Author: cornallergygirl

How the Soaring Prices of Epipens Are Affecting Our Safety

There’s been a lot of buzz lately about the excessively high prices of the brand name Epipen autoinjector. In 2007, a single brand-name autoinjector was $50, and now it’s $300. And that’s just the wholesale price to the pharmacy. I’ve seen reports of pharmacies almost doubling that price and billing patients $1200 or more for a twin-pack.

You don’t need me to tell you that this price hike is unnecessary and unethical.

The medicine inside of the injector is about $1 per dose, but it’s not really the epi you’re paying for- it’s the delivery device. That however can’t possibly cost even close to $300 per pen, which is the minimum wholesale cost to pharmacies. (The pens only come in a twin-pack and should always be carried in pairs.) Obviously if at one time the price was only $50, the pens must cost some amount less than $50 to manufacture. I can understand that manufacturing costs rise over time, but I sincerely doubt that they rose by 600 percent. This is price gouging. It is unethical profit maximization at the expense of people–CHILDREN–who NEED the medication to stay ALIVE.

The “Low Cost” Alternatives Are NOT Safe Alternatives

Yes, it is THIS SPECIFIC medication and delivery device that we–and our allergic children and loved ones–need. This point is important enough to warrant its own post: In an emergency, an manual draw epinephrine injection kit is NOT an appropriate replacement for an autoinjector, and the syringe based auto injectors are NOT an appropriate sub for a cartridge based autoinjector!

  1. For people who are not medical professionals, draw time on a manual injection is too slow. Seconds count, and an average parent trying to inject their child takes two and a half minutes to draw up.
  2. Even if you are practiced at drawing and injecting, if you have having even a moderate reaction you may be too compromised to inject yourself with a manual draw. Anyone who has ever fumbled around looking for their asthma inhaler, benadryl, or even car keys to get to those things, knows this from experience. Trying to draw up, remove air bubbles, and then *remove your pants* to inject yourself during anaphylaxis is almost always out of the question.
  3. The syringe based auto injectors such as the adrenaclick may not deliver a sufficient dosage of epi.
  4.  Syringe based solutions, either manual or auto injection, cannot be used through clothing. Clothing must be removed or cut away, costing seconds that could be the difference between life and death.

The $0 Copay Card is Not a Solution

In response to the uproar over the increased Epipen pricing, Mylan announced they would “halve” the cost Firstly, the $0 copay card never was $0 copay. It was up to $100 off a twinpack, which would only be $0 if your copy was $100 or less. Secondly, it could not be used by anyone who didn’t have insurance, or who had Medicare/Medicaid. Thirdly, it was not legal in every state. In response to the outrage, Mylan raised the value of their coupon to $300, and that STILL isn’t good enough: Assuming you were even eligible to use the card, *someone* would be paying up to $300 for your epipen. If not you, then your insurance company.

Here is an article on WebMD about why the coupon isn’t truly saving us money.

The Generic Option is STILL Too Expensive

Back in February of this year, the only product comparable in ease of use to the Epipen, the Auvi-Q, was recalled due to potential dosage delivery issues. In April, it was announced that a new company would begin working on the delivery issues and try to put the Auvi Q back on the market. A few months later, Mylan hiked the price of their brand name product up by double.

Only three weeks after *that* Mylan announced release of their generic,  with a wholesale cost of $300, which is the same as the Epipen brand name before the price increase.  News rticles made it sound like the generic release was in response to the public outcry, but if it were reactionary and not planned, there is NO WAY they would have it ready to go only 3 weeks after the price hikes. They obviously anticipated the outcry and planned ahead how to respond.

To Put it Bluntly: This is F***ing Garbage

This was obviously planned, and obviously an attempt to maintain their profit margins in the face of possible competition. As I already said, it is price-gouging, and the victims are disabled people, and disabled CHILDREN.

I’ll spare you the detailed conspiracy theories. I’m not a journalist, just an allergy and chronic illness patient who’s trying to share some information with her fellow patients. I’ll link to a few articles with lots of information. Draw your own conclusions.

