I have been allergic to penicillin since I was 2 years old. My mother told me that I had a bad reaction to it after an operation to take out my tonsils. She said that I was allergic and that I should never have penicillin. That was it - I didn't have any more information than that.
So whenever I would see doctors I would tell them that I was allergic to penicillin. I have always been healthy so I never had much to do with doctors. And I never thought too much about this allergy until . . .
Everything started when I had my first child. I had some problems during childbirth and received penicillin intravenously. This caused such a severe reaction that I almost died. My whole body swelled including my tongue, my skin turned red and felt like it was burned. I was in hospital for almost a week.
I didn't know it at the time, but this reaction would change my life.
From then I started having a series of digestive problems. These were partly because of the inflammation in my intestines. Doctors couldn't find the cause. I had to follow special diets such as gluten and lactose free diets. I was losing weight.
Even though I was watching my diet I still had these problems. My doctor suggested checking into a specialized clinic for 2 months for food testing. At the time I had 2 young children and so this wasn't very convenient.
My doctor told me that if the inflammation continued it could cause cancer.
A last try was to go to an allergy specialist. He asked me many questions for one hour. Then he took 10 vials of blood from me and did some scratch tests. He told me he would contact me in one week with the results.
The results were shocking. The doctor told me that the penicillin shock I had left me hypersensitive to penicillin. And that I was reacting to penicillin in food.
To take this further, this specialist had taken a survey of state vets to find out the legal amount of penicillin in animal feed. He could not believe the results. The amounts were well beyond his estimates. He also knew that animals likely received more than the legal amount.
After this discovery, the doctor wanted me to eat only organic meats, fish and eggs (I wasn't eating dairy) for 6 months. 20 years ago to find organic food you had to go to the farms.
Six months later I had a colonoscopy to have a look at the inflammation in my intestines. There was no more inflammation!
We had found the problem! Antibiotics in food!
Today, 20 years later, I am still eating organic food. I can now find these foods in the shops so it is easier. Note that dairy needs to be organic too as milk is a carrier of what animals eat and digest.
At 63 years old, I am in the best of health and still go for colonoscopies every 5 years - and still no inflammation!!
Note that there are only about .02% of us that are hypersensitive to penicillin to this extent. But if you are in this category and have digestive problems following a bad reaction to penicillin - try eating organic. Yes, it is more expensive - consider it an investment in your health.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is not medical advice or treatment. If you are suffering from a health issue you should consult your health care provider before undertaking any form of treatment.