this is gonna hurt

my upper lip has been swollen for at least two weeks.
it looks like i've had a botched collagen treatment.
the cause - i'm allergic to something.

well, duh.

so after ANOTHER visit to the allergist, he's decided that i am not to eat anything spiced with chilis, in ANY form, for two weeks. we think it's some kind of chili that's causing the reaction ... and since there are no blood or skin tests for chilis ... we are going the elimination route. no tabasco, no salsa, no hot sauce, no spice AT ALL. if the swelling has gone away ... i can start re-introducing the foods into my diet, one at a time ... waiting another two weeks to be sure it's not the culprit ... and so on.

basically, i'm performing one long-ass science experiment on myself.

oh, and what to do while we don't know? don't leave home without an epi pen and a cell phone. super fun.

f.