Food Allergies

[Carriefaith]

Thank you for all the links I was definately having symptoms from different systems yesterday. A barky cough is a grade 4 ... that's interesting because I didn't know that coughing was a food allergy symptom until yesterday I guess...

Re: processing changing the allergenicity of a given food----it really depends on the food. Seed storage proteins and animal proteins are generally heat stable as far as I know (so processing will not alter the protein enough). In the case of peanuts (which are definitely heat stable), there is some evidence that dry roasting actually enhances its allergenicity. The proteins in fruits and veggies resembling pollen + the pollen in honey (I can't eat raw honey) are the only ones I know of that are *likely* not to be allergenic if cooked. Egg is the only animal-derived protein I know of that can be affected by cooking----the protein is altered, and some people with an egg allergy can have eggs added to baked goods. But some people absolutely can't have egg in any shape or form.

Thanks for the explanation. I think I can definately rule out peanuts now. I won't eat them though just to be on the safe side.

Re: the skin tests. I'm not really sure why you can test positive sometimes and not other times and still be allergic. But I know it can happen----I'm anaphylactic to soy, and my skin prick test results have been inconsistent. Also, the degree to which I react varies widely. The one time I had a huge welt from the egg skin prick test that didn't go away for a number of days----and even when it did go away, the spot was itchy and would flare up. The last time I was tested, I tested positive, but I just got a hive. My ex allergist said something about a negative skin prick test being highly reliable if you aren't highly allergic . . .. false negatives are more likely if the patient does have a lot of allergies. I find this confusing too!

The positive and negative tests are confusing! How often do you get re-tested for allergies?

[Carriefaith]

I forgot to add---not sure why you didn't react to the peanut butter. When is the last time you reacted? Some children do outgrow their peanut allergies. You don't want to unnecessarily restrict your life if you aren't allergic anymore. On the other hand, some people are still allergic but can tolerate a little bit before reacting. If this is the case, doctors generally recommend complete avoidance because you can't predict what will happen the next time. (This happened to me with bananas. I used to be able to eat about 1/3 of a banana. But one day, I reacted with just one bite. My allergist at the time practically yelled at me and it was then that I realized that it wasn't a good idea to be experimenting with allergens.) I'd mention the fact that you had peanut butter with no ill effect to your allergist---if you haven't had a reaction to peanuts since childhood, maybe he or she will want to do an oral challenge. (I'm not necessarily recommending this . . . peanut allergies scare me. I'm just saying that you should make sure your doctor has a complete understanding of your clinical history.)

Surprisingly, September was the first time I tested positive to peanuts and it was a high reaction on my skin (3/4 plus marks on my sheet). I was eating peanuts and peanut butter with no problems and even ate peanut butter the morning of my test. I was advised not to re-introduce peanuts though, based on my results. Like you said, you never know when you will get a severe reaction and I don't want to mess around with a peanut allergy that's for sure...

[Rachel--24]

Carrie,

I noticed in your signature that you tested positive for Metabisulfite.

If you are reacting to sulfites this could account for some of you "unexplained" reactions.

You could get the reaction from any one of these ingredients.

Sodium Sulfite

Sodium Bisulfite

Sodium Metabisulfite

Sulfur Dioxide Gas

Potassium Metabisulfite

Potassium Bisulfite

About 1% to 2% of people will have an allergic reaction to sulfites, which can consist of nasal congestion and sneezing, skin hives, or wheezing and difficulty breathing. People who have asthma and/or allergies to aspirin are particularly sensitive to sulfites and could even have a serious anaphylactic reaction, in which there is severe swelling of the throat, tongue, and airway, which obstructs breathing.

Sufites are found in alot of foods but particulary high in wine and dried fruits. Fresh grapes and strawberries can also be sprayed with sulfites.

I dont know if this has anything to do with any of your reactions but just something you may want to look into.

[Carriefaith]

Carrie,

I noticed in your signature that you tested positive for Metabisulfite.

If you are reacting to sulfites this could account for some of you "unexplained" reactions.

You could get the reaction from any one of these ingredients.

