im so angry, sorry need to vent.

[jarael]

hi i had a food allergy tests in may 08 cus i had been having lots of illneses and symptoms which the docs were trying to blame on panic attacks, ibs abd the fact that im overweight.
these symptoms i lived with at some point every single day for the last few yrs. usually within half hour of eating or within 4 hrs. but sometimes it has been the next day.

here are a few.


asthma, tickly mouth and throat, sore throat. bloating, weight gain 6 pounds or more in one day. fainting, very dizzy, itchy, rash on back like goose bumps. foggy head, cant concentrate. feel like heart beating too fast, excessive sweating, feels sore under the skin, like bruised vomiting.diarreah. bad tiredness that comes on suddenly and i have to sleep and the list goes on.

my doctor was so againstallergies or intolernces that i had a vega method test done. i was aware of the stigma against it. but it was all i could afford since the doctor would not do a test.

the test came up with sensitivities to pineapple, dairy, lactose and coke.

iimmediately cut out these things and within a few days i was symptomless and i have lost over a stone in weight since the test.

if i eat any of the foods i feel ill again soon after.

well a few weeks ago after living totally off these foods, i started to feel weird again and finally pinned it down to almonds. i was eatin a few for snacks each day since the test. and also its in a lot of dairy free cakes etc.

i had a retest done two weeks ago and decided not to mention about the almonds and all the original foods were there and this time also almonds came up on the test. i had not eaten it for about a month and a half b4 the test.

well i went to the doc yesterday to try get some help in losin weight.i still have 5 stone to lose. i mentioned the food sensitivities again and he basically laughed it off. saying the test is rubbish and that it does not mean i cant eat these foods. i said to him i dont care about what research has shown or that its not medically approved. all i know is that the vega test i had worked for me. he also said the reason im finding it so hard to lose weightis cus im not trying hard enough.

i have put a complaint in and left the doctors in tears, thinking that maybe he was right and that i wasnt allergic to these foods.

so last night i sat and scoffed half a swiss roll and some fairy cakes.

ten mins later im itchin, my mouth is tingling, i feel sick, have rash on my arms, chest tightens, migraine and got really tired and had to sleep.

woke up in the early hours of this morning with a killer bad throat. i have never had one so bad, usually i get a sore throat when accidently eating something with milk in it, but never like this.

paracetomal and warm drinks with honey or lockets have not helped.

when i swallow feels like im being cut and also feels like im not swalling fully, like theers something leftbehind. my neck hurts when i turn it, when i tried to eat breakfast, it was like there a blockage nd i could feel it squeezing down my throat.

its so bad i could not even take my preventer inhalor this morning. i can barely open my mouth.

so my dilemma is i dont want to go back to the doctors s im really angry with them right now. so ive decided to go into the walk in centre this morning. but do i just say i woke up with this sore throat and dont know why, or should i mention about my reactions to dairy and what i ate last night.

other then the sore throat, i have a slight foggy head still, tired.

[Copper]

This sounds very serious. It sounds to me like you have an allergy to something or things, your throat is closing up because of swelling. This is very serious and could be life threatening.

You must tell the centre what you have been through as your GP is well out of order.

You need urgent medical diagnosis and help.

Please come back here and tell us how you got on.

Please do not eat foods that you know make you ill as you are putting yourself in danger.

I am really sorry that you have had a bad time and I am very :mad: with your GP. When you are feeling stronger I think an official complaint should be made.

[jill]

I agree with Copper, this really does need sorting out, you should not be fobbed off by your GP. If you get no joy at the walk in centre go to A&E if it is that bad. Is there someone else you can see at your practice, I would say be totally honest with who ever you see, don't just say it is a sore throat.

Please let us know how you got on today.

[jarael]

hi ty for ur support, well i went to the walk in centre , they seemed to be under the impression that nothign was wrong, so booked in with the docs, my bloody bad luck i happened to have the same doc that peed me off yesterdy.

i explained that i had woke up with the killersore throat but didnt mention about the caks i had ate. h took a look and said it was tonsilitos and that my glands were up. gave me anti biotics. i made sure at the chemist they wer lactose free.

now god knos where i got tonsilitos from? im wondering could this be a symptom of what i ate last night?

maybe it not tonsilitos at all but just reaction to the dairy?

did take a quick look in google and its very vague. as to wether allergies can cause tonsilitos, but then if they can cause asthma etc who knows.

im takin ur advice, im never ever gnna eat dairy again, i feel so sick and my throat has never hurt so much.

i cant even eat or take my inhalers.

