My little baby Katherine used to throw up after feeding sessions and I was told that regurgitating was pretty normal. But little Kathy was always hungry as she was vomiting out the milk that she was hungrily swallowing from my breast to the point that she started to lose weight. This is when we discovered that Kathy was allergic to breast milk. I tried soya milk and other kinds of milk, but she would end up scratching herself so hard that it would bleed. Eventually we came to know that she was allergic to corn, nuts, eggs and milk. Gradually I discovered that she was allergic to a host of other foods which ended up with Kathy getting severe abdominal pain, vomiting, hives and wheezing. Each little mistake in accidental eating of the wrong food would end up in trips to the hospital making life devastating for all of us. Later on we came to know about a successful treatment of allergies via Chinese meridian points and desensitization. Kathy went through it and now she can digest corn, soy milk, citrus fruits and all other foods except milk and eggs. It was Kathy’s willpower to eliminate and get rid of her allergies which eventually gave her tremendous success. Never give up!

I have always been positive and optimistic about my asthma trouble and I have never let it come in the way of my career. I guess asthma has made me more determined to succeed and achieve my goals. The most important part about controlling asthma in your life rather than having asthma control is you want to take the right medication and learn how to manage asthma. I believe in prevention so I make it a point to take my preventive inhaler first thing in the morning and my reliever inhaler before my training sessions cause I don’t want to end up with exercise induced asthma while exercising.

It has taken me a lot of sporting injuries to get me to the place I am in today. But most of all, I owe it to the way I have learned to manage the acute hay fever that I have. I’ve had to deal with it since childhood and it is hereditary and runs in our blood. In fact a lot of Britons seem to have hay fever. However, the bad part is it takes a toll on my physical well being, especially during the racing season in the summers. Apart from that, I also get exercise induced asthma which actually tightens up my chest when I am running. I take a clearance from the IAAF each year to get the permission to use an inhaler for my asthma problem and I take a lot of precautions. However, I am proud to say that hay fever has never hindered my love for sports!

My asthma attacks are so severe at times that I have ended up in dizziness and fainting altogether: a little appalling for hubby dear! However, it’s my husband who gives me a lot of support in getting over the asthma fainting phases and asks me not to worry too much about it. He keeps telling me that I had been to a pretty place and I did look quite content when I was sleeping. Now I don’t worry too much about fainting because I am sure that the place I drift out to unconsciously was very pretty and I don’t get scared any longer.

I have lived with a fish allergy for most of my life and when I was young, I remember vomiting after eating fish every time. My mother still would carry on feeding me fish, as allergies were not widely recognized years back. My allergy to fish was so great that I would end up with terrible stomach pains and would pass out sometimes as well. Later, I realized that smoked or tinned fish didn’t create any allergy symptoms for me. However, I decided to quit eating fish, as it is better to avoid than to go through the grind, and I also came to terms with the fact that there was no treatment for my allergy. Now, whenever I want to eat out at a restaurant, I make it a point to explain my allergic situation to them so that the food that is served does not contain an iota of fish in it! I would always suggest caution and care for people with allergies, because it can be a life threatening situation if there is no medical care at bay.