Sodium Sulfite

Sodium Bisulfite

Sodium Metabisulfite

Sulfur Dioxide Gas

Potassium Metabisulfite

Potassium Bisulfite

Sufites are found in alot of foods but particulary high in wine and dried fruits. Fresh grapes and strawberries can also be sprayed with sulfites.

I dont know if this has anything to do with any of your reactions but just something you may want to look into.

Thanks for suggesting that Rachel. I have had a reactions to wine and I thought that it may of been casein, since it is sometimes used, but now that I think about it, I may have been reacting to metabisulfite. One of the wines I had is now on the vegan list of wines. I just don't drink wine anymore

That's interesting that stawberries and grapes can be sprayed with metabisulfite. That means that I may have been exposed to three allergens at breakfast yesterday, strawberries and blueberies for sure and possibly metabisulphite. These allergies of mine sure keep me entertained

[Helena]

Okay, given my technical difficulties with my last posts I'm not even going to attempt to do multiple quotes

So you've never ever had a reaction to peanuts? But your allergist decided that you are allergic based on a recent positive skin prick test? I don't know . . . that sounds suspect to me. How does the doctor know that it isn't a false positive? Depending on how much I wanted to eat peanuts, I'd be tempted get a second opinion.

As for how often I get tested------I was tested as a child and didn't go back to the allergist until I was in highschool. (These days, though, I think they test children more frequently because there is a chance of outgrowing the allergies.)

As an adult, I've been to two allergists--

my previous allergist tested me for environmental allergies but didn't want to test me for all the foods. I think he was concerned because I was avoiding a lot of foods already and he didn't want to run the risk of false positives potentially leading me to avoid more foods than was necessary. Also he said something about not wanting to put a lot of allergens into my system at once. He let me choose some foods that I wasn't sure about and tested me for those.

I went back to him because I thought I was reacting to wheat----so he did the skin prick test and when that was positive he ordered a RAST.

I was referred to a different allergist because I was complaining about chronic (mild) hives----this allergist said he wanted to start from scratch, and after running some immunological tests, he tested me for all the foods in his kit (but initially didn't ask me much about past reactions). He also put me on a "few foods diet." I'm not entirely sure why, but he wanted to repeat the food tests (I think maybe 4 or 5 months after the initial testing . . .can't remember for sure)----but because by that point he had realized that I'm highly allergic, he didn't want to do all the tests at once. I had to go back 4-5 times or so. I suspect that he wondered whether there were a lot of false positives the first time. I'm pretty sure he was of the opinion that I was restricting my diet unnecessarily . . . i.e. he suspected that false positives made me *think* I'm allergic because I've been traumatized by past anaphylactic reactions Perhaps this was an attempt to get me to "liberalize" my diet. I'm really not sure.

He did order a RAST test for corn once (which was positive)--I think he was skeptical that I was truly allergic. For some reason, he reordered a RAST test for wheat. I had been tested a few years previous---I have no idea about whether he thought I could try wheat again if the test was negative In any case, the results were positive again. (At this point, I didn't know I had celiac.)

I don't have the sense that my new allergist is going to do any more skin prick or RAST tests unless I ask him to. He has done the occasional test if I think I'm reacting to something specific--i.e. latex and flaxseed. I'm never going to "grow out" of my anaphylactic allergies. It is much too late for that. Not sure if less severe allergies can shift . . .

If after all the testing, you have trouble figuring out what you're reacting to, I'd highly recommend the following book:

Open Original Shared Link .com/Dealing-Food-Allergi...g/dp/092352164X

She deals with all the various foods and additives to which people commonly react---I learned a lot (and she deals with suphites)! Also, the book is like the Bible for going on an elimination diet. (Which isn't generally recommended unless the test results are unclear.) My allergist sort of supervised mine, and determined which foods I'd eat on the diet, but I wouldn't have done it properly if it weren't for that book. (Just to give one example: my allergist neglected to mention that table salt contains corn-derived dextrose and so should be avoided during the diet.)

