Do I have food allergies possibly?

October 27, 2009 12:03 PM

Food allergies. Is this a possibility?

I think that I have food allergies. Please help me sort this out. I may be creating this idea in my head.

- Was "allergic to milk" as a child. Not sure what brought about this diagnosis. Liked cheese and ice cream too much to ignore dairy as an adult.
- Have reactions (rash, itching) to any perfume/dyes in any lotion, detergent, soap. Can't wear makeup.
- Lips turn red and throat dry from wine and berries.
- Feel "hyperactive" after eating wheat products.
- When I live in Armenia (many times, for months at a time, for 10 years on-and-off) and eat a completely different diet from my American one, I feel a lot healthier and happier and less hyperactive than I normally do.

- As my 11-month-old tries new foods, I see rashes appearing after eating certain things. I try to keep a diary, but he's in full-time daycare now, so it is harder. But seeing his reactions (ex. acidic food = welts all over his butt after a BM), made me reconsider both of our potential food allergies. (Ped said not to worry about butt welts, but daycare workers comment on it all the time as being abnormal. They see a lot of butts, so I take their opinions seriously.)

I am beginning to think that there may be relationships between all these things. Does this sound like food allergies to you?

What are my next steps? I have terrible grad student health insurance, so I need to know what to ask for in terms of testing in order to get what I want/need. Should I start keeping a food diary for myself?

And, of course, YANMD.

posted by k8t to health & fitness (11 comments total)

I'd say it certainly sounds plausible -- the rashes sound like a big tip-off.

Although -- you say that you already know that certain foods and a certain diet makes you feel crappy, and you are starting to get an idea what those foods are. While only a doctor can officially diagnose whether it is an allergy or not, it strikes me that if you know that a certain food makes you feel crappy, and you feel better if you don't eat it, whether or not it's an allergy as opposed to simply "it makes me feel crappy" may be extraneous.

What I mean is -- I probably only have an intolerance to turnips rather than an officially-diagnosed allergy. But the fact that I feel crappy after eating turnips is enough information for me -- the fact that it's not an official "allergy" isn't going to stop me from avoiding turnips anyway. I don't need a doctor's permission to avoid turnips.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:11 PM on October 27, 2009 [1 favorite]

Well, the Armenia thing is tough to say without knowing your American diet. It could be simply that you're eating better food there. I feel the same way about when I spend time in eastern Europe . . . this time, on returning, I've just kept my European diet and I still feel good.

But the easiest thing is simply to get one of those scratch tests for allergies. They scratch your arm or back or some place with a little metal rasp (it doesn't hurt at all) and put a drop of different essences on each scratch. You come back in a few hours and they can gauge whether you have any allergies. (At least that's how they did it in Bosnia; I've never had it done here.) It didn't seem really expensive; I found out I was allergic to a few oddball things, which I avoid and have since eliminated a lot of migraines.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 12:11 PM on October 27, 2009

I'm not a allergy doctor, but my daughter has a very serious allergy problem with peanuts, so I've done a lot of reading. The big food allergies (dairy, wheat, eggs, soy, nuts, shellfish) generally have very severe consequences--massive breakouts, plummeting blood pressure, difficulty in breathing. So, at the good side of things, if you are allergic to those, you aren't terribly sensitive to them.

I don't react well to perfumes/dyes either, but have been tested and found not allergic, so my advice on that part would be just not to use perfumed stuff. Once you switch to unscented for a little while, you will find the perfumed kind smells super strong and you won't want to switch back.

I would definitely keep a food diary for yourself, and also, try taking a benadryl (this blocks histamines). If you find that helps, you are probably allergic. Please don't eat anything that makes you feel really bad though--a serious reaction will require more than a benadryl.

As soon as you are able, I'd highly recommend seeing an allergist--a doctor who can properly test you for the things you identify with your food diary (and related items they will know more about).

food allergies are a pain, and you will always need to be vigilant if you are diagnosed with a severe food allergy, but it is certainly manageable if you read labels carefully and don't take the word of anyone who says something like "it is chocolate cake, it wouldn't have peanuts in it". Verify yourself what is in the things you eat.
posted by midwestguy at 12:15 PM on October 27, 2009

Your berry/wine description makes me think that you may be having a reaction to tannins--do you notice the reaction happening more frequently with red wine than with white?
posted by phoenixy at 12:45 PM on October 27, 2009

IANAD. However, if I was one I'd pursue the possibility of food intolerances rather than allergies, because as mentioned above, allergic reactions are generally more severe.

A lot of people have undiagnosed carbohydrate intolerances. Milk, wheat, and sugar (be it fruit, honey, or table sugar) all contain large amounts of certain carbohydrates, and often if one is intolerant of one of these, the others will aggravate symptoms too.

Anecdotal evidence: I was diagnosed in infancy with a "milk allergy". As an adult, I learned that this was an intolerance. Wheat, soy, and fructose also cause symptoms for me (ranging from rashes to migraines to, er, gastric distress). For the record, I've always been sensitive to dyes, scents, etc. A dermatologist told me it was a nickel allergy, and that nickel is commonly used as a stabilizer in certain products.

If I was a doctor, the next step I'd recommend is to fully evaluate what you and your baby are eating. Do not underestimate the heinousness of Big Agra and the American food supply. If it comes in a package and has a long list of ingredients, avoid it. Buy and eat only real foods. Seek out alternatives to conventional soaps and cleaning agents.
posted by chez shoes at 12:58 PM on October 27, 2009 [1 favorite]

Get a referral for an allergist, they can give you testing for a wide spectrum of allergens and find out for sure. They can also help you determine if it is food intolerance.

