NEW TO THIS- Allergic to Chicken, turkey, beef, pork….HELP

[AllergicMommy]

 Around September 2012, I began to break out in a red, spotted looking rash every single day. The rash would come and go, but after a few days it began to get extremely itchy, raised, red spotted rash. I had always a sensitive stomach almost anything I would eat would cause me to throw up, from above or below....if you get what I mean or cause pain. Went to the Dr. two weeks into my rash and they told me to figure it out because it was difficult to figure out causes of the rash. I was lactose intolerant but I had never had any allergies at all nor had I ever been to an allergist. The rash would continue but my face, lips, eyes, and cheeks began to swell as well. I would feel as if someone was chocking me, feel pressure on my chest and such.

At first I thought it was a "gluten allergy" since this what everyone said. I eliminated gluten and would continue to break out. Long story short, after months of suffering around November 2012, I finally went to an allergist. The allergist conducted about 40 prick tests on my arms, I tested positive to being allergic to chicken, beef, eggs, milk, lamb, cashews and one other food I had never heard of.

He said this is what you're allergic to but conduct experiments to see if it's true, so I did.

Anytime I would eat chicken, eggs or beef I would break out. I would try one item and within an hour or so I would feel something happening, almost like a tingling sensation on my face. I would wait a couple days and continue my experiment with the other foods. I had a reaction with everything, so I began to eat pork and turkey. Within two weeks of eating this, the rash came back. Anytime I would eat pork or turkey the same thing would happen as if I was eating chicken or beef.

So far I've had a reaction to chicken, beef, turkey, pork, eggs, milk, cheese, and some deserts. However I'm able to eat a donut or bagels with cream cheese without the rash. Odd.

I am constantly starving, but terrified of eating something that would cause a break out. Sometimes it gets so bad that I have to miss work, or go in late until the swelling subsides. This has drastically affected my life. I've lost several pounds, I do not feel healthy, I am tired, exhausted but have to continue on with life; work, school and taking care of my four year old.

Is there anyone with a similar story? Should I go back to the allergist and request more accurate test? What is an accurate allergy test? Please provide me with any advice or guidance, as I am in desperate need.

[twinturbo]

I'm not a doctor, I can only go by what you're posting but this is what I'd do.

• paper diary or diet tracking app
• roster of foods safe for you to eat
• assemble target list of specific doctors and tests. i.e., no shotgun approach.

The combination of swelling and rash could be the type of allergy we deal with on this board, the life threatening type IgE-mediated. First step is to get either an EpiPen or Auvi-Q, both are epinephrine auto-injectors for life threatening allergic reactions. You'll want them on hand and know how to use them and when. They are time buyers for emergency services to reach you and since you have a young child dependent on you not to be incapacitated you don't want to be a hero here. Your primary care provider can prescribe one hopefully a nurse or pharmacist can go over injection, failing that look on the websites for injection instruction.

Then get MedicAlert bracelet if for no other reason if you crash can't speak for yourself it will state you experience severe allergic reactions. You can worry about the whats and how severe later but in the meantime you have the young child in care to think about.

Next let's talk about getting you to normal. Test results are notoriously high in false-positives but for now let's assume you are allergic to all that you said it doesn't really matter because you'll need an elimination diet anyhow.

Identify a list of whole, nutritious superfoods that will get provide you with a base diet. How about brown rice, bananas, broccoli, oranges, carrots, sweet potatoes, fish(?), dark leafy greens, tofu(?), soy or rice milk or coconut milk, a good vitamin, maybe some quinoa, oats, possibly think about baking your own very plain bread, find a margarine that works for you and some cooking oil as well. Whatever you can eat and like to eat this is just a suggestion.

Then go to AAAAI.org. Use their allergist search to find one in your area board certified who understands food allergy well.

Start a base diet avoiding all that you even think you're allergic to. Then you can start trying some of the meats, personally I'd start with pork it would be an extremely rare allergen. Keep notes in either a diary or a diet tracking app. The key items to track is what you ate, what symptoms and WHEN they occur. True food allergies operate within a fairly expected time frame and set of symptoms. A good food allergist can sort out that info with you and test smartly.

For nuts, eggs and milk, you may want to do something called an in office food challege IOFC. It takes the guess work out by having a clinician observe any reactions you have.

The last piece of advice I have is be prepared if this is not food allergy but something else. Autoimmune issues occupy many fields of medicine and for the sake of argument say you have some sort of autoimmune condition, it may have nothing to do with food allergies and may require someone in the correct discipline to diagnose and treat you. The idea that you throw up or have diarrhea from nearly anything puts a huge mark in the non-IgE mediated category but there are certainly other conditions that would cause that.

[AllergicMommy]

Twinturbo- thank you for your reply back and generous knowledge. 

I will try my hardest to stay consistent with my food log and avoiding all that I am allergic to. Since this is new to me and adjusting my whole life to almost a vegan diet is extremely hard. However I did experience that when I am able to avoid the foods I'm allergic to, I definitely felt so much better. I did not experience any stomach pains, vomiting, or diarrhea. Which caused me to believe that maybe all those types off foods are what caused my medical problems. Once I'm able to stay consistent I will try to incorporate pork and other types of meat. 

I truly appreciate the guidance, and most importantly information that I was not even aware of. Thank you for the AAAAI website, the epi pen, and medic alert info.

Hope you have a wonderful day and once again thank you.   

[twinturbo]

Two things. First, I apologize for the sloppy grammar in previous post. Tiny phone screen posting while really tired. Second, read around here especially some of the intro posts to get a feel of what we live with when we have diagnosed food allergies and recount anaphylactic reactions. It may help you down the road to discover if this is food allergies or possibly something else.