severe stomach pain

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msprior01:
Hi,
Does anyone have allergies to: wood ear mushrooms, black mushrooms, hoisin sauce ,duck (product of any kind, even fat used to fry french fries in Quebec), or salmon?

I occasionally have severe, almost unbearable stomach pain (true stomach pain, not intestinal, and not gas) which waxes and wanes over periods of hours (much like labor pain waves). It goes up and down, lowest point being discomfort, peaking at gnawing but acute pain. I never vomit or have diarrhea with it. It is incapacitating, and I can't even talk during the worst. It can begin from one to a couple of hours after I eat some types of chinese food, and always after salmon. I can eat most other fish (mainly white.e.g. cod,halibut, grouper, etc.), but salmon causes terrible pain. I used to eat salmon regularly, then suddenly couldn't. I can eat all other shellfish and mollusks with no pain. Has anybody ever heard of a newly developed allergy to some types of fish, again, not shellfish?
I think I am allergic to duck, since I've eaten it in pate or truffle mousse and gotten very sick afterwards. Though I avoid duck, I recently had a bout of horrific pain after eating a meal of steak and fries, the latter cooked in duck fat (unbeknownst to me till later). Is this something anyone else has ever heard of?
As for chinese food, I usually avoid it, since I've had pain after consuming it. Even so, if I do try it, I make sure it has no msg. I've recently tried a couple of mixed veggie, pork dishes with no pain. However, I've eaten mu shoo pork twice (different restaurants), and had pain so terrible that I once went to the er. I was the only one in my family who got sick from the shared dish, so the food wasn't spoiled. I asked for the ingredient list for this dish. Assuming they told me the complete list, I have eaten everything on it, cabbage, pork, onions, carrots, shiitake mush., hoisin sce.., wheat. Basically all but the wood ear mushrooms and black mushrooms she listed.
Ok, before anyone suggests soy, as in soy sauce, I'm Korean. Believe me, I've eaten it all my life and continue to do so w/o issues. During these episodes, I've tried every remedy, e.g.:
pepto., antacids, including zantac, pepcid, tums/rolaids, milk of mag., gax-x (simethicone), and even self-induced vomiting to empty stomach. Even tramadol (ultracet, prescribed for different illness) at its max dose, has not worked. I've just had to ride it out.
The reason I am asking, is that I'm trying to find out if a) any of these are known allergens to anyone else, and b)I'd like to cook a Thai dish which calls for oyster sauce, which I don't know if it contains any of the problematic elements above. I normally avoid all of the above list, if I'm able.
Sorry for such a long ramble, but thanks for any replies.

M

CMdeux:
Have you ever been evaluated for gall bladder problems?

The kind of pain (and location) that you're describing, in the absense of any other allergic symptoms, seems more typical of something else (though it's possible to have food allergy manifest this way, it would be unusual).

Particularly your list of foods, which includes things which would be (aside from salmon) really unusual allergens in someone with no specific history of food allergy.

Intolerance? Maybe. If it were food allergy with such localized symptoms, either an antihistamine that blocks both H1 and H2 receptors should help significantly, and certainly the Zantac should have.

As for those things being food allergens-- well, sure. There is probably no food to which someone, somewhere is not truly allergic. It's absolutely possible to be allergic to some specific foods (wood ear mushrooms and not any others, for example, or ONLY salmon among fishes).

The more pertinent question is... are you allergic to it? Are there any foods that you never eat, and pretty much have never eaten out of a deep and unusual aversion? That might provide some clues for us. What kind of diet do you typically eat? Do you eat out much?

Do you have any other indicators of being an 'atopic' person? That is, asthma, eczema, or hay fever?

If so, then I strongly encourage you to seek out a good allergist with experience treating patients with food allergy (not all allergists are competent FOOD allergy docs) so that you can have professional help working through your history.

That won't help if this is a problem of another nature entirely, though-- and a problem with fatty/rich foods would suggest that gall bladder might be a great place to start with your regular doc.

twinturbo:
Sulfites is something to consider given what you listed. Dried fungus including wood ear, shiitake, is usually listed with sulfites on the package that most people wouldn't think to pass on to you as an "ingredient" and certainly it can be in sauces or an ingredient that is used in a prepared sauce or marinade. I also know sulfites can cause reactions, bad ones, and some people on this board deal with them.

I'd lay off sauces with multiple ingredients likely to have sulfites for a while but keep using soy sauce. There shouldn't be any sulfites in the major soy sauce brands.

GoingNuts:
I was going to say gall bladder too - salmon and duck are both very high in fat, and the other foods you are describing could be eaten in the context of a high-fat meal.

How are you with other fatty foods?

Good luck!

msprior01:
Thanks for chiming in. I see the connection you make, i.e. gall bladder. I think I'm fine with other fatty foods. I love to cook, and though mostly healthy choices (no references to the corp.), I occasionally whip up creme based sauces such as bearnaise, or home made real whipped cream...etc. I admit to the very, very occasional (once yearly?) Fish n' Chips, with no problems. I really wish it were my gall bladder, though. It would simplify making food choices.

M