September 25, 2003 - 7:48 p.m.
Last week I was out grocery shopping and decided to pick up some diet soda to assist my weight loss schemes (2 more pounds down) and bought a 12 pack of Fresca, which I have found to be less distasteful than other diet drinks and, unlike diet vanilla coke, does not give me a killer stomach ache. I also bought a few other additional things, including a new bottle of shampoo - a brand I had not used before.
So when my back broke out in itchy hives a few days later, I immediately assumed it was the shampoo. I was irritated that I would have to chuck a full bottle in the garbage but comfort won out over cost and I switched back to the stuff I had used before and thought no more of it until Friday when I was talking to my husband and sister and drinking a Fresca - and my back once again erupted in hives. Looking back over the week, we realized that every time I had an allergic reaction I had recently been drinking a Fresca. And, after nearly a week of abstaining from Fresca and using the new brand of shampoo, I have had no problems and more or less confirmed Friday's hypothesis
So no more diet sodas for me. I think I'll just avoid aspartame entirely.
Friends of ours who know Mike should enjoy this:
Earlier in the week I took the boys for a little playtime at Fair Oaks Mall. Zachary loves to ride the elevators and they both have a great time running around the "Food Court" (an enclosed area with soft things shaped like bacon, eggs, waffles, and other foods that they can climb and bounce upon). I struck up a conversation with another mother there with her two children, both a little younger than mine. She pointed to Marcus, happily trying to climb over a sausage link, and asked if he was one of mine. I said yes. She remarked about how cute he was and then asked Has anyone ever told you he looks like Conan O'Brien?
