I do not have food allergies but I have had lots of skin allergic reactions to soaps, lotions, deodorants, shampoos, makeups, etc.  My dermatologist offered to do patch testing to help me figure out all my triggers. 

I would like to add something. Badjer what you're experiencing may or may not be due to a food allergy.  By I would add that I've seen some pretty atypical allergic responses.  I won't go into my shellfish reactions which present at the outside window of fine generally accepted after ingestion (though really is love to hear what the UVA doc who specializes in the allergy to beef developed from tick bites that has an onset of symptoms at 6 hours would say)

Below you'll see I have a chamomile allergy. I've had anaphylaxis from putting lotion on my hands with chamomile. At other times I've merely had a runny nose from ingestion. But I stay away from it.

I was seeing a dermatologist for a skin issue--for several actually. One of which is perioral dermatitis.  An antibiotic keeps it at bay.  I get these bumps that look like zits and they won't go away for months. If it a while it was accompanied by a redness, a rash around the area. It was persistent. It itched. Sometimes it was dry and itched.

I had recently bought a new container of facial cleanser that I used in the shower. Used it for years.  But I hadn't read the ingredients of this tube, though I had of the previous one.

One day I did look at the ingredients and lo and behold they had added chamomile. I compared it to the old tube that I had kept for traveling.

When I stopped using it, my rash went away.

I didn't have hives. I had a rash. Clearly linked to using a cleanser containing chamomile.


Also I will add that in years past--close to the time I developed my FAs in 2005--when I used a different  cleanser with microbeads (and different brands of them) if I touched something I was allergic to and then touched my face I would get a huge welt that would remain for a day or so.  It was a raised red spot, the area I had touched. And it itched like crazy. This typically happened at work or church--where I was in greater contact with animal dander residue and who knows what else. I remember putting liquid Benadryl on my face at the office before we'd go on camera. Ugh.

Once I stopped using that type of cleanser, which I think was making my skin more raw and ready to receive an allergen--those reactions stopped. It wasn't the cleanser itself like the one above, but it was the priming action the microbeads had on my skin.

You might have Celiac.  Blood testing isn't 100% accurate.  Celiac can cause gastro problems, brain fog, tiredness, and a weird skin rash and other things.  A lot of people only have ONE of the symptoms that go with it. 

It is certainly true that a person can go from having hives to having anaphylaxis.  But it is NOT true that each exposure is going to have a worse reaction.  That happens for some people and not others.  In IgE food allergies reactions tend to be based on how much allergen is ingested.  The OP, though, does not sound like she has had any IgE symptoms, not even hives, so I do not think what you are saying applies here. 

Quote from: SilverLining on January 20, 2013, 05:29:35 PM

Quote from: badjer on January 20, 2013, 11:13:50 AM

Quote from: SilverLining on January 19, 2013, 02:47:16 PM
With food allergies, it is usually necessary to eliminate even trace amounts of allergens.  Nutritionist don't always understand that.  If you do go to a nutritionist, do NOT take their advice regarding allergies.  If she/he says "a bit won't hurt you" turn and run.

TY for the advice! Do you think that is also so, even in cases with the allergen doesn't cause anaphylaxis?

I'm not a doctor or expert.  But my own experience (and that of many others but NOT all others) is that the more exposure to your allergen, the more severe the reaction.  My reactions were originally hives....then very bad hives....eventually they became anaphylactic.  Back then, very few allergens were listed as "may contain" and the allergist I was seeing was really not helpful at all.

So, I do realize some of the less common allergens are really difficult to avoid even trace amounts, but as much as possible, I'm a strong believer in making the attempt.  Especially for any allergens that are commonly anaphylactic or any allergens that YOU feel cause a more serious reaction.

IgE food allergies by definition mean that the person could potentially have anaphylaxis.  Even a person who 'just' gets hives is at risk of future anaphylaxis.  Itchy throat from foods is usually what is called Oral Allergy Syndrome, OAS, which is different from IgE food allergies.  Usually (nearly all the time) OAS is not very serious and just involves not eating the food or not eating it during one's allergy season.  I have OAS.  I avoid my OAS foods in the fall and spring when they make my throat itch but the rest of the year I can eat them.  And I can eat them cooked all year.  This is pretty typical of someone with OAS.  My friend can't ever eat her OAS foods and even has had such severe throat swelling from OAS foods that she carries an epi pen.  This is very rare.  If all you get is an itchy throat I think that sounds like OAS and not very serious.  You can check with an allergist to be sure. 

No, old injuries do not tend to swell up or hurt from food allergies.  I'm sure you can find some alternative person to tell you that they do, though.  An allergist would not agree.  I would look to some other explanation about your knees.  There are many possibilities.  Lyme disease, arthritis, some type of injury that you keep re-injuring, lupus, etc. 