NPR: EpiPen’s Dominance Driven By Competitors’ Stumbles And Tragic Deaths

Chicago Tribune: How Mylan, the EpiPen company, maneuvered to create a virtual monopoly

Bloomberg: How EpiPen’s Price
Rose and Rose

Forbes: Why Did Mylan Hike EpiPen Prices 400%? Because They Could

 

Back To the Point: Do Not Risk Your Life on Low Cost Alternatives

Please, if have any other options, do not try to save money on an alternative to the Epipen that will put you or your loved ones’ life in danger. If you don’t have any other options and truly cannot afford an autoinjector that you *know* will deliver the correct dosage of the meds and that you can use reliably and correctly in an emergency, please ask for help affording one. If no one can help you, please, please, please tell me, tell the news station, tell everyone you can about it. I know that this doesn’t help you right now, but the more people hear about situations where people are literally risking their lives because they can’t afford life-saving medication, hopefully the more pressure Mylan will feel to correct their problems, and the more demand other companies will see for a functional and safe alternative.

Currently Available Low-Cost Epipen Alternatives Are NOT Safe!

 

In an emergency, an manual draw epinephrine injection kit is NOT an appropriate replacement for an autoinjector.

Additionally, the syringe based auto injectors such as Adrenaclick are NOT an ideal sub for a cartridge based autoinjector!

A cartridge-based autoinjector is the SAFEST and most SURE way to save lives in an anaphylactic emergency, and carrying anything else could cost even more lives. As it is, fewer than half of patients in a 2015 study were able to correctly administer epiniphrine using the brand-name autoinjector.

  1. For people who are not medical professionals, draw time on a manual injection is too slow. Seconds count, and an average parent trying to inject their child takes two and a half minutes to draw up.
  2. If you have having even a moderate reaction you will be too compromised to inject yourself with a manual draw. Anyone who has ever fumbled around looking for their asthma inhaler, benadryl, or even car keys to get to those things, knows this from experience. Trying to draw up, remove air bubbles, and then *remove your pants* to inject yourself during anaphylaxis is out of the question.
  3. The syringe based auto injectors such as the adrenaclick may not deliver a sufficient dosage of epi.  The adrenaclick delivers only 25.7% of intended dose while the Epipen cartridge-based injector delivers 74.3%.
  4. Syringe based solutions, either manual or auto injection, cannot reliably be used through clothing. Thick clothing such as denim will bend the needle and must be removed or cut away, costing seconds that could be the difference between life and death.

Related posts:
MastAttack: No, using the manual syringe/vial method is NOT the same as using an epinephrine autoinjector

SciBabe: WHY YOU SHOULDN’T USE THIS METHOD TO SAVE MONEY ON THE EPIPEN

Sick of Being Sick: Letter from a Reader

Following is a letter from Travis that I feel is an all too common story. I’ve pasted his entire letter below with his permission, but the summary is that he has finally figured out that food is at least part of what is making him feel so sick, however he’s feeling overwhelmed and frustrated in trying to figure out WHICH foods, and how to eliminate them without starving.  My lengthy response is also below. Spoiler: I can’t really tell him what to do, but I can offer some direction on how to figure it out.

Hi Corn Allergy Girl,

I feel weird calling you that but I don’t actually know your name. Since I was about 10 years old I’ve always felt sick experiencing symptoms that have affected nearly every functioning piece of my body. It started out with just the and swelling of the joints in which I would take an over-the-counter NSAID of some sort and later, see my doctor in which he would denounce as growing pains. Sometimes the pains were so intense I’d start bawling because my shoulder or knee were throbbing and there wasn’t a pain reliever on or off the market that would touch the pain. At thirteen the symptoms spread to my stomach. A lot of things I consumed would hurt my stomach sometimes leaving me in the fetal position in so much pain. Later on, I’m diagnosed with an infection known as h. pylori found by a colonoscopy. The doctor treats me for it and my stomach doesn’t hurt as bad for a while. When we go back for a reevaluation I tell her my symptoms are still present but she says the ailment probably left me with Irritable bowel syndrome so I accept that.

Continue reading “Sick of Being Sick: Letter from a Reader” →

Warning: Possible problems with new Ziploc bags

Ziploc brand bags have been a go-to for corn allergy people for some time now. Plastics can be an issue for corn allergies, but the particular plastic in ziploc bags was from petroleum and was not dusted or oiled with anything. I personally have been using Ziploc bags for freezer storage, cosmetic and utensil storage, packing while traveling, and even to package my custom processed meat. Well, as it turns out, nothing good can last forever, because there may be an issue with the new version of the Ziploc bags that hit the shelves a few weeks ago.

