Allergic to Life: Interview With Author Kathryn Treat

My fellow blogger, Kathryn Chastain Treat, recently released her first book, Allergic to Life, and allowed me to interview her. I have been following Kathryn’s blog for a while. Although she and I have different illnesses, we can relate to each other’s experiences and challenges. I admire her resolve and her positivity and would highly recommend you check out her blog.  I am honored  and excited to be a part of Kathryn’s book blog tour and share her wonderful new accomplishment with you.

Before we get to the interview, allow me introduce Kathryn’s new book, Allergic to Life.

Imagine that the very food you eat and the beautiful carpet on your floors start to make you feel violently ill. Your contact lenses cause your eyes to burn and water uncontrollably. Trace amounts of mold on other people’s clothing cause you to become unable to hold a thought or get it from your brain to your mouth during an everyday conversation.

The life you once knew is gone and you have become a prisoner of unexplainable and severe allergies and sensitivities. In this new life you can no longer shop or visit friends in their homes because there are too many chemicals and fragrances there. You become plagued by one mystery infection after another and no doctor or specialist seems to be able to give you any explanation of what’s causing your terrifying symptoms. Depression sets in and becomes your constant companion as you try to cope with the stress of being sick and of struggling to live within your newfound limitations.

“Allergic to Life: My Battle for Survival, Courage and Hope” is the story of one woman’s journey through a battle to reclaim her life and overcome depression caused by an exposure to toxic mold in her workplace.

And now, for the interview:

Why did you decide to write about your experience?

I wrote about my experiences after realizing that so many did not understand chemical sensitivity and the effects of mold exposure.  Many doctors were not aware of what it was like dealing with these issues.  I was fortunate that my doctors were willing to think outside the box and learn as much as they could about my illness.  They never wrote me off as a crazy person.  Others have not been so lucky and I made it my mission to tell my story to raise awareness and to offer compassion to those who are suffering alone and in silence.

Have you written or published anything before?

No.  I had never considered myself a writer.  I had written my speeches for PTA functions when I would be talking in front of large crowds of people but that is the extent of my writing.

What did you find most difficult in writing this book?

The most difficult part of writing this book was the re-living of what I had been through.  It took so long to write because I would be working away, read something or remember something painful, and the anxiety and depression would be unbearable.  The book would be put away again until I could emotionally read more.  I found reading my journals (many excerpts and poems from them are in the book) particularly difficult.  It was if I was an outsider reading this “poor woman’s” story.  I knew I was sad, I knew it was difficult for me and that I suffered from severe depression.  Reading what I wrote made me realize how truly hard life was.

What was the hardest part during your treatment at the Environmental Health Center in Dallas?

Two things come to mind when I think about how hard it was.  The first being so far away from my family and living on my own for the first time in my life.  The second was the struggle in testing.  Every day I would get up and go to the center to be made ill in an attempt to find out what I was allergic or sensitive to and to find a way to neutralize the reactions and symptoms.  Testing was long and some days very few items were scratched off my list of items to test.  It could often take over an hour to test a single antigen because of the severity of my reactions.

How long have you been blogging? What prompted you to begin blogging?

I have been blogging for almost a year and a half.  I first started blogging as a way to promote my book.  I soon discovered that it wasn’t just about promoting the book but connecting with others that had my illness or some other chronic or invisible illness.  I have learned so much from the many bloggers I have connected with as well as my many followers.  They encourage me each time I post and offer very kind words.  It is ironic how you start something for one reason and it becomes so much more.

You talk about losing belongs, your identity, and friendships.  Can you tell a little more about that?

The hardest part of becoming ill with the chemical sensitivities and mold allergies is the loss of so many things.  While I was so far away, I expected more phone calls or cards and letters.  I expected people to call and try to visit me when I finally returned home.  With the exception of a few who were brave enough to put on the tyvek suits (a measure to keep my home safe from other chemicals and the possibility of mold) and come into my home things were very quiet here.

Not being able to work, to wear the clothes I wanted to wear, to wear my contacts, or to color and style my hair was very difficult.  I no longer felt like the same, person.   Who was I if I wasn’t able to do all these things?  After all this time, I still struggle with my identity although it is not as big an issue as it once was.

