Other Food Allergies

[Frances03]

Can someone tell me a specific blood type test I can ask my doctor to order to test for other food allergies/intolerances? I'm not doing well AT ALL with an elimination diet, and I'm still not feeling great, so I thought if I could find out a place to start with things, that would help. The problem is, when I asked her about it, she sent me to an allergist, and he said he only does FOOD allergy test on people that basically go in to anaphylactic shock after eating a certain food. He was very old and didn't seem up to date on anything. For example, the receptionist was still using a TYPEWRITER, I kid you not. Anyway, I was hoping I could just go in to my regular doc and ask for a specific blood test and go from there. I'm kind of thinking milk might be a problem but I don't want to admit it because I love cheese and chocolate. I don't really care about actual milk! LOL Another think I'm considering is the nightshades. Oh I hope there IS a test that can check for this!!

[ravenwoodglass]

I don't think your going to like my answer but here goes.

Drop the dairy for now and I would also eliminate all soy. You have not been gluten free for very long and are still healing from gluten and the most common intolerances for us to have with the celiac are those two. After you have healed a bit more you may be able to add them back in.

Do you live in a city large enough to have more than one allergist? If so let your fingers do the walking and ask the receptionist at every office you call if the doctor will guide folks with an elimination diet. Not many do but they do exist.

A true elimination diet will start you out with five safe foods. My alllergist did skin prick testing first to eliminate any true allergies and then started me out with 5 foods that I really couldn't stand. I started with turkey, rice, peas, sweet potatoes and pineapple with the only beverage other than water being cranberry juice. He got the starting point through a questionairre that asked about my daily diet and picked items I rarely ate as he said these would be the items I would be likely to tolerate. After 2 weeks without D I was allowed to add back in one food, in pure form, at a time for a week. If I had no reaction after a week I was allowed to keep that food and test another. It was a long a tedious process, especially since I started it a couple weeks before Thanksgiving.

IMHO though I would give the gluten-free diet a bit longer, it does take awhile, and drop the dairy and soy for now. Give it another month and then if your problems have not improved then go to the allergist and try the elimination diet.

As far as blood testing for other intolerances goes I don't know if there are blood tests for them but hopefully someone else will and be able to guide you with that.