Has Anyone Gotten Rid Of Their Other Food Allergies?

[zeta-lilly]

I was tested for food allergies about six months ago, which my symptoms for were mostly sinus headaches, and it came back positive for a whole bunch of stuff. Most meats, dairy, eggs, bananas, cashews, pineapple, tomato, onion were the most severe. The other allergens (most fruits, several vegetables, garlic, some nuts, and a few other things) were very slightly above normal. There were very few things that I wasn't allergic to. My doctor told me that I could probably eat the ones that were slightly above normal too, so that leaves a few more things for me to eat.

I had been gluten free for a couple of months before that and I didn't really think that gluten free was that bad. Especially not when you consider the fact that I had been severely depressed and had ataxia and a whole slew of other symptoms. But when she told me about the allergies, I was so depressed. I was on the allergen free diet for about a week, crying every day, when I decided to just give up. I kept eating gluten free, but I didn't take out all the other allergens. Well, over the past six months, I've gone from feeling really good after I took out the gluten, to feeling nauseous, fatigued, and having headaches every day. About a week ago I finally conceded that I need to be on the allergen free diet.

Right now I'm eating mostly raw fruits and vegetables. I haven't figured out why, but for some reason cooking them makes me sick (yes, I have dedicated dishes). Nuts, seeds, a little bit of rice, and nutritional yeast for the b-12. I've actually felt pretty good, but I've been so depressed about this. I don't know how long I can eat like this. The doctor said that if I cut them out, we would test in a few months to see if the allergies have gone away. Has anyone gotten them to go away? Help!

[Mother of Jibril]

I had a false-positive skin test to a bunch of foods (including peanuts, almonds, and celery)... I feel your pain! It's REALLY hard to stick to that kind of diet for any length of time.

Just a thought... it's usually the proteins that give people the worst reactions. Have you tried just taking the top eight (shellfish, fish, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, wheat, soy, eggs) out of your diet to see what kind of difference it makes? You could also try a rotation diet... eating those foods on occasion (for example, once or twice a week) instead of every day. A corn-free diet made a difference for me... even though I'm not allergic to it. Rice is my friend.

I'm really sorry that you're continuing to have problems. You might also consider whether you have an additional disorder brewing up. I have something (yet to be firmly diagnosed) that gives me abdominal pain... even though my endoscopy was PERFECT... plus flares of joint pain, headaches, swollen lymph nodes, hair loss, episodes of anaphylaxis, and mild kidney damage. A lot of things can cause nausea, fatigue, and headaches Your diet might not be the only answer.

[zeta-lilly]

Oh man. I'm sorry that you've developed new symptoms. What have they tested you for?

I'm actually not allergic to fish surprisingly. It was funny, when she showed me the list of foods it was all the ones that I like and eat regularly that I was allergic to. Things like coffee and halibut, two things I hate, I'm just fine with. I really do react to the foods that she diagnosed me as allergic to. Over the past few months I've had several times when I cut them out then decided I couldn't do it anymore and I can really tell a difference when I eat them. It's so frustrating. Well, maybe at least I'll lose weight.

[gfprof]

Hi zeta_lilly,

Hang in there! When I was first diagnosed my body had been so weakened that I reacted to red meat, corn, soy, sausage, or any heavy fats or meats. I couldn't even handle gluten-free vitamins! It took about a year but I was finally able to reintroduce those foods into my diet. (I never did get allergy tests--it was all trial and error.) Your body may just need to heal for a while. When you do reintroduce, I'd recommend going for organic fruits and veg & grass-fed meats, and poultry with no additives. I don't think it's uncommon for celiacs to develop additional sensitivities and allergies when our immune systems weaken and then have them go away when we heal.

Good luck!

gfprof