Sudden adult onset of food allergies ...

I am 24 years old and have developed many food allergies all at once (onion, garlic, wheat, soy, shrimp, salmon, peppers, I can't eat anything from a can because of the nickel content and I can't eat anything related to onion such as asparagus, leeks, etc.)  I have been eating very little since I was diagnosed in April, and I haven't lost any weight, I've gained weight!  I'm really worried, I'm only eating about 1200 calories a day, and I weigh 260 lbs.  My neck and head hurt all the time, I'm swollen like a balloon, my vision has changed, my anxiety levels are through the roof, my environmental allergies have become so severe.  I'm trying to take allergy shots for the environmental allergies, but even when they diluted the first bottle of serum, I still had a reaction to the first dose.  I've seen an endocrinologist, my primary care doctor, my allergist, and none of them have any answers.  They keep taking blood, and all of the results come back normal.  The endocrinologist told me to cut back on bread, and I just wanted to scream at him I CAN'T EAT BREAD!!  I am desperate for an answer.  Does anyone know of anything that could be causing this?

[PlateletGal]

Do you have any other symptoms ? Muscle aches... fatigue... cognitive problems.... dizziness.... frequent infections ?

TIA,

PlateletGal

[allergygirl]

I have a lot of symptoms that have all come at about the same time as the allergies.  I don't have frequent infections, but I have muscle aches and weakness, severe fatigue, I've developed a buffalo hump on my neck and my face has become very very round (it was heart shaped until about 2 years ago when it started to round out), extreme hunger and thirst (I've learned to try and ignore the hunger, but I drink water all day long), severe stretch marks, my hair is thinning, increased levels of body hair, my top front teeth have become wider apart (I never needed braces or had an spacing issues with my teeth, and I haven't had any trauma to my mouth recently), I have lots of little red spots on my lower legs, I am hot most of the time, I sweat a lot more than I used to, my hands and feet go numb or shake for no reason, and I experience high anxiety levels at night and have a very difficult time trying to get to sleep.

[PlateletGal]

Please ask your physician about Cushing's Syndrome.

Symptoms    Return to top

Abdomen that sticks out and thin arms and legs (central obesity)
Acne or skin infections
Backache
Collection of fat between the shoulders (buffalo hump)
Hair growth on the face
Headache
Impotence (men)
Menstrual cycle stops (women)
Mental changes
Purple marks on the skin of the abdomen, thighs, and breasts
Round, red, and full face (moon face)
Thin skin with easy bruising
Weakness
Weight gain (unintentional)

link: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/MEDLINEPLUS/ency/article/000410.htm

[PlateletGal]

P.S. ~ Your Primary Care Physician should write you an referral to see an Endocrinologist.

[Dr_Aparna]

Hi,
Unfortunately one does not the reason for the outbreaks of allergies in an individual.Risk factors for allergy can be placed in two general categories, namely host and environmental factors. Host factors include heredity, sex, race, and age, with heredity being by far the most significant. There have been recent increases in the incidence of allergic disorders, however, that cannot be explained by genetic factors alone. The four main environmental candidates are alterations in exposure to infectious diseases during early childhood, environmental pollution, allergen levels, and dietary changes.
Allergic reactions occur to environmental substances known as allergens. Common allergic reactions include eczema, hives, hay fever, asthma, food allergies, and reactions to the venom of stinging insects such as wasps and bees.
A variety of tests now exist to diagnose allergic conditions; these include testing the skin for responses to known allergens or analyzing the blood for the presence and levels of allergen-specific IgE. Treatments for allergies include allergen avoidance, use of anti-histamines, steroids or other oral medications, immunotherapy to desensitize the response to allergen, and targeted therapy.
ref:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergy
Perhaps you could discusa few of these options with your allergist, if nothing further can be done, you will have to avoid the trigger factors and do the best you can.

[allergygirl]

