information, answers, suggestions, or advice?

[littleone]

Hello! 
I recently started having weird gastro issues which prompted my doc to have some allergy tests done. I had skin allergy prick test done. These were my results (obviously only typed out the ones with reactions)
 They never explained to me how severe any of them are. Ive just been avoiding most of these like the plague bc im terrified how severe of a reaction i can have. Mind you, I had NO clue about any of these except lemon. I noticed that anytime i'd add lemon to my water or fish etc. it would make my heart race and face feel flush. Otherwise, I had no clue about the other ones. Are these bad reactions? Should I avoid these foods and have it redone soon? I'm not sure if im asking in the correct spot on the forum, so im sorry if i am out of line! i will catch on! any responses are greatly appreciated. 


cockroach - percutaneous 4mm    intradermanl 5mm
mite d farinae - percutaneous 4mm    intradermanl 5mm
mite d pteronyssinus - percutaneous 4mm    intradermanl 5mm
white pine - percutaneous 3mm    intradermanl 0 mm

FOODS (percutaneous only?)
chocolate/cocoa bean - 3mm
vanilla - 3mm
strawberry - 3mm
banana - 3mm
soybean - 3mm
almond - 3mm
pecan - 4mm
black pepper - 3mm
onion - 3mm
garlic - 3mm
mustard seed - 3mm
lemon - 4mm
rice - 3mm

[CMdeux]

Unless you have some idea what your positive and negative controls were, there's no way to even know if any of those are positive results to begin with.

While adults can and do develop food allergies, developing several that you don't even suspect you have is pretty close to impossible.

Skin prick testing (SPT)-- which is what those results evidently refer to-- is only about 50% predictive of clinical allergy to a food in cases where the prick results in a clearly POSITIVE test result.

It doesn't appear that you have any really wildly, obviously positive results for any of those things.

For comparison, the positive skin tests that I've personally seen on family and friends range from 8-40mm.  That's the wheal size alone (the part that is puffed up).

[littleone]

thank you for your quick response. I pulled out the paperwork they gave me. It says: Positive control: 7mm   Negative control: 0mm
 And next to everything that had some sort of reaction, she wrote P
Does any of this make a difference? Are there other tests that can be done?

[CMdeux]

SO everything they tested you for was smaller than your histamine control but larger than the saline.

Well, that means that the testing is at least VALID-- since you did respond to the histamine, and didn't to the saline.  It also means that most allergists who specialize in food allergy wouldn't have considered those results truly "positive" but probably "equivocal" or "unclear" at most.

Honestly, it means that it's time for a new doctor, if that's all that you were given.  Testing alone can't diagnose a food allergy.  Period.  It can sure lead to all kinds of trouble to clear a diagnosis that never should have been made in the first place, though-- as you're discovering. 

Why were all of these things tested in the first place?  What kind of symptoms led you/your allergist to conclude that some of those things were potential allergens?  Do you have any specific history that indicates that you're at risk for anaphylaxis?  For food allergy?

It sounds like you're really scared, but I'm not sure that you ought to be, based on what you've said.

[littleone]

Thank you so so so so much!

I was kind of in the dark about it. My doctor had someone come in his office to do this  testing for me for a couple of reasons. in October 2012 i started getting 'out of no where' major panic attacks from 'chest pain' I would feel. I slowly realized it was certain things I ate, especially greasy foods or gluten and was having major reflux, gurgling, abdominal pain, and severe belching. I finally called my gastroenterologist and he eventually scheduled me for a colonoscopy and endoscopy which found nothing but very mild gastritis and was negative for celiac. I then found a new physician who did some extensive blood work, checking everything including heavy metals. My blood work came back showing i had vitamin D deficiency, and my CRP levels were high due to my psoriasis. That's when he decided to have an allergist come in because after avoiding gluten due to just an assumption, my skin started clearing up. and then those were my results from the test. the foods i had reactions to I was basically eating everyday...and theyre very hard to avoid...and chocolate is a HUGE trigger for my skin to flare up im noticing.

 I guess I will look for an actual allergist office to go to. The girl that did the skin prick test wasn't very outgoing and was playing on her phone and giggling at text messages the whole time we waited for results which made me feel like she just had no enthusiasm. Thank you again!

[CMdeux]

Do you see a specialist for your psoriasis?  I'd start there-- by asking if there is any connection with your food intake and triggering worsening of your symptoms.

None of what you describe is really typical for IgE-mediated food allergy, fortunately-- and unfortunately.

Fortunately because panic attacks can sure feel scary and awful-- and they often come with what seems like cardiac symptoms liek a racing heart, etc-- but they aren't going to result in death the way anaphylaxis can.

Unfortunately because figuring it all out is likely to really be difficult, much more so than if it were explained by a food allergy.  I'm sorry, but look at it this way-- knowing what IS the problem is ultimately the key to feeling better. 

It's always possible that it is an allergy/intolerance to something commonly found in those foods you've been avoiding and which was NOT part of this admittedly odd series of SPT.

I'd have gone 'round the bend at the lack of professionalism you describe, with a healthcare professional giggling and texting in the room with me.  Yikes.  Kudos to you for not doing her bodily harm, I say.   

[rebekahc]

In my non-medical opinion, your GI problems sound an awful lot like gall bladder issues.  I had my gall bladder out due to it being full of stones and I also have vit. D deficiency.  Even after having my gall bladder out, I was producing stones which would get stuck in my common bile duct.  I've noticed a huge improvement in my gall bladder and other GI issues since I began taking vit. D in a therapeutic dose for my deficiency.  I have psoriatic arthritis, too, and have also noticed fewer flares when taking vit. D.  So, I guess what I'm trying to say is your symptoms could all be related, but most likely not due to IgE mediated food allergies.