[Carriefaith]

So you've never ever had a reaction to peanuts? But your allergist decided that you are allergic based on a recent positive skin prick test? I don't know . . . that sounds suspect to me. How does the doctor know that it isn't a false positive? Depending on how much I wanted to eat peanuts, I'd be tempted get a second opinion.

Yeah I am confused about the whole peanut thing, unless the allergy reaction I get is mild and I don't really notice? I would definately like to get re-tested, especially for peanuts and other nuts.

Wow, you have definately been through a lot. Your allergists seem to use a combination of skin prick tests and blood tests. Do you think that helps pinpoint an allergy? So your allergist didn't want to test you for a bunch of foods at once, was this in case you reacted? Was this for a skin prick test? I didn't know about possible false positives before... What could cause a false positive? Sorry I'm new to all this...

The link didn't work for me... I woud love to see if I can find it the next time I go into the city. I could use a good book on allergies.

[Helena]

Yeah, figuring out the allergy situation has been tough . . . I'm still sorting things out because I still have minor reactions (I think I have figured out some of the culprit foods, but I'm reluctant to give them up).

Both allergists I've seen as an adult have ordered a RAST test when in doubt about a "major allergen" (I suspect they mean an allergen which is a staple and majorly difficult to avoid.) Allergist #1 didn't think that I was allergic to wheat based on my description of my symptoms (and also I suspect that allergists tend to be skeptical about people who avoid lots of foods and suddenly develop new "allergies"). I suspected that wheat *sometimes* but not always causes hives. Also, whole grain breads *sometimes* made my throat very slightly itchy. Mostly, though I was feeling tired and lethargic after a wheaty breakfast + there was one isolated incident of vomiting. (I was puzzled because some of these symptoms aren't at all like my other allergy symptoms---now I realize that they are celiac symptoms.)

He didn't actually *say* he didn't think I was allergic, but he made a bet with me---if it was positive, he was supposed to read a certain number of pages of a book in my discipline I don't think he followed through with his end of the bargain! Since the test was positive, he ordered a RAST----I asked him whether he would be certain that I was allergic if this test was positive. He said he couldn't be 100% sure, but that if both are positive it makes it more likely that I am allergic. But when the RAST was positive, he told me absolutely to avoid wheat. (If the patient reports symptoms and has anaphylaxis and both tests are positive, I *think* that this is what they recommend across the board.)

------

After seeing all the positive skin prick tests, my current allergist decided to scratch my back with a tongue depressor to see if I was dermographic (a condition in which just scratching the skin lightly causes redness and hives). I've had this all my life, so it wasn't like I hadn't noticed! If just scratching the skin causes hives, then the scratch test isn't reliable. So my allergist figured that I couldn't actually be allergic to all of the things I reacted to on the skin prick test. He told me that I do have allergies, but that it is very rare to be allergic to that much. Some of my so-called allergies might be "intolerances." Some might be due to anaphylaxis-related "anxiety" . . . then again, he said he could be wrong. I could just have lots of allergies. He said it would be difficult for him to sort things out. Great. (But I do like this doctor---and I appreciate him telling me what he thinks up front so I know what I'm dealing with. I also appreciate the fact that he is willing to admit uncertainty.)

At one point, he did consider doing a lot of RAST tests . . . apparently there's some test where you can be tested for a lot of foods at once (not sure what this is called). He said it would be less expensive in the long run, but he wouldn't really know how to interpret the data so he didn't necessarily recommend it. He also said he could do the RAST tests individually . .. . but he was concerned because I'm a student and it would get expensive. We sort of left this issue up in the air---at that point I didn't realize that my student drug plan would cover a good portion of the cost, and I wasn't enthusiastic about spending a lot of money on tests. *maybe* another allergist would have done more RAST tests . . . it is hard to say.

I kept on having questions about my corn "allergy," and I could tell that he didn't believe that I was allergic. He brought up the whole intolerance/anxiety theory when I mentioned it. But I knew I was allergic---the symptoms are the same as for my other allergies although they weren't as severe. So he finally just suggested we order a RAST. After that, he took the allergy very seriously . . . even recommending that I don't try an over the counter medication with corn-derived sorbitol unless I was under medical supervision. It would probably be okay, he thought, but with allergies one can never know for sure.

