Well hello! Long time no see, hey? Three years to be exact. Time has flown by, I’m no longer an allergy student: I’m an allergy graduate, times two!
Over the last couple of years a number of people asked me why I wasn’t writing my blog anymore. The truth is allergy stuff just wasn’t really on my mind anymore. I’d become so relaxed in handling it all I barely gave it a second thought, except when I found a new food I was excited to try. I didn’t have any desire to blog because my allergy just wasn’t taking up any head space. I was having fun, just enjoying life.
Last year that all changed. Out of nowhere I developed terrible anxiety triggered by my allergy. It really took over and I was in such a desperate place I’d never imagined my allergy could push me to. A year on I feel like it’s time to share that struggle. I want to reflect on what it was like, to admit that I don't always cope perfectly, to show people what it’s really like to live with anaphylaxis, to give other people in the same situation hope that things can get better and to remind myself on the days I do struggle of how far I’ve come.
When I first started my blog I wanted to avoid writing about fear. I found too many blogs that pushed me to feeling fearful, descriptions of anaphylactic shock and hopelessness, or people being moaney and dramatic just annoyed me. I still stick by the fact I don't want to moan and mope about having an allergy, that's not going to help anyone and there really are worse situations to be in. But I need to be real about the struggle. I wanted this blog to enourage those who were looking ahead to independent adult life with an allergy and I want to show how I've got through the bad as well as the good. I’m hoping to do a number of posts about anxiety and anaphylaxis. I was going to just do one but it’s such a complicated and layered thing that I think it makes more sense to make a few.
Reading back over my old posts it makes me cringe a lot seeing the way I used to write, but I think it's good to continue on the same blog to see my journey over time. In another three years time I'll probably cringe over this! I'm looking forward to getting back into blogging again.
Here we go!
The Allergy Graduate xxxx
