|
Allergy Testing
|
|
June 16, 2009
|
Here's a shot of my right arm. Supposed to wait 12 minutes for the allergens to react, but this was after 3 minutes. By the time 12 minutes was up, the upper left 'hives' were all meshing into each other into one big hive. LOL
Dust mites and those kind of allergens are there. I'm not sure what else they put on my arm, there were tree nuts somewhere and grasses/weeds etc. I have another 16 hives on the side of my arm, and 24 more (foods) on the other arm.
I go back in 2 weeks for more food testing.
I am allergic to grasses, weeds all trees, dust mites, dogs and cats.
Last time I went, I wasn't allergic to dogs, but now I am. Interesting. I was told that if you are allergic to cats, you are allergic to ALL cats, however dogs, you can be allergic to specific breeds not all. I am NOT allergic to Cockroaches. YAY! These allergies make me sneeze like crazy, itchy eyes, hives, and have major asthma issues.
For food allergies, I have OAS - Oral Allergy Syndrome which typically affects my lips, mouth and throat. I get an allergic response that occurs when the over active immune system cannot distinguish between pollen proteins and certain similar appearing (on a molecular level) food proteins. When my immune system recognizes a 'cross reactive' protein, symptoms develop. I can tolerate cooked or processed forms of 'some' of the foods. Because, the relevant proteins are delicate and destroyed during cooking and processing. Like, I'm allergic to raw apples, but I don't have a reaction when eating apple sauce or apple pie. However, I'm allergic to bananas, even when cooked in or blended.
My symptoms include itching of the lips, mouth, tongue, throat and palate. I also get gum irritation... sometimes I have some asthmatic symptoms as well. I haven't had a severe anaphylactic reaction but there is a chance, especially with my allergy to Walnuts and Hazelnuts. The chances are low, but still there.
In most cases OAS does not require medical treatment. It is best to strictly avoid offending foods which have caused symptoms in the past and exercise caution when eating related foods (even if previously tolerated). An antihistamine is appropriate to relieve minor symptoms from accidental ingestions but more sever reactions may warrant emergency epinephrine with immediate medical follow-up. Desensitization (allergy shots) may be helpful to improve OAS and also decrease pollen-triggered respiratory symptoms. Anaphylaxis has occured in about two percent of people with OAS. The foods involved include lentils, tomatoes, apricots, peaches, pears, cherries, apples, walnuts and hazelnuts.
I found this REALLY interesting.
Here is a list of Pollen/Food Cross Reactivity.
I have all pollen/tree allergies and have marked what I have noticed a reaction to in red:
Birch Allergy : apples, pears, almonds, peaches, apricots, cherries, plums, nectarines, prunes, kiwi, carrots, celery, fennel, parsley, coriander, parsnips, peppers and potatoes. Hazel nuts & walnuts are also associated.
Alder Pollen Allergy : celery, pears, apples, almonds, cherries, hazel nuts, peaches and parsley.
Ragweed Pollen Allergy : watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew, zucchini, banana, cucumber. Even dandelions or chamomile tea can cause reaction because they belong to the same plant family.
Grass Pollen Allergy : melons, tomatoes and oranges
Mugwort Pollen Allergy : Celery, fennel, carrots, parsley, coriander, sunflower, and peppers.
BTW, and the thing in the background is my Kindle with a wood-skin. Reading Eclipse (3rd book in Twilight series, LOVE IT!!!) |
| posted by Typette @ 1:29 PM |
|
|
|
|
5 Comments:
|
-
so, that is really interesting! I am allergic to raw celery but not cooked. bananas like crazy, but i eat them anyway. walnuts too. i used to be allergic to raw carrots, but not cooked.
-
I know, right?! I've been to another allergist and didn't get info like this and it's not super easy to find reliable info on the web. So, I'm glad I at least got this. I used to think I was just weird, not being able to eat things raw but fine when cooked. It's strange, but makes total scientific sense now. YAY! We're not crazy!! I don't get what it is with bananas, I'm really allergic to those too, but I eat them anyway also. so bad. LOL What the hell is ragweed anyway.
-
I'm so glad you liked him. And especially that you got some good, thorough answers.
Now stop telling me you eat things you're allergic to. Just hide that from me - it gives me heart palpatations. LOL
-
Wow that's an awful lot to be allergic to. Glad you're getting it looked at though. I'm not allergic to very much (I don't think) but your post is making me think that I should be tested, because I know I'm allergic to some stuff just can't figure out what.
P.S. I finished reading Eclipse yesterday and have just begun the last book, can't wait!
-
Last year I went to a dermatologist because I had little blisters that would dry and itch like crazy. But not all the time. It was determined I was allergic to mugwort. Now I'm finding all of these "cross-pollen" notes and it's starting to make sense. I could go months without itching and then it would be so bad I'd itch holes into my skin. I guess I work through the list one at a time to find the serious food offenders. Thanks for the info!
|
|
|
|
<< Home
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Calendar
|
|
|
|
Previous Post
|
|
|
|
Archives
|
|
|
| People I Stalk |
|
|
|
Powered by
|
|
|
|
so, that is really interesting! I am allergic to raw celery but not cooked. bananas like crazy, but i eat them anyway. walnuts too. i used to be allergic to raw carrots, but not cooked.