I have been avoiding all of my allergies since April 10, 2008.  I haven't had anything, nor touched anything with those foods in it.  I didn't have any serious childhood diseases and I hadn't changed my diet when this all happened.  My diet consists largely of spinach, broccoli, lettuce, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, celery, brown rice, potatoes, boneless skinless chicken breasts, pork chops, lean beef, reduced-fat dairy products (such as skim milk and part-skim mozzarella cheese) and fresh fruits (no more than 3 per day.)  I've been drinking about 2 gallons of water per day (I am always thirsty.)  I limit my calorie intake to 1200 - 1500 calories per day.  I don't cook with salt (we only add a small amount at the table of iodized sea salt.)  We don't eat any processed foods, no candy (because of the soy), no fast food, nothing that has more than 3-4 ingredients in it.  We don't eat anything with "natural flavors" because of the risk of exposure.  I don't go outside for more than the time it takes to get in and out of my car and go to work or the store.  I exercise inside on an elliptical (when able) and take a daily (sometimes more than daily) antihistamine.  I get 6 allergy shots per week since April (and I am still unable to tolerate the second dose of the first bottle.)  My other symptoms don't seem to be related to food allergies, and if they are why haven't they gone away after 3 months?  My blood sugar and blood pressure have been excellent.  My hormone levels (except for Cortisol which the tests haven't come back for yet) have been normal.  I know allergies can just develop, but 7 food allergies all at once in a 24 year old, with no personal or family history of food allergies seems to be weird!  In addition to that all of the other symptoms I've listed above have come on suddenly too.  And why after 3 months of intense dieting (my husband has lost weight, he's down to 195 lbs and is 6' tall) have I not lost any weight, why do I keep gaining weight?

[PlateletGal]

Hi Allergygirl,

Its good to hear from you. I just wanted to say that I'm so happy to hear that your physician had ordered a cortisol level.

I hope that you will continue to post and keep us updated ! Perhaps Dr. Aparna can also shed some light on the food allergies. I know I've had a couple and I understand how challenging it is.

Best,

PlateletGal

[allergygirl]

Thanks for your advice, I hope the test results come back soon, I've always hated waiting especially when I'm really worried about something.  It's good to know I'm not the only one out there with multiple adult onset food allergies and immune problems.  I'll post again when I get the results.

[PlateletGal]

Well hang in there. Perhaps after you get your test results, that will help your physician(s) get everything under control.

Be sure to post again.. if you can.

Good Luck !

[allergygirl]

I think I've now developed an allergy to strawberries, apples, and tomatoes.  What is wrong with me?  I'm really scared, something bad is going on inside of me and no one seems to know what is wrong.  My stomach has been a mess, I keep breaking out in hives, and despite my constant battle with diahrea I still haven't lost even an ounce.  I'm so frustrated and worried.  Does anyone out there have any advice?  I'm desperate.

[allergygirl]

I just got my test results back just now!  My cotisol levels came back almost twice the value for the highest level of normal.  It feels so good to know an answer.

[PlateletGal]

I'm happy that you have an answer. Did you get a diagnosis ? I hope that now your physicians can treat your condition and pray that your allergies will be better as a result. Perhaps after some time of avoiding foods that you are allergic to... you will be able (with the help of your physician) to slowly re-introduce those foods into your diet ? You may find then that your symptoms have disappeared. This has happened in some individuals.

[allergygirl]

I did end up being diagnosed with cyclical Cushing's disease in October of 2009 and had my pituitary tumor removed in November, I'm feeling much better, but I haven't tried retesting for my food allergies yet, but all of my other symptoms are gone and I'm haven't had any reactions to other people touching me (my onion allergy had gotten so bad I was having a reaction to other people's sweat).  I am posting this to hopefully help someone else some day who might stumble across this post and who has the same symptoms.  It was very difficult proving that I had Cushing's disease, I had to see 3 endocrinologist, and go through lots and lots of testing.  I want to encourage anyone else out there struggling with the same symptoms to keep pushing for answers.  And I also wanted to let you, Dr. Aparna, know that there is more to Cushing's than most doctors understand, and if you ever come across a patient with the same symptoms as I listed above to keep an open mind and make sure to test for Cushing's, and it can take lots and lots of testing to prove or disprove it.   One or two UFC's and/or salivary cortisol tests are not sufficient for ruling it out.

This is a good resource for finding out more about Cushing's:
www.cushings-help.com
www.goodhormonehealth.com

[outofanswers24]

I sound just like you but my cortisol came out high on my blood test but then the 24 urine came back ok.  Can this happen?  What kind of test did they take for you? I am allergenic to so much it is hard to list but I was able to eat them a few weeks ago.  

[allergygirl]

Hi :)  I'm sorry you are going through this too.  I had a lot of testing done, I had cyclical cushing's so sometimes my cortisol was too high, and sometimes it wasn't.  I had both high, normal, and low test results in both urine and blood tests.  I had all normal salivary cortisol tests.  It took over 40 24-hour urine tests for me to finally be diagnosed.  I had my surgery November 18, 2009 and I've been Cushing's free since then.  And all of my food allergies are gone!!  If you think you might have Cushing's I would recommend joining the message boards on Cushing's help (they are free) the website is www.cushings-help.com.  The people on that site helped me so much.  

Do you have any other symptoms?