[Copper]

Hmm a bit of a coincidence getting a bad throat after eating dairy.

Allergies usually have all or some of the following symptoms - swelling, rashes, sickness. Swelling could be hives as an example. Allergies are potentially life threatening and must be taken seriously.

I can only suggest that you change your GP. You need to be tested for allergies.

You might also have intolerances. You can't know for sure without tests. You need to have something done so that it your problems appear in your notes.

Meanwhile be careful and avoid the foods you know make you ill. You will have to check all labels carefully.

If you need help with alternative foods I am sure that somebody here can help. I would try and not replace dairy with all soya products as there is a chance that you will develop a problem with soya too.

I am relieved to hear that you are ok.

[rebecca c]

Jarael

I am sorry to hear about your experiences. I am glad others were prompt with their advice which I think is all sensible advice. The doctor is letting his cyncism cloud his professionalism, wether or not a vega test is valid (which we often debate on this site) it has helped some people. But more importantly you know your own body and they should listen to this. Many of us have had to wait a long time to find good doctors but there are more out there now and pharmacist are more and more helpful too.

Most importantly if you feel like your throat is swelling up again after eating something you are not sure about I think you shold go to A and E straight away or insist that an on call doctor comes out (they normally fob you off so A and E is a better bet). If you are in this situtuation can you get someone to come and help you, a friend who can sit with you help you make decisions, drive with you or take a cab to casualty?

Changing doctors when I had a severe illness they were not taking seriously worked well for me. My new doctor treated me totally differently and we had a diagnosis, this still took time but he didnt stop til he found something and then he referred me on to a consultant who is absolutely brilliant and the best doc I have ever had.

Take care

[jarael]

Hmm a bit of a coincidence getting a bad throat after eating dairy.

Allergies usually have all or some of the following symptoms - swelling, rashes, sickness. Swelling could be hives as an example. Allergies are potentially life threatening and must be taken seriously.

I can only suggest that you change your GP. You need to be tested for allergies.

You might also have intolerances. You can't know for sure without tests. You need to have something done so that it your problems appear in your notes.

Meanwhile be careful and avoid the foods you know make you ill. You will have to check all labels carefully.

If you need help with alternative foods I am sure that somebody here can help. I would try and not replace dairy with all soya products as there is a chance that you will develop a problem with soya too.

I am relieved to hear that you are ok.


hi thanks for ur reply, i think i do need a bit of help as my doc wont refer me to dietian. im basically spending nearly sixty quid a week on 2 los of shopping for me and my kids. im trying to have a normal diet as possible, but mostly wat i was eating before my allergy test had dairy in it lol.

[jarael]

Jarael

I am sorry to hear about your experiences. I am glad others were prompt with their advice which I think is all sensible advice. The doctor is letting his cyncism cloud his professionalism, wether or not a vega test is valid (which we often debate on this site) it has helped some people. But more importantly you know your own body and they should listen to this. Many of us have had to wait a long time to find good doctors but there are more out there now and pharmacist are more and more helpful too.

Most importantly if you feel like your throat is swelling up again after eating something you are not sure about I think you shold go to A and E straight away or insist that an on call doctor comes out (they normally fob you off so A and E is a better bet). If you are in this situtuation can you get someone to come and help you, a friend who can sit with you help you make decisions, drive with you or take a cab to casualty?

Changing doctors when I had a severe illness they were not taking seriously worked well for me. My new doctor treated me totally differently and we had a diagnosis, this still took time but he didnt stop til he found something and then he referred me on to a consultant who is absolutely brilliant and the best doc I have ever had.

Take care

thank u for ur reply. im on my own with 2 kids so i worry a lot about wat would happen if i had a bad reaction, i have a couple of mates but noone close really that would help. most of my mates know of my allergies but dont really understand, they say oh its easy to cut out dairy stop moaning. but for me its really hard. especially as im on a small budget so most of the food i getis cheap, and everyone knows manufactures like to throw milk in some food in cheap food at any possibility they can get.

i think im gonna change my doctor. i live in bath uk, if anyone here is from bath and u know a good one pleaselet me know.

is there anyway i can find out how they feel about allergies before i join another practice?