The new bags have an “easy open tab” and look like this.

ziploc

In addition to the new closure, the bag itself is a different texture, simultaneously thinner and shinier, and a couple of the very, very sensitive folks have reported reactions to it. One of the people reporting reactions was also the first to notice an issue with the new Ball BPA-free canning lids, so I am minded to heed this warning and exercise caution. Around the same time as people started reporting reactions, i started having some signs of mystery inflammation that started around the same time as I started using the new bags here and there. I also added back the honey that I had run out of for a few weeks that had been safe for me previously around that time, so I have cut them both and will update this post if re-introduction reveals a clear culprit.

For now, I would not panic, just exercise caution with these new bags. If you are in a delicate health state or have delayed or hard to pin reactions, I would not try them until you have your diet otherwise stable so that you don’t get confused about what the cause of any potential issues is.

I have not done any work to contact Ziploc and find out what they say changed or not, I am only reporting reactions at this time. if someone does correspond with Ziploc and wants to post those results here, that would be welcome.

Update Feb 2017: A couple months ago I re-introduced the Big Tab ziploc bags and had esophageal swelling from all food that had been in one. Not safe for me. I can’t be sure if this is a corn issue or not, but they are definitely not okay for me. I have a stockpile of the old-style bags and am moving to glass pyrex or anchor hocking storage containers, mason jars, metal U-Conserve storage containers, and other reusable options  when possible, and Reynolds brand aluminum foil when I absolutely need something disposable.

 

Update June 2017:  I have been using the Ziploc stand & fill slider bags, both the freezer & storage, since last Feb and have been doing great with them. These may be an option for you if the easy-tabs don’t work.

Corn Free Canning

Spring is here, and for those who need to avoid grocery store produce due to sprays and cross contamination, that means food preserving.  I have done a little bit of canning, but I’m no expert: I’m here to talk about avoiding corn in canning supplies. If you have questions about how to actually do the canning safely or how to make your canned goods taste *good*,  that is a question for someone else.

Avoiding Corn in Canning

Lids & Jars

The standard glass canning jars available in the grocery store are perfectly safe for a corn allergy. Rather, it’s lids are the single biggest concern for corn allergy in canning. The new Ball BPA-free lids are NOT corn free. I don’t think anyone has been able to get a detailed answer from Ball about what exactly is in the resin, but something in it is causing many corn allergics to react, and NOT just the most sensitive folks. Some are even breaking out in a rash from touching the lids. I had thought for a time I was okay with them because I was able to store non-canned food in them. Turns out that the resin in the seal was simply staying on the lid and not touching the food. Once I water-bath canned dozens of quarts of (expensive, mail-order) mandarin oranges, I discovered that when the boiling water melts the resin and creates a seal, it also infuses all of the water with corn. My non-allergic friends and family have been enjoying my delicious, now-corny mandarins all winter.

One possible option other than the Ball canning lids is Tattler reusable canning lids.

I’ve been using the Tattlers and so far, so good, but I’ve done basically two batches of applesauce so far and not much else. Updated August 2015: Yeaaahh I think I had a mild reaction to applesauce canned with the old school tattler lids. On top of that, right after I bought a bunch of them they changed their lids to be “new and improved” and have a better seal. No definitive reports on safety.

Another alternative is to use the Weck canning system. These are reported safe by several corn allergics. I haven’t tried them quite simply because they are expensive. The seals on the Weck jars are natural latex rubber, so NOT safe for a latex allergy.

I suggest you give tattler or Weck (if you aren’t allergic to corn) a careful try with one or two cans and see how it goes. If you do not tolerate either, unfortunately you’re stuck with freezing and dehydrating.

There are a couple other kinds of canning lids, but I don’t know anything about them. If you have some options and links and contact info to the companies, please comment below.

Ingredients

As always, any ingredients you use in canning need to be safe for you. Application of heat can denature some allergens for some people, but so far I haven’t heard of anyone with a corn allergy being able to eat corn just because it had been cooked enough.  Here are the biggest concerns with canning:

Salt

Salt can most definitely be corny, so use something that you know is safe for you. Any safe salt should work fine instead of “canning salt.” The main reason to use canning or pickling salt is that it will not have minerals which may alter the appearance (but not taste or safety) of your canned items.

