Rash, Rash, Go Away…

Come again some other day. Wait, no. Don't. Maybe that was a poor choice for a title. How about "Don't come back another day." There, that's more like it.

So, since I've been in Taiwan (13 months now), I have found it hard to avoid small traces of wheat. As a Celiac, I should know better. If there could be wheat, I should not eat it. Plain and simple. But I became complacent fairly quickly, and occasionally had little "bouts" where I suspected I had been glutened. I still didn't take it all too seriously.

Then, one fateful night - October 15 (this date is burned into my brain, because I can't believe I've had rashes this long) - I ate some delicious, homemade curry. Yum. The next day, I started to have some rashes. "That's strange," I thought. "I haven't had rashes for years. In fact, not since I was diagnosed with Celiac disease." Bing! Light bulb moment. Uh oh. 

The following day, I still had the rashes. Raised, hot, itchy hives. So I investigated. The curry I ate was made from a Japanese curry base, which for some godawful reason contains wheat. Why on earth do they put wheat in curry?? It's so unnecessary. I am less than impressed. I was also less than impressed with myself, because I already know that some curry bases contain wheat, and that there's only one kind of curry paste I can buy at the supermarket. So, I should have known better. But I was hungry, so I ate it. This is my downfall. 

I didn't do anything about the hives, because I thought for some reason that they would get better and disappear. I had clearly forgotten the months of on-and-off discomfort I experienced in my teens. A week went by, and it was not better. The rashes had actually got a lot worse - to the point that my friend (who is battling breast cancer, and should not have to be dealing with other people's random ailments) advised me to find a sub for my class that afternoon, and drove me to our local dermatologist. 

There began my dance with the medical system here. Thankfully, Taiwan has excellent medical insurance, which is mandatory for workers to pay into. As a Canadian, I am used to my doctor visits being completely free; however, to see a specialist would mean going on a long waiting list, missing work, and taking an expensive trip over to the city to see this busy specialist. As a foreigner in Taiwan, I am incredibly grateful that we are allowed (even required!) to use the same heath insurance system as the locals. Because of the high population here, there are specialists everywhere! You can walk in to any hospital to see their specialists, or stroll over to the dermatologist or ear-nose-throat doctor in your neighbourhood. Or the dentist. Dentistry is also covered by National Health Insurance. So, any time you see one of these specialists, or any doctor, you pay a deductible which includes the cost of your visit as well as any medication you might need. It's a pretty good system. 

What did this dermatologist do, you may ask? Well, he prescribed me nighttime and daytime antihistamines, and informed me to "avoid my allergens." This ticked me off a bit. Of course, avoid my allergens! Do you think I'm going around stuffing my face with breads and cookies? Please. I wish. 

I went on my way, with my 7-day supply of antihistamines. I really thought that would be the end of it. Little did I know, this would quickly become an ongoing theme.