Newbie Allergy post.

[BSAR10]

For approx a month I have had massive allergic reactions ...Rashs and pins and needles. Today a new one massive lips....

Doctor has put me on high antihistamines..but they don't seem to help as it happens.

Doctors have said the Clinical immunology dept will contact me some time. But doesn't seem overly concerned.

I just wondered if other people have found their own doctors unhelpful and looked at other alertintaves...I just don't know how much longer Im supposed to wait to even be given a test...And basically just speak to some one who knows how I feel which is pretty poor

[ThatPandaGirl]

I am allergic to nuts, seeds, legumes, shellfish, raw fruits, animals, mould, dust, chalk, raew potatoes and all 3 types of pollen.

As a child I was also allergic to dairy and egg but thankfully grew out of those.

The hospital took it very seriously as a child, much testing and anapens and adrenaline inhalers were given but as an adult the best I get is 'if it makes you have an allergic reaction to it, leave it alone'.

One doctor actually said to me 'some people are just intolerant'. The double meaning sort of tickled me but it wasn't much help.

I take daily antihistamines and carry my anapen (a type of epipen) everywhere and hope for the best.

I now suspect I am allergic to corn. I know I will get no help, but I will persevere with my doctors anyway.

Don't be afraid to make a massive fuss and take matters in to your own hands.

Good luck!

[BSAR10]

TY Panda...Iv kind of accepted this is not going to be solved over night..I think being so anxious and the not knowing is making me worse and that of everyone around me feeling sorry for me but with no answers. I expect my doctor to fix me.....Silly maybe LOL

TY for your post....Another thing im 29...Allergic to eggs as a baby but this went as I grew... Allergic tomatoes, Iv taught myself how to tolerate them ...to a degree. Changing my whole diet Is again worrying and very daunting....Life with out fresh bread ...n all that

[pretender]

It has taken me 7 years to get it recognised that I have an allergy as well as CD. It was the gluten free diet and medications that helped get the final diagnosis. Do not always accept the first opinion unless you are satisfied, I am now questioning the clinical judgement of a Consultant in Respiratory Medicine also Consultant Chest and Allergy Physician who fleeced me to write a report which has given misleading information to other Healthcare Professionals.

[katethebake]

Hi bsar10. i hope you have recovered a bit from your reaction.

Your post caught my eye because you mentioned that you have had a reaction to tomatoes in the past. I have a similar reaction to all nightshade foods. My throat swells along with the soft tissue in my mouth and i quickly get wheezy, If I swallow the nightshade containing food the irritation continues in my stomach causing an odd itchiness before pain and cramping.

Is is possible that you are becoming more reactive to foods in the same family as tomato? This includes potato, aubergine, peppers - chilli & bell, paprika and tomatoes. Almost all gluten free bread contains potato starch which could trigger a reaction.

Anyway, just a thought. Feel free to pm me if you think it might be relevant.

Regards, Kate

[RusticRita]

Hi BSAR10, hang on in there! I had to put in a formal complaint before my GP ran any tests after two years of worsening symptoms, sadly it seems to be the NHS norm lately. The rashes could be urticuria or herpetiformis. My rash got diagnosed as the former by my GP and the latter by the immunologist. However they label it, you are obviously very sensitive to something and your immune system is reacting big-time. Swollen lips are also an allergic reaction... if you feel your tongue swelling too, get down to casualty cos that would signify a dangerous reaction.

The immunologist will hopefully be able to shed some light on it, but I must warn you they only seem to deal with "true" IgE allergies, rather than food intolerances or coeliac symptoms which are handled by gastroenterologists! It's possible to have both.

I didn't find anti-histamines very helpful either and my symptoms only subsided when I cut out wheat, barley and oats (all gluten implicated). You can do an exclusion diet to do a bit of detective work and see what you are reacting to, but if it is gluten you would need to reintroduce eating it if you wanted to get any coeliac disease tests done (someone else on here will be able to advise on that). I found vitamin C in regular doses helped as they calm the immune system and you can also do a websearch for a low histamine diet to help counter your allergic reactions in the meantime. Best wishes.