Chemical Allergy Testing?

Hi,
my mum has been ill over the last 6 weeks with an allergic reaction to an unknown chemical
(sickness/vomiting, puffed up eyes, mild fever and feeling very weak)
She also lost her sight temporarily for a couple of weeks which is now almost restored.
She worked at a printing company before she got ill.

She went to an allergist who said she is allergic to possibly many chemicals and diagnosed her with an allergy to ink but says it's impossible to find out exactly what chemical(s) she's allergic to!
Is this right or should i find her a better allergist? I'd assume chemical allergy testing would be quite straightforward?

Another thing is she has been vomiting and been very ill at the same time every week for 5 weeks in a row. If she was exposed to the ink at her printer's job (which she left 2 months ago) would this be normal for someone in recovery?

Many thanks.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

How is your mother doing now?

It is in fact not very simple to find out the exact cause or the exact substance causing an allergic reaction.

You should continue with the allergy specialist you are seeing now, but you can always take a second opinion if you are not convinced.

Also, has your mother noticed any improvement in her symptoms after leaving her printing job? How long has it been that she has not gone to work?

What medication has the doctor prescribed? Have any blood tests been done? Are the reports normal?

Let us know how she is doing now and also if you have any doubts.

Hope this helps.

Good luck.

[LEE1993]

She has been about the same since she last worked which was about 2 months ago. At the beginning of each week she would get very ill with bad vomiting and then slowly recover and be a little better and then get ill again! Seems to be going in weekly cycles!
I can't say she is much better.
The doctor hasn't been too interested in her allergy, was more concerned with her high blood pressure but the allergist says that is caused by the allergy itself and will go down in time.
She is taking claritin(clarityn) every day. She had a blood test which came back normal.
Is there any other medication which would speed up her recovery?

Many thanks.

[LEE1993]

She has been about the same since she last worked which was about 2 months ago. At the beginning of each week she would get very ill with bad vomiting and then slowly recover and be a little better and then get ill again! Seems to be going in weekly cycles!
I can't say she is much better.
The doctor hasn't been too interested in her allergy, was more concerned with her high blood pressure but the allergist says that is caused by the allergy itself and will go down in time.
She is taking claritin(clarityn) every day. She had a blood test which came back normal.
Is there any other medication which would speed up her recovery?

Many thanks.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

The symptoms you described could also be related to a non-allergic cause and a proper clinical examination would be required to reach a final diagnosis. Does your mother have any other symptoms such as heart-burn or reflux or belching?Has she taken any anti-nausea medication for the symptoms? It would help to take some OTC anti-reflux/anti-nausea medications for a few days and see if it helps.

On which anti-hypertensive medication is she on currently and is her blood pressure under control currently?

Let us know if you would any more doubts/questions and what your doctor advises. I hope this helps answer some of your questions.

Good luck.

[LEE1993]

She doesn't have any symptoms related to heartburn or reflux but everytime she eats she does belch(burp) a lot!

She hasn't taken any medications for anti-nausea, what would you recommend (with least side effects)?

Unfortunately the anti-hypertensive medication she tried gave her a chronic headache and she has stopped taking them.She was prescribed another medication but she is too scared to take them at the moment because of the possible side effects (on top of her allergy illness)

In your opinion do you think her high blood pressure is caused by this kind of allergy?
(there is no history of high BP in our family)

Many thanks again for your time. You are very kind!

PS Is there an alternative to Clartyn that might be more effective?
She was sick yesterday and has a very puffed up face today (round the eyes)

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

Belching does usually does indicate some component of reflux is present. It would help to take some OTC anti-reflux, anti-nausea for a few days and see if that helps. A combination of Esmoprazole- Domperidone can be given a try.

Which anti-hypertensive was prescribed previously? What is her current Blood Pressure? You need to get her blood pressure checked regularly.

If clarityn (loratadine) is not helping with her symptoms you should reconsult with her allergy specialist and he/she would easily change it to a combination drug or a drug of the similar class.

Let us know how she is doing and also if you have any doubts?

Good luck.

[LEE1993]

Hi,

Thank you for the suggestions, is much appreciated!
I will get her to check her blood pressure next time she goes to the doctor and let you know. She took amlodipine previously.

Many thanks.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

Glad to be of some help to you. Just let us know if you have any more doubts or queries.

Also it would help to see that she has a healthy diet schedule and also try anti-reflux, antinausea medications and see if that helps.

Hope she gets well soon.

Regards.