Sometimes, your throat is actually closing due to anaphylaxis…
I have known since 4th grade that I am allergic to “imitation bleach.” I use quotations here because we don’t really see it marketed under that name today. At the time, I had a reaction to Sun detergent with imitation bleach. That was the marketed description, but today we see it coined as “color safe bleach.”
There is another name that I was unaware of, though. That would be “oxi” or “oxy”, depending on the brand. This “stainlifter” is also a variation of what I knew as imitation bleach.
Do you see where I might be going with this?
I should start at the beginning…
My doctor sent me to the ER until my appointment next week.
The ER did what they should, I won’t lie. As much as I don’t like our location, they did a soft tissue scan to look at my thyroid. They also did a chest X-ray to check for potential pneumonia. Even a strep swab was done.
The only thing they could determine was an allergy. I am reacting to something, and I didn’t know what!
I went home with a 6-day steroid pak. Imagine my surprise when I felt better only an hour after my first dose. I could breathe again!
After some pure joy at being able to take in oxygen while walking… I now needed to figure out why I was dealing with anaphylaxis.
It had been coming and going for a while, but the sudden consistency correlated with my new clothing detergent.
It was the same brand and still marketed as free and clear. So, what gives?
I looked up the Oxi stainlifting additive on a whim. This was new. Normally, I only bought the original.
When I learned it is the same thing as the other terms I react to: color safe, imitation bleach, etc, I was able to pinpoint a likely culprit.
I bought a gentle, hypoallergenic, & baby safe detergent. A powdered one at that. Once I was wearing clothes washed in it, my throat felt a little better. I still had a moment or two where it tightened a little, then calmed down again.
Today is day 3 on steroids. I woke up this morning with a perfectly functioning throat! Then I used a spoon. My throat felt a little tight. I looked at our dishwashing liquid.
It also uses Oxi stainlifting chemicals.
I swear, I cannot catch a break! Now I know, though. I can do something about it!
I’ve had come-and-go allergy symptoms since I moved in with my boyfriend.
At first, it was his detergent. The man was a hardcore Tide user. Tide never agreed with me. Things in his house were washed in Tide. If things washed in Tide touched me too long, I had a reaction.
Eventually, my throat started swelling, much like it is now, when I tried to use a Tide Free & Gentle detergent. When I figured it out, I 86’d the Tide and started making sure everything I was in close contact with was washed using All Free & Clear.
Eventually, the house stopped using Tide entirely. Some use an Oxy detergent while others use something they prefer.
I had continued minor allergy symptoms, but didn’t know why.
I now know that residue in the washer can transfer to me, not just from touching others’ washed items. Hindsight is 20/20, my friends.
We got a dishwasher & started using Cascade. It has amazing stainlifting properties, too. My throat started swelling on and off again. It got worse when we switched to a liquid variation with Oxi stainlifter.
The last few months, what I thought was my thyroid acting up was likely an allergic reaction to Oxy Clean residue in the washer + the Oxi stainlifter in the dishwasher detergent.
Detergent in a dishwasher during operation can become a mist in the air. If I am near it, I am breathing it in. The residue on dishes can also be ingested.
That is likely why I started having consistent tightness in my throat. It is likely why my throat was closing for more than 3 days straight.
It also solves a weird mystery as to why I have constant allergies when I didn’t have them 24/7 before.
In this, I refer to chronic post-nasal drip, eye watering, etc.
How do I resolve an unsolved mystery?
Well, trial and error, of course! Even if it means washing every damn dish & piece of cloth in something different, waiting to see if it helps, then trying something else if not.
I swear, the allergy won’t kill me. The trial and error process will.
Don’t believe me? Try washing ALL cloth items in one day. Bedding, clothing, anything that washes and touches you… Now imagine needing to do that with every dish in your kitchen, too!
Seriously, I am doing fine. I am a little frustrated and just screaming into the ether. It is no one’s fault. It is one of those things outside my control.
The problem is that it is outside my control. I like having control of my world.
Either way, the world won’t end. I’m not likely to die from anaphylaxis unless I choose to be stubborn and not get seen the next time I start slowly suffocating.
Have a beautiful day, friends. Beware of the allergens & walk between the raindrops!
Angela J Shupe 
I was thinking…