Food Allergies (Questions)

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Forever Blue:
Did I suddenly develop allergies and NOT bronchitis as originally diagnosed? I recently turned 42 & never had any allergies, asthma, respiratory issues, etc. in my life. When I had a dr appt for (what the ER I went to said was) bronchitis (even though I have NO cough, runny nose, flu, etc.) for a closed-throat feeling that came on out of the blue one day, I took a blood test to see if I had any food allergies. The results came back that I'm allergic to:

class 1
wheat
corn
seafood

class 2
soybean
peanuts

I love seafood, so I guess this means ALL seafood, period? I can live without eating peanuts since I don't like them anyway, but so many things have wheat, soy, peanut oil, and corn products.

Does this mean I can't eat sandwiches, tortillas, pasta/noodles, pizza, and more?!

How does one adjust to this? This is all new to me.

I've suffered almost 1.5 mos now with a combo here & there of:

closed-throat feeling
nasal congestion
bronchi in lungs feeling inflamed/swollen

I'm so, so tired of feeling this way. :( I planned to ask about seeing an allergist and wanted to find out more about all-natural rememdies. I have dr appt #2 later TODAY. I'm looking for any answers!!!

rebekahc:
I'm sorry you're suffering! Hopefully you'll get some easy to deal with answers, soon.

1. It depends on what type of allergy testing you had whether your results mean anything. Even the gold-standard tests are only about 50% accurate for positive results. It is very unlikely you are actually allergic to everything you tested positive for (and I hope for your sake most if not all are false positive results).

2. The foods you need to avoid really are dependent on what you're actually allergic to. If you are eating a food without acute symptoms, it would be presumed that you are not allergic.

3. There is no all-natural remedy for food allergies other than complete avoidance of the allergic food(s).

4. Yes, please see a board certified allergist! He or she will be able to help you determine if your symptoms are, indeed, due to a IgE mediated food allergy.

Hope you get some answers soon! Once you know for sure which (if any) foods you need to avoid we can help you with that, too!

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.

spacecanada:
Do you suddenly get a tight chest, difficulty breathing, etc. immediately after eating or is it a more constant thing? Food allergy reactions are typically very sudden to present themselves, require emergency medical attention, and don't last days or weeks, though other side effects such a minor reactions, fatigue and anxiety can last for a week or two.

Has your doctor tested you for asthma? Lactose intolerance?

Why did your doctor think you had allergies in the first place? What type of testing did they do? (Corn isn't typically on the food allergy test where I live.)

If you were prescribed an epiPen did you also get an action plan on when to use it? If not, and you should see one anyway if someone suspects you have allergies, you need to see an allergist.

We aren't doctors here and can only offer suggestions. I hope you get some answers soon. Best of luck.

Forever Blue:
OP back. I appreciate the comments!

No no kind of effects after I eat. No test for asthma, I guess that's the pulmonologist's job if I get referred for one. So far, I had a chest x-ray & EKG, which were normal to rule out anything w/ those areas. The blood test tested for food allergies. In continuation from my previous 2 post re: the food allergies, the dr said they were so minor that it's not like I have to avoid those foods, so I feel better about that part.

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.

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