Not sure what's going on

[nervousbrit]

Hi all - recently I seem to be developing a food allergy of sorts.
After eating breads or products that I assume contain wheat I get a strange feeling in my throat - almost as if I have something stuck in there. It's not painful, just a bit uncomfortable but it can last for hours. Feels kinda like swallowing around a ping-pong ball. My sister has recently (in the past couple of years) discovered she is allergic to Gluten but I am in Asia and it is hard to get testing done.

Does this kind of reaction sound like a food allergy - particularly a Gluten allergy?

Thanks

[seattlemom2plus]

I am curious too what the follow up was on this post and what you discovered.  Please do update us when you get time.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

White patches are common in many throat  infections. In response to the infection the body produces soft white debris which collects in the tiny indentations in the tonsils called crypts. But red patches could indicate an ongoing inflammation in the throat. Repeated salt water gargles will help. Mix one teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of warm water and ask your son to gargle. If the patches increase in size or become painful then consult your doctor.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[achilles2]

Have you been able to get to the doctor, if so what did you learn?I hope that you were able to get some answers.

[nervousbrit]

Yep - that's the plan.
Lumps are still there this morning.

[achilles2]

If they are still there can you get to a good doctor to have the lumps/welts examined?

[nervousbrit]

This morning all was well until i ate some bacon and eggs. I avoided bread as I thought maybe I was developing a wheat allergy. Within minutes of finishing breakfast the 'golf ball in the throat ' sensation was back but this time instead of ignoring it I looked in my throat with a penlight.

There are two raised lumps / welts at the back of my throat behind the uvula.
I've been keeping an eye on them all day and they don't seem to disappear when my swallowing returns to normal so perhaps they are always there but just get irritated / react to certain foods. They could have been there for years for all I know or they may be a recent development.
They are painless and each appears to be about 1/2 a cm across.

i'll check them out in the morning after a full 8 - 9 hours without food to see if they are still there. If they are - any ideas??

[nervousbrit]

There is no itching at all. In fact apart from the 'lump in the throat' sensation it's not bothersome at all. I had a bagel with cream cheese yesterday - perfectly fine before i started eating and before i was finished I had the same strange feeling. Ate instant oats this morning and nothing so it seems to be be perhaps wheat related??

Thanks for your help and I'll check out those sites.

[SassyLassie]

Some food allergies, you do not itch with. I have many, and I do not itch with any of them. For me, I get horrible tummy aches and sometimes anxiety attacks.

I would try to cut out all food that has wheat and gluten and see how you feel, do this for about two weeks. Also, if possible, ask a doctor for a panel of food tests to test for different allergens. I did and that was when I found out that I had a ton of those darn things.

[achilles2]

I have gluten sensitivity ( (i.e. Celiacs) and I have never had a problem with itching. Itching can happen but it is not the sole requirement. To me it sounds very much like an allergy especially since it affects swallowing and such.  Here are some sites you might be interested in reading.

http://www.celiac.org/
http://www.csaceliacs.org/
http://www.celiaccentral.org/
http://www.mayoclinic.org/eosinophilic-esophagitis/
http://www.eosinophilicesophagitishome.org/

For the last two sites just because you are not child does not mean that this is not the issue, many people (my friend included) have been diagnosed with this as adults.

I hope this helps,
achilles2

[Jster]

Do you have any itching with it? Can you try a gluten free diet out there? You don't have to be diagnoses with it to try it, it can't hurt! I would think if it was an allergy there would be some kind of itching, too, but I am not a DR. try going gluten free for a month, see what happens. Good luck