While the advice to avoid a lot of additives is good in general, don't let it give you a false sense of security. Organics can have cross-contamination (i.e. 'processed in a facility that also processes tree nuts') and 'natural' ingredients might as well be poison if you're allergic to them.
posted by mattholomew at 1:09 PM on October 27, 2009

Okay, IANAD, but I do have some experience and a pretty good understanding of these issues. (I spent oh so many nights in the ER with my baby brother due to peanut allergy, and even I've gone a couple of times myself due to an allergy to aspirin and ibuprofen.)

Okay. First point: If you are able to eat ice cream and cheese without a serious gastro-intestinal reaction, you are not intolerant to dairy.

Second point. Irritation caused by cosmetic products, etc, is pretty common, and you know you react. Whether or not this is a true "allergy" is another issue. Probably not, but you are obviously sensitive to these things, which is as good a reason as any to avoid them.

Third. Wine and some berries can easily induce a histamine reaction in some people. But not all berries. Strawberries are the most common culprit.

Fourth: wheat. This is a tough one, because it might or might not show up on a scratch test. There is also a hugely exaggerated concern about wheat in the US, mostly fueled by "alternative medicine." A great percentage of the time it's a bogus issue. The only way to investigate a wheat allergy is to do an elimination diet for about four weeks, then eat wheat-based product and see what happens. You won't just feel crappy, you will feel CRAPPY.

Fifth: your baby. There are many things that can cause rashes in children, and this is something to bring to a doctor. Correlation is not causation! It's too easy to attribute his rash to something you're looking for. Rashes on babies are sometimes evidence of something else going on, whether or not it's serious. But a doctor should be consulted.

If you are using any products, herbs, etc to treat your baby, stop immediately, then check with the doctor before you use it again. For instance, willow bark can be deadly to someone with an aspirin allergy, but that's info that's rarely conveyed to the public. Same with most dandruff shampoo. Really!

Some people are advising you to get a full allergy workup on your boy. This is an incredibly expensive way to go, and it sounds like it might not be possible for you. Start small, with one doctor visit, but ask advice for pursuing the issue on a budget.

My conclusion, FWIW, is that you can handle diagnosing your own problem, with an analysis of your "western" diet compared to your Armenian diet, etc. But your little one is where you should spend the money on a good doctor. You might even find a good pediatrician through the public health system, or a non-profit that will work with you on price. If you can keep a careful food diary for your boy, even for a week with the help of his care-givers, that will be a great help to a doctor. Just list the food he eats, where and what time a rash develops, what it looks like, how long it lasts, and if it seems itchy or irritating to the baby.

You've got a busy life and crappy health care. Dealing with all this can't be easy. But it will be so good to know if your little one has an allergy, which most likely would get worse over time if it's not dealt with. And a very few food allergies can be deadly. I wish you the best!
posted by shifafa at 1:19 PM on October 27, 2009 [2 favorites]

Regarding milk - many babies are lactose intolerant, but grow out of it (my brother was, but was fine with milk by the time he was 2 or so.) What happens if you have milk now? If you tolerate it fine now, no reason to cut it out. If it upsets your stomach, you could try lactaid pills.

If wheat bothers you, try cutting it out for a while. Do you feel the same / a little better / way better? Decide for yourself if it's worth the hassle or not. Same thing with the berries and wine - cut them out for a while, try them again, then decide if the reaction is worth the reaction.

If it was me, I wouldn't get myself tested for allergies - it seems that none of those are causing you intense discomfort or major physical problems; it's up to you to weigh the pros/cons of avoiding them or not.

Regarding your son, I'd avoid the foods that cause welts - that sounds like it would cause discomfort. It sounds like the daycare workers are concerned too, so would be on-board with not feeding him the things that cause the rashes. I would never tell an internet-stranger to go against a doctor's advice (i.e., I wouldn't tell you it's okay to feed your son something the doctor said to avoid), I don't see the harm in not feeding your son something the doctor said was okay to eat, as long as it's just a couple of things. If you're cutting out major food groups, I do think it would be a good idea to talk to your son's pediatrician first.
posted by insectosaurus at 1:44 PM on October 27, 2009

Have you ever considered you might be allergic to some food preservatives and not the food itself? I'd imagine the food in Armenia is nowhere near as processed as it is here. Is it fresh berries and natural bread bugging you, or berries in something, and processed sliced bread?
posted by Kellydamnit at 4:56 PM on October 27, 2009 [1 favorite]

I'm with Kellydamnit, I read your description and wondered if it might be something IN the food. I know someone who turns out to be allergic to soy and soy lecithin. Try to find a prepackaged food at the grocery store that does not contain soy lecithin, I dare you!

A proper food allergist can answer this question for you in about an hour.
posted by ErikaB at 7:47 PM on October 27, 2009

There is growing consensus that food sensitivities, not allergies, can play havoc with health. Unfortunately, there are no tests for food sensitivities and you have to find a progressive allergist that will work with you on an elimination diet. In my experience, many allergists don't want to bother.

The failsafe diet might be of interest.

I personally did better in Europe too. Now that I am back in the U.S. I avoid ingredients that are used in the US and not in Sweden or which are very different from those in Sweden like high-fructose corn syrup, soy and corn oil, etc. I only buy grass fed milk, eggs, and meat, and bread only from real bakeries. I try to avoid anything made in a factory.
posted by melissam at 6:42 AM on October 29, 2009