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Are Allergy Tests Definitive

Are Allergy Tests Definitive

In 2001 I was diagnosed by skin-***** with allergies to house dust, cat, molds, grasses, feathers, trees, weeds, dog, and dust mites. I only had noticeable rhinitis symptoms to cats and house dust. I've also experienced difficulty breathing on exposure to mold in water-damaged buildings.

In 2008, exposure to cat hair and dust in a ventilation system in a home that also had mold growth led to constant sneezing, runny nose, itchy throat, puffy, itchy eyes, and post-nasal drainage that led to blockage of my nasal passages, thick yellow nasal secretions and swollen glands under chin and on right side of neck. New skin-***** test initially indicated allergy only to cats. Only two skin-***** spots had welts (cat and histamine). The night of the test, I had itching and small welts at three pricks, the initial two and an additional one. The itching at the pricks lasted 4 weeks. I also had IgE blood tests (ImmunoCAP mold panel and respiratory southwestern desert panel) with the only allergen above 0.35 cutoff being cat at 1.95. My total IgE was very low, 5 IU/mL. I had a positive IgA test for Stachybotrys at 1.7 mg/L. Stachybotrys IgE <0.10 and IgG 3.0mcg/mL were negative. I know from recent reactions that my previous allergies to molds and house dust have not gone away.

My symptoms subsided within weeks of moving into a new home. My symptoms returned within 10 weeks of planting about 25 plants inside my home. I made one trip to the emergency room when my throat felt like it was swelling and might close up and made speaking a little difficult, like speaking muscle weakness. The diagnosis was allergic rhinitis with acute pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia. My symptoms flare up inside my home so I removed all but 4 of the plants. My symptoms improved.

Is it possible that my symptoms could be from allergies despite my skin-***** and IgE tests?
Is it possible that the unidentified delayed third welt from my skin-***** test could indicate a possible allergen? Thanks.
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