Wheat Allergy?

[Mum in Norway]

I started testing for celiac this spring, after having been glutenfree light for years. I had several bloodtests done and a gluten challange followed by a biopsi of the small intestine. The bloodtest showed everything normal exept DGP IgG borderline positive on the first test and slightly more positive after the challange. I have not gotten all the results back from the boipsi yet, but doc says that from what is in so fra the test is inconclusive.

After having the biposi done about a month ago, I have gone on a strictly glutenfree diet, and I feel so much better! But I do notice that i react to all kinds of things that are suposed to be glutefree but are derived from wheat, like dextrose from wheat, wheat starch (that is very common in glutenfree foods here). The reactions I get to these things are mostly bloting and fatigue, and i keep getting a stuffy nose that I can not explain. I have come in touch with a woman who has wheat allergy, and says alot of my symptoms fit with hers, in that I had fatigue, insomnia, brainfog, jointpain and so on as my main symptoms befor going glutenfree and also in beeing so sensitive. Does anyone here have wheat allergy, and can you tell me about it? I did have a full allergy panel done this spring, at it was all clare for everything, but i do know for sure that I am allergic to some types of pollen, nuts and apples, so I do not trust those test results...

 

Also I noticed many years ago that I seem to tolerate rye and dinkel flour, and that makes no sense if I have celiac...

[StephanieL]

Those are not signs of an allergy. It *could* be a sensitivity/intolerance. 

Things like hives, vomiting, diarrhea, drop in blood pressure, swelling of the eyes, face, mouth and throat are signs of an allergy.

[Juliebove]

Hives, vomiting and diarrhea can also be signs of intolerance, among other things.

[StephanieL]

Hives, vomiting and diarrhea can also be signs of intolerance, among other things.

 

 

Perhaps but those three with 20 minute to an hour are indicative of an allergy.  I was not saying that they can't be signs of an intolerance just trying to let the OP know that it's most likely not an allergy.

[Juliebove]

Perhaps but those three with 20 minute to an hour are indicative of an allergy.  I was not saying that they can't be signs of an intolerance just trying to let the OP know that it's most likely not an allergy.

Yes.  I have been tested and do not have food allergies.  I do have OAS to some things.  But oats make me itch all over and the reaction is pretty soon after eating them.  Also I find that my reaction is sooner and more severe if I haven't had a food for a very long time.  I think when I was eating something all the time, I was just sick all the time.  For instance, sick to my stomach from eggs and having respiratory issues from dairy.  Took me about 2 weeks to feel better and I got worse before I felt totally better.  I think I did not notice the reaction because I was just sick like this all the time.  Seemed normal for me and I guess I assumed that everyone always felt this way.  Only after I did not feel this way did I notice the difference.

[gatita]

I have been diagnosed with wheat allergy although I may also have a non-celiac gluten intolerance. Diarrhea was my main symptom but I am told wheat allergy can cause that, too.

 

When I eat wheat, within two hours my nose is stuffed up, my lips and face swell, and my eyes water. Not a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction, but an allergic response nonetheless. The next day I have hives on my stomach.

 

If I use cosmetics on my face with wheat in them, I also get the swollen lips and face thing, stuffy nose, and teary eyes.

 

But I still have severe gluten reactions in my gut, and I don't know if those are from the wheat allergy or a gluten sensitivity thing. And I get joint pain when I get accidentally glutened. Either way, I have to stay away from the stuff!! It is possible to have both an allergy and an intolerance.

 

I know that in Europe, wheat starch is considered safe for celiacs, but personally, I would stay far away from it!

 

ps. I don't trust allergy blood tests either. The last one said I had no problem with tree pollen, I was like really?? I go nuts when the acacias blooms here. My doctor relies on the old  tried and true elimination test for food allergies.

[Mum in Norway]

I am sorry, I see now that I did a very poor job in listing symptoms, I just tried to keep it breef for once. It would have been important to mention that I vomit within minutes of eating something with gluten/wheat, and i also get dihorrea. I don't get a rash, but an itch that drives me crazy. I have noticed getting this itch on my arms alot after going gluten/wheatfree, and have suspected the straw that i feed my horses with. This morning after feeding them i got the itch again, and now my arms are coverd in little red dots that itch like crazy. This has spread about 2-3 inches up my arms from where the straw came in to contact with my skin. The red spots have never happend before today. This straw is probably from wheat or barly, I will find that out today.

When I was doing the glutenchallange my face was very puffy and swollen, but not inside my mouth or throat. I also got very dizzy and felt physicaly week, but i did not have my bloodpressure cheked.

[StephanieL]

Then I would definitely think allergy with those kinds of issues!  Do you have epinephrin injectors?  You should get 2 and have them with you at all times!  A "minor" reaction today does not mean it won't be a major life threatening one next time.

[Mum in Norway]

Oh.. No, I don't have that.

I tried to call my doc today to ask about allergy testing, but he was to bussy, I'll try again tomorrow.

ANy thoughts on how to find out if this is actually an allergy if the tests come back negative? Like I mentioned, I have had negative results for things that I KNOW I am allergic to, but thats just pollen, ANd not wery heavy reactions, but I do need antihistamines throgh the whole pollen season.

Food allergies, I believe, can caus much more severe reactions, so it would be nice to know if I do have any or not! Also, it would save me a whole lot of potentialy dangerous trying and failing to find out what I am reacting to and not, if I could have some sort of test give me some answers.

In the last week I have also found that I react to eggs (only like an intolerance kind of reaction, where I get gassy and bloted with stomace pain, nothing allergic) and I also suspect oats.

[StephanieL]

Allergy testing is notoriously inaccurate.  While a negative result is about 90% accurate, there are those who test negative but react when the offending food is ingested. The only 100% accurate way to diagnosis a food allergy is by ingestion. Many times these are tried in the Dr's office so they can deal with an emergency should it arrise. I would not be comfortable having the reaction you described and not having epinephrin.

[Mum in Norway]

I talked to me doctor yesterday, and he said that based on all testresults I am very unlikely to have celiac (I have not yet had a chance to talk to him about the results, just another doc at his office, and the lady in the reception). He also shared my idea that it might be allergy, so I am now going to stay away from any antihistamins for 4 weeks than have another allergy bloodtest done, also he is sending me to an allergy specialist. Yay

 

Also, my nose, that has been constantly stuffy since I started the gluten challange has now become normal again! I wonder what caused it, wheat, eggs, oats, something else or maybe it was just random...

[dilettantesteph]

If you look at the Fasano study that has been used to show that 20 ppm gluten is safe for most celiacs you will see that one of the participants had a full relapse and and left the study.  This was while taking the 10 mg/day gluten.  Most celiacs is not all celiacs.  You may react to lower levels of gluten than most.  I do.  There is a study published by Fasano and Hollon about a trace gluten elimination diet for these more sensitive individuals.  Open Original Shared Link

[Mum in Norway]

dilettantesteph, apparently I do not have celiac, as bloodwork only showed slightly elevated DGP IgG and everything else fine, and biopsy showd slightly inflamed intestine, but not enough to conclude that its celiac. With all my symptoms I find it strang that this is disregarded, but still I'm thinking that if I was superduper sensitive, woulden't my body have an all over stronger reaction to gluten so that my antibodys would be higher and my intestine more damaged?

[dilettantesteph]

I don't know.  I know that it is possible to have a negative blood test and a positive biopsy.  I know it is possible to have a positive test for DH and have a negative biopsy.  There is still not enough known about this condition to be sure how to handle it in some cases.  I would still say that it wouldn't hurt to try a produce and unprocessed meat diet for a couple of weeks to see if it makes any difference.  Good luck.