I'd say that the RAST test *could* help one to pinpoint allergies. But for me, it just confirmed what I either suspected (in the case of wheat) or already knew. The major advantage of the RAST testing for me is that I now have most of my major allergies documented and my allergist has a better understanding of what I'm dealing with. If I ever end up in the hospital or somewhere where I am not in control of my food preparation I have a letter from him which they will have to believe.

One more thing about the RAST: when the results come back, they aren't simply positive or negative . . . they actually measure the concentration of allergen-specific IgE and they rank the results as "class I", "II," "III," "IV," class I being a low positive and IV being a high positive. From what I've been reading, if someone has, say, a severe, severe peanut allergy, it is likely that she will be class IV. But this isn't always the case---someone who has anaphylactic could be "class I" or could even test negative. Evaluating the test results is more a question of probability----i.e. if you are class IV for peanuts, it is nearly certain that you have a clinical allergy (although the "class" is not necessarily predictive of the severity of the reaction.) I guess it is kind of like testing for celiac---high positive blood tests are highly predictive of celiac. But a negative blood test doesn't rule out celiac.

My allergist didn't really say why he didn't want to do all the tests at once (and, yes, I was talking about the skin prick tests). I suspect he was being cautious in case I reacted. I'm not really sure what causes false positives for people without dermographism . . . but I've heard that that happens.

Hmmm . .. the link doesn't work for me either. Here's another one:

[Carriefaith]

Allergist #1 didn't think that I was allergic to wheat based on my description of my symptoms (and also I suspect that allergists tend to be skeptical about people who avoid lots of foods and suddenly develop new "allergies"). I suspected that wheat *sometimes* but not always causes hives. Also, whole grain breads *sometimes* made my throat very slightly itchy. Mostly, though I was feeling tired and lethargic after a wheaty breakfast + there was one isolated incident of vomiting. (I was puzzled because some of these symptoms aren't at all like my other allergy symptoms---now I realize that they are celiac symptoms.)

So you have a wheat allergy and celiac disease. I'm glad that they figured out you had celiac disease. Sometimes it can be hard to differentiate between an allergy and celiac disease, especially when you are allergic and intolerant to the same thing. It makes an accidental ingestion of wheat... well let's say "entertaining"! I suspect that I may have an anaphylatic rection to wheat (or milk), but I was told that anaphylatic reactions can't happen due to the ingestion of wheat...

After seeing all the positive skin prick tests, my current allergist decided to scratch my back with a tongue depressor to see if I was dermographic (a condition in which just scratching the skin lightly causes redness and hives).

I didn't know about the dermographic condition... I guess that is where the RAST test comes in.

I kept on having questions about my corn "allergy," and I could tell that he didn't believe that I was allergic. He brought up the whole intolerance/anxiety theory when I mentioned it. But I knew I was allergic---the symptoms are the same as for my other allergies although they weren't as severe. So he finally just suggested we order a RAST. After that, he took the allergy very seriously . . . even recommending that I don't try an over the counter medication with corn-derived sorbitol unless I was under medical supervision. It would probably be okay, he thought, but with allergies one can never know for sure.

Your allergist seems really knowledgeable, but he also seems skeptical. I'm glad he listened to you and got the testing done!

At one point, he did consider doing a lot of RAST tests . . . apparently there's some test where you can be tested for a lot of foods at once (not sure what this is called). He said it would be less expensive in the long run, but he wouldn't really know how to interpret the data so he didn't necessarily recommend it. He also said he could do the RAST tests individually . .. . but he was concerned because I'm a student and it would get expensive. We sort of left this issue up in the air---at that point I didn't realize that my student drug plan would cover a good portion of the cost, and I wasn't enthusiastic about spending a lot of money on tests. *maybe* another allergist would have done more RAST tests . . . it is hard to say.

I had that big RAST test done last February (2006)! The only food that came back positive was milk and it was low. Now in September (2006) milk didn't even show up on the skin prick test, but 10 other foods did! Ah!

