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Had Allergy Testing Yesterday And Now I'm Itching Everywhere!

GlutenFreeManna

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GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted

I went to the allergist yesterday to be tested for food allergies since I recently started having anaphalactic-type reactions to dairy. They did the skin prick test and also ordered blood tests for me. Well the skin prick tests were underwhelmingly negative. I didn't have any puffy circles except for the control. However, less than 24 hours later now and I'm itching like crazy on my upper arms, all across my back and on my neck (testing was done on my lower left arm). They tested me for wheat, barely, rye and oats (along with other foods) because I have had a skin reaction of hives when using lotion with wheat germ oil in it. In addition to the itching I'm having the start of my normal neurological reactions to gluten. Could they have glutened me with the skin prick tests? This rash feels just like the rash I used to have pre-gluten free. Now I'm also left wondering if I'm sensitive to something other than gluten. I have to go in for the blood tests today and I don't think I can take anything for the itching until after my tests...so I'm just currious if anyone else had this happen after food allergy testing. Is this typical?

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Jestgar Rising Star
Jestgar
Posted

They tested me for wheat, barely, rye and oats (along with other foods)

Could they have glutened me with the skin prick tests?

Somebody puts the proteins you react to in direct contact with your blood supply and you wonder if they could have glutened you......? :blink:

uh.....yes....

cassP Contributor
cassP
Posted

This rash feels just like the rash I used to have pre-gluten free.

is this rash perhaps DH??.. if that's the case, then u probably were glutened from the testing

Evangeline Explorer
Evangeline
Posted

Sounds like you are having a delayed allergic reaction. Did any one of the bumps where they scratched you become inflamed, red or itchy?

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted
  • Author

Somebody puts the proteins you react to in direct contact with your blood supply and you wonder if they could have glutened you......? :blink:

uh.....yes....

I know...I feel so dumb. They didn't really even explain the testing to me. I should have asked if it went into the blood supply. I was just really hoping I could get a positive allergy result since I have broken out in hives from wheat germ oil in the past. My main thing I'm concerned about is dairy but I figured sinc ei was having it done I might as well have all my suspoect foods done at once. None of the skin pricks popped up. Even the control was really small according to doctor. I'm still holding out hope that my blood allergy tests reveal something different. :(

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted
  • Author

is this rash perhaps DH??.. if that's the case, then u probably were glutened from the testing

I don't know if I have DH because I never got any testing. I did see a dermotologist years ago (prior to suspecting gluten issues) about the rash and she didn't know what it was! She didn't take biopsies or suggest DH or anything. She just gave me creams and antibiotics that didn't do a darn thing. I know I probably should try to get into see a new dermotologist and have the skin next to the rash biopsied but it was so hard to get into see the one I saw a few years ago. My doctor had to call around and basically beg them to move me up because I was really sick with a bunch of other symptoms and the rash was getitng worse/looked infected. How I wish I had had a doctor that would have put two and two together and realized all my symptoms (including the rash) were connected!

Jestgar Rising Star
Jestgar
Posted

Even the control was really small according to doctor. I

If the control barely reacted, then the rest of the results may not be accurate. :(

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GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted
  • Author

Sounds like you are having a delayed allergic reaction. Did any one of the bumps where they scratched you become inflamed, red or itchy?

Nope, not a single one puffed up except the control. They did itch like crazy though! It was torture sitting there waiting for somehting to happen. Now I have little red bumps all over my upper arms, back and neck. I'm sure this is some type of allergic reaction. I called the allegist's office and all they told me is to take some Benedryl. :huh:

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted
  • Author

If the control barely reacted, then the rest of the results may not be accurate. :(

That's what I'm afraid of, but WHY? I did not take any anti-histamines for over a week just as they directed me. The doctor said that the skin prick test had a high rate of false positives and very few false negatives. After I left I realized that was the reverse of gluten testing which has a lot of false negative and few false positves. Was he correct or did he misspeak when he told me that about the allergy tests?

Jestgar Rising Star
Jestgar
Posted

food allergy testing is very inaccurate. If you think about it, food goes into your stomach, not onto your skin, so it's really unclear what the results actually mean.

Evangeline Explorer
Evangeline
Posted

Food allergy testing is a bit of a medical scam. They fail to mention that only 3% of the population has allergic reactions, while up to 20% has a food intolerance or sensitivity. I paid $700 for the allergy test and when they found nothing, the doctor told me that "Sometimes the tests aren't accurate." I was CLEARLY very sick. A year later, I decided to pay $500 for NowLEAP's sensitivity test (150 foods I think). 2 weeks later, they said I was very reactive to carrots, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, the list went on and on. They also said I was reactive to corn. When I did remove these foods from my diet, my health did improve. I have now learned that because I was gluten intolerant, I had severe leaky gut syndrome which was causing me to become sensitized to all sorts of healthy greens. Eating broccoli, kale, cauliflower, etc. was causing me to fall asleep. NowLEAP asks that the patient do an elimination diet and only add one food back into the diet every 1-2 days. I did find A LOT of food triggers this way.

