A girl’s rare and extensive allergies left her malnourished and in a position to only eat 4 sorts of food — a situation that left healthcare professionals flummoxed for years.
Amy Francis-Smith, 32, found herself suddenly affected by severe allergic reactions to the foods she normally enjoyed — and on a regular basis smells most individuals don’t even notice — back in 2015.
“I had malnutrition as I used to be only in a position to eat beef, pears, courgette and rice for a minimum of six months,” the Leicester, England-based architect recalled.
“It ended up being of venture each time I ate anything. It was very much a case of checking out what I could and couldn’t eat.
“It was the beginning of a really terrifying few years.”
At her lowest point, she was reacting to a lot, she could only eat eggplant, rice, pears and beef.
She also found herself allergic to carbonated water, public transportation, air fresheners, heat and cold. (Vapes and gas stations didn’t trouble her, nonetheless.)
Worse still, Francis-Smith found herself completely unsupported by the medical community.
“I used to be referred to allergy clinics but I used to be being told that I wasn’t allergic and I used to be making it up,” she recalled.
“[Emergency room] staff thought I may be poisoning myself on purpose or having a mental health crisis. But when I ate something, I’d find yourself within the hospital, so it was real,” she said.
The then-graduate student first knew something was up after she began reacting to peanuts and lemons.
Then, after eating a tomato, she went into full-blown anaphylactic shock.
The attacks kept coming — at one point, she was experiencing them 50 days in a row.
Francis-Smith dropped out of college in London and moved home along with her family.
“I used to be really heartbroken that I’d had my profession cut short and I couldn’t earn any money,” she said.
“I attempted to return to work, however it didn’t last long in any respect.”
Finally, in 2017, she received a diagnosis of mast cell activation syndrome. Francis-Smith was also affected by Crohn’s disease and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome — hereditary disorders that attack connective tissue.
“Whenever you finally get that diagnosis it’s weirdly an enormous relief that you simply weren’t going insane,” Francis-Smith said.
“Mast cells are throughout your body — for whatever reason mine had change into activated. They release chemicals which causes the swelling, rashes and respiration issues. It meant that it affected each organ,” she explained.
“My liver wasn’t working — my spleen, my bladder was screwed. I had heart issues, my hair was falling out, my teeth were eroding quicker than they need to have been. My feet and hands had neuropathy.”
Years later, Francis-Smith has made incredible strides towards normalcy, overcoming the worst of her allergies through stress reduction, thanks partly to her supportive family and partner, nutrition management and the reduction of inflammation.
After an amazing deal of experimentation, she’s also eating a far more balanced weight loss plan.
“Through a variety of experimentation, trialing nutrition, stress reduction and reducing inflammation, I used to be eventually in a position to complete my masters in Architecture at Birmingham City University and have a little bit of money coming in,” a grateful Francis-Smith reported.
“I’m progressively adding in additional foods and gaining more strength. I’ve never been higher. I don’t think I’ve ever had this level of health in my life before.”
A girl’s rare and extensive allergies left her malnourished and in a position to only eat 4 sorts of food — a situation that left healthcare professionals flummoxed for years.
Amy Francis-Smith, 32, found herself suddenly affected by severe allergic reactions to the foods she normally enjoyed — and on a regular basis smells most individuals don’t even notice — back in 2015.
“I had malnutrition as I used to be only in a position to eat beef, pears, courgette and rice for a minimum of six months,” the Leicester, England-based architect recalled.
“It ended up being of venture each time I ate anything. It was very much a case of checking out what I could and couldn’t eat.
“It was the beginning of a really terrifying few years.”
At her lowest point, she was reacting to a lot, she could only eat eggplant, rice, pears and beef.
She also found herself allergic to carbonated water, public transportation, air fresheners, heat and cold. (Vapes and gas stations didn’t trouble her, nonetheless.)
Worse still, Francis-Smith found herself completely unsupported by the medical community.
“I used to be referred to allergy clinics but I used to be being told that I wasn’t allergic and I used to be making it up,” she recalled.
“[Emergency room] staff thought I may be poisoning myself on purpose or having a mental health crisis. But when I ate something, I’d find yourself within the hospital, so it was real,” she said.
The then-graduate student first knew something was up after she began reacting to peanuts and lemons.
Then, after eating a tomato, she went into full-blown anaphylactic shock.
The attacks kept coming — at one point, she was experiencing them 50 days in a row.
Francis-Smith dropped out of college in London and moved home along with her family.
“I used to be really heartbroken that I’d had my profession cut short and I couldn’t earn any money,” she said.
“I attempted to return to work, however it didn’t last long in any respect.”
Finally, in 2017, she received a diagnosis of mast cell activation syndrome. Francis-Smith was also affected by Crohn’s disease and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome — hereditary disorders that attack connective tissue.
“Whenever you finally get that diagnosis it’s weirdly an enormous relief that you simply weren’t going insane,” Francis-Smith said.
“Mast cells are throughout your body — for whatever reason mine had change into activated. They release chemicals which causes the swelling, rashes and respiration issues. It meant that it affected each organ,” she explained.
“My liver wasn’t working — my spleen, my bladder was screwed. I had heart issues, my hair was falling out, my teeth were eroding quicker than they need to have been. My feet and hands had neuropathy.”
Years later, Francis-Smith has made incredible strides towards normalcy, overcoming the worst of her allergies through stress reduction, thanks partly to her supportive family and partner, nutrition management and the reduction of inflammation.
After an amazing deal of experimentation, she’s also eating a far more balanced weight loss plan.
“Through a variety of experimentation, trialing nutrition, stress reduction and reducing inflammation, I used to be eventually in a position to complete my masters in Architecture at Birmingham City University and have a little bit of money coming in,” a grateful Francis-Smith reported.
“I’m progressively adding in additional foods and gaining more strength. I’ve never been higher. I don’t think I’ve ever had this level of health in my life before.”