Testing positive to barley doesn't mean anything unless you have had a reaction to barley.  There are reactions people can have to foods that are non-IgE but IgE food allergy testing (the type you had) only tests for the immediate type of reactions that manifests in things like hives, swelling, coughing, stomach pain, drop in blood pressure, chest tightness, etc.  As I said, unfortunately these tests give a lot of false positives and are only about just under 20% accurate.  However, they are over 90% accurate for negative results.  They can't be used to diagnose a food allergy.  By itself a positive test means nothing.  If a person eats a food and doesn't have an IgE type reaction then by definition the person is not allergic no matter what the test says.  People can test even HUGELY positive and not be allergic.

I hope you find an allergist who is up to date on things.  Some are not.  Anyone who will diagnose you to things you eat without reaction based on test results alone isn't up to date. 

Quote from: badjer on January 20, 2013, 11:13:50 AM

Quote from: SilverLining on January 19, 2013, 02:47:16 PM
With food allergies, it is usually necessary to eliminate even trace amounts of allergens.  Nutritionist don't always understand that.  If you do go to a nutritionist, do NOT take their advice regarding allergies.  If she/he says "a bit won't hurt you" turn and run.

TY for the advice! Do you think that is also so, even in cases with the allergen doesn't cause anaphylaxis?

I'm not a doctor or expert.  But my own experience (and that of many others but NOT all others) is that the more exposure to your allergen, the more severe the reaction.  My reactions were originally hives....then very bad hives....eventually they became anaphylactic.  Back then, very few allergens were listed as "may contain" and the allergist I was seeing was really not helpful at all.

So, I do realize some of the less common allergens are really difficult to avoid even trace amounts, but as much as possible, I'm a strong believer in making the attempt.  Especially for any allergens that are commonly anaphylactic or any allergens that YOU feel cause a more serious reaction.

badjer, for grab-and-go food, how about hummus and veggies?

I am the queen of quick-and-easy vegetarian meals.  My family eats a lot of kidney beans/chick peas in salads, bean burritos, stir fry (I use tofu, but I know you can't do that), pasta and bean casseroles, lasagna (my tofu filling wouldn't work with the soy allergy, but is there a vegan cheese that's ok with your dietary restrictions?)....  You mentioned that you don't microwave foods.  Are you okay with prepared food cooked in an oven or on the stove?  You might look if you can eat any Gardein or Lightlife products.

I would make sure you really need to be avoiding soy.  Losing soy is huge for a vegan person.

@badjer

lakeswimr is trying to help you and is giving you accurate, best practices advice for IgE mediated allergies, what we on this board support each other on.

Please read the overview of allergies here for a reliable definition. http://www.foodallergy.org/section/faq1. This is the known medical condition with the objective symptoms we have. The FAQ includes testing information and how sensitivities/intolerances are different.

I would research food sensitivities and food intolerances.  Some of what you are experiencing may fit one of those categories instead of food allergies.

Quote from: SilverLining on January 19, 2013, 02:47:16 PM
With food allergies, it is usually necessary to eliminate even trace amounts of allergens.  Nutritionist don't always understand that.  If you do go to a nutritionist, do NOT take their advice regarding allergies.  If she/he says "a bit won't hurt you" turn and run.

TY for the advice! Do you think that is also so, even in cases with the allergen doesn't cause anaphylaxis?

Quote from: Macabre on January 19, 2013, 03:33:15 PM
Amy's has a few vegan things, yes?  They label well. Find out what you're really allergic to and maybe Amy's will be an option.

They do, but I don't eat microwave food- I'm talking grab-and-go things to carry with throughout the day. That's been tough with no nuts, soy, etc... the only thing I can think of is making my own snack bars, maybe.

Quote from: lakeswimr on January 19, 2013, 04:45:06 PM
What you describe does not sound like you have food allergies.  Food allergy symptoms are things like hives, swelling, difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, chest tightness, etc that occur very soon after eating foods and would be something you would notice happening.

Food allergies are not related to most of the things you listed that you have other than environmental allergies.  Many people who have food allergies also have environmental allergies.  I have environmental allergies but not food allergies.  My son has food allergies, though, and that's why I post here.

Food allergy testing by itself can't diagnose a food allergy.  A study by National Jewish Hospital found over 80% of people diagnosed just by test results were not allergic and ate the foods they had been diagnosed as allergic to with no reaction.  I you eat a food and do not have a reaction then you are not allergic by definition.  Many people test positive to many foods to which they are not allergic so your test results are not unique.