[jill]

Jarael you obviously need some support and encouragement and that is what we are all here for. You speak about cheap food. Do you tend to buy ready type meals and things more for the children? Are you ok with eating pasta? If so you should be able to russle up a couple of tasty meals that don't take up too much time using some kind of pasta - spaghetti, macaroni etc, tinned tomatoes, mushrooms other vegetables and use different flavours from spices and herbs all that shouldn't cost the earth if you shop wisely. Don't want to seem patronising here, just trying to help and eating pasta is also filling and good for weight loss. If you are ok with pasta let me know and i'll put a couple of receipe suggestions on for you.

[jarael]

Jarael you obviously need some support and encouragement and that is what we are all here for. You speak about cheap food. Do you tend to buy ready type meals and things more for the children? Are you ok with eating pasta? If so you should be able to russle up a couple of tasty meals that don't take up too much time using some kind of pasta - spaghetti, macaroni etc, tinned tomatoes, mushrooms other vegetables and use different flavours from spices and herbs all that shouldn't cost the earth if you shop wisely. Don't want to seem patronising here, just trying to help and eating pasta is also filling and good for weight loss. If you are ok with pasta let me know and i'll put a couple of receipe suggestions on for you.

hi, no u dont sound patronising at all.we do eat a lot of pasta, but we also eat a lot of cereal too, porridge etc. never really used to buy ready meals, for me sometimes before cuttin foods i have a weight watchers frozen meals craze, but it was never enough.

we mainly eat pasta with mince and veg, or pasta and tunaand low fat mayo.

im finding also cus cheese and dairy was a big part of my meals im eating a lot more roasts and more meat. never really used to eat a lot of meat. used to be happy with me jacket potato cheese and beans or me beans on toast with chees on top lol.

im buying dairy free grated cheese topper and some dairy fre jam tarts each week too. but i think its the milk thats eating into my money.

i would appreciate some recipies thanks, my kids are gonna kill me if i cook pasta again tomorrow lol.

by the way we are all big eaters so that dont help lol

im a snacker too, if there isnt cereal or fruit to hand i end up eating a whole meal. god sounds so bad, but im managing to lose about 2 pounds in weight each week so i must be doin something right lol

im spending a fortune on damn rice milk, more on fruit and veg to try and up my calcuim as i dont like much soya. and not liking goats milk.

and cus the rice milk is so thin i think i use more of it, also im tending to use cocunut milk to make my porridge taste a little creamier.

also spendin a fortune on piriton as well as the docs wont prescribe it.

[cnc]

also spendin a fortune on piriton as well as the docs wont prescribe it.

Have you tried any other anti-histamines? A lot of the more modern ones (piriton is one of the older sedating ones, and not commonly given), are as effective, and can be bought over the counter in their generic version for as little as 99p a week.Things such as Loratadine (Clarityn), or Cetrizine Hydrochloride (Zirtex) are the main ones.

[rebecca c]

You can get a dairy free loratadine syrup from boots.

To find a doctor I went on a recommendation from a friend and then from the good doctor.

As I have so many intolerances I think my diet is relatively cheap, and as I dont drink either I think I am a bit of a bargain to be honest. It may be cheaper to cook for all of you together in the evening but keep the kids dairy intake up on their porridge in the morning.

If you are buying rice milk with calcium then it is worth the money - as is the coconut milk ( this is cheaper if you buy blocks of coconut and make it up yourself - check the ingredients though).

I have had scary times when I have been on my own and feeling ill with the kids, my husband works long hours and sometimes is away from home, plus when they were little he did not come home much. I feel sad that your friends are not more supportive.

I think you need to make a decision that if your throat swells again you will go to casualty even if you have the kids with you. When you have found a better doctor you should discuss these fears and anxieties with them. They are natural anxieties and people should help you to solve them, I dont think it is right that you are feeling on your own on this one.

When my kids were little whenever I went to the doctor I felt they just thought I was a neurotic mum. They treated other people like this too, one person was very very seriously misdiagnosed. When I left I wrote them a letter making it clear what I thought of their approach. It is unprofessional.

