Cases, Cases, Cases 29In this way we discovered he was allergic to a number of foods,
but in particular wheat (the worst), chicken and orange. Providing he avoids
them he remains happy and reasonably well. It isn’t a complete recovery,
but enough to allow him to do as he wishes, namely work, travel to the Far
East several times a year and generally pick up life where he had left off. As
an added bonus, his angina has disappeared completely: he is off all drugs
and is capable of carrying out normal physical activities, even a full round
of golf, without pain.
Yet if he eats wheat, especially bread, his symptoms return with
a vengeance – so much so that he no longer tries to test it and avoids it
completely, even in gravy thickening. As he sees it, it simply isn’t worth the
trouble and pain; it is far easier to eat differently as outlined in this book. A
miracle? He thinks so, and I must admit that even after all this time I haven’t
lost my sense of wonder when someone gets well like that.
Case no. 2: Mysterious swellings
Mrs. G was a 47-year-old married social worker. Apart from being a little
highly strung, she had enjoyed good health for most of her adult life. She
had raised three fine children and was approaching the time of life when
she and her husband would be entitled to start looking forward to enjoying
the fruits of their labors.
The dream of a comfortable middle age was, however, rudely
shattered by sudden ill health: not cancer, high blood pressure, a coronary
or any of the well-known sinister and dangerous conditions, yet to her it
was frightening and debilitating and it had a hardly less damaging effect
on her well being than possible more serious complaints might have done.
About four years before she came to see me, sudden mysterious swellings
had started to develop. These were not continually present but came in
attacks that occurred every few weeks right out of the blue.
There was no pattern to it: there might be several occurrences
in a month, or alternatively none for many weeks. Her face was most
prominently affected, and when the condition was severe her eyes would
close up completely. Sometimes the throat was involved and the swelling
would press on the windpipe, making breathing difficult; she would then
be forced to tilt her head back in order to get air in and out of her lungs.
Naturally, these episodes were quite terrifying. A doctor would be rushed
to her for emergency treatment, but there was always the haunting fear that
she might suffocate before help arrived.