I'd say that the RAST test *could* help one to pinpoint allergies. But for me, it just confirmed what I either suspected (in the case of wheat) or already knew. The major advantage of the RAST testing for me is that I now have most of my major allergies documented and my allergist has a better understanding of what I'm dealing with. If I ever end up in the hospital or somewhere where I am not in control of my food preparation I have a letter from him which they will have to believe.

So the RAST test is a good confirmation test, but can be false negative. I think I'm understanding now. You must be glad to have most of your allergies documented now. Do you wear a medical alert bracelet?

[Helena]

Well, the celiac diagnosis took awhile. I thought that it was worth looking into years ago---someone on an allergy message board who has celiac suggested that some of my symptoms (fatigue) sounded like celiac disease. I really started to wonder after I went on the few foods diet and noticed that oats caused tiredness + GI symptoms when I added them back to my diet. I did mention my suspicion to my allergist---"you don't have celiac disease" he said. end of story. I still thought that I should pursue the issue, but I put off dealing with it.

A couple of years after the few foods diet my respirologist sent me to a GI doctor on account of acid reflux . . . I figured it was also my chance to ask about celiac disease. I didn't even have to ask about celiac---the GI doctor immediately suggested testing when I mentioned that I don't eat wheat and that oats are one of my reflux triggers.

Yep. Both statements describe him. But he is nice, and if I want to order tests or want to see another specialist for any reason, he is more than happy to help. (If I had pushed the celiac issue, I'm sure he would have sent me to a GI doctor ealier.)

Do you know what that big RAST test is called? I'd be interested to have that done . . . the next time I see him I might very well ask my allergist if he will order it. (We now have this arrangement whereby he asks another specialist I see to order the blood tests for him. This specialist has her office in a hospital so the cost of the RAST tests are covered.)

Yes, I've worn a medical alert bracelet ever since a lifethreatening reaction to peanuts when I was in highschool. I always carry at least two epipens with me. (Did you know that doctors are now supposed to recommend that people at risk of anaphylaxis carry two? Sometimes it takes more than one shot. A good percentage of the time, actually.)

Keep us updated on how things go with the allergies. I've had 'mystery reactions' before, but never mystery bouts of anaphylaxis. That would be very scary.

[Carriefaith]

I had yet again, another bad reaction... I couldn't keep hardely anything in my system yesterday and today I was a mess with internal/extrenal gas, cramps, a tight feeling in my chest/stomach/intestines, and mild-moderate breathing/throat problems. It's really hard to explain... I just feel like my body is under attack or something. The only thing that seems to help is to take lots of benedryl I really need to figure this out and get it under control. This time I am suspecting a milk contamination since my husband is also intolerant or allergic to milk and we both reacted. I have e-mailed one company and I'm going to have to contact a few more to get to the bottom of this. I hope I'm feeling better tommorrow...

Do you know what that big RAST test is called?

I have my report right in front of me. It says ALLERGY PANEL, MAST: FOODS

Yes, I've worn a medical alert bracelet ever since a lifethreatening reaction to peanuts when I was in highschool. I always carry at least two epipens with me. (Did you know that doctors are now supposed to recommend that people at risk of anaphylaxis carry two? Sometimes it takes more than one shot. A good percentage of the time, actually.)

I usually carry two epipens. One is a twin-jet so I really have three.

[Helena]

Sorry to hear that you're having such a rought time. That sounds really serious----the breathing problems especially. If the benadryl helps, it is definitely an allergy (don't you hate taking benadryl during the day? it makes me very sleepy) Do you think you should be taking an epi on such occasions? My allergist tells me to always take it if my breathing is at all affected.

I hope you can get some answers from the companies. What did you eat?

Thanks for the info. on the 'big RAST test.'

Oh yeah--one thing I meant to say in an earlier post. Whoever told you that an allergy to wheat is never anaphylactic was wrong. You can have an anaphylactic to wheat.

Take care!