The exposure to mold caused more hurt and pain than I could have imagined.  Exposure to mold spores and the mycotoxins the mold produces left my things unsafe for me.  Wearing clothes home from work and sitting on the furniture cross contaminated the furniture.  Having the spores and mycotoxins become airborne cross contaminated even more things including my computer as the air was sucked in through the fan.  I sat silently watching as my husband threw away my stuffed Scotty dog that I had had since I was very little along with my huge one-eyed teddy bear and “gas pipe” my stuffed dog that I had carried everywhere with me when I was little.  I watched as my mother took outfit after outfit out of my closet and bag them up in big black garbage bags.  I often felt that it would have been easier if my stuff had disappeared amid a raging inferno than to know that they were not destroyed and yet I had to give them up.

In your book, there are poems about the isolation and loneliness you felt.  When did you find yourself writing these poems?  How have you dealt with isolation and loneliness?

I have never written any poetry.  I don’t remember writing much in high school either.  Suddenly I would find myself sitting up in the middle of the night in bed many miles from home crying or having a panic attack at my life or what was going on at the time.  My attorney had told me to take a journal and keep notes.  I found myself reaching for the journal in the middle of the night and pouring out my heart onto its pages.  In doing so, I suddenly realized I was writing poems about my life and my circumstances.  I don’t know where the creativity for writing those poems came from but since then I have learned of others who suddenly experienced creativity they had never had before.

Isolation was also something I was not used to.  I never sat home and just did nothing.  I was a busy and active woman involved in PTA, 4-H, Athletic Booster Clubs, Band, and a board member of my daughters’ school.  Suddenly I couldn’t go anywhere and few came to see me.  I continued journaling and the idea to write my book came out of my isolation as well.  I couldn’t sew because the pattern shapes, the pattern of the fabric, etc. sent me into visual stimulation overload.  I could, however, still embroider.  I bought dish towels, thread, and transfers and embroidered constantly.  I started reading books that took me away from my circumstances and put me into a world of suspense, world of comedy, and world of make believe.  My daughter and her husband had purchased me a DVD player and my younger daughter had bought old movies that I used to love to watch.  I began watching movies over and over again which also took me outside my sad life of loneliness and isolation.  And I began reaching out to those friends who would come over and started doing outdoor things with them.

What message would you like to share with others who are dealing with your circumstances or suffer from other chronic illness?

I think the biggest message is to find something you enjoy.  Life is going to be hard with chronic illness and it is going to knock you down time after time.  Do what you are capable of doing and do it with excitement and joy.  Learn to love yourself again despite what you can or cannot do or what you do or do not look like.  Accept your limitations and look for your purpose in life (this purpose is usually something you never would have thought about before or ever imagined you could do).  I never once thought that I would be sitting here talking to you about a book that I have written or blogging.

What has been the biggest challenge in dealing with your illness?

The biggest challenge in dealing with this illness is the illness itself.  It is taking supplements, avoiding foods that make me sick, it is trying to do things when your body just doesn’t want to go any more, and it is wearing the mask out in public which shows that my invisible illness is not so invisible.  The challenge is trying to tell a preschool classmate of my granddaughter why I wear a mask without being overly dramatic or too far above their comprehension.

What was your life like before becoming ill?

I was a busy stay-at-home mother.  I was a multi-tasker.  I went to lunch with friends and played Bunco once a month.  I flew with a friend in her airplane to go shopping or drove with her on a day-long shopping trip to the city.  I was a sewing leader with the local 4-H as well has helped with the public speaking group.  I was president of the PTA at my daughter’s school and served two terms on the school board.  I sewed clothes for my daughters and when they no longer wanted home-made outfits I began sewing crafts.

With all your allergies and sensitivities, how do you manage to get your hair done?  How is your hair style now compared to before your illness?

I have been fortunate to have found hairdressers who were willing to work with me.  In the beginning my hairdresser before the illness would cut my hair in the alley outside her shop.  I would arrive with my hair wet, she would cut it, and off I would go.  For a while I had someone come and cut my hair in my back yard.  Currently I drive almost an hour to my daughter’s home and a hairdresser cuts my hair there.  I don’t think my hairstyle is a lot different than before but it is now gray because I can’t color it and it is a lot more limp and flat because the products I used to use to give it lift are no longer tolerable for me.  I also think the color affected the body of my hair as well.  As much as I don’t miss having the upkeep of coloring my hair, I do miss the way color added more color to my face and made me feel more alive.

