seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
I saw a relatively well known asthma / allergy clinic in my state today. Keep in mind they are more towards the 'altenative' side of medicine, but some traditional as well.
I have been to EXTENSIVE allergists over the last three years. I have confirmed Eosinophilic Esophagitis since late 2010 (Dxed via upper endoscopy).
Prior to today, I have had skin prick testing, blood testing (IgE), intradermal injection testing and even food patch testing. Back in 2007, I had the generally unreliable (according to most docs) IgG blood testing for foods. Every single allergy office claims something different. It's extremely irritating.
I definitely have never tested positive on any IgE tests - no life threatening reactions. My total IgE level in my blood is very, very low. All regular skin prick tests for foods are negative. Food patch testing was negative.
Some say intradermal testing is crap. Most say IgG testing via blood is totally unreliable. Skin prick though not fully reliable is said to be most reliable. I have never ever tested positive in any way for celiac through conventional testing (blood or biopsy).
I have been gluten and dairy-free since Aug 2008...no improvement. One conventional allergist did intradermal skin testing for foods. I came back moderately reactive for chicken, spinach and lettuce. I cut them all out for a long time. Again, zero improvement health wise.
Apparently, the practice I saw today said their intradermal injection allergy testing is much more reliable than other places. They supposedly use different bases (glycerine) and methods than other offices.
Well, I go through the testing today for 25 foods or so. Disappointingly, I'm told now I'm allergic to even more stuff: soy, corn, carrots, garlic, peanuts, onions and tomatoes. That's a HUGE HUGE list of things to avoid. I'm just overwhelmed. They did not test for the items I already have eliminated (gluten, dairy, chicken, etc.) because they said you need to be on them for a while to get reliable results.
As most know, I have felt very ill for a long time. Terrible watering eyes, head pressure, fatigue, stomach issues, off-balance, anxiety, ear fullness, and so much more.
Does anyone buy into someone having this many allergies. I'm in my late 30s. I lived my entire childhood w/o any food issues I was aware of.
I eat a lot of processed food and feel so bad it's hard to prepare my meals daily. I am so overwhelmed thinking about how to cut 8+ foods out. Items like onions, carrots, and tomatoes aren't so challenging. Items like corn and soy are crazy hard.
They said cutting these out for 30 days or so should yield some positive health benefits. Anyone here try this? Anyone feel skin intradermal injection testing for foods has any merit whatsoever. Every doctor seems to be out to make a quick buck so I have nothing but skepticism about the medical field now. I can't help it.
Any thoughts/ideas are appreciated.
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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Kudzuslipper
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 31915
posted
I feel for you seek. I was tested for 100 foods and were moderately to highly allergic to all but 5. Also IGg. I also have bad seasonal allergies. I don't know if It is real or not. And obviusly I can't cut out everything.. But I did try to stick to my least allergenic foods which came down to protein and veggies, for a very long time and I did feel much better. But that could just have been eliminating grains.
But I found knowing, even if i don't always follow helps. I try to avoid the very high ones and rotate the rest...
I think Igg allergies are a huge source of chronic inflammation...it's just a question of what you can do about it.
Sorry... I know it sucks.
Posts: 1728 | From USA | Registered: May 2011
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seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
Wow, ouch that's a huge number of allergens. It's good to hear you felt better off some. I personally believe when your body becomes allergic to everything there is a much bigger root cause, but who knows.
I don't know exactly what the intradermal skin tests reflect (IgM, IgG, etc...). All I know is none of my allergy tests ever coincide and that's what's irritating. It there were even moderately consistent findings, it would be easier to deal with. It makes you question validity in general, but the fact is there's only one way to find out I guess.
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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karenl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 17753
posted
It is well known that multiple food allergies are just parasites - see Dr.K.
Posts: 1834 | From US | Registered: Oct 2008
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Judie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 38323
posted
"I personally believe when your body becomes allergic to everything there is a much bigger root cause"
Yep, that's what happened to me. Once the gut infections were taken care of, the problems disappeared for me.
Here's a good website about food allergies:
How to Survive with Multiple Food Allergies and Eventually Thrive Again
I was told a rotation/elimination diet really is the best way to determine if something agrees/disagrees with your body.
I was also told that for patch testing, false negatives are common but false positives are EXTREMELY rare.
A person is frequently allergic to what they've been eating most. My friend's husband was having terrible gut problems. She was feeding him lots of Tahini. They found out later from the allergist that he's horribly allergic to sesame.
Food IS medicine. People don't realize how much it ties into health. It's important to find what works for you.
I'm not diary free anymore. After 2 years of doing rotation and elimination diets and tallying the results with an ND who specialized in nutrition, my body actually does better with dairy.
It really depends on what your body runs on.
By the way, I have a friend who is allergic to so many things she can only eat chicken, steak and potato chips. She's allergic to just about every plant out there.
Posts: 2839 | From California | Registered: Jul 2012
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Kudzuslipper
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 31915
posted
Great site Judie.
Posts: 1728 | From USA | Registered: May 2011
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GiGi
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 259
posted
It's not uncommon to be allergic to that many foods. Do yourself a favor and stop eating processed foods. They are contributing to your pain.
Several of the foods you mentioned are "nightshades." I can't eat those either. Eat whole foods. Lots of vegetables and some protein ... unadulterated protein. By that I mean, not mixed in with processed junk like corn and soy.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
I also tested positive for a million food allergies/sensitivities. I feel like I'm not even exaggerating much when I say a million. It's really bad. :-(
Anyway, I think it's from gut issues and Candida. Maybe parasites too, who knows.
I agree with TuTu, get rid of the processed foods ASAP! That alone may help you quite a bit. I eat lots of veggies and good protein. Not much else at this point, everything else bothers my stomach.