[Carriefaith]

Sorry to hear that you're having such a rought time. That sounds really serious----the breathing problems especially. If the benadryl helps, it is definitely an allergy (don't you hate taking benadryl during the day? it makes me very sleepy) Do you think you should be taking an epi on such occasions? My allergist tells me to always take it if my breathing is at all affected.

I hope you can get some answers from the companies. What did you eat?

Thanks for the info. on the 'big RAST test.'

Oh yeah--one thing I meant to say in an earlier post. Whoever told you that an allergy to wheat is never anaphylactic was wrong. You can have an anaphylactic to wheat.

Take care!

Thanks, I'm finally feeling better. I had homemade gluten-free pizza, chili, pumpkin pudding (soy milk), and gummi bears (which I have already e-mailed the company about a long time ago). I didn't get sick from anything obvious so it must of been contamination and it must of been an allergy if benedryl was helping. Yeah benderyl can make me really drowsy. I'll be e-mailing companies to figure it out this week-end. I got a response from one company that sells pure pumpkin and it definately wasn't that.

That's what I thought about the wheat allergy...

When I get back to the city I'm going to have to get re-tested. These "surprise" allergic reactions are getting really annoying.

[Creative-Soul]

Carriefaith,

I'm sorry to hear that you are having such a diificult time - I can definitely relate! Glad to know that you are feeling somewhat better now, and hope that you will soon get all of the answers that you need!

I'm glad that at least Benadryl helps you when you react like that; I can't take it, it affects me too strongly...

This is the first time I've been able to sit down and read through this thread completely...now I'm mad! Why hasn't my doctor suggested / prescribed me an Epi-pen when I so clearly have told him of my reactions ( I have serious chemical sensitivities)??? I am definitely anaphylactic!!! I have never lost conciousness, but I didn't know that anyone having any of the reactions I have should have an Epi !!!

[Carriefaith]

Carriefaith,

I'm sorry to hear that you are having such a diificult time - I can definitely relate! Glad to know that you are feeling somewhat better now, and hope that you will soon get all of the answers that you need!

I'm glad that at least Benadryl helps you when you react like that; I can't take it, it affects me too strongly...

This is the first time I've been able to sit down and read through this thread completely...now I'm mad! Why hasn't my doctor suggested / prescribed me an Epi-pen when I so clearly have told him of my reactions ( I have serious chemical sensitivities)??? I am definitely anaphylactic!!! I have never lost conciousness, but I didn't know that anyone having any of the reactions I have should have an Epi !!!

Thanks I am feeling a lot better

You should carry an Epi-pen if you are having severe symptoms and reactions. I would ask your doctor. My mom was able to get me an Epi-pen without a prescripton here in Canada.

[darlindeb25]

Wow, what an eye-opening reaction I am having to this thread. Our bodies are certainly complex. I know I am allergic and intolerant of wheat, if it gets on my skin, I break out in hives. Wheat is easy to stay away from because, as was said, once a celiac, always a celiac! I also react to oats and soy on my skin. I will never try oats again and know I am intolerant to soy, corn, nightshades, rice, and a few other things that rear their ugly heads.

You have all given me so much to think about--thank you.

[kirbymom]

Just wondering - when you started noticing multiple allergies and celiac, had you been on antibiotics in the previous six months?

[Carriefaith]

Wow, what an eye-opening reaction I am having to this thread. Our bodies are certainly complex. I know I am allergic and intolerant of wheat, if it gets on my skin, I break out in hives. Wheat is easy to stay away from because, as was said, once a celiac, always a celiac! I also react to oats and soy on my skin. I will never try oats again and know I am intolerant to soy, corn, nightshades, rice, and a few other things that rear their ugly heads.

You have all given me so much to think about--thank you.

I am also learning a lot! I seem to learn something almost every time I come to this message board!

Just wondering - when you started noticing multiple allergies and celiac, had you been on antibiotics in the previous six months?

I started noticing symtoms in the summer of 2003. Everything just "happened". I was quite a healthy person before I got sick and I don't recall being on meds unless it was for those sinus infections I used to get (or maybe they were colds? who knows)... funny, I don't seem to get those anymore...