Question:
From about the age of 5-16, I was allergic to Chocolate, Nuts, Eggs,
Grapes, Poison Ivy, and Bees. After 16, I could eat whatever I
wanted, without a problem. However, I still have an allergic reaction about once a month. My
symptoms include: diarrhea followed by a combination or all of: hives
(therefore itching), swelling of face/neck, and redness of skin
(probably from scratching?). The "allergic reactions" happen no matter what I eat, no matter the
pollen count, anytime of the year. I've completely changed eating
habits, bedsheets, and shampoo/conditioner, to no avail. Would this be, in your opinions, an Allergic Reaction, or would it be
something else that I'm unfamiliar with? Please help, as I had an
allergic reaction last night, and I'm quite tired of not knowing what
is causing the problem.
Answer:
What else happened in the 24-48 hours preceeding the allergic reaction?
Eat something that you only eat a few times a month? If so what?
Attend somewhere where there was well water? (e-coli or something like
that).
Go somewhere near asbestos? (work, car repair)
Go to a printshop?
Go in the woods and put insect repellant on?
Is there something biting you, during sleep? Eat out anywhere? If so, what? (alcohol? shellfish?)
Someone spray something in your home/apartment? or in the area? (lawn
sprays or in the NY/PA area, sprays for malaria).
Have a close encounter with someone who wears perfume/aftershave? I'm presuming you are male, so hormonal is not an issue? Perhaps if you think back to each event, you'll see some commonality. For instance, you say "diarrhea followed by"...do you take something to
treat the diarrhea? (which could be causing the other symptoms?) Think you need to tell us more and/or do a bit more investigative work.
Sure sounds like allergy but to what? Another possibility is that you are regularly consuming something that
you are sensitive to. In that case reactions can occur without an
obvious pattern. This is particularly true of such things as amines
and salicylate, but may be true for other items such as dairy etc.
You may need to try a strict elimination diet for a month or two and
introduce foods one by one. Some info can be found in: http://www.ozemail.com.au/~sdengate/ You may want to consider allergy to mold in the environment (house,
apartment, wherever.) It isn't apparent, since the mold can be hidden,
and can cause symptoms that mimic other allergies.