Sugar

Sugar can be cross contaminated with corn. Make sure to use something you know is safe for you.

Lemon Juice or Vinegar

Botulism requires an anaerobic (no air) environment and low acidity to grow. Adding an acid is a common way of making a low-acid food item such as a vegetable or some varieties of tomatoes safe for water-bath canning. Both pre-squeezed lemon juice and vinegar are commonly corntaminated. In the case of vinegar, it’s actually typically  made *from* corn. There are vinegars that are not made from corn, though many of them are contaminated in some way. If you have a safe premade vinegar, great. Do NOT use your own homemade vinegar though, unless you have a way to be 100% sure that it is ph 4.5 or below. Similarly, the FDA’s official recommendation on lemon juice is to only use the bottled stuff because it has a standardized acidity. Of course this standardized acidity can be achieved by adding corn-derived acids, so that is no good for us. If you have a bottled lemon juice that works for you, great.

If you don’t have safe vinegar or lemon juice, probably skip these recipes and convert them to pressure canned recipes instead, which do not require a high acidity since the high heat of the pressure canner will kill all botulinum spores.

General Canning Resources

If you are new to canning, I recommend that you read up on canning safety. Even if you have some basic familiarity, you may want to review. Safety recommendations have changed in the last decade or two, so what you learned from your grandmother may not be safe.  Botulism is a real concern with canned goods, even today, so it is important to follow temperature, acidity, and cook time guidelines in well-tested recipes. The below resources can teach you about canning in general, but be aware that the recommended ingredients may not be safe for you.

National Center for  Home Food Preservation (UGA)

Ball/Jarden Official Website

Pick Your Own

Punk Domestics

Corn-tamination Series: Where’s the Corn in Cheese?

Cheese is actually a difficult prospect for many folks with corn allergies. In fact, I’ve had some of my most surprising severe reactions from cheese. It seems like such a simple product, and I’ve had a few cheeses that nearly sent me to the hospital from just one bite!

I don’t know if I have the whole story here, but here are potential corn allergy issues I’ve identified with cheeses:

  • Production: -corn starch dusting mold and I think also sanitizers which are almost always corn based used on equipment.
  • Packaging: Plastic wraps dusted in corn starch, wax papers waxed with corn-based wax or dusted with corn starch. For rounds that are coated in wax, the wax itself could be corn based or could contain a dye that is corn based.
  • Re-packaging. When cheese shops and grocery store cheese counters cut the wheels and repackage slices, their equipment may be cross contaminated with corn products, the cleaner on it is cleaned with a corn based sanitizer, and the plastic wrap itself is often dusted in corn starch.
  • Starter cultures, rennet, and enzymes. The Wikipedia entry on Rennet has a good overview of what rennet is and how it is produced.  There are 5 types of coagulants in cheese making:
    • Animal Rennet: Enzymes that coagulate cheese are harvested from the stomachs of calves. While this is a problem for vegetarians, it is one of the safer cultures in cheesemaking for a corn allergy. However that doesn’t mean it’s always safe. Animal rennet can contain all kinds of preservatives that are commonly derived from corn. This ingredients list for a liquid animal rennet contains: propylene glycol, caramel color, flavor, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, all of which are likely from corn. So the safety of the cheese will just depend on the source of the rennet.
    • Vegetable Rennet: Many plants produce coagulating chemicals. This can be a variety of sources from caper leaves and thistles to phytic acid from soybeans, and yes, probably corn. I can’t find any evidence that coagulating chemicals are ever extracted from corn, just guessing. However even if they aren’t, the same preservatives listed above are often included in the vegetable rennet packaged for resale. Here’s one ingredients list that includes acetic acid and sodium acetate.
    • Microbial Rennet: Molds that produce coagulating enzymes are cultured to produce the coagulants. Can be cultured on a corn sugar medium and of course can be preserved with corn-based chemicals similar to animal rennet.
    • Fermentation-produced Chymosin. This is a genetically engineered product. Rennet producing genes are extracted from animal stomachs and inserted into various bacteria, fungi, and yeasts to make them produce chymosin when they wouldn’t normally. Then the chymosis is produced similar to microbial rennet, via fermentation, probably on a corn sugar medium.
  • Dyes. Many cheeses are colored with anatto, which can be from corn, or another dye that is corn-based.