Good luck.
-------------------- "The simple things can get you through the hardest times." Posts: 628 | From Connecticut | Registered: Sep 2010
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Many foods that can cause a severe - or even stealth - reaction will not show up on the typical allergy tests. Details:
posted
seek, I understand your frustration. I have many many allergies too.
I agree with the above posters, cut out the process food.
I have cooked all my own food for over two years now.
There is a lot of food out there to eat. I eat veggies, meats, and some of the nuts.
Nightshades are a no no for me. I don't eat anything moderate or high carb either.
I can't eat any of the grains, most of the berries, and shell fish.
I also eat lemons, lime, grapefruit, and green apples.
I also know there are hidden allergies I still battle.
I use a lot of coconut milk, almond flour, and eat eggs too.
I am in the process of allergy treatment too. Soon I will start treating the foods.
WE have been working on basics building blocks like the B vitamins, etc.
I hope it works. I have had allergies for more than 30 years.
I have read that parasites are a major factor, we are working on my parasites now.
Like you, I am tired of the challenge. It is not to eat anymore.
Posts: 620 | From Ks | Registered: Oct 2011
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Razzle
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 30398
posted
The only test that is accurate in someone with an Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorder (EGID) is to trial a food, then get a biopsy of the affected area of the GI tract.
There is little correlation between EGID symptoms and allergy test results for most with these disorders...because the reaction is taking place in the affacted area of the gut instead of in the nose or skin or elsewhere in the body.
And some people do not notice the symptoms from eating a food to which they are allergic because either masking or delayed reactivity.
Masking = eating multiple foods to which one is allergic, thus causing constant symptoms that don't change with diet manipulation because not all the foods to which one is allergic are being avoided.
Delayed Reactivity = reaction symptoms occur more than a few hours after eating the food that triggered the symptoms, and these symptoms can even occur several weeks after a single exposure to the triggering food.
I do not believe all cases of food allergies are caused by parasites.
Yes, parasites should be considered, but sometimes there are other explanations. And in the case of EGID's, sometimes the explanation is genetic predisposition to have reactivity in some way in the gut to food or environmental aero-allergens (i.e., inhaled allergens).
Yes, it is possible for inhaled allergens to cause EGID symptoms, especially for those with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EE). Mold exposure, for example, was proven to trigger EE in mice in a clinical study I read a while ago.
-------------------- -Razzle Lyme IgM IGeneX Pos. 18+++, 23-25+, 30++, 31+, 34++, 39 IND, 83-93 IND; IgG IGeneX Neg. 30+, 39 IND; Mayo/CDC Pos. IgM 23+, 39+; IgG Mayo/CDC Neg. band 41+; Bart. (clinical dx; Fry Labs neg. for all coinfections), sx >30 yrs. Posts: 4166 | From WA | Registered: Feb 2011
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WPinVA
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Member # 33581
posted
Hi Seekhelp - My daughter has EoE as well, and from what I understand of the illness, it is fairly common with EoE to have a large number of food allergies.
My daughter's patch testing revealed seven allergens that we had to remove from her diet. I too, was overwhelmed. My advice would be to remove one or at most two per week. Don't try to do it all at once. Don't remove something until you have a plan for what to replace it with.
I went by myself to several grocery stores and spent several hours there reading the ingredients and coming up with a list of things she could have. With multiple allergens, things get tricky, as sometimes the standard substitutes also contain other allergens. But once you get in the swing of things and know which products to buy, it's actually not all that bad. Starting out is the hard part.
You're right that the vegetables won't be that hard comparatively, but corn and soy are big ones. Corn is one of my daughter's allergens too and my advice there is to talk with your allergist about how restrictive they want you to be.
My daughter's allergist allowed corn syrup from the get go, and he kept going back and forth about corn starch (which annoyed us to no end!). Eventually, we forged ahead and tried both and she did fine with both.
Corn syrup and corn starch are so processed that there isn't much of the protein left in there, and the protein is the most allergic part. Check out CHOP's web site for EoE management. It's been a while since I checked it, but I recall that they allow corn syrup and starch from the get go, and they are one of the leading national centers for EoE.
Recently, we have started trialing small amounts of corn oil as an ingredient (like in pretzels) and that seems ok too. She is also ok with things like maltodextrin that are often made from corn, and we have never worried about small amounts of corn meal, like on the bottom of pizza.
Finally, I wouldn't advice eating out just yet. Focus on getting the allergens out of your diet gradually, and on finding foods to eat at home. When you are ready to tackle going out, call ahead and figure out if that restaurant is allergy friendly and if there is something there you can eat.
Over time, we have gradually built up a list of local restaurants and I keep a list of which foods she can have where because it's too hard to remember. So now when we go out, we don't have to spend half of our time there asking about ingredients because we just know.
Are you also working with a GI who will scope you to see if this new diet helps?
Posts: 1737 | From Virginia | Registered: Aug 2011
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Razzle
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 30398
posted
Apfed.org is another site you can go to for more info on EE.
-------------------- -Razzle Lyme IgM IGeneX Pos. 18+++, 23-25+, 30++, 31+, 34++, 39 IND, 83-93 IND; IgG IGeneX Neg. 30+, 39 IND; Mayo/CDC Pos. IgM 23+, 39+; IgG Mayo/CDC Neg. band 41+; Bart. (clinical dx; Fry Labs neg. for all coinfections), sx >30 yrs. Posts: 4166 | From WA | Registered: Feb 2011
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That's a HUGE HUGE list of things to avoid. I'm just overwhelmed. They did not test for the items I already have eliminated (gluten, dairy, chicken, etc.) because they said you need to be on them for a while to get reliable results.
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