If you see a pattern of eating a food causing you to get hives or some other sign of a food allergy then that would be reason to test THAT particular food.  But the very high false positive rate of testing is reason that allergists recommend against testing foods unless there is reason to suspect a particular food is causing allergy symptoms.

There are all sorts of people out there who will say food allergies are responsible for all sorts of physical conditions but experts in the field would not agree.  There are wacky ideas and rip off scams galore so be careful where you go with this.  You could get ripped off and eliminate foods needlessly.

If you had really been allergic to soy and corn you would have had reactions to them.  And when you stopped eating them you would have seen the symptoms go away.  Generally speaking, reactions can often be very, very serious and require people to have an injection from an epi pen or similar device and call 911 and go to the ER.  not all reactions are so serious but if you were eating allergens you would know it. 

There are other food related conditions for which one would usually see a GI doctor, some quite serious.  If you think you have a problem with gluten you really should see a GI doctor.  Celiac is a serious condition and people with it are supposed to get bone density tests, blood tests to make sure there is no nutritional deficiency, etc regularly.  Insurance won't pay for these without a diagnosis so it is usually not advised to pull gluten before getting diagnosed.  It is quite popular now to go gluten-free.  If you pull gluten and feel better it could be gluten or it could be you are eating less processed foods or a number of reasons.  A good GI doctor will help you figure things out.

I do get itchy throat with some foods. You don't have to have an anaphylactic reaction to have food allergies. I was not saying that all my other conditions are from the food allergies- I was just asking if anyone knew of any connection. I have recently read, for example, that old injuries can be inflamed if you eat something you are allergic to. That could explain why my knees get inflamed constantly with no apparent trigger, or maybe not.

I am well aware of all the junk science out there and people who try to say they've found cures for food allergies and etc. and I avoid these things and use critical thinking to assess them.

I am not going to get testing for celiac. I do not have celiac. I was tested via blood and I've never been deficient in vitamins, etc... symptoms do not match up... etc... I do have a reaction to wheat though, and testing positive for barley allergy might explain this. The reaction is digestive and neurological though, not hives, etc. but again, from the literature I've read, hives are not the only reaction that shows a food allergy. I will not eat wheat again for 3 months so they can take a biopsy. I don't have the time or desire to do damage to my body and be out of work and school for 3 months to test something I know is not there.

I am going to go to a second allergist for another opinion and for blood testing.

What you describe does not sound like you have food allergies.  Food allergy symptoms are things like hives, swelling, difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, chest tightness, etc that occur very soon after eating foods and would be something you would notice happening.

Food allergies are not related to most of the things you listed that you have other than environmental allergies.  Many people who have food allergies also have environmental allergies.  I have environmental allergies but not food allergies.  My son has food allergies, though, and that's why I post here.

Food allergy testing by itself can't diagnose a food allergy.  A study by National Jewish Hospital found over 80% of people diagnosed just by test results were not allergic and ate the foods they had been diagnosed as allergic to with no reaction.  I you eat a food and do not have a reaction then you are not allergic by definition.  Many people test positive to many foods to which they are not allergic so your test results are not unique.

If you see a pattern of eating a food causing you to get hives or some other sign of a food allergy then that would be reason to test THAT particular food.  But the very high false positive rate of testing is reason that allergists recommend against testing foods unless there is reason to suspect a particular food is causing allergy symptoms.

There are all sorts of people out there who will say food allergies are responsible for all sorts of physical conditions but experts in the field would not agree.  There are wacky ideas and rip off scams galore so be careful where you go with this.  You could get ripped off and eliminate foods needlessly.

If you had really been allergic to soy and corn you would have had reactions to them.  And when you stopped eating them you would have seen the symptoms go away.  Generally speaking, reactions can often be very, very serious and require people to have an injection from an epi pen or similar device and call 911 and go to the ER.  not all reactions are so serious but if you were eating allergens you would know it. 

There are other food related conditions for which one would usually see a GI doctor, some quite serious.  If you think you have a problem with gluten you really should see a GI doctor.  Celiac is a serious condition and people with it are supposed to get bone density tests, blood tests to make sure there is no nutritional deficiency, etc regularly.  Insurance won't pay for these without a diagnosis so it is usually not advised to pull gluten before getting diagnosed.  It is quite popular now to go gluten-free.  If you pull gluten and feel better it could be gluten or it could be you are eating less processed foods or a number of reasons.  A good GI doctor will help you figure things out. 

Amy's has a few vegan things, yes?  They label well. Find out what you're really allergic to and maybe Amy's will be an option.

With food allergies, it is usually necessary to eliminate even trace amounts of allergens.  Nutritionist don't always understand that.  If you do go to a nutritionist, do NOT take their advice regarding allergies.  If she/he says "a bit won't hurt you" turn and run.