- Welcome to Food Allergy Support.
Posted by GoingNuts
- April 27, 2018, 07:11:12 AM
Posted by rebekahc
- April 26, 2018, 10:42:38 PMWow, that was some fast testing! I'm glad you clarified things with your allergist.
Posted by Teri1
- April 26, 2018, 08:29:21 PMok got the test redone. same results.
doctor told me again dont eat shrimp and I cannot eat crawfish,languistinos, or prawns. but lobster and crabs are fine for me to eat.
thank you guys for helping me out.
doctor told me again dont eat shrimp and I cannot eat crawfish,languistinos, or prawns. but lobster and crabs are fine for me to eat.
thank you guys for helping me out.
Posted by Teri1
- April 23, 2018, 06:04:57 PMIll see if I can get a new one done
Posted by rebekahc
- April 23, 2018, 03:09:18 PMThat's just barely positive and since you had negative skin testing, I'd see if you can do an in office food challenge for shrimp at your allergist's office to find out in a safe setting whether you really are allergic. Fingers crossed for you that it's a false positive - it would be great to not have to worry about a food allergy!
Posted by Teri1
- April 23, 2018, 02:35:35 PMokay I got ahold of my allergy test, blood allergy test. IT WAS RAST.
everything was listed as <0.35
but I got to shrimp and it said
SHRIMP (F24) IGE 0.46 with a red exclamation mark. class1
everything was listed as <0.35
but I got to shrimp and it said
SHRIMP (F24) IGE 0.46 with a red exclamation mark. class1
Posted by Teri1
- April 19, 2018, 12:47:03 AMrebekahc yes those are from the skin test, I never got the test papers back from the blood food allergy test, but the doctor did tell me that for that test, shrimp and only shrimp,did come up and told me that I did not need an epipen for it but to just avoid eating it and I should be fine. so Im assuming it may not have been serious? I dunno doctors here in California are weird.
I want to get the blood test redone anyway. and will post that here when I do.
I go back for another immunotherapy shot next month so Ill ask to get the blood test redone.
I want to get the blood test redone anyway. and will post that here when I do.
I go back for another immunotherapy shot next month so Ill ask to get the blood test redone.
Posted by rebekahc
- April 18, 2018, 09:28:23 PMThanks, Mac, I was just going by the test links posted. It's been a while since I've seen our blood test results. I know it was RAST and then CapRAST. I didn't remember they had dropped the RAST from the name on the lab reports.
Teri, do you have your blood test results you can also post? I agree that you should have an EpiPen for a shrimp allergy. I hope you can get one from your allergist as well as instructions on when to use it and how to best avoid a reaction.
Teri, do you have your blood test results you can also post? I agree that you should have an EpiPen for a shrimp allergy. I hope you can get one from your allergist as well as instructions on when to use it and how to best avoid a reaction.
Posted by Macabre
- April 18, 2018, 08:58:40 PMRC, I think Teri1 said she had both a blood and a skin prick test. I'm guessing the blood test results are separate. I know none of the testing that we've had in 19 years has actually said "RAST." It's said ImmunoCAP.
If you are allergic to shrimp, you do need an EpiPen.
If you are allergic to shrimp, you do need an EpiPen.
Posted by rebekahc
- April 18, 2018, 07:23:28 PMOk, those results are from a skin prick test - not a blood test. I don't see where they tested you for shrimp, specifically, though?
The first page you posted shows that they tested you for some typical environmental allergens. Most of your results were smaller than the histamine control except for the dust mite ones which were the same size, so it's most likely your 'worst' allergy, but your wheal size was still pretty small. The numbers represent the size of the wheal (the hive like bump) and the flare (redness around the wheal) in millimeters.
The sheet they gave you about oral allergy syndrome is because sometimes when we're allergic to one thing (like a pollen or a dust mite), our bodies will mistake a similarly shaped pollen or a similar protein in something we eat and cause oral symptoms - especially during that pollen season when our bodies are already on high alert. So, for example, I'm allergic to ragweed. If I eat melons my mouth itches and my lips swell up. If you test me, I'm not allergic to melons, but my body mistakes the melon for ragweed pollen. There's a chance your dust allergy could make you have some oral symptoms when you eat shrimp even if you're not allergic to shrimp, but it's not real likely. There are a lot of people with dust allergies who tolerate shrimp just fine. It may just be something to be aware of, but not worry too much about unless you want to avoid shellfish if you're having a lot of allergy symptoms around that time. Of course that's assuming you don't have a shrimp allergy (basing that just on the skin test results you posted).
The last page you posted was the food allergy skin testing and the only thing measured was the histamine control. You did not test allergic to any foods. And they definitely did not test you for separate types of shellfish on that test - just a general shellfish mix.
Edited for added clarity.
