Oh. My. God. Make it STOP!

I posted a while ago about a possible pineapple allergy. Well, I figured out that it's probably not pineapple. How? Because a week after I posted that, I found myself resembling a blowfish again. It's really not pleasant.

So I thought to myself, what the hell am I consuming on Thursdays that's making me swell up like a tampon you dropped in the toilet? Then I remembered that I had bought sandwiches in the school cafeteria on both days. So I decided to lay off bready things for a while.

Sadly, I'm doing the blowfish impression again. I've got a fat upper lip, the crook of my elbow looks nasty, I've got rashes on both my hands, my eyelids are swollen, and I have quite morbid fantasies of flaying my face because it itches so damn much!

So again, I had to play the thinking game. If it's not pineapple, it's not bread, what then? It's not like I'm some kind of adventurous eater here. I'm the girl who's suspicious of sauces that are white. I don't eat butter. Potatoes gratinated in sour cream makes me gag. Salmon is just about the nastiest thing I can think of. Hell, fish just plain sucks. My friends and family all make fun of me for being the pickiest eater in the world, and you know what? I get it.

I am not an adventurous eater.

So there weren't a lot of options. I wracked my brain, trying to think of something that I had consumed on all my blowfish days. And then my baby blues fell on the mug on my table. Cafe au chocolate. Did you know you can be allergic to caffeine?

Well, you can. Guess what the symptoms are! They're quite lovely!

(If this is too long to read, feel free to skip it. The conclusion is that there's a strong possibility I have a caffeine allergy.)

1. Skin problems. Hives, eczema, rashes, acne, severe itching. Check. Check SO MUCH. When I was in school, I sometimes got called Baby Hitler (I know, it's terrible >.<) because of the bright red rash I'd get under my nose, like a mustache. The crook of my arms is rarely free of eczema. I had to see a doctor to get rid of my acne. And I'd like to cut my face off because it itches.

2. Headaches and migraines. When I was nineteen, I woke up one morning to a very severe headache. An 'oh-my-god-I-honestly-think-my-head-is-going-to-split-open' kind of headache. It never really went away. I've had a headache more or less continuously for five years. Obviously, the pain isn't constant, but I think nothing of having a throbbing head, because I'm used to it. So check.

3. Anxiety and panic attacks. Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night, and I'm absolutely 100% certain that I'm going to die right there and then. The only thought in my head is 'It's happening, this is it, this is it.'. A few weeks ago, when they tested my hearing for the study I'm participating in, my heart was thumping so loudly that I was afraid it was going to interfere with the results of the test. Just because I had to sit in a chair with a pair of headphones on and push a button when I could hear a tone in my ear. I actually shiver when asked to speak in front of people.

4. Can't concentrate. I used to be a straight A student. I was the conscientious kid that always did my homework after school. Now, I get C's solely because I can bullshit pretty well. I used to read a lot, and I thought nothing of finishing a book every couple of days. Now, I own a ton of books that I've never read, because I still see myself as someone who likes to read, but I get a few pages in, and I can't concentrate anymore. Sometimes, I even forget how the sentence started by the time I get to the end of it.

5. Tongue, glands or throat swelling. I'm not sure about this one, but a while back, I had a doctor's appointment to get checked out for hypothyrodism. One of the symptoms of that is swollen glands. I had swollen glands. Also, my tongue sometimes feels too big for my mouth, and sometimes, I feel like I can't breathe because my throat is too tight.

6. Heart racing, palpitations. Did I mention the incident when I was having my hearing tested? Well, it's not uncommon.

7. Angry, irritable mood. I can't stop complaining, about the silliest things. An online friend saying 'chaaa' instead of 'yeah'? Cannot stand it. People who are late for lectures? Hate them with a burning passion. Lecturers who say 'uh' frequently? Would like to murder them. People wanting to get past me during break time at lectures? God, they're so annoying. I could go on and on and on and on and ON.

8. Fatigue. Sometimes.

9. Dizziness. Not really.

10. Extreme jitters. Last week, when I had some coffee during the break of my eight am lecture... if I hadn't been at a lecture, I would have been bouncing off the wall. I was literally rocking back and forth like a bona fide nut jub because I just could not sit still. After one can of iced coffee.

11. Chest pain. I've been worried about having a heart attack since I was sixteen. I've mentioned it to my doctor several times, and he's always said that it's probably nothing, since I'm fairly young, and I don't feel pain during heavy exercise.

12. Depression. Have you read this blog lately?

13. Numbness in face, hands and feet. Lately, I've been worried about diabetes (why, yes, I am a hypochondriac), because my left foot tingles, like it's sleeping. My hands sometimes feel the same way.

14. Muscle pain. Not sure. Sometimes.

15. Shortness of breath. I can never seem to build up any kind of stamina. Never. I get out of breath no matter what I do.

16. Flu/cold like symptoms. Not really.

17. Vision problems. I sometimes see subtle lights dancing in front of my eyes that move if I move my eyes.

18. Delusions/hallucinations. I... don't think so?

19. Cold sweats. Yep.

20. Eyes swollen shut. Not completely shut, but... it's not very comfortable.

So how's that for a laundry list of symptoms? I really need to go see a doctor and get tested. You know what sucks though? If I do have a caffeine allergy, I'll have to give up coke. And possibly chocolate. I'm not sure I can live with that.

List of symptoms, courtesy of Energy Fiend.