Hives, acid reflux and digestion issues

I am a 41 year old woman.  I have never had a food allergy in my life and there are almost no allergies on either side of my family.  

In March, I started getting hives mostly at night and an occassional swelling on my lips. I suffered for a couple of weeks and then went into the urgent care clinic one day when I was at work.  He said it was probably an allergy and to take Benadryl and to go to an allergist.  Our company dropped our insurance last year.  I cannot currently afford to go.  

Shortly after the hives started, I started getting chest pains, which scared me, but they appear to be acid reflux from everything I have read and people I have talked to, not heartburn (which I have only had about 3 times in my life), but acid reflux.  I started keeping a journal of what I was eating and could not find anything definite myself.  I had a friend whose mother suffered from hives and reflux and had testing done and never found any allergy, but she took 1 Claritin and 1 Zantac every day for a year before it went away.  So I started that regimin as the Benadryl was really making me groggy all the time.  They do help, but I still have the hives as I can see them, they just don't itch.  Also the reflux is almost constantly there, just not bad all the time.  

Finally, recently I have noticed that milk is a problem.  Now, 3 months after the hives started, if I drink even a small amount of milk, I immediately have allergic symptoms, hives, acid reflux and then hours later digestive issues.  So, a milk allergy sounds like the problem and I love cheese and now when I look at everything I eat, I consume dairy products every day!

Until I can go to an allergist, I am going to eliminate all dairy products and products containing casein and whey from my diet to see if the symptoms stop.  Does this progression of symptoms sound like anything anyone else out there is experiencing?

[migirlfriday]

Or could this be something in my stomach or a digestive issue?  The hives and lip swelling make it seem more like an allergy to everyone I have talked to.

[SassyLassie]

Hello~This could be due to a digestion issue or lack of enzymes in your tummy. I would add a powder form of acidophilus daily to your diet, this will put the "friendly" bacteria back into your system. You can mix the powder in water and drink it, it really does have a  taste at all. You could also add a good, digestive enzyme, normally, these are taken during the meal. If food is not digested properly, it ferments and in turn, can cause all kinds of unpleasant symptoms.

One other thing it might be is "Candida" this is an intestinal yeast infection and believe me, it can cause all kinds of trouble some of which you have mentioned. It would not hurt to have the test to determine if you have it. There is a book called "The Yeast Connection" and is very easy to understand and it goes into detail about Candida, and what to do for it. I believe it is written by Dr Cooke. If it is not available in the book store, I bet you can still order it on-line, I found it invaluable.

I am glad you are getting tested for allergies. I have had them. They usually draw some blood, then test the blood with certain food allergens.

Good luck and please keep us posted.

[sheila41]

Hello, I have and do suffer from the same. But mine began after a lengthly course of "anti-biotics".  I was never the same again.
Also so many people have "allergies" now,  since l960's  - have you ever thought of it from a different angle ?     look at the way we shop now,  everything is full of chemicals.  The bottom line is always OUR BODIES ARE NOT DESIGNED TO DEAL WITH CHEMICALS. No matter what people say, you can't alter that.
I have gone completely organic, and I feel a lot better for it.  It's your choice.  Also taking more and more pills to cure things, justs adds to the chemical imbalance and load.
This is only my opinion of course,   but from my angle, common sense is what must rule you.  Think everything out for yourself.  
Don't necessarily believe that "reports" say about chemicals not being harmful. Also common sense must also tell you that "some" health supplements would also contain many un-natural ingredients.
ALWAYS LET YOUR CONSCIENCE BE YOUR GUIDE......

[Caryopteris]

If cutting out dairy helps, but you are still having problems, you might consider gluten as a second allergen.  Hope you don't have that.  I can't have gluten, nuts, or dairy, but it's great to have some control over how I feel.