Allergy Test Confusion?

[JessicaHall]

Will an allergy test FOR SURE indicate a wheat/gluten allergy?

Is there a way that I could still have an allergy to certain foods if

the test comes back negative??

[mushroom]

Will an allergy test FOR SURE indicate a wheat/gluten allergy?

Is there a way that I could still have an allergy to certain foods if

the test comes back negative??

Jessica, are you talking about an IGe moderated allergy by taking the ELISA test, or are you talking about testing for gluten/wheat intolerance by doing the celiac panel testing? It was not clear from your post. There is a difference between an allergy and an intolerance. If you are allergic to wheat, you may have an anaphylactic (life-threatening) response to it, or develop a contact dermatitis from touching it. If you are intolerant of it, you will develop an autoimmune response. The celiac testing measures the IGg response (autoimmune)

[SLB5757]

Jessica,

My allergy tests were IGE Rasts for allergies. They first did skin testing and then followed it up by having blood drawn (IGE Rasts) just to be certain of my allergies.

The blood tests are to be more accurate. I can say however that I had numerous tests that were high positives, and I still consume the foods. If the food does not cause you allergic symptoms you can still have the food. There was no way I could eliminate wheat, rye, barley, oats, soy, corn, potato, tomato, all nuts, almost all fruits...etc from my diet. What I DO try to follow is a diet where I eat all meats that are lean, steamed veggies, rice, and I will rotate the "allergens" and try not to eat two in the same day. I will actually have corn one day...then potato another....etc, so that I only eat the allergen maybe every third day.

The only exception to this is that I NEVER eat wheat. Although the allergy is the same as the rest per the testing ( a high 4++), I never eat it. I have found if I eat even a little wheat - I will have major respiratory symptoms and labored breathing. I do not know if it is a more sever reaction because it is one of the top allergens or what. I just simply stay away from wheat because I cannot handle the "I can't breathe" feeling.

The celiac IGg testing if for a gluten intolerance and autoimmune response. I was negative for celiac but avoid wheat due to the allergy. My symptoms were nasal stuffiness and drainage, respiratory "hard to breathe" and sore throat feeling, and major distended stomach.

If you want to be certain if you have an allergy you need to have testing done (skin or RAST)by a reputable allergist, and you also need to be very aware of the reaction the food causes. You wouldn't want to eliminate say lettuce if you turned up positive and had no symptoms. At times if you are highly allergic to an environmental allergen then you can test positive to a food that is in the same "family". I for example have an extreme ragweed allergy. Because of this I show positive for lettuce and other things that don't give me too much trouble. The allergist can give you a list of "concomitant foods" which will show you what to avoid if you have a tree allergy, a ragweed allergy...etc. Typically the foods only have to be avoided in the season that the allergen is at its peak or highest.

Hope that helps a little...I am just a highly allergic individual so I have studied this quite alot.

[sandsurfgirl]

Just like celiac testing, allergy testing can be so innacurate, especially with foods. My mother in law is an allergist and her opinion is that you should go by your symptoms. If you are positive and symptom free, then eat it sparingly. If you come up negative but know a food gives you symptoms consider yourself allergic and avoid it.

She also says the very best way to be sure is to do an elimination diet. If she could she would have all her patients do it, but getting them to adhere to any diet is next to impossible so it's not something she's had success with. Plus it's a pain. You have to go down to a short list of non allergenic foods and then add a new food every 4 days. It takes forever.

She has also said that even if you are allergic, your body can have a limit of what you can handle. You need to experiment with foods to see where your limit is between having symptoms and no symptoms.

Of course that does NOT apply to celiac disease because it's not an allergy and there is no limit. Whether or not you have symptoms gluten is poison to us, so the glutens don't count.