new here

[chett39]

Hello, i am new here. I'll give my recent history and some back history. I had a basic skin test done last week and nothing came back severe. I did have many moderate, a few slight and a few borderline. Those were the options..borderline, slight, moderate, severe and each marked with the first letter next to the allergen on the sheet of paper. Is this the standard way to measure allergies?

The ragweed is what concerned me because seasonal (end of august to first freeze) i notice i have itchy throat and roof of mouth after eating certain fruits and veggies, which are listed on my paper. Its not an actual allergy per se, but i get reactions because my body thinks its ragweed allergens when its actually food allergens.

Anyway, today i had an episode that i have had many times before, and ive always thought i was having panic attack because i have history of panic and anxiety. I didn't have anything for breakfast out of the ordinary, toast with butter, went outside to take my boy to daycare and noticed my throat felt like it was tight. Not really closing because i could breathe fine, but just felt tight. I didn't have any other allergy symptoms, no itchy eyes, no sneezing, no swelling of lips or face, no hives or rash. So as much as i thought i was having some sort of anaphylaxis episode i was under the impression that hives/rash and/or swelling always accompany the anaphylaxis. Thinking it was just anxiety and panic i just waited it out all day and it never seemed to go away or get better but also did not get worse. Finally i took a Zyrtec just to see, and within an hour the tightness had eased and i felt more relaxed and less anxious/panicky. Its not completely gone but i feel better in general. Again i didn't eat anything out of ordinary and didn't have any other symptoms. So i was wondering if anyone else has experienced this? I go back to my allergist this week to see what he suggests after reviewing my skin test and CT Scan i had on my nasal cavities.

I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this or if they get allergy shots because that may be the route i have to take. I have never had an allergy to food or medicines that i have taken to this point in my life. Just the basic common allergies pollen, ragweed, mold mites etc etc. Any and all advice/stories/help will be greatly appreciated

[Macabre]

Welcome!

You can have anaphylaxis without those visible symptoms.  I'm not sure that's what you had, but do be aware than you don't need hives, etc. 

Sometimes reflux can cause a tightness in the throat.  I've had it a couple of times unrelated to what I've eaten, and it's kind of scary.  It's felt more like food was sticking to my throat and a tightness.

Did you have chamomile tea with breakfast?  I only ask, because it's a rare allergy, but I have it, and there is high crossreactivity with ragweed--which in my neck of the woods is bad right now. 

I'm sure others will chime in about this, but skin prick tests are not wholly accurate (and are often inaccurate) with regard to food allergies.  There are a lot of false positives. 

I hope you find this a helpful place if it turns out you do have food allergies.

[chett39]

thanks for the reply! i do not have that tea, I'm not sure i ever have as it doesn't sound familiar other than it is listed on the sheet of cross allergens. The allergist didn't test for any specific food allergies yet, it was all common stuff like trees, grass, molds, cats, dogs, pollen's, cockroaches ( which is listed as in some chocolates!! why??!!) and some others that i had zero allergy to. The foods listed were all cross pollen and seasonal, so i'm really not sure what yesterdays episode was all about. I did feel like i needed to belch up air all day, and i did a few times but that didn't even relieve the discomfort. It finally went away fully about 10 pm last night, a full 12 hours after it started and 5 hours after the Zyrtec. Tomorrow is allergist appointment so hopefully he can shed some light. thanks again

[CMdeux]

If the ragweed pollen levels in your area are really high, and you are really sensitive to it, yes, all of that sounds like (just) pretty horrible symptoms from the ragweed.

During grass pollen season here, I constantly feel that throat tightness.  It is better at night or-- tellingly-- right after a shower-- because that is when my exposure is lowest.

Your itchy mouth with some foods-- melons are a top offender, right?  That would be what is known as oral allergy syndrome.

While it is usually not dangerous, at least in persons without a history of anaphylaxis-- please be aware that it CAN be in very rare instances.  That wouldn't be likely in someone like yourself without a history of asthma, eczema, and anaphylaxis from another cause, though.  Think really improbable.  But still something to discuss with your allergist.

You definitely need to share your mental health history (anxiety and even panic attacks) with your allergist in VERY frank terms when you go back for a follow-up.  You may need particular assistance in determining what is anxiety and what is "real" (yes, I know, anxiety IS real, but epinephrine or antihistamines won't help it and can make it worse).

Skin testing is reasonably good for determining environmental allergies, but notoriously awful for identifying food allergies.  (Only about 50% of positive results reflect actual allergies in foods).


Some people get a great deal of relief from allergy shots for environmental allergens, and some people don't.  You won't really know which group you're in for the first year, probably, and likely won't get maximum benefit from them until you reach a top dose (often 2-3 years away).

They did help my daughter significantly, and my DH, too.