Is Skin Prick Test Accurate-

[diapason05]

I'm a 22 yr old female.

When I had allergy testing I had huge wheals form for every type of wild grass- and also for dust mites.

smaller wheals formed for roaches, soy and WHEAT.

They told me that it's FINE to keep eating wheat and that the only reason I tested positive for wheat is because I have an allergic (read:sneezing) reaction to all the wild grasses and they are very similar.

First of all- from a purely scientific standpoint- if my body recognizes the wild grasses and something to FIGHT- and it recognizes the wheat to also be a grass to fight- then wouldnt it also recognize the wheat as something to fight if i INGESTED it????

OK.

also- i have some symptoms of celiac disease - im slightly anemic, constipated etc. no weight loss tho and i never had trouble with my bones or anything.

BUT- when I was 3 I had my tonsils removed due to terrible allergies and constant infections.

When I was 6 my appendix burst (one cause of appendicitis could be a swelling of the lymph tissue in that area--

WHen I was 16 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease (a type of lymphoma- rebel lymphocytes multiplying and causing tumours.)

Two weeks ago I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease. Which is where lymphocytes attack my thyroid. Which means I'm hypothyroid. SOme of the symptoms of hypothyroidism are the same as celiac disease.

Celiac disease is linked with an increase risk for autoimmune diseases and also lymphoma in the small intestine.

I seem to feel a bit better when I stop the wheat and I definitely get a puffy lower abdomen when I start eating wheat/carbs again.

any advice/help/viewpoints would be appreciated.

there seems to be a connection here...

my aunt on my dads side also has celiac disease.

my dad and his twin have hypothyroidism but have never been tested for hashimoto's disease.

[CarlaB]

A wheat allergy and celiac are different and cause different reactions, so a skin prick cannot tell you whether you have celiac or not. You need a blood test for that, and you need to be consuming gluten for it to be accurate. If you're already gluten-free and feel better that way, then just keep eating gluten-free. If you want an official diagnosis, you need to be on gluten for about four months.

I want to encourage you to keep looking until you find what's making you ill -- if it's gluten, you will feel better gluten-free. I was ready to give up, even my doctor told me all my illness was psychosomatic ... I ordered a Lyme test and asked her to do it for me, she said okay, but that it would be negative. I said to do it anyway ... it was positive. You have to be in charge of your own health, as you have been. Educate yourself. Hopefully, gluten is the answer. I feel better gluten-free, too.

[KaitiUSA]

I have celiac and a wheat allergy and believe me they are different. You need to get actual celiac testing because allergy testing can't detect celiac. I would get tested with the history of your family.

[sunshinen]

Yep, go get tested! Could be the best thing you ever do for yourself!

[portrgirl]

When I had allergy testing I had huge wheals form for every type of wild grass- and also for dust mites.

smaller wheals formed for roaches, soy and WHEAT.

They told me that it's FINE to keep eating wheat and that the only reason I tested positive for wheat is because I have an allergic (read:sneezing) reaction to all the wild grasses and they are very similar.

First of all- from a purely scientific standpoint- if my body recognizes the wild grasses and something to FIGHT- and it recognizes the wheat to also be a grass to fight- then wouldnt it also recognize the wheat as something to fight if i INGESTED it????

I also had strong reactions to all pollens, which *can* cause a skin reaction to wheat as they're related. Wheat and barley also showed up. Your doctor should have told you to try a wheat avoidance diet for 1-2 weeks and a challenge in order rule out an actual food allergy. I took wheat out of my diet for 2 weeks and didn't notice any changes, same thing when I added it back in.

I seem to feel a bit better when I stop the wheat and I definitely get a puffy lower abdomen when I start eating wheat/carbs again.

Talk to your doctor about trying a wheat avoidance diet for 1-2 weeks. At least you could rule out an actual food allergy then. You might as well get tested for celiac while you're at it too - but do this before going off of wheat.