is this an allergy?

[panaluu]

I had an incident happen in a restaurant and I'm wondering if this is an allergy.  I have no history of food allergy that I know of.

We went out for supper in a chinese restaurant.  We ordered a few dishes and I ate a few bites of various things.  A couple of mintes after starting to eat, I very suddenly felt VERY hot and flushed.  I got a glass of ice water and put it on my neck.  I started feeling dizzy and very faint.  My mouth felt strange.  As this was setting in, I felt very nauseated.  I told my hubby that we had to leave.  While walking back to the car, my belly button got really itchy and I was still feeling very faint and felt like I was staggering.  I could feel the food moving through my gut and then had to use the toilet.  I lied down for about an hour and felt less dizzy.

Is this something that should be evaluated by an allergist?  I talked to my family doc who said "dont' eat there again"

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

Yes that would be the best approach. You just need to avoid the causative agent once you find it and also get tested for other food allergies if your allergy specialist advises.

Do keep us posted on what your doctor tells you and about how you are doing.

Regards.

[panaluu]

I don't think its the MSG.  I am chinese and have eaten MSG MANY MANY times.  I suspect its something else.  My suspicion is these little dried things that were in one of the dishes but its just a suspicion.   A friend suggestd that it might be the sulfites that it was preseved with.  

I'm going to see an allergist to see if we can nail it down.

thanks a bunch.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

Kat is right. MSG or mono-sodium glutamate can cause allergy symptoms in certain individuals.

You need to avoid this and always ask if the food has MSg by any chance.

You could in fact go back and check with the restaurant to confirm your doubts about this.

How are you doing now?

Regards.

[kat1021]

Hi just noticed your post while I was looking for a problem I have with an itchy throat.
I have had that same problem and it was from MSG which is in a lot of chinese food. Even if they say they don't use it when cooking, it can be in the sauces they purchase for some foods. I am highly alergic to it and found out just the way you did. Years ago I went out to eat with my daughter at a chinese restaurant and within a few minutes of leaving the restaraunt I started getting very flushed and hot and my head was hurting me. I also felt very hyper and my daughter had to suffer through my babling. Later  she told me never to eat at that restaurant again. If by some chance I do get some MSG in something, I usually can tell within minutes and try to take some benadryl as soon as I can. The liguid one usually works faster and I take it every 4 hours until I feel better. I'm surprised the doctor didn't mention MSG to you when you said you ate chinese food. Many people are allergic to it. If you really want to eat chinese ask if they use MSG or if any of their sauces have it as an ingredient. I only eat chinese at r
resaurants that can say they don't have any MSG in any of their food and be sure to tell them you are allergic to it. Good luck.
kat

[mikey887]

alright first dont eat there again there could be some food ingrediants that your body  cant handle
                  
              yull be fine

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

It definitely fits the clinical picture of food allergy.

Not eating at the restaurant will not make it go away.

It would be best to consult an allergy specialist and see what he/she has to say about this.

Chinese food also have certain ingredients including ajinomoto which are rarely used in other cuisines and so that could be the reason of this episode.

It would be most suitable to discuss this with an allergy specialist.

Do let us know about what is advised.

Hope this helps.

Good luck.

[panaluu]

It was chinese food, I likely had all of them in there with the exception of milk.  I consulted my doctor who said, don't eat at that restaurant again which I don't think is overly helpful advice given it could happen again and its hard to avoid things if you don't know what your avoiding.  I have been thinking it was allergic reaction but wanted another opinion before I pushed the issue to see an allergist.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

The most common food allergens are milk, egg, nuts, fish, soy and wheat.

What you describe definitley points to an allergic reaction to some food you might have had.

Do you remember eating any of the food stuffs mentioned above?

You could also get your self tested for food allergens if you want.

Consult your doctor about this.

Do let us know about how you are doing.

Hope this helps.

Good luck.