How difficult is it to have friends and family over?  What precautions do you take?

Having family and friends over takes some planning.  They have to arrive fragrance free and we sit outdoors on the patio if the weather is nice and the pollen or mold counts are low.  Having friends and family inside is another task.  Not only do they need to be fragrance free, they have to be willing to put on a tyvek suit to protect me from the chemicals and other toxins that may be on their clothing from coming into my home.  Not everyone is willing to put on a suit to come inside so they are limited to visiting when weather conditions permit outdoor visiting.

Are you able to visit friends?

I am able to visit friends outdoors.  They must be fragrance free and we usually sit on their patios and visit during the spring (when pollen isn’t too high), summer (as long as it isn’t too hot), and fall (as long as the mold count hasn’t started rising).

 Can you wear new clothes directly from the store?

Clothes from the store carry with them the fragrances in the store.  The fragrances can be from the chemicals of candles or perfumes and colognes being sold in the store.  The fragrances can be from what is used on the clothes during the manufacture process or from the customers in the stores.  To be able to wear clothes purchased in the store I need to wash them many times.  The process I usually use is washing them with a mixture of my laundry soap (7^th Generation), baking soda, and powdered milk.  I fill the tub, throw the clothes in, agitate for a few minutes and let them sit for a few hours and finish the cycle.  This process is continued until I can no longer detect the fragrances that signal the chemicals are still very much a part of the shirt or whatever it is I am trying to make safe.  Products that come from online orders are usually less fragrant and take less washing.

You talk about food allergies in your book.  When was it the worst for you?

Food allergies were horrible in the beginning when I was being told to stop eating foods that showed up in a blood test (corn, oatmeal, wheat).  Corn and wheat were very difficult to avoid because they show up in so many foods under so many different names.  I was also told to give up any foods that could contain mold (soy sauce, canned tomato products, citric acid, most processed foods, black tea) which was not so much a challenge but very upsetting.

The worst time for me was in 2003 shortly after my hysterectomy.  The surgery trauma, the loss of hormones, the anesthetic, and detoxing mycotoxins from my body caused a severe downturn and I lost even more foods than what I had lost earlier.  I was having throat tightening from eating beef, pears, and chicken.  Everything seemed to cause a problem and I was forced to fast on more than one occasion to get my body calmed down so I could try again.

In celebration of her life and the completion of Allergic to Life, Kathryn is offering a giveaway of three autographed books through rafflecopter at the end of the blog tour. Click the link in order to enter the giveaway!

Allergic to life is available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon (prices vary).  Autographed copies (US Only) will be available on Kathryn’s website.

You can follow Kathryn on her blog, on her Facebook page, on twitter, and LinkedIn.

About the Author:

Kathryn was a vibrant and active 44-year-old stay-at-home mother of two when she decided to venture back into the workplace.  Though she had been out of the workforce for 18 years, Kathryn had always been very active in community events – PTA, school board and the local 4-H club – and was always the first to volunteer to help out friends or family.

Little did she realize that this opportunity for professional growth and financial independence would force her through a never ending series of battles with the medical and legal community, make her a prisoner in her own home, and mire her in severe depression.  After workplace exposure to mold caused severe immune system dysfunction, Kathryn’s world turned upside down and nothing would ever be the same.  She was forced to give up her most treasured possessions and was no longer able to be the active person she always had been.  Relationships were tested and many did not survive.  Defeat always seemed close at hand as illness thrust her into a battle not only for independence, but for her life.

Kathryn’s story of self-doubt, loss of identity, and the pain of skepticism – from the medical and legal profession – is a heart-wrenching journey of endurance, hope and hard-won triumph.  Her experience with mold exposure gives her a unique perspective on the physical as and emotional effects of mold exposure.  Read her story and learn how she was able to overcome these many obstacles to become an advocate for her own health.
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Congratulations to Kathryn on her new book, and a special thanks for allowing me to be a part of her book blog tour!