Wednesday, December 21, 2011

the high cost of sushi (lyn)

I love sushi.  It’s reasonably healthy.  Reasonably priced (especially when I buy the 3-roll lunch special for $11 and then eat it for dinner).  Easy to prepare (since basically that entails putting some soy sauce in a small bowl, then sitting down to eat it).  Both Alexander and I like it.  And it’s fairly low in points.

But during the past year, I have occasionally wake up with what looks like small bite marks that resemble welts.  They are extremely itchy, last a couple of days, and usually appear in two entirely different places at the same time.

When this first happened, I thought for sure they were caused by bed bugs.  I checked the seams of my mattress, looked online at pictures and compared the pictures to my welts, and even bought a bed bug protector for my mattress.  I was relieved when I showed these bites to a doctor, several months ago, and she “didn’t think” they were bed bugs, but couldn’t be sure.

Once they appeared in two places on my back.  Around Thanksgiving they developed on the inside of my right forearm, and a little above my elbow, also on my right arm.  Last week I woke up with them on my right wrist and left shoulder blade.  I coincidentally had my annual check up that day, so I showed them to my internist.  She thought they might be hives.

Around two last night I awoke because I was itchy….on my left cheek (not facial) and the very bottom of my left leg.  I took two Benadryl and went back to bed.  This morning I see two or three angry looking welts on my butt cheek, and a swollen bump on the bottom of my left leg.  And, they are very very itchy.

A week ago when I got this, I had eaten sushi the night before.  Same thing this time.  Could sushi be the culprit, and if so, which ingredient in the sushi is causing these itchy, swollen, welts?

Hmmmm.  I now have to see if I can isolate which fish (tuna, salmon, yellowtail or lobster), sauce (soy?), or other ingredient (wasabi or avocado) may be the cause.  To give up sushi totally would be too high a price to pay!  Why couldn’t I be allergic to something I hate, like corn chowder, or yams or even oatmeal?

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