[jarael]

Have you tried any other anti-histamines? A lot of the more modern ones (piriton is one of the older sedating ones, and not commonly given), are as effective, and can be bought over the counter in their generic version for as little as 99p a week.Things such as Loratadine (Clarityn), or Cetrizine Hydrochloride (Zirtex) are the main ones.

looked into a few tablet forms but the ones ilooked at contained lactose

[jarael]

You can get a dairy free loratadine syrup from boots.

To find a doctor I went on a recommendation from a friend and then from the good doctor.

As I have so many intolerances I think my diet is relatively cheap, and as I dont drink either I think I am a bit of a bargain to be honest. It may be cheaper to cook for all of you together in the evening but keep the kids dairy intake up on their porridge in the morning.

If you are buying rice milk with calcium then it is worth the money - as is the coconut milk ( this is cheaper if you buy blocks of coconut and make it up yourself - check the ingredients though).

I have had scary times when I have been on my own and feeling ill with the kids, my husband works long hours and sometimes is away from home, plus when they were little he did not come home much. I feel sad that your friends are not more supportive.

I think you need to make a decision that if your throat swells again you will go to casualty even if you have the kids with you. When you have found a better doctor you should discuss these fears and anxieties with them. They are natural anxieties and people should help you to solve them, I dont think it is right that you are feeling on your own on this one.

When my kids were little whenever I went to the doctor I felt they just thought I was a neurotic mum. They treated other people like this too, one person was very very seriously misdiagnosed. When I left I wrote them a letter making it clear what I thought of their approach. It is unprofessional.


hi thank u for ur advice, i dont think my throat did swell up, the doctor said it was tonsilitis and i felt like there was somethingin my throat, i could feel it. but the anti biotics i took seemed to work and sore throat went after 3 days and also the lump i could feel.

so although i did have an allergic reaction i think i had tonsilitis too. the doctor said there is no way i can get tonsilitis through food allergy or intolerance. so i dunno.

[cnc]

Maybe you were unlucky and had both. Sorry I meant to say that the liquid versions of the brand names are cheaper too.
No chance of some itchy eyes and some sneezing is there?- A nice bout of hayfever would get you anti-histamines on prescription.

[jarael]

Maybe you were unlucky and had both. Sorry I meant to say that the liquid versions of the brand names are cheaper too.
No chance of some itchy eyes and some sneezing is there?- A nice bout of hayfever would get you anti-histamines on prescription.


aww shame i dont get hayfever :(

[cnc]

Sorry was the best idea I could come up with. Have you had any progress at all?

[jarael]

hi well i have been good and avoiding allergic foods, but for the past week or soi have had constant blurry vision. its blurry if things are near or far, all times of day.

its not so badthat i cant read, watch tv or see but i have to focus so hard that i get a headache and my eyes hurt. its like every time i move my eyes around i have to refocus.

well i got opticians on sunday, had a test in jan and everything was fine.

went to docs the other day as i was really worried as my eyes were really tired and itching a tiny bit, also i have a few little spots under one eye. also lots of spots all over my face, almost all the time.

i dont wear make up, and i drink lots of water, use baby wipes to wash my face and use johnsons cremes.

anyway back to the eyes, i went to the doc and he said the front of the eye, cant remember wat he called it, was irritated, said it was some kind of allergy to some plant or tree, but he didnt reckon it was pollen as not pollenseason.

gave me some vividrin drops which i have been taking for the past 2 days with no improvement wats so ever. he also told me to try and avoid wat ever it was that caused it. i haveno idea watso ever.

can anything ima allergic to at present be the cause? , dairy, lactose, pineapple, almonds and caffiene.

well i have been eating massive amounts of cashew nuts and mangoes. somebody told me that they are related to the almond family. not sure if that is true though.

so my body seems to be fine, just me eyes.

allergy test did not pick up pollen at the last retest.

[cnc]

Vividrin doesn't work immediately and for some people it doesn't work at all. You usually need to give it at least a week so that the inflammation can be dealt with. If it's still not working return and ask for a different type of drop.

There is something called cross-reactions, which mean that if you are allergic to a certain type of pollen such as birch pollen, then you may be allergic to foods with a similar protein set up. You say you were tested for pollen, but there are different types, so unless you were tested for all of them then it could be a pollen thing as they all have a different season.