So How Do I Find Safe Cheese?

For me personally, I find that artisan cheeses imported from cheese-loving european cultures such as France are better bets. I really don’t know the details of why that’s true, but I am guessing all of the possibilites for “incidental corn” listed above are just lower in those cultures due to small-batch and traditional practices. I have found a couple american-made cheeses that are okay, but the percentage is very small and often they worked for only a time before something changed and I started reacting. The problem is that corn-based chemicals are so widely available here for so many things that eventually the suppliers upstream of the cheese producers will change and previously safe food will become corny.
Something else I am finding is that I have to buy whole rounds.. when big grocery store counters cut the wheels and repackage, their equipment is not just cross contaminated, but also the cleaner on it is cleaned with a corn based sanitizer, and the plastic wrap itself is often dusted in corn starch. I could work with a small shop to cut me a fresh piece from a wheel using equipment cleaned with safe cleaners, but I just haven’t taken the time, instead buying products that come from the manufacturer individually packaged. Provided that the original packaging is safe of course.

Dr. Bronner’s is Intermittently Corny

Update December 2017: Dr Bronners switched back to citric acid from tapioca, but says they will switch periodically depending on the availability of different sources of citric acid. It is always the same across all castile soaps when they switch.

They cannot tell me when they last changed the source or lot #’s that might be safe. June of 2016 was when they confirmed the citric acid was from corn, so they changed at least once in 1.5 years. https://www.facebook.com/DrBronner/posts/10155400347672779

Update June 2016: Dr Bronners has confirmed they are using citric acid from corn still/again: https://www.facebook.com/DrBronner/posts/10153747314102779

Original Post (June 2014)

Dr. B’s unscented baby mild has been a staple for me for a long time. Body wash, hand wash, cleaning product. About 6 months ago people started reporting reactions, and I noticed that I was getting more and more eczema on my hands that went away when I didn’t wash it with the Dr B’s.

Yeah, someone just went to their web site and saw that they now state that their citric acid is from non-GMO corn. Previously the citric acid was from tapioca, and in fact they currently state on another page of their site that the citric acid is from tapioca, and in September of 2013 they responded in an email to one of our Facebook members that the citric acid was from beets, so this is clearly a somewhat recent change.

A contact from Dr Bronner’s customer service department tells me that they have been using the corn source for over a year, which can’t quite be the case since they last told us beets in September. But I do think it’s likely that they changed shortly after that and a lot of the older stuff didn’t rotate out of stock until 6 months ago or so. One of our Facebook group members has asked for a date/lot #’s so that we can perhaps identify older bottles that are still safe.

I have updated my product list to remove this product but I don’t have a perfect replacement yet. For now I am using Olivella Fragrance Free Bar Soap and making it into a liquid when I need it to be liquid. But it doesn’t work for dishes that well, so I’m not really sure what I’m going to do long term. I’m looking into using soap nuts for cleaning and personal care, but I read that when you make liquid out of soap nuts they go rancid within a couple weeks, so just not sure.

 

Barbecue Season: Grilling Out Corn Free

It’s grilling season. Even if you don’t have safe meat or don’t eat meat, all *kinds* of other foods are delicious when cooked over charcoal.

Wait, I have to worry about corn when I grill out?  Even if I’m not cooking any food with corn in it?

But of course.

  • Propane: The gas itself is corn-free, but the distinctive rotten egg odor added to it is from ethyl mercaptan which is typically sourced from corn. I personally don’t have a lot of concerns about reacting to the fumes in a well ventilated area, or about food cooked over it in a pan, but wouldn’t want to be in an enclosed room with it, and wouldn’t want to eat food that was on a grill directly over it with a closed grill top.
  • Charcoal Briquettes: Briquettes are bound into shape using a starch, often corn but sometimes wheat, potato, or rice as well. Less sensitive people may be fine with being near or even cooking over corny charcoal as long as the food doesn’t touch it directly, but I personally can’t even be around it let alone eat food that was cooked over it.
  • Charcoal lighter fluid: Often contains ethanol from corn. And also smells terrible even if you aren’t allergic.
  • Grill and utensils: If cast-iron, can be pre-seasoned with a problematic oil. Corn oil is rarely used in pre-seasoned cast iron, however soy oil is very common, and even for those who are not soy allergic, many pressed vegetable oils contain citric acid as degummers and other contaminants that will be problematic for a corn allergy.
  • Grill and utensils: Can be cross contaminated. This is a big concern only for the truly sensitive. I discovered through experimentation that if I carefully clean a grill that has previously had corny charcoal burned in it, I can handle meat cooked over lump charcoal with the lid open. If, however, I close the lid and let the smoke infuse through the meat, I react to the meat. Somehow residue from the old allergens cooked in the grill remain even after I scrub and cook into the meat. Same with my oven. If I use a brand new grill with the same charcoal and close the lid, I’m fine. Porous foods get corned even with the lid open. Again, you probably have to be crazy sensitive to worry about this, but I know first hand that it is possible.

