So I have to figure out ....

What I'm allergic to.

I've been getting breathing difficulties, which haven't exactly been pleasant. Most of all it affects how I get to sleep. And you need your sleep to keep the rest of you healthy.

I have an idea what's causing it, although I have to lock it down to one thing in particular out of a steadily growing list ... And then I stop having what causes the problem. After having 2 really bad Friday's, I steadily improve over the week. What's different about Friday ? Well, it's not just Friday as the breathing issues started up on the Thursday too last week and before one of the potential causes.

Ok, what's the causes ?

Well one underlying cause is stress. That's quite high at the moment but I'd eliminate it as an environmental or contact cause. But it needs recognising. And no I can't talk here about what the cause is. While I know who some of my readers are, I don't know who you all are ! So this blog never tells the whole story about what's going on with me. It can't. But one thing I will let slip is that I'm seriously considering finding another place to work because of it.

Meh - getting distracted again. Stress is something you just have to deal with. One of the best ways is by talking it through with someone you can trust. Trouble is, there's so much going on behind the scenes that I don't know who is passing on what incorrect information about me and the way my mind works. And down that road lies damaging paranoia ...

Things I think I'm reacting to :

Bacon - This is the Friday morning treat to replace the teacake in the week. I know bacon makes me react by triggering the latent hyperactivity. Plus I only have it on the Friday, hence linking it to "Friday is Bad". I'm not convinced though because the breathlessness starts before.

Brown bread - distinct possibility and I'm tying this to what I can remember having for munchies the evenings before I have trouble.

Garlic bread - is something I'll have before pizza, so it could actually be the cause for me thinking pizza was causing me to react. I also very occasionally have garlic bread before my usual dinner at home if I'm feeling particularly starved.

Milkshakes or milk - high likelihood. I'd been neglecting the milkshake method of getting vitamins into me until quite recently. I already figured out I've been reacting (with acid) to having excess milk or cheese, so it's not too great a leap to think that milkshakes are something I have to exclude.

All the new diet stuff - this would suck as since I switched to include healthier stuff in my diet, my legs have reversed a trend of erupting into awfulness and have been repairing. (Still a way to go). I don't think it's the green stuff, as that's been consistent over the week and weekend, there's no specific trigger that would have made Friday's bad. Plus I'd had a cough since before I switched the diet around.

Jaffa cakes ! This I can believe, as I've been munching these again after ignoring them for a while. And I don't just have the occasional jaffa cake, I'll demolish the packet.

I think there's a few more items too. Would I miss them ?

Bacon ? Yes but it's a "me want", not a "me need". Plus the bacon in our canteen is not the healthiest ... Think cholesterol bomb.
Brown bread ? Healthy eating makes me want brown bread to be ok.
Garlic bread ? Curious one. There's nothing that makes this vital, plus if it's followed by pizza ? Oink.
Milkshakes ? This'll suck as the calcium in the milk helps the bones stay healthy.
Diet stuff ? Need it. I'm not giving this up though ...
Jaffa cakes ? Yum - but I could give them up in a heartbeat.

There's two baseline allergies that will be causing the breathing issues :

Dust - need a new vacuum cleaner and I need to blitz the house. But ... I can't do that until I know I'm not going to keel over in the process. Oh and the last time I was this bad, I'd just blitz cleaned most of the house, although the cause then was an air freshener plug in thing.
Hayfever - I don't think this is the cause at the moment, my eyes have settled down. Hayfever mostly attacks my eyes, with only minor effects on my lungs.

Weight definitely isn't a factor, as I have 1.5 stones less of me to cause a constriction on my lungs.

It's a worry - but I'll be keeping an eye on it. Starting with seeing how long I can resist bacon, garlic bread, milkshakes and jaffa cakes. I need to keep having the brown bread and the diet stuff and I don't think those are a trigger anyway or every afternoon at work would be an utter nightmare.

PS I still have a twin packet of jaffa cakes in the cupboard that may taunt me a while ...
PS2 And despite saying I could give them up in a heartbeat, they're Jaffa Cakes ! Cake is Life.