The first page you posted shows that they tested you for some typical environmental allergens. Most of your results were smaller than the histamine control except for the dust mite ones which were the same size, so it's most likely your 'worst' allergy, but your wheal size was still pretty small. The numbers represent the size of the wheal (the hive like bump) and the flare (redness around the wheal) in millimeters.
The sheet they gave you about oral allergy syndrome is because sometimes when we're allergic to one thing (like a pollen or a dust mite), our bodies will mistake a similarly shaped pollen or a similar protein in something we eat and cause oral symptoms - especially during that pollen season when our bodies are already on high alert. So, for example, I'm allergic to ragweed. If I eat melons my mouth itches and my lips swell up. If you test me, I'm not allergic to melons, but my body mistakes the melon for ragweed pollen. There's a chance your dust allergy could make you have some oral symptoms when you eat shrimp even if you're not allergic to shrimp, but it's not real likely. There are a lot of people with dust allergies who tolerate shrimp just fine. It may just be something to be aware of, but not worry too much about unless you want to avoid shellfish if you're having a lot of allergy symptoms around that time. Of course that's assuming you don't have a shrimp allergy (basing that just on the skin test results you posted).
The last page you posted was the food allergy skin testing and the only thing measured was the histamine control. You did not test allergic to any foods. And they definitely did not test you for separate types of shellfish on that test - just a general shellfish mix.
Edited for added clarity.
Posted by Teri1
- April 18, 2018, 05:59:12 PMyes this was a board certified MD. I was given claritin prescription for my dustmite allergies and immunotherapy to treat it, and told to avoid eating shrimp to prevent reactions. epipen was not needed. 2 years doing the immunotherapy for the dustmite allergy Im barely sneezing at all anymore. so I know thats working. anyway heres the test results.
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Posted by rebekahc
- April 18, 2018, 02:05:13 PMYou should be able to log in and post a link to your results or you can post as a guest, but insert a space before the .com (or whichever type link it is) or write out dot com or something. I'm really curious about the type of testing you received. Was this from a board certified allergist/MD? Did your doctor offer any treatment for your allergies or advice on how to avoid reactions? Did you receive a prescription for an EpiPen or other type emergency epinephrine injector?
Posted by Teri1
- April 18, 2018, 12:53:29 PMno I do not think I got a RAST test. the clinic gave me their own type with their lab in the clinic. they told me straight up
"well you don't seem to be allergic to anything except shrimp" I asked if it was a shellfish allergy
"no, you arent allergic to shellfish, just specifically shrimp, you can eat crab and lobster, but seriously stay away from shrimp"
that was the exact words the allergist told me.
I wish I could link you to my test results, but guests arent allowed to link.
"well you don't seem to be allergic to anything except shrimp" I asked if it was a shellfish allergy
"no, you arent allergic to shellfish, just specifically shrimp, you can eat crab and lobster, but seriously stay away from shrimp"
that was the exact words the allergist told me.
I wish I could link you to my test results, but guests arent allowed to link.
Posted by rebekahc
- April 16, 2018, 10:08:04 PMIf you weren't having reactions, I'm surprised you were tested for so many foods since 'fishing expeditions' are not considered good practice except for some rare circumstances where it's really hard to pinpoint the most likely culprit(s) for a reaction. There are different types of blood tests for allergies, but the only legit one is RAST testing unless there's something really new out there. The results are usually a number and then each lab has a scale (usually 1-5) that they classify number ranges into. Do you know what your numbers were? With some allergens, those can help narrow down the likelihood of you having a reaction (called positive and negative predictive values). So below x you have a very high chance of not reacting and above y you have a very high chance of reacting. The PPV and NPV for each allergen is different and can vary widely. I'm not sure what those numbers are for shrimp, but your allergist should be able to tell you. I would want to explore all of that before taking the risk to eat any crustacean.
All that being said, though, if you have eaten shrimp and haven't reacted, then you're most likely not allergic unless you've developed the allergy between your testing and the last time you ate shrimp. Those numbers might help give you a better idea about that.
All that being said, though, if you have eaten shrimp and haven't reacted, then you're most likely not allergic unless you've developed the allergy between your testing and the last time you ate shrimp. Those numbers might help give you a better idea about that.
Posted by teri
- April 16, 2018, 07:56:59 PMwell, the test I had was a blood food allergy test. plus a skin test. skin test said I was severely allergic to dust mites.
the blood portion said, that I no food allergies except shrimp. wheat came up negative but I know for certain I have a wheat intolerance. (not celiac)
as for reactions......I rarely if ever ate shrimp (maybe once a year) and never had a reaction, but Im assuming its because I never ate it enough to begin to develop allergic symptoms to it.
the blood portion said, that I no food allergies except shrimp. wheat came up negative but I know for certain I have a wheat intolerance. (not celiac)
as for reactions......I rarely if ever ate shrimp (maybe once a year) and never had a reaction, but Im assuming its because I never ate it enough to begin to develop allergic symptoms to it.