She has an allergy to tick bites.

But the biggest difficulty is in restaurants. In self-service, which would be my best option, spoons migrate from place to place, and I have to ask if the beans have bacon in them. People have to have a little patience, and I have to have a little patience. Sometimes I get annoyed, sometimes I get angry.

In May, I ate food containing meat or milk, and I started having severe cramps and diarrhea. I took anti-allergy medicine and after a while the severe symptoms started to subside, but I have to take it for another day or two. When the intestinal part is bad, it takes a long time to get back to normal.

When we travel, I have no control over everything I eat, which is scary. But after the diagnosis, you start building your life with more confidence, because I know what I have, what I have to cut out, and what I have to eat if I have a reaction.

I also love hiking, I’m always in the woods, and now I’m trying to cut down on that, because my allergies are from tick bites.”

What is alpha-gal syndrome?

It is an allergic reaction to galactose-?-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal), a carbohydrate (sugar) expressed in proteins from non-primate mammals. It can be found in beef, pork and lamb, for example, organ meats (intestines, hearts and liver) and in the milk of these animals, as well as in their derivatives such as butter, cheese and yogurt.