food allergies...how can you tell?

[tschock]

I have tried my entire life to get in for allergy testing...they refuse to send me in because I'm an adult and they say that allergies in adults change all the time...ugh.
I have been told that I probably have the same allergies as my children...all but the youngest have been tested.
I told them that I doubt that...the things that they are allergic to seem to give me no problems at all...such as feathers, celery, ( yes celery... my oldest one is allergic...weird I know) and dogs...I have no problem when I go near them...and they don't seem to get sick from the things that I do...except the penicillin, that we know of.

I know a few of the things I'm allergic to...penicillin, erythromicin, sulfa drugs...most antibiotics as a matter of fact.
Penicillin doesn't bother me much...I only break out in hives...the others make my throat swell shut, tongue swells up, cracks, and bleeds, etc....yet they claim that because I get hives from penicillin that is my worst allergy? Makes no sense to me. How can hives be worse than quitting breathing???
I'm also severely allergic to bees and wasps...I quit breathing.  Allergic to snow molds.
Eggs are out too...couldn't have the measles shot when I was a kid because it was made with egg.
I know I'm allergic to the dye they use for doing kidney testing as well...found out the hard way... was very lucky that I was already at the hospital.

Anyway...every time I eat I get sick...bloating, nauseous, diarrhea in most cases...supremely constipated in others.
I constantly get headaches, stomach aches, and severe cramping that feels like labor pains.I constantly have mucus in my bowel movements, always have sinus infections, dry,itchy eyes, etc.
I can't gain weight, and I'm constantly losing weight. I can't afford to lose any more than I already have.
I used to get migraines all the time, but one doctor I saw asked if I drank diet pop...I told her yes...she said to keep away from anything containing aspartame for a month or two...the migraines went away and never came back...that was many years ago. So she said that I was at "the least" intolerant to aspartame...joy...seems that 90% of foods, juices, etc contain that stuff...no more gum for me. lol
I cannot eat beef anymore...at all. Wondering if it's because they give the cows penicillin and stuff...no idea.

How can you tell if and what foods you are allergic to?
Someone told me the best way was to eat only one item for 1 - 2 weeks straight ( such as carrots ) and only that item...except for water.  Doesn't seem feasible to me...would probably die of malnutrition or something...or turn orange lol.
Any ideas? Like I said...I have been to many doctors in the past and because of my age they refuse to send me in for testing...one doctor told me that it takes a minimum of 2 years to get an adult in for testing anyway. I figure if they would have signed me up years ago, I would know by now. lol

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[tschock]

Thanks tons to everyone for all the info.

I know that I can eat buffalo, venison, moose, etc...which are all grain fed (with NO man-made poisons injected into them)...so must have something to do with the organics factor anyway.

I was tested about 18 years ago for celiac...test came back as me being .5 away from having it at that point...whatever  .5 is supposed to mean.
Was also diagnosed as being .5 away from having arthritis at that time...I have it full blown now.
So might be something to look at.

My oldest son is "allergic" to milk...not lactose intolerant...so maybe I'll try the milk avoidance too.
Guess I'll try these diets ( one at a time of course ) that you have all mentioned, and see how that goes.

As for the question "do you want testing or treatment?"...treatment seems like a better choice.
Allergy pills do not work on me...they only make me fall asleep...even breaking the mildest pill in half still makes me groggy...I'm a mess lol
Most meds do exactly the opposite on me.
They once gave me meds for anxiety ( had a mild case ) and they gave me full blown panic attacks.
Gave me meds for my ADD...bounced off the walls and didn't sleep for weeks.
I don't take pills anymore...terrified of what they may do to me.
The pills for my stomach all gave me severe anxiety/panic attacks...the doctor said it was hogwash...the pharmacist said that it actually happens to the majority of people...go figure.
The doctor finally admitted that I'm extremely sensitive to medications...now he has no idea of what to do with me anymore. lol
I tend to go to the health food store for any types of meds now.
Also going to check and see if we have a kinesiologist around here.
So far the only one that seems to want to help me is my chiropractor...but there are just some things that he says he cannot do for me...too bad.

Thanks again to all!

[geminigirl1963]

Sorry - forgot to add - you're probably on the right track with the beef theory and penicillin.  I have a good friend who has a reaction to pork - makes him horribly sick to his stomach - usually within less than an hour after eating.  He's tried all forms of pork - bacon, ham, pork chops, ribs, etc.  We have, however, discovered that he IS able to eat some pork that has been raised by the Amish (no steroids, antibiotics, etc.) - we found it by accident at a local farmer's market and decided to give it a try - and he was able to handle it.  Of course, it's not the cheapest stuff in the world!!  The frustrating part is that knowing he can handle that, he may be able to handle organic pork, however, finding THAT is virtually impossible!  We can find organic beef, chicken and even lamb, but finding organic pork has been a bust so far!

[geminigirl1963]

Have you ever tried a gluten free diet?  Some of your GI symptoms sound very much like celiac.  You can find several recommendations for a gluten free diet online.

Also, have you tried staying away from dairy?  When I was a child, I had majority of the same symptoms that you get and it was determined that I was allergic to milk (not simply lactose intolerant).  Fortunately, I have somewhat "grown out of" this allergy, however, I still have to be careful about how much dairy I consume or else I end up with severe GI troubles and horrible headaches.

With food allergies, it is difficult sometimes to determine exactly what is making you sick.  The "testing" really is a matter of elmination - you don't have to strictly stick to one item per week (plus water) to determine if you are allergic to it - as you said, that would be very difficult, very frustrating, and very unhealthy.  What they did with me when they were testing me for the milk allergy, was they took me off of all of the most common food allergies (milk/dairy, eggs, wheat, peanuts, strawberries, shellfish) for about two weeks.  Then, we slowly started adding things back in to my diet - only adding one item back in at a time - and we would not add an additional item back in for several days to make sure that I wasn't going to have a reaction to the item that had been added back in.  It's kind of the same principle as when you start giving your infant baby food - you typically only give them one item at a time for a few days before adding something different - that way if there is a reaction, you will more easily be able to determine what is causing the problem.  It still takes some time, but is definitely much less restrictive than ONLY eating one item at a time.  Start off with things that you are positive are not allergy triggers for you and then add in one item that is questionable.  If there are no symptoms after a couple of days, then add in another - so on and so forth.

In the meantime, check out the gluten free diet suggestions and also think about seeing a gastroenterologist - since a lot of your symptoms are GI related, they may be the best one to give you suggestions on what to avoid/try, etc.

Best of luck - I hope you feel better and find some success on determining what is making you sick.

[TheLightSeeker]

Hey tschock,

Sorry to hear of all your issues.
There are a lot of things that can be done.
Your body is telling you that there's a serious imbalance.
Please take time to explore - in a holistic manner- what is going on.
Treat your body like a temple!
Only the purest and safest ingredients with emphasis on fresh, organic and nutrient rich.
Start with the hypo-allergenic diet or the elimination diet. Just look it up online.
Please research anything you ingest very carefully for safety that seems questionable.
I will give you more suggestions next time as I gtg now!
Blessings,
Nikodicreta

[allmymarbles]

Do you want testing or treatment? There is a whole bunch of things you already know you are allergic to. As for treatment, the allergists are a waste of time and money. I finally went to a kinesiologist. And got rid of my food allergies permanently. My insurance did not cover it. But think of it this way - all those co-pays for an allergist add up to much more than going privately for effective treatment.