Learning to Live Simply

My God Adventure with Severe Allergies and Learning to Live Simply Clean

I found myself fidgeting in the hardwood chair. Then it dawned on me: Dust mites! That cushion I took off the chair is made of fabric. I should have cleaned the chair seat. That itchy, irritated feeling on the backs of my thighs and the uncomfortable sensation in my chest were dead giveaways. So, while visiting them at a rented condo in Southern Florida, I asked our friends, “Do you have anything I can use to wipe down the chair?”

“Sure. We have some cleaning wipes.” She got the container from under the kitchen sink while I changed my pants in the bathroom. This incident sparked a firestorm, throwing me into a downward spiral into “Hell Week.” From my husband affectionately touching my back during a program at church after resting it on the fabric seat behind my vinyl cushion to two episodes of contamination at our friend’s condo, it escalated from there. Life was anything but simple.

I awoke to my heart pounding, feeling clutched by an invisible hand. My lungs and body were on fire, my mouth swollen, and my throat irritated. I ran to the kitchen for Benadryl and then went to the bathroom for a shower—at 1 am. My skin burned as if melting at a surface cellular level. My eyes and mouth seemingly wanted to fuse shut. The more I washed, the worse it got, so I just let the water run over my body, “Lord, what’s going on? Please, help me.” Grabbing my white, bleached towel to dry off, the burn magnified as I tried to wipe off the water. Frustrated, I threw it on the floor and dried off with my blow dryer. My hands struggled to hold things because they felt badly burned by chemicals. Now dry, my feet felt like I walked on burns, and they wanted to stick to the tile floor. None of my clothing felt safe, so I slept on a plastic mattress cover on our sofa in the buff. Nothing seemed safe. I felt like a cave-dwelling hermit with drapes drawn and paper towel curtains on our sidelights. That week, the nightly shower runs to wash away the burn became regular fare, often three to five times daily. I slept on plastic with my EpiPens beside me and Benadryl at the ready.

What caused all of this? I discovered that sanitizing wipes, laundry sanitizers, and bleach triggered these episodes. My efforts to deal with the dust mite allergy compounded my plight. Additionally, my body wash, shampoo, and conditioner made things worse. Fragrances, these products, and more smelled three times as strong, and I could taste them! They all had to go.

What happened?

My allergist diagnosed me with idiopathic angioedema and urticaria—fancy terms for “we don’t know why, but you have inflammation, swelling, rashes, and hives.” These issues caused my heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels to drop. Raynauds kicked in, accelerating my hands and feet from scorching hot to frigid cold. Now, I’m assessing possible damage to my heart and lungs. God is having me evaluate a lot of things.

Where is God in All of This?

I’ve discovered in life, and this frightening adventure reminded me that God is not taken by surprise like I was. He already knew about it before it occurred. All my days were written before I was born (Psalm 139:16). God was with me the entire time. He woke me up. He stayed with me. And He led me to the help I needed. God never abandoned me at any point in this frightening adventure.

As the writer of Ecclesiastes says, “Nothing is new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Suffering has been going on for eons. Allergies probably existed since God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. Yet, in our modern era, we’ve invented conveniences and products for a “better life”—at a cost. I imagine some of the products the Egyptians used back in Bible times caused someone misery. That thick eyeliner could have caused someone’s eyes to swell shut. How about some of the perfumes in Jesus’s day that could have caused someone’s throat to close? When Mary Magdelene poured expensive perfume on Jesus’s feet, did anyone have to go outside to catch their breath? They all wanted something nice, something better. But it probably cost someone dearly with their health.

We benefit from many conveniences and products that “make life better” in our modern era. Yet these come at a cost. Some of us suffer from chemicals used as surfactants, dyes, fragrances, enzymes, and more. Nothing is new, just different.

What I Learned

Keep things simple. The spiritual discipline of simplicity extends beyond reducing our stuff, schedules, and space to spend quality time with God. It requires a proper focus, beginning with our relationship with God. We have to make it a lifestyle. We must decide what’s truly important in life and get the “junk” out of the way. I will admit that I love fragrance and many of those products, but not the strong, obnoxious kind. When I stepped inside my closet after the allergy attack, The strong aroma of a scented candle overwhelmed me. I had placed it there to remove the shoe dank. They had to go. I closed it in a zip lock bag and opened the closet doors to air the closet out. Then, I continued my quest to simplify by weeding out the offending cleaners, body wash, and more. A friend was happy to take some of them from me. Sometimes, fresh, clean nothingness is what we need. Now, there’s room for what’s important.

Here are some of the lessons God taught me through this allergy nightmare:

1. God never abandoned me. I wasn’t being punished. Instead, I have a bull’s eye on my back for Satan’s fiery arrows. Being in any form of ministry brings those types of attacks. God fended off those attacks on my behalf. I needed to be still and rest in Him.
2. What we think we need is usually a want. A soft mattress and fluffy pillows aren’t a need. Scented candles and luxurious bath products aren’t necessary. Visit a third-world country, and you will quickly learn this lesson. If it makes you sick, it’s no longer a necessity. It’s a hazard.
3. Stop sweating the small stuff and stressing over things. My desire to control things sometimes gets in the way of God’s work. I need to allow God to rearrange my priorities and be more flexible.
4. Appreciate the small things. God has given me everything good. I need to stop overlooking them and start appreciating more of what I already have.
5. Practice good self-care to be there for others. I can’t write well when I’m down. I can’t help anyone when I can’t even tackle simple things. But I can when I’m well.
6. Maintain good health practices and make adjustments as necessary. What’s healthy for you may not be healthy for me. Although I believed I was tackling dust mite allergies better, it only worsened my allergic responses. I’ve replaced all my cleaning and self-care products with gentle, allergy-friendly, unscented products. Now, I can deal with only dust mites. It doesn’t mean everyone I know has to do the same, but they may need to minimize their use when I visit to protect me.
7. Let God bring the increase for my work. I am now three weeks behind my writing goals, but God can—and does—reorder our steps. I have to ask Him every day where my focus needs to be.
8. Nurture healthy relationships. They are the only truly valuable things I have outside of my relationship with God.
9. God is with me now, reminding me of what’s most important. I must let Him set my agenda and lead me to where I can get the help I need.

I’ve had to slow down due to fatigue and other odd lingering symptoms. It’s made me take stock of what’s most important to do and what to let go. Deadlines had to become less rigid, except those set outside my writer’s bubble. Sleep, rest, and more had eluded me for several days, but now I can make up for what I’d lost. I’ve slept over eight hours of deep, restorative sleep the last few days. You’d be amazed at how clear our thinking can be when we get the rest we desperately need. Before, I felt anxious about going to sleep because I didn’t know If I needed to dash to the shower to wash off the offending allergens. Now I have a better sense of peace, blissful peace.  I can cast all my cares on God because He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7). After all, I know where I’m going when I die, and dying in my sleep is more desirable than any other means. So, when God wants to take me Home, He will. I can rest easy.

Now for answers and a solution. I saw my allergist, who diagnosed me, and now for my cardiologist to check for any lingering damage to my heart. Thank you for your prayers and your patience. I will let you know when ChiRho Flow classes can resume. However, I can start working on talks and scheduling those with event planners now.

So, what about you? Have you been on any scary adventures lately? How has God acted in them? What Lessons has God taught you through them? charlaine_martin@yahoo.com.

Life is Always an Adventure with God! Matthew 4:19