I'd probably give the drops a little longer or try some different ones before you remove anything else from your diet, but you shouldn't eat masses of the same food as that can create additional allergies.

[jarael]

ok ill give them a bit longer. thanks. hopefully they will work as cannot read to well at moment, which is my passion lol

[cnc]

You may find that due to the inflammation they say that there is a slight sight problem- I have two different prescriptions as my eyes vary a lot, and was told that in my case that it can be to do with how much inflammation there is in the eyes, and as allergies cause inflammation it could be something to do with it.

There are the basic things you can do as well- make sure you wear wrap around sunglasses when you go out, try to rinse hair at night so that pollen doesn't get onto your pillow and then into your eyes, wear a hat outdoors as well. I know it's a pain, (that's a cut down of the regime I have to do) but if it helps it'll be worth it.

[jarael]

oooh glasses and hats are no nos for me but looks like im not gonna havea choice lol. i find sometimes at night i have a sniffly nose too, slightly running.

[Copper]

When my hayfever is bad and my eyes are itchy at night I put wet tissues over my eyes. It works for me.

Many years ago I had the skin tests done and the dust prick made my arm swell the most. This was closely followed by pollen for every tree, bush and flower. That explained why I had hayfever from March until September!

I hoover my mattress every week to keep the dust down. In the hayfever season (which for me is now just grass) I have been known to damp dust the furniture.

[jarael]

ok ill have to try that ty

[jarael]

i had a jamaican soup which i have eaten before many times. includes.

lamb
potatoes
sweet potatoes
cho cho- never had before i dont think.
coconut cream-never eacted to before.
onions/garlic
dumplings

and a few other stuff i know im cool with.

well the cocunut cream i have been eating on and off for years as my dad uses it in all of his cooking.

i have been using coconut a lot more recently, so wondering if it is this, im reacting to all of a sudden.

after all my almond allergy seemed to come out of the blue. maybe its related.

i remeber a few years ago before i knew i was allergic to anything i used to react to popcorn from blockbusters rental shop.

took me ages to pin point it to that as, the same night i would eat it i would develop a cough, then it would get worse until i was being sick, and the next day i could hardly breathe and the doc used to give me a turbohaler, this was before i was diagnosed with asthma.

well read somewhere that some popcorn is made with cocunut oil.

so not sure where to go from here.

i cant afford another allergy test

was thinking id wait til all symptoms have gone, then make a little porridge with coconut milk and see.

or is it possible im fine with the cocunut milk but not the cream?

here is the name of the product.

blue dragons creamed coconut milk or creamed coconut bar.

[Copper]

Ah hah. In my youth I used to eat the odd Bounty (coconut bar) and coconut ice and I was ok.

About two or three years ago I made some very nice biscuits which were wheat, gluten and dairy free but contained coconut. I ate a biscuit a day for a few days and gradually I started to feel ill. Eventually I was very ill and spent about 8 hours on the toilet. This was much worse than my other food intolerance symptoms. Once I started to feel better I had another biscuit which then made me worse. I realised then that it was the coconut that I was intolerant to.

As you appear to be allergic you should be careful but trying a little coconut again would prove the theory.

I don't know if I would be ok with any coconut eg oil but I am not prepared to try any. I was sooooo ill that I just could not go though that again.

[jarael]

Ah hah. In my youth I used to eat the odd Bounty (coconut bar) and coconut ice and I was ok.

About two or three years ago I made some very nice biscuits which were wheat, gluten and dairy free but contained coconut. I ate a biscuit a day for a few days and gradually I started to feel ill. Eventually I was very ill and spent about 8 hours on the toilet. This was much worse than my other food intolerance symptoms. Once I started to feel better I had another biscuit which then made me worse. I realised then that it was the coconut that I was intolerant to.

As you appear to be allergic you should be careful but trying a little coconut again would prove the theory.

