Celiac Disease And Allegic Reactions

[Keith L]

This is my history to date.

My name is Keith L I'm a 36 year old male.

I was diagnosed with celiac disease in Oct of 2002 just after my 1yr old daughter was diagnosed. I immediately started a strict gluten free diet and never cheat. After being of the diet for about six months I was accidently given food that had been contaminated and the stomach pain was unbearable along with the diarrhea. Other than accidental consumption the diet seemed to resolve all of my gluten issues, until now. I'm not sure of the relationship between my new symptoms and celiac disease. Eight months ago after having an infected wisdom tooth removed and a coarse of penicillin i broke out in hives. The hives quickly moved on to anaphylaxis shock for which I was treated for in hospital for three days. At first glance the doctors said it was an allergic reaction to penicillin, a drug that I have taken since childhood. Upon being discharged from hospital I noticed that my salivary glands below my tongue were very swollen and are still swollen eight months later and I have difficulty swallowing sometimes. I was seen by and Ent Doctor who said it should resolve and that and that my throat looked fine and that there was no blockage in the salivary glands. I was put on high dose prednisone and continued that coarse of treatment for five months. After being off the prednisone I still have recurring out breaks of hives and tongue swelling. I am now suffering form panic attacks and body temp control issues. I get hot flashes and my face will get very red and it feels hot to me but feels cool when felt by hand. I have swelling around my eyes constantly and they itch more often than not. My skin constantly feels itchy even when hives are not present. I also suffer from chronic abdominal pain. I have had all sorts of blood tests- CBC - Sed Rate - Arthritis - vitamin levels - Lyme disease - Lupus, and all sorts of auto immune diseases all things come back normal including liver and kidney functions. My allergist seems to think it will all pass. I wonder if anyone out there might have suggestions or similar problems.

Thank you for listening.

Keith L.

[ang1e0251]

Have your vitamin levels been checked for defiency? What about thyroid?

[ravenwoodglass]

Has your allergist done any testing to see what it is that you are reacting to? Has he tried guiding you through any kind of elimination diet to see if you can pinpoint what is causing the reaction? It is not unusual to have an allergic reaction show up to a drug you have taken safely all your life. I had the same thing happen with the same antibiotic years ago but the reaction was short lived, as yours should have been if you are not still on that drug. Allergic drug reactions stop after the drug is discontinued, they don't continue for 8 months. My suggestion would be to find another allergist who will help you figure out what is actually causing this reaction so you can avoid that substance. Have you tried eliminating any of the more common allergins, soy and casien would be the first I would eliminate. Also this may not apply for you but stevia has become very popular with a lot of people, and it is a great sweetener...as long as you are not allergic to ragweed. If you do use stevia you might want to discontinue it for a while and see if that helps.