Hi - Brand New Member Here w/ Questions! :)

[Forever Blue]

Hi Everyone!  I'm a brand new member who joined today.  I'm wondering if my new discovery of food allergies (by my dr) is the cause of why I've been feeling a certain way for going on 1.5 mos.  I'm glad I found this board & I hope to learn a LOT here!   

Please go to my thread below & give your input if possible.  (I'm still trying to see where everything is):

Food Allergies (Questions)

[lakeswimr]

Welcome!  What was the reason the doctor diagnosed you?  What symptoms do you have?  Food allergies are generally not something you would have and not know you have because the symptoms are pretty obvious such as hives, swelling, vomiting, stomach pain, throat constriction, difficulty breathing, and more.  If you were not seeing symptoms like that very soon to up to about 2 hours after eating, it is not very likely that you have allergies.  Allergy testing is very unreliable and has a very high false positive rate meaning people test positive but are not allergic.  Testing is only one component of a diagnosis and has to be combined with reaction history to confirm.  If you were diagnosed just by test results you should know that that is not standard practice.  Now, if you tell us you have been having typical symptoms then I would have a different response but it sounds like that might not be the case.

[Forever Blue]

Thanks for your post.  The only thing I actually feel a reaction to are dairy products (I get gas, so nothing severe).  Milk was on the results, but so minute that it doesn't matter.

I'm back from the dr.  She even gave me an EKG to rule out anything to do with the heart and that was normal! 

She said the food allergies are so minor that she didn't see the need for an allergist. 

My MAIN concern is a combo of the feeling that lungs need to expand more, closed-throat feeling, & labored breathing/shortness of breath throughout these almost 1.5 mos.  Its felt at times like my lungs need more air like they need to expand more is the best way to explain it.

I got 4 more prescriptions today:

1) Omeprazole - for acid reflux/digestion - I don't think I need to take that
2)  Epi-pen - to take as needed, probably won't have to take
3)  Prim...zine - for runny nose/cough - I haven't had either so I probably won't take this...unless it's good for nasal congestion, is it?
4)  Asmanex Twisthaler - to take as needed

If none of that works, she'll refer me to an pulmonologist.

[GoingNuts]

Welcome!

Reflux can cause the symptoms you're describing, so it may be worth doing a 2-3 week trial of that med to see if it makes a difference. 

[lakeswimr]

I would want to see an allergist and maybe a GI doctor. 

Reflux can cause things like that and so can asthma.  I'd want to see the very best allergist I could to figure out what this is. 

If you really do have IgE mediated food allergies (the type for which you carry epi pens), you want to know that.  If you don't, you want to know that, too.

[Forever Blue]

OP back.  I appreciate the comments guys!

Is an Epi-pen a needle?  I don't even know since I never had to use one before.

I can definitely live without peanut butter/peanuts.  I don't even like it.  I may eat a peanut butter & jelly sandwich once every 2-3 yrs, but I don't even have to do that.
Re: soy, I know soy isn't that good for you, so I'll keep avoiding that as much as possible like I've been doing.

[rebekahc]

Yes, an epipen is a needle, but it's an autoinjector, so you don't see the needle, or push a plunger or anything.  It could save your life if used when your action plan calls for it.

If you really are allergic, it's about so much more than just not eating a peanut butter sandwich. You will need to learn about manufacturer cross contamination, how to read food labels and call manufacturers because the labels are not required to list possible contamination; restaurant (and home prepared) contamination, speaking with wait staff and chefs, avoiding resataurants where contamination is impossible to avoid, leaving restaurants when you gut tells you they just don't get it; etc.

[lakeswimr]

You need to know if you have an accurate diagnosis or not.  What you posted sounds like you should see an actual allergist to me. 

[GoingNuts]

Forever Blue - did they do scratch tests, or blood tests only?

[eragon]

A GP gave those prescriptions but expressed that the allergies are minor? 
why havent you been referred to an allergy clinic or immunologist when GP has offered an auto injector? What was your GP's reasoning behind this?

I would seriously consider pushing for a referral to an allergic clinic,  esp if you are certain you have an ige allergy.

However, milk intolerance, food intolerance can give you chest pains, and it can be severe and painful. But it is not life threatening. just worthy of changing diet.


 

[spacecanada]

Can an admin please merge these two very similar threads? (Here and in Adults). The OP mentions some things in one but not the other.  i.e. no change in symptoms after eating.

[Forever Blue]

Thanks for your replies!  I kept a DAILY log of how I've been feeling, but these are the main events below.

GoingNuts, just blood test so far. 

