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Allergist?

dube

By dube
in Doctors

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dube Contributor
dube
Posted

Has anyone ever gone to an allergist for food allergy testing? I was looking at the enterolab and they are so expensive? I want to get tested but I want to make sure I go to the right kind of doctor....

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MrsMonteSS Newbie
MrsMonteSS
Posted

Has anyone ever gone to an allergist for food allergy testing? I was looking at the enterolab and they are so expensive? I want to get tested but I want to make sure I go to the right kind of doctor....

Hi, I just went yesterday, after being misdiagnosed for the last two months (Hyperthyroidism / Diabeties). I am Gluten Free for two days now, and slowly feeling myself coming back together. I went and had no food allergies, but he ordered the Gluten work up. A Gastro typically deals with the effects of Celiac, but my allergist wanted this done right away. I would avoid as much sugar as possible because it is the reason I was misdiagnosed, stay hydrated, and start reading labels. I was allows in bouts with Lactose Intolerance as well. Hope this helps! RoseAnne - NY

hnybny91 Rookie
hnybny91
Posted

I went to a natropath for food sensitivity testing. Some on here think it is not reliable but I knew there were other food issues after going gluten free and, to be honest, I did not want to do an elimination diet to figure them out. I came back positive for 36 foods (including gluten and wheat....surprise surprise.) Since I have cut all of those foods out I have felt so much better. I highly recommend testing.

pondy Contributor
pondy
Posted

Has anyone ever gone to an allergist for food allergy testing? I was looking at the enterolab and they are so expensive? I want to get tested but I want to make sure I go to the right kind of doctor....

Hi Dube,

I'm seeing an allergist/immunologist this week.

My primary doctor recommended him because I get bothersome (sometimes scary) reactions to foods & other things - can't seem to figure out which foods, etc...

Fortunately, the allergist is covered by my insurance. Even if he wasn't though, I'd still go.

Personally, a bad allergic reaction for me sometimes involves a "choking" feeling in the throat or shortness of breath. Seems potentially dangerous so I'm covering all my bases.

Good luck to you :)

T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted

Has anyone ever gone to an allergist for food allergy testing? I was looking at the enterolab and they are so expensive? I want to get tested but I want to make sure I go to the right kind of doctor....

I have, and I'd recommend finding a doctor who specializes in food allergies. There are usually one or two in a city, at least. The others? They tend to focus more on environmental allergies and allergy shots, these days.

I went to the latter first, and it was awful. My food allergies were, essentially, 'all in my head' and the fact that I started having trouble with food after going gluten free was a 'coincidence' and...it just went down hill from there.

I persevered and found an amazing allergist. He admitted that most food allergy tests aren't that accurate. The more mild your reactions are, the less accurate the tests were, in his opinion. He recommends a food journal for his patients who aren't having hives as reactions to foods. Sometimes a patch test, but he thinks a food journal is as accurate, if not more so, than patch tests if you are having issues with foods that aren't hives.

You also need to find someone who is aware of Celiac Disease, if possible. Probably need to shop around. Maybe ask people in a local celiac group if there are any they would recommend?

Robert16 Newbie
Robert16
Posted

Yes i did and was very helpful found out about half my problem foods were allergies the one that suprised me was highly allergtic to pork was worth it.

Marilyn R Community Regular
Marilyn R
Posted

Has anyone ever gone to an allergist for food allergy testing? I was looking at the enterolab and they are so expensive? I want to get tested but I want to make sure I go to the right kind of doctor....

I went to an allergist eight months after going gluten-free against the advice of my Gastro. I learned I was highly allergic to pecans, even though I'd never had a problem with them before. They're an ingredient in a gluten-free SF DF bar I'd been snacking on. The other thing I was highly allergic to is turkey, which I've never cared for, but occasionally ate when it was on sale.

I turned up 2's and 3's on some things (egg yolk, tomato, clams, wheat and barley.) I just avoid repeating the first 3 items in that list in my diet or going overboard on them. For instance, I'll have eggs for breakfast, but eat just the white. I still make things with a beaten egg though (like gluten-free pancakes or refried rice, etc), just wait a few days before eating anything with egg yolk in it again. I don't make tomato sauce anymore, but can deal with tomato sauce or paste as an ingredient in a dish every few days.

