The first time (that I know of, for it was my second time hospitalized) it was like a brittle: shaved baked coconut mixed with almond slivers, sunflower, pumpkin, and also possibly sesame seeds, all loosely held together with melted sugar. Totally yummy! I had no idea such a Christmas treat could be the death of me... this was one month after going back to work. I was hospitalized for six days, and could not drink water or eat anything, yadda yadda yadda, for most of that time. The second time coconut was a problem (that I know of), it was simply macaroons... cookies, like a shortbread but made with coconut as the main ingredient, not flakes or shredded or anything like that, totally granular like a shortbread cookie... for hours I was at home later in the day (after work, where I had eaten three small macaroons, two with morning coffee and one after brunch) wondering what was wrong, and then after talking with my closest sister (a retired emergency room nurse of over 30 years), she said with my medical history I should go to the hospital. I still was not convinced (LOL) but after getting off the phone and going to bed, I realized my stomach cramps were every three minutes. That was when I knew for sure I might have to go to the hospital. I had told my sister if "it" did not stop by ten o'clock, I would go. I was just about to get out of bed to get ready to go to the hospital when it all stopped. Whew! That was a close call and I am glad it resolved itself that time. I hope that was not tmi or confusing .
The reason I asked is unusual because most Medical Doctors Don't. Perhaps someone did in your case though. I'm not saying you made a wrong call or your sister was wrong. I don't even know if Canadian ERs are anything like the ones in my city. They have good and bad in all kinds of places. I'm just glad that you are doing fine now and know to beware of those. Thanks for describing the situation because I try to learn so that I might help someone.
My ex girlfriend was an ER nurse at the top hospital in West Virginia. She described how she bypassed the trachea and fed the gastric tube down the throats of drug / alcohol overdose patients using Hg/ Mercury! That's the best of the best they offer in my neck of the woods.
When you mentioned the coconut allergy, the first thing that came to mind is whether or not coconut allergies/ food sensitivities are common?
Without checking references, off the top of my head, fresh coconut allergies are rare.
I'm not saying that it's impossible, but rather improbable.
The main thing is that you have to look for the presence of mold that can form in the shell with long term storage and spoilage. Those would be a more common pathogen, but not commonly cause the severe symptoms you mentioned. However, you would have no idea since you didn't make the cookies: Not a likely culprit.
If we simplify the possibilities down to elimination of unknown ingredients, having not talked to you previously or having a complete ingredient list,
Then I ask myself, what is commonly used in this food industry as a possible contaminant or additive?
The answer that comes to mind is the FDA approved chemical that replaced the highly toxic ethylene glycol. It's called propylene glycol/ polyethylene glycol aka PEG/PG.
What occurs to me is that this common chemical used to prevent caking, spoilage, etc is the more common suspect. Many people complain of chemical sensitivity.
(BTW, so is aspartame which is not required to be on the ingredient label if in small enough quality. It is also suspect and can cause similar symptoms. It's a cytotoxic/ neurotoxic chemical added as a flavor enhancer in many processed foods.)
Cats often die horribly painful deaths from drinking it from puddles of ethylene glycol after radiator antifreeze changes. They experience symptoms like stomach pain, lethargy, convulsions, followed by heart, lung ,kidney failure and death. There's a major overload of painful oxalate crystals in the organs that shows up in pathology. That's the Ethylene form.
There are even warnings on the jugs of antifreeze. However, the medical establishment and FDA have no such warnings for people using it's alternate chemical polyethylene glycol (PEG) for short. In fact they are classified Generally Recognized As Safe. Therefore the food processing plants use it as an ingredient when shredding and bagging for use.
For some strange reason It's usually much sweeter than the naturally occurring high sugar content in fresh organic coconuts. This is peculiar to me. The most toxic ethylene glycol is the sweetest antifreeze that attracts dogs and cats.
Since you have had this occured once, it is possible to have this reoccur, especially around holidays as meals and treats of unknown ingredients are shared. I am not saying that it's ok to eat fresh coconut from the shell. I would caution that. Just be aware that I believe that additives like PEG/ PG and aspartame considered as the potential cause of the digestive disturbance. These are considered GRAS in America, but the chemical/ food/ medical industries control the FDA.
One more thing that a nutritionist should do is detective work. I ask when comparing brands of PG laced shredded coconut, why does it taste sweeter than coconut sugar? My mouth is not an industry food laboratory, but it is a sensitive creation by God. It can sense that something taste's artificial and sweeter than anything else I am familiar with in nature. Are they using the sweeter ethylene glycol instead of what is on the label or perhaps aspartame? I don't know. What is important is that prepackaged shredded coconut containing PEG/PG caused symptoms of toxicity in my limited experiences with others more than the chemical industry/ dot guvs are telling us.
I've had reports of upset stomach, pain, head aches, weakness/ lethargy.
These chemicals are widely used in medications. Is that mean they are safe? I will leave that to you.
I have seen a hospitalized patient exhibit cytotoxic symptoms following the use of this chemical under the brand name MiraLax. That is one experience that will never reach any research publication, however
, I can verify it.
From AI search:
Oral polyethylene glycol (PEG) toxicity can occur when high doses or prolonged use of PEG-containing products lead to adverse effects. The following symptoms have been reported:
- Central Nervous System (CNS) toxicity: Headache, dizziness, confusion, seizures, and coma
- Hyperosmolarity: Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and increased blood osmolality
- Hemolysis: Red blood cell damage and hemolytic anemia
- Cardiac arrhythmia: Abnormal heart rhythms
- Lactic acidosis: Elevated blood lactate levels, metabolic acidosis
- Gastrointestinal symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain
- Renal toxicity: Acute kidney injury, increased serum creatinine levels
My conclusion:
A. I avoid certain ingredients altogether.
If someone has baked goods, I decided ahead of time to not have to deal with resisting temptation. It's off limits and I gratefully decline. Knowing the likelihood of this chemical being present in the cookies or cake is enough to turn down the tasty German chocolate cake ice cream or whatever. Besides that, wheat is off limits due to a gluten wheat sensitivity. Read No Grain No Pain by Dr Peter Osborne or take his classes for more information if interested. I highly recommend him in spite of his background as an MD.
B. I keep activated charcoal for potential emergencies and urgent needs. It can be mixed with water and used to absorb toxins ingested. Those may be chemicals or food poisoning.
The Lord saved my life with some a while back.