I guess the dr wanted to try giving me various things to see if they'll work.  This is a new dr, which I just started going to due for this ordeal.  I noticed she's NOT an MD.  She has a D.O. after her name.  I looked up what that was & it seems just as good if not better.  To break down my ordeal briefly, here's what's happened:

Jan 23 - 1st symptom of very restless sleep due to upper back pain that night, but felt more internal like behind breastbone area, every position I moved in bed was painful. Rest of wk was no problem.

Jan 30 - Nasal congestion & 1st time ever of throat-closed up feeling, restless nights' sleep

Feb 1 - Went to ER due to mod/heavy sinus congestion, closed-throat feeling, & hard time breathing. Diagnosed w/ viral bronchitis. Given generic of Flonase & Zirtec.
Feb 21 - Dr appt #1 & given steroid shot & nebulizer ventrilator treatment of liquid med, chest x-ray, & blood test (to see about any food allergies), got 3 new meds:

1) Amox-Clav (antibiotics)
2) Methylprednisolone - 6-day supply, worked some, not obvious improvement
3) Ventolin HFA inhaler - used 2x so far, helped a bit

Mar 1 - Starting to finally feel better
Mar 10 - Dr appt #2, given EKG to rule that out, was normal. Also:
1) Omeprazole - for acid reflux/digestion - I don't think I need to take that
2) Epi-pen - to take as needed, probably won't have to take
3) Prim...zine - for runny nose/cough - I haven't had either so I probably won't take this...unless it's good for nasal congestion, is it?
4) Asmanex Twisthaler - to take as needed

I was told by a couple acquaintances that you have to call 911 when using the Epi-pen & if so, I really don't need to use it. I haven't had any reactions to any foods, bee stings, etc. at all, except some gas to dairy products the last 1-2 yrs.

Re: Asmanex Twisthaler - I watched a couple youtube vids on how to use because she just handed me that without telling me how it works. And I guess I use this now in place of the Ventolin HFA inhaler

MY MAIN CONCERN - My breathing, which at times feels like the lungs need to expand more &/or that I need more air.  So I'd actually like to see a pulmonologist much more rather than an allergist.

Also, I never had asthma nor been tested for it, but I'm starting to wonder if I have developed this.

[Ciel]

Something seems off here, with the info you are getting. And the info you are not getting.

Asmanex is a corticosteroid that is meant to be taken daily. To use 'as needed' doesn't make sense, unless the doctor meant something like seasonal use (i.e., for 6-8 weeks during pollen season). It does not work quickly and should not be used in acute situation. I guess it might be prescribed during illness, but it takes time to start working optimally.

Ventolin is a bronchodilator that is used to dilate airways during acute asthma exacerbations, flare-ups (i.e., illness) or sometimes prior to exposure to triggers, exercise, etc.

They are not interchangeable.

It would make sense to see a Respirologist to diagnose or rule out asthma.

I agree that the chest symptoms and pain/tightness sound a lot like they could be reflux. Taking the omeprazole for 4-6 weeks should give you more info there, to see if this helps things improve. Reflux can also cause the throat symptoms you describe. I have similar pain to what you describe -- we are doing tests to rule out other causes but we think probably my reflux meds are just not enough and it is probably breakthrough symptoms.

Also, D.O means doctor of osteopathy (an alternative medicine branch). I'm not sure that an osteopath should be diagnosing IgE allergies without sending you to an Allergist or Internal Medicine specialist, or giving a referral to a Respirologist for asthma, or to a Gastroenterologist for GERD, etc.

[Mr. Barlow]

To OP:

In my opinion these are medical questions about diagnosis you should only seek from an experienced board certified allergist/immunologist with a demonstrable knowledge of food allergy.  Reliable data show overuse of food allergy panels by non-allergist medical professionals lead to inaccurate overdiagnosis. 

I've said this a few times but it bears repeating: I don't doubt you experience symptoms.  You have the right to accurate diagnosis by a competent professional.  It's not enough to get "a" diagnosis, but the correct diagnosis. 

In my opinion the internet should only be used to ask how to live with food allergies after a valid diagnosis of clinical history.  I don't even call my MD friends with medical questions.  I call my own doctors for the same reasons.

If you are going to go down the route of ruling out IgE-mediate response--ask for a physician referral in your area, one of good reputation and credentials.  Don't ask for a diagnosis online even if from a medical professional.  Go to the AAAAI website to use their physician locator to find someone in your area or request 2-3 names of reliable allergists.

[Forever Blue]

Thanks again guys. 

I'm the type of person who doesn't like to take prescription meds.  I try to find all-natural remedies as much as I can.  Over this past weekend, I found out about these tablets called ClearLungs made from Chinese herbs that they sell at a certain health store & I started taking those since Sunday, March 12th.

I've finally really been feeling like I'm on the way to getting back to normal the last 2-3 days!  Today though, I requested that my dr move forward w/ the pulmonologist referral.  I want to see if I've developed asthma.