I don't know if I would be ok with any coconut eg oil but I am not prepared to try any. I was sooooo ill that I just could not go though that again.

sorry to hear that, nothing worse then nice food making u ill is there?.

well i woke up this morning feeling fine.
decided to make some porridge, with half rice milk and half a tin of coconut milk.

was fine eating it then about half hour later i felt some sort of butterfly feeling in my stomach like i was gonna be sick and have some very loose stools. i could also here lots of noises coming from my tummy.

developed bad heartburn and my chest tightened and my neck, back and top of my legs started slightly itching. eyes hurting, like pressure behind it. sniffly nose.

got a few random spots after scratching but wouldnt call it a rash.

then started to feel really dizzy.

maybe its intolerance not allergy as i react much worse with dairy, though my sypmtoms seem to change each time.

im thinking maybe now i should try some real coconut when im feeling better. i know my holland and barret do these coconut cake things which are dairy free, so might try them

[Copper]

I guess that you could be both intolerant and allergic to coconut! You don't do things by halves do you :)

Some of those symptoms you have mentioned are more allergy than intolerant. Just be very careful when you try coconut again - don't eat lots.

You must put this down in a food diary as this will be your proof if you ever need it one day.

[jarael]

ok i will do, i cant believe im not gonna be able to eat coconut., i hate rice milk, adding coconut milk to it made it much nicer, i dont like soya or goats milk either.

i think im gonna wait til im totally ok then eat some fresh or packet coconut and see, but im gonna note it like u said.

is this it for me now, am i gonna bit by bit get allergic to everything i know and love lol, just seems strange how one week im fine and the next im not with coconut

[jarael]

forget to mention i have been getting slight blurry vision after eating foods im allergic to.

i have it quite bad now.

went to opticians a few weeks ago and they gave me glasses for pc and reading, but i have been logging my symptoms and i only get the blurry vision after eating certain foods, its very strange, the glasses do not help

[izabela]

Get away from your gp and demand a referral to an allergy specialist.

My gp would only prescribe things for me until he ran out of things to prescribe. i got so annoyed that i started doing my own research on the internet. this was about 12 years ago.. I read that dairy could be a cause of my problems so i removed it from what i ate and my symptoms finally became tolerable..

Then two years ago I decided I wanted to feel even better. I went to an allergy specialist and my life changed. This man actually listened to everything I said and had tests and solutions that my gp never even suggested.. and it did turn out that I'm allergic to dairy

I take Nilstat to kill yeast that my own body produces since I'm allergic to it, and my gp doesn't understand at all why i need to take it but since my allergy specialist put me on it, i have so much more energy...

what I'm trying to say is that gp's treat things one way, while another specialist will use other methods.. find the one that listens to you and gets the results youre looking for!

[izabela]

When my hayfever is bad and my eyes are itchy at night I put wet tissues over my eyes. It works for me.

I remember doing this.. It feels so good and helps.. I also find that eating something cold, like an icy pole, gives a bit of relief to an itchy mouth and your sinuses..

[jarael]

thanks i think i will get another test done, as my symptoms seemed to have changed, they dont seem as bad but they are still there, sometimes i get a rash on my neck and back, not thousands of spts but noticible, and other times my tongue feels like its swelled a little or i might get dizzy, or bowel looseness or sometimes the next day my chest mite get tight, i have asthma. sometimes i get a bit tired too. so im wondering now if im just intolereant to the stuff?

i just having a cup of cafffiene free tea and i have put semi skmmed milk in it and after just three sips my tongue feels heavy and slightly itchy and i have a slight dizzy feeling in my head.

what symptoms do u get?

[jarael]

You may find that due to the inflammation they say that there is a slight sight problem- I have two different prescriptions as my eyes vary a lot, and was told that in my case that it can be to do with how much inflammation there is in the eyes, and as allergies cause inflammation it could be something to do with it.

There are the basic things you can do as well- make sure you wear wrap around sunglasses when you go out, try to rinse hair at night so that pollen doesn't get onto your pillow and then into your eyes, wear a hat outdoors as well. I know it's a pain, (that's a cut down of the regime I have to do) but if it helps it'll be worth it.


hey how are u?

well an update on the eyes issue, it got so bad tht eventually i went to the opticians and they said i need glasses for reading and pc work. it got to the stage where things were looking really blurry and making me feel dizzy and sick. so they gave me some glasses and all was ok again.

but a few days of wearing them my eyes were feelin more dizzy whilst wearing them, so i stopped and within a day or two i was fine looking at the pc and readin again without them.

i have done experiment and it seems the bluriness comes after i eat stuff im allergic too. very weird.