 What do I use instead?

Since some briquettes are bound using non-corn starches, you *could* research a brand that uses one of the alternative starches. However, they could change their source or formula at any time. I prefer to avoid binders entirely and use  lump charcoal that is only made from wood, no fillers. Check my product list to see which brands I am using safely. Note that some brands of lump charcoal are extremely poor quality and people have found things like carpenter’s nails in them because they are made from scrap wood. Check online reviews before you purchase a brand and make sure that it’s a high quality product.

Lump charcoal is far more temperamental to light and keep lit than briquettes. That’s why people use briquettes. To get it lit without lighter fluid, I use an electric charcoal starter. You pile the coals over it and plug the starter in, and the coals light in a relatively short time. Because the charcoal isn’t infused with the natural tinder of corn starch, a quality grill that retains heat well and allows for good airflow is important. I got a cheapo grill that had great reviews on Amazon and have found that my lump charcoal doesn’t seem to want to stay lit in it, so will probably need to upgrade. Our  more expensive but corny grill has no such problems with the same charcoal, so I do know that it is the grill causing the issue not the fuel.

Are All Lump Charcoals Safe?

Probably not. The issues I would be concerned about are:

  1. Quality control
  2. Packaging

Typically lump charcoal “should” be just fired wood, but depending on the source of the wood lots of other stuff could end up in there. Check out this FAQ about lump charcoal. 

“Since making lump charcoal is often done under somewhat crude conditions, it is normal to find a few rocks or pebbles in lump charcoal. However, a few other oddball items have been found like a mouse, human hair, a tootsie roll wrapper, varnished wood, and black shiny objects commonly referred to as moon rocks. Personally, in over two years and hundreds of pounds of lump charcoal, I’ve found 3 rocks and a tootsie roll wrapper. It shouldn’t be a great concern.”

Even if one isn’t concerned about allergens, that’s just kind of gross.

Then after that, it could be possible that the facilities are shared with something allergenic or whether the bags might be dusted with corn starch or made out of plant fiber or lined with corn plastic (PLA).

One could call and ask about all of these things, but I just guinea pigged the Royal Oak and it’s been okay, so I stick with it.

Cross Contamination

Barbecues are often chaotic. People are usually milling about,  moving dishes around and touching things constantly. If you are preparing both safe, and non-safe food, keep a close eye on what food is touching what utensils and surfaces and don’t let your corn free food come into contact with those things. Probably set yourself up a completely separate prep  and staging surface for your food, and consider using a separate grill top if not an entirely separate grill for the corn-free food.

I actually have to use a brand new corn-free grill, as I am so sensitive to cross contamination and traces that  corny foods cooked in an enclosed space like an oven or closed-top grill will stick to the walls in such a way that they contaminate other foods cooked in it. When I cleaned our grill top and tried to cook food on our old grill that had had the cornstarch-charcoal cooked in it, I was able to eat something that had been cooked for just a few minutes with the lid open, but reacted to a mushroom cooked for a long time with the lid closed.

Wash your hands frequently and keep an eye on your guests and family members, especially if they are drinking alcohol. One friend of mine that doesn’t really know much about my allergies constantly tries to “help” and ends up touching things he really shouldn’t with cross contaminated hands.  Another friend was standing near my “safe” grill and absentmindedly put some corny trash into my burning coals.  It was just the end of a hand-rolled cigarette (corn in the adhesive) and not enough to affect my food, but it could have been something much bigger.  Another dear friend is usually VERY careful about cross contamination, and after a couple of beers walked up to my safe grill and stared at the rack of short ribs roasting on it, then reached out and POKED IT WITH HIS FINGER. I think lasers probably shot out of my eyes, because as soon as he did it, he took three steps back and went, “Oh DUDE, I am SO SORRY.”  The rib was fine BTW, as he’d just washed his hands before doing that and had only touched his relatively clean beer bottle with his other hand.