But NowLEAP does NOT catch intolerances (like soy, dairy, yeast, corn, rice, gluten). You would want to use EnteroLab for that or Cyrex Labs (which tests for sesame seeds, chocolate, potato, etc.)

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

I'm thinking maybe a delayed reaction? I don't know, but isn't food intolerance a delayed allergic reaction--as opposed to an immediate one resulting in anaphylaxis?

I underwent allergy skin testing that included foods (all negative), but my allergist suggested an elimination diet to figure it out.

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted
  • Author

Food allergy testing is a bit of a medical scam. They fail to mention that only 3% of the population has allergic reactions, while up to 20% has a food intolerance or sensitivity. I paid $700 for the allergy test and when they found nothing, the doctor told me that "Sometimes the tests aren't accurate." I was CLEARLY very sick. A year later, I decided to pay $500 for NowLEAP's sensitivity test (150 foods I think). 2 weeks later, they said I was very reactive to carrots, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, the list went on and on. They also said I was reactive to corn. When I did remove these foods from my diet, my health did improve. I have now learned that because I was gluten intolerant, I had severe leaky gut syndrome which was causing me to become sensitized to all sorts of healthy greens. Eating broccoli, kale, cauliflower, etc. was causing me to fall asleep. NowLEAP asks that the patient do an elimination diet and only add one food back into the diet every 1-2 days. I did find A LOT of food triggers this way.

But NowLEAP does NOT catch intolerances (like soy, dairy, yeast, corn, rice, gluten). You would want to use EnteroLab for that or Cyrex Labs (which tests for sesame seeds, chocolate, potato, etc.)

Thanks, but I already did an elimination diet in January 2010--that's how I figured out gluten was a problem for me. I was not getting these tests because of suspected intolerances, but because of sudden severe reactions to foods I have always eaten without much trouble. I ate some yogurt one day back in february of this year and my tongue swelled up and I couldn't breath. I had some butter a couple weeks later by accident and my lips tingled from the butter just touchign them. even thoguh I spit the butter out right awya my tongue got puffy within 20-30 minutes of tasting the butter. At that point my doctor got me an epipen and an appoint with the allergist.

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted
  • Author

I'm thinking maybe a delayed reaction? I don't know, but isn't food intolerance a delayed allergic reaction--as opposed to an immediate one resulting in anaphylaxis?

I underwent allergy skin testing that included foods (all negative), but my allergist suggested an elimination diet to figure it out.

Patti were any of your intolerance reactions that make your throat close up or gives you hives within 20 minutes? Those are the symptoms I was having when I ate my suspected allergy foods (shellfish, pork, mushrooms, milk).

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

Patti were any of your intolerance reactions that make your throat close up or gives you hives within 20 minutes? Those are the symptoms I was having when I ate my suspected allergy foods (shellfish, pork, mushrooms, milk).

Most of my symptoms were digestive, but I did have a lot of itching with no visible rash.

What does you doctor think about the delayed reactions?

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted
  • Author

Most of my symptoms were digestive, but I did have a lot of itching with no visible rash.

What does you doctor think about the delayed reactions?

He said an anaphylactic or hives reaction within 20-30 minutes is consistent with an allergy (specifically IgE reaction) not an intolerance. I still have not gotten the blood test results so maybe they will show somehting the skin prick did not pick up...

As far as the delayed reaction to the skin prick (feeling itchy) I did not speak with the doctor just the nurse. I called to tell them about my itching (which started about an hour after leaving the drs office). She put me on hold to confer with the other nurse there, then she came back and told me to just take some Benedryl for the itching.

cassP Contributor
cassP
Posted

I don't know if I have DH because I never got any testing. I did see a dermotologist years ago (prior to suspecting gluten issues) about the rash and she didn't know what it was! She didn't take biopsies or suggest DH or anything. She just gave me creams and antibiotics that didn't do a darn thing. I know I probably should try to get into see a new dermotologist and have the skin next to the rash biopsied but it was so hard to get into see the one I saw a few years ago. My doctor had to call around and basically beg them to move me up because I was really sick with a bunch of other symptoms and the rash was getitng worse/looked infected. How I wish I had had a doctor that would have put two and two together and realized all my symptoms (including the rash) were connected!

i read an article once about a dermatologist who, before she got diagnosed with Celiac, had DH, but DID NOT know what it was- because she never learned about it in school!!

cahill Collaborator
cahill
Posted

i read an article once about a dermatologist who, before she got diagnosed with Celiac, had DH, but DID NOT know what it was- because she never learned about it in school!!

can I just say how sad this makes me :(

cahill Collaborator
cahill
Posted

I saw an allergist for the first time on the 31st of march.

He told me that skin testing is not accurate for food allgerys.Skin testing should be use for environmental allgerys (pollen,dust ect,.) He drew blood to test for food allergys. I am STILL waiting for the results <_< .

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