What The H*$% Is Going On?

[dfish]

Okay, I am needing some guidance here. I'm thoroughly confused. I am gluten sensitive, tested positive to wheat and a whole host of other things in a traditional skin test (IgE mediated allergies); I have figured out the difference between IgE mediated and IgG/IgA mediated allergies and have come to realize that I have a bit of both. I'm avoiding the foods that I tested positive for as well as gluten. However, I'm finding that I'm having allergic reactions to almost everything now! I'm terrified of anaphylaxis, I mean absolutely terrified of having a reaction, I'm cooking everything from scratch in a dedicated kitchen, and I'm reacting to things I've never reacted to before. I eat a bowl of plain, organic brown rice and the next thing I know my head is totally stuffed up, my lips are burning, I'm getting little itchy spots all over my body . . . I eat an apple, same thing. I eat a salad with homemade oil and vinegar dressing, same thing. The weird thing is, I can eat a bowl of Spaghettios (before payday, totally broke, and only thing in the house leftover from the "good ol' days") and be totally fine. Just fine. No reaction. Not days later. Nothing. I'm becoming anorexic, to be perfectly honest. I am already hypoglycemic but I'm finding myself pushing how long I go between eating longer and longer and longer because I am so scared to eat. Things I didn't test positive for are now making me break out and itch and get stuffed up and sick. I am staying in a bad relationship because I am afraid to be alone/eat alone for fear of an anaphylactic reaction. I won't eat unless there's other people around and my boyfriend works nights, so basically I've stopped eating after about 2 every day. I can't get a straight answer from any doctor and frankly, this is ruining my life. Literally, I feel like my life is getting ruined because I can't even eat a freakin' apple anymore! Is this all in my head? Am I doing this to myself with my fear of anaphylaxis and food? Can anyone help me understand why I'm reacting to everything (and I mean EVERYTHING)? This has gotten really, really bad and I need help! Thank you!!

[Rachel--24]

Do you think you could be reacting to things other than the foods itself? I mean possibly the pesticides on the apple? Maybe you have leaky gut and that could cause you to react to lots of foods. I find it better for me to eat organic foods, foods that are unprocessed and not too much of one thing. From what I've read true IgE allergies that would cause anaphylaxis reactions are not as common as IgG and also a person w/ IgE allergies usually only is truelly allergic to 1 or 2 foods. Maybe try not to obsess about it (I know easier said than done). Sometimes the stress can cause reactions in itself.

[Guest nini]

Did you find out about the allergies from a specialist in allergies?

If not I would recommend consulting with an allergist. A lot of it MIGHT be anxiety related, but it may also be because your system is hyperreactive right now. I don't know why this happens, but sometimes the body reacts to typically harmless things as if they were poison.

I also find that I do better if I stick to organic foods and very plain stuff. Apples might be coated with pesticides that could be causing you to react. (I react to pesticides)

As far as the rice is concerned, some people do have allergies to rice, it's rare, but it can happen, but that should show up in an allergy test and I don't mean the skin test, I mean the blood work up.

I hope you figure it all out soon, I know how frightening it is.

I'm still terrified to even attempt to eat shellfish because the last few times I ate it (before celiac dx) I got very very sick, but it was most likely the high quantities of gluten in my meal that set me off, but in my mind I'm still terrified of shellfish. And on my blood work I tested negative for shellfish allergies.

[gabby]

The MOST IMPORTANT thing to do before anything, is to find 3 or 4 good foods that you can eat. Don't worry about nutrition/fat content/etc. right now. Find these foods, and eat them everyday until you are full, so that you do not stress out your body by going hungry.

If you can eat any of the following, then buy them, prepare them without any added ingredients and eat them plain. It won't be very interesting, but it will give your nourishment:

-Ground beef cooked in a frying pan without any grease. Just add salt, nothing else.

-Lettuce: wash it, rip it into pieces and keep it in the fridge. Or take the leaves and fill them with the ground beef mixture.

-olive oil: use only Extra Virgin First Cold Press

-raw, unblanched (with the skin on) almonds---UNflavoured (no salt, no spices, unroasted)

-hard cheese (not Kraft slices or Philly spread, but hard cheese like cheddar, Swiss, brick)

-other veggies eaten raw and naked: carrots, celery, cucumber, red peppers, etc.

-lightly steamed cauliflower/broccoli

-butter (if you can handle the butter, then put it on any of the above foods)

Good luck...I hope this helps.

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

I am not sure what your diagnosis will be, but I do know that a lot of people react to rice, apples and/or pectin (in apples)....

Start with items you know are ok -- veggies, chicken, a potato?? Eat that for a week or so and slowly add in items...

Keep you chin up -- with time you can beat this thing...

Bronco

p.s. Avoid the Spaghettio's....

[dfish]

Thank you so much for all of your replies. This is just so horrible and confusing. As it stands now, I'm allergic to wheat, casein, eggs, celery, corn, carrots, chicken, fish, shellfish, legumes, melons, citrus, bananas, all tree nuts, hmmm, what else? The list is huge and ridiculous! I guess what I am having such a problem with is one, figuring out what to eat when I feel like I'm starving all of the time and even hypoallergenic foods are bothering me and two, why I am now allergic to everything when I've gone on for thirty years eating whatever I wanted and not having a problem at all? It seems like the more I cut out of my diet the worse my allergies are getting. Someone mentioned hypersensitivity. What does this mean? Does it go away? I'm tempted to just start eating everything again because it seems almost like the less stuff I eat the worse my allergies are getting. I cut out gluten, didn't feel better, cut out dairy, didn't feel better . . . thus, the skin allergy testing. Even the results of that are confusing. According to them, I'm just as allergic to saline as I am to wheat and corn and eggs? Does this make sense? I can't get a straight answer from the allergist, he just keeps telling me to stay away from the stuff I was REALLY allergic to, like bananas and peaches, and to eat the stuff I tested the same as the saline to "as tolerated". Well, I'm not able to tolerate anything any more. I guess I'm wondering if other people have this "hypersensitivity" thing all of the sudden and if it ever goes away?? What can I do to stop this horrible pattern of cutting out things and getting even more allergic?

Thank you again for all of your support!

Rachel

[tarnalberry]

Is there something else that is a common factor? A pan, a cooking utensile, something in the kitchen, etc? I would follow up with an allergist - and if the one you see isn't helping, hire a new one. In the mean time, I hate to say it, but you may find it necessary to take antihistamines to help just get food in you. Yes, it's "masking" some symptoms, but you also need food.