I break out in hives but I know my triggers, so I refused the hive panel on the initial visit. We talked about environmental allergies and he told me I probably have mold and dust allergies. He offered that panel as well, and I declined.

So I definitely recommend going to an allergist. You can be selective about the panels ordered, but it's important to discuss this on your initial visit.

I was pretty impressed with how much better I felt after eliminating my other culprits from my diet combined with minimizing the mild allergins. And just so you know, the nurse that does your tests might tell you what popped up on the day of your test if you ask her. (Vs. waiting two weeks for the doctor to tell you. )

If you haven't been tested for celiac disease yet, I think an allergist would order that the day you see them, especially if you ask them to.

Good luck to you! :)

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dube Contributor
dube
Posted
  • Author

Well, going to the alergist was a waste of time! The did the food pricks right there in the office...hardly nothing! She said, alittle on pork, walnuts and crab...well whoopie doo....I dont eat walnuts or crab...and pork well, very little but never had a problem with it...

Oh well...it was worth a try, not to mention a very nice scenic drive in the country!!! LOL

burdee Enthusiast
burdee
Posted

Well, going to the alergist was a waste of time! The did the food pricks right there in the office...hardly nothing! She said, alittle on pork, walnuts and crab...well whoopie doo....I dont eat walnuts or crab...and pork well, very little but never had a problem with it...

Oh well...it was worth a try, not to mention a very nice scenic drive in the country!!! LOL

Skin tests for food allergies (esp. delayed reaction allergies) are totally worthless, UNLESS your only reaction to food is hives or eczema. We don't put food under our skin when we eat. Many people get gastrointestinal reacions to food allergens. Skin tests will not reproduce those kinds of reactions. However, blood tests can show to which foods our blood creates antibodies. Nevertheless, skin tests can rule out some IgE (immediate reaction, anaphylactic reaction) types of allergies. Some allergy 'experts' consider IgE mediated reactions the only 'true' allergies, despite the fact that most people have delayed reaction food allergies.

  • 2 weeks later...
Deedeedum Newbie
Deedeedum
Posted

I read the same thing - that a patch (skin) test only uncovers allergies that you have an immediate reaction to. From what I've read, most people with intolerance to certain foods, chronic fatigue, gluten, yeast, celiacs, etc, won't find their allergies with a patch test. Symptoms can take up to 3 days to show up, and they can be subtle: gas, bloating, mood, fatigue, low energy, skin problems and so on. And that's not counting long-term organ and nerve damage.

I would seriously consider getting a blood test done, since this is the only way to see what foods you can tolerate well. And the point isn't only to find what is debilitating, but to find what foods are stopping you from living life to the fullest, or on a full tank of gas.

Cheers

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    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable.  The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body.  So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days.  Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test.  But even that test has been questioned as to accuracy.  It is expensive and takes time to do.   Because of the discrepancies with thiamine tests and urgency with correcting thiamine deficiency, the World Health Organization recommends giving thiamine for several weeks and looking for health improvement.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   Many doctors are not given sufficient education in nutrition and deficiency symptoms, and may not be familiar with how often they occur in Celiac disease.  B12 and Vitamin D can be stored for as long as a year in the liver, so not having deficiencies in these two vitamins is not a good indicator of the status of the other seven water soluble B vitamins.  It is possible to have deficiency symptoms BEFORE there's changes in the blood levels.   Ask your doctor about Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine that is better absorbed than Thiamine Mononitrate.  Thiamine Mononitrate is used in many vitamins because it is shelf-stable, a form of thiamine that won't break down sitting around on a store shelf.  This form is difficult for the body to turn into a usable form.  Only thirty percent is absorbed in the intestine, and less is actually used.   Thiamine interacts with all of the other B vitamins, so they should all be supplemented together.  Magnesium is needed to make life sustaining enzymes with thiamine, so a magnesium supplement should be added if magnesium levels are low.   Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  There's no harm in trying.
    • lizzie42
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    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

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