Difficulty with Recognizing Allergic Reactions

[notashrimpwimp]

Hello!

I don't know if this is or is not common among food-allergic individuals, but I tend to experience difficulties recognizing allergic reactions.

Since being instructed to avoid Claritin, Allegra, and the like, I've been relying on Benadryl. I tend to react when I am in public settings, i.e. malls, grocery stores, and school. Each time I attend class, I take a prophylactic dose of Benadryl to help curb any reactions. This does not work, as evidenced by my need to epi during class.

The issue arises when I am spacey, unable to focus, or in denial (i.e. I must be imagining swelling, flushing, and throat lumps). I don't experience anxiety about social situations because I don't detect problems until I start reacting.

I just seem to seek out alternative explanations before identifying and treating my reactions. Is anyone similar?

[spacecanada]

I completely relate!!  I often try to find some other explanation (maybe I'm just tired, maybe I'm getting sick, it's too hot in here, etc.), it's all in my imagination (maybe it's anxiety or stress?), convince myself the symptoms aren't bad enough to require Epi (despite my action plan saying otherwise - it's just a runny nose and stomach pains), or I'm too spaced out to know what is happening.  My cognitive abilities decline rapidly in a reaction.  It happens all. the. time. -- too frequently for me to admit.  (Though significantly less now that I work from home.)

But then I look back and realize it was a reaction, I should have Epi'd and strive to do better next time.  It is not so clear cut and easy to recognize as it may seem.  Is every itchy or tight throat a reaction?  No, but how do I know for sure?  Are those hives from contact, ingestion, or something else entirely (like heat or sweat)?  Or, worse yet - Am I thinking this way logically or because a reaction is distorting my mental ability?  I often rely on someone else to go through my action plan and ask me questions - because despite being mentally compromised I will always answer questions truthfully.  I find that is my best tool in reaction assessment.

I guess all we can do is keep our action plan handy, refer to it often, review it with people close to us, and stick to it.  (Still harder than it sounds.)  We also need to forgive ourselves for mistakes, learn from those mistakes, and try to be realistic. 

Best of luck, notashrimpwimp.  It looks like we're on this journey together.

[CMdeux]

That cognitive impairment thing is BEASTLY.  Such a wicked, wicked cocktail of symptoms when you add that one in.  This is DD's biggest problem-- asthma/chest tightness, vague unease, and mental impairment are the cardinal things for her-- which leaves her often suffering INVISIBLY until she is experiencing rather florid grade IV or V anaphylaxis-- the kind where you'd really like to be in the ER or at least be with EMS so that they can do more than give you epi.      No idea what the solution is-- but if you figure it out, I'd love to know, too.

[Macabre]

Word.

[lakeswimr]

i'm wondering if you have a MAST cell disorder.  I don't know much about it but what you describe is so very unusual.  You are having frequent reactions without ingestion or seemingly even without contact ingestion. 

[notashrimpwimp]

They tested me for that, but they said I don't have it.

Contact is not impossible because people eat a lot of allergens at school. I see people dropping crumbs and touching things, so that probably causes a few of them.

I know there's some controversy around inhaled reactions but people have witnessed it happening with me when I had no way of knowing they were there.

Also, I'm thinking there's an underlying one that I didn't know about. When we cook at home with few ingredients I am still reacting. So maybe I am triggering some unknowingly.

I think the last one I saw did a cursory look at the spt and didn't take my history.