.  It is nothing special but whenever I look at it I think of Dad and that unmistakable smell of Old Spice.  I had hoped Les might be buried right in front of Dad but I think it unlikely as there is a new grave there and they tend not to put two new ones right next to one another so he might just be laid to rest next to David which would be nice too.