Corntamination Series: Corn Free Tattoos

I’ll just go ahead and spoil this post by saying that I haven’t actually negotiated a corn free tattoo.  I’m sure it’s possible to do, I just haven’t done it. This question just comes up a lot so I wanted to cover what we *do* know about corn allergy concerns with tattooing.

The Ink

Tattoo ink consists of a pigment that imparts the color, and a carrier or base for the pigment to make it flow freely so that it can be injected into your dermis with the tattoo gun. The carrier for the ink is typically ethanol or glycerin. Ethanol can be from a number of things but is usually corn. Glycerin is usually from corn, soy, or palm. The pigments could be corny but usually are mineral based. It will be harder to find out about what is in the pigments than what the carrier is. You will need to get ahold of your artists ink supplier and get THEM to talk with you about the carrier, don’t expect your artist to know what’s in them.

I have heard that some tattoo inks use witch hazel for the carrier, however not only is witch hazel often actually witch hazel extract in a corn ethanol base, but I have heard that witch hazel tattoos age poorly. I have also heard that some artists mix their own inks from a dry pigment base, but I would be concerned with getting the correct concentration each time. But I’m not an expert: that level of detail is where you need work directly with your artist. You’ll need to find someone that has a proven track record of good art that ages well, and who is willing to work with you to keep you safe.

Everything Else

In addition to the ink itself you may need to be concerned about:

  • antiseptic used on skin before the work
  • plastic tubing (that ink runs through)
  • ointment applied after the tattoo
  • plastic ink cups
  • plastic soap bottle and soap inside it
  • plastic wrap or other sheeting that may be used to cover surfaces
  • paper towels (he uses to wipe away excess ink as he works)
  • gloves
  • sanitizer used to wash any surfaces
  • the artist’s hand soap
  • the artist’s personal care products such as deodorant or aftershave
  • Any bandage or wrap used to cover the tattoo after work is finished.
  • Adhesive used to attach the bandage, wrap, or cover.

A tattoo shop may be limited in what they can and can’t use depending on state and local regulations, so it’s important to  choose an artist that will communicate clearly with you and takes your concerns seriously. Never get a tattoo from someone you don’t trust and who doesn’t treat you kindly. That’s just generally good advice  even if you don’t have any allergies.

I haven’t yet found a corn free tattoo ink.  I have many tattoos but I got them all before becoming very sensitive to corn and have been afraid to get more work since then. I really haven’t been trying hard though: finding safe food has been a higher priority so I haven’t contacted any ink manufacturers yet. If you find a corn free ink please let me know, and if you happen to find one that is free of soy and palm as well that would be just dandy.

Corn Free Travel (Reprise)

[Updated 1/2018.]

It’s getting to be my travel season again, and while I haven’t solved most of my problems, I’m at least getting better at working around them.

My first travel post was in 2013 and was my first major trip since developing an intense sensitivity to corn, multiple food allergies, and becoming airborne sensitive:

Corn Free Travel: To Baltimore and Back Again

Since then I have traveled to:

  • Austin, Texas for the Housecore Horror Film Festival (yes, as in movies! But they didn’t serve popcorn so I could actually go!)
  • Oakland and San Francisco, CA (twice!)
  • Baltimore 3 more times for Maryland Deathfest
  •  NYC twice, for Martyrdoom, and also to hug friends.
  • Bend, Oregon for a specialist doctor.  (This got me my EDS diagnosis)
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota, for another specialist doctor.  (This got my my MCAS diagnosis.)

After a few trips like this, I am somewhat of an old hand at traveling. It doesn’t really get less awkward, but I just am more resigned to it. I refuse to quit living my life and doing things I enjoy just because my body is a jerk, so I am going to keep going through this effort and expense.

The topics covered in my previous post are still germane, and I still have a water problem that is not corn. I haven’t solved this water problem. I am still shipping my water ahead. Here’s a rundown of my travel “routine”:

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