Wheat Allergy?

[Bridy]

I was wondering if anyone could help me with a guestion I have.

My daughter has been tested for allergies and wheat came up as one of them.

Does a wheat allergy mean Celiacs or is it a completley diffrent issue?

Thank you!

[Lisa]

Welcome Birdy!

A wheat allergy is not the same as Celiac Disease. Here is some information regarding both:

https://www.celiac.com/articles/179/1/Aller...n-MD/Page1.html

[Jestgar]

You can have both. I'm allergic to wheat (and rye) and also have an intolerance. My allergic response is asthma/can't breathe, my intolerance response is headache and brain fog.

[3groovygirls]

I JUST asked Violet's GI Dr. this! He said what the link said.

BUT, he also said that Violets reaction is a type 3 reaction (vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, failure to grow) meaning it's identical to a Celiacs reaction. So really, the treatment is the same. So it all depends on the TYPE of allergy you have to wheat if that makes sense. There are 4 types of allergies, type 1 is anaphylactic, type 3 is the above (I'm not sure what type2 and type4 are....skin reactions are one I think??)

[3groovygirls]

Ok, I just read more of that link and I don't necessarily get it!!

My DD had a grade 5+ reaction (on the 1-5 scale) to wheat on the scratch test, but her symptoms are definetly NOT what they are describing (breathing, hives etc). So you can have a severe reaction on the test buthave your allergy symptoms look like an intolerance. But they're not an intolerance, they're an actual allergy, KWIM?

[Lisa]

Open Original Shared Link

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of wheat allergy can include:

Swelling, itching or irritation of the mouth or throat

Hives or skin irritation

Nasal congestion

Airway inflammation

Gastrointestinal symptoms such as cramps, nausea and vomiting

Allergy symptoms differ from person to person and generally occur a few minutes to a few hours after wheat's been ingested. In some people, allergic reactions occur:

When exercising after eating wheat

From inhaled flour in the workplace (sometimes called bakers' asthma)

This is a good explaination..

[Bridy]

thank you for the replies!

I will have a look at the link.

My daughter had been suffering from very bad constipation since birth and it only got worse as we introduced foods.

We took her to a natrualpath to get some allergy testing done, but shortly realised that it might not have been a conclusive testing from what others have said.

Tests came back positive for all dairy, wheat, peanut, egg white and beef.

We cut out dairy from her diet and instantly notice changes within days. Her skin contions went away. But as of recent her skin problems and constipation have returned. She isn't nearly as constipated as she use to be but she is getting uncomfortable again.

I can manage it with flax seed oil but my thought is that we should probably take wheat out of her diet as well.

We are seeing an Allergy specialist in March for her to at least tell us if the previous testing she had done is good enough or if we should be doing it over.

My daughter is also very tiny for her age, so I suspect something has to be going on. She has however gained about 4lbs since August when we took dairy out of her diet. This is a HUGE weight gain for her which we are very happy about.

[Amyleigh0007]

Everyone has different allergic reactions. My son has both Celiac and a wheat allergy. He also has several other food allergies. He does not experience "typical" allergic reactions such as difficulty breathing and swelling when he eats these foods. Rather, he gets acid reflux symptoms. During his endoscopy the doctor also noted he had a rash on his esophagus most likely from the food allergies. He is allowed to eat these foods (with the exception of wheat) in moderation and we monitor him for any outward reactions. For example, he can eat one or two cookies made with eggs but we would never give him a scrambled egg. He also takes Prevacid for the acid reflux.

[purple]

My 17 yr old dd had wheat a couple of days ago and her keratosis pilaris flared up. Then a day of no signs. Yesterday she had a rice mix that had wheat in it and this morning she said her head itched alot. She has been about 80% gluten-free, so now she has to be gluten-free like her sis (she's gluten intolerant). Plus she is vegan. Vegan/gluten-free is extremely hard, esp. when the store is an hour away.

She doesn't seem to be allergic to anything else. Those are her only symptoms to date except for being overweight. I read earlier that when you are gluten-free the extra weight will come off YAY!

P.S. I am now looking for gluten-free/egg free/df pancake and muffin recipes that are yummy. I have tried a few muffin ones but not yet the pancakes. If you have a favorite, PLZ post , Thank-you!!!!!

[glutenada]

Add me as another person who is both a celiac and has wheat allergy.

Getting into rye/barley/etc isn't as traumatic for me as getting into wheat. I get intestinal distress within 10 minutes and have to make a run for the nearest bathroom. I also get a funny taste in my mouth and my tummy hurts. The next day I feel like I've been kicked in the gut and cannot eat for most of the day.

[sugarsue]

I am allergic to wheat. When I eat wheat, my arm pits itch really bad and if I scratch them, they get a huge welt so I can't scratch!! The itch is so bad it keeps me awake at night. Other than that, it only adds to my overall allergic load to all my other seasonal allergies. My seasonal allergies aren't as bad if I don't eat wheat. I stay away from it to avoid the dreaded arm pit itch and also in respect for my recent gluten free daughters.

Good luck with everything going on with your daughter! It is so stressful and I know you worry all the time!

[purple]

  sugarsue said:

I am allergic to wheat. When I eat wheat, my arm pits itch really bad and if I scratch them, they get a huge welt so I can't scratch!! The itch is so bad it keeps me awake at night. Other than that, it only adds to my overall allergic load to all my other seasonal allergies. My seasonal allergies aren't as bad if I don't eat wheat. I stay away from it to avoid the dreaded arm pit itch and also in respect for my recent gluten free daughters.

Good luck with everything going on with your daughter! It is so stressful and I know you worry all the time!

So do you put anything on your armpits to help stop the itching? I wonder if there are more females than males allergic to wheat? I am sure the females would admit it and try to find out where as the males would postpone...hm...just thinking...

[sugarsue]

  purple said:

So do you put anything on your armpits to help stop the itching? I wonder if there are more females than males allergic to wheat? I am sure the females would admit it and try to find out where as the males would postpone...hm...just thinking...

When they itch really bad, I put benadryl gel and that calms the itch to get me through it. Taking allergy meds like zyrtec helps some but not enough to keep it totally away. My Dad claims to have itchy armpits too but he's not open to trying to remove wheat. Not sure if it's realted but sounds likely. I think the question of male v.s female is an interesting one!

[missy'smom]

  sugarsue said:

I am allergic to wheat. When I eat wheat, my arm pits itch really bad and if I scratch them, they get a huge welt so I can't scratch!! The itch is so bad it keeps me awake at night. Other than that, it only adds to my overall allergic load to all my other seasonal allergies. My seasonal allergies aren't as bad if I don't eat wheat. I stay away from it to avoid the dreaded arm pit itch and also in respect for my recent gluten free daughters.

Good luck with everything going on with your daughter! It is so stressful and I know you worry all the time!

My son gets very itchy eczema from wheat exactly as you describe except he gets smaller sores instead of big welts and on his calves instead of pits. He's a sound sleeper so it doesn't wake him up but he does his itching in his sleep and doesn't know he does it. The allergist said he's so used to it that he doesn't react as much as most people would. Poor kid! I'm interested to see that he has alot of the symptoms that you listed on your signature of your family members. It's good to know that your seasonal allergies aren't as bad if you avoid wheat. I hope that's the case with DS as well. We sent off to Enterolab for celiac disease testing this holiday break and are waiting to see what the results are.