Calling Dr. Hive

[mom31257]

Does anyone here have experience with being tested with "mild food allergies"? Mine came back as being mild for milk and shellfish. I love milk and milk products. I've been experiencing some pain issues in my body. Both of my sisters have fibromyalgia, but mine is located more in my upper body and especially left side. The doctor has done x-rays and blood work, but found nothing yet. The doctor said it could be fibro, but it is usually more wide spread. I do have tender points at times, but I don't have the fatigue that my sisters get.

 

Could a mild food allergy be causing my pain? I do get a lot of dairy products between milk, yogurt, and cheese. I'm not a shellfish eater anyway, but I know it can be in stuff.

[mom31257]

Anyone?

[Jean in Newcastle]

I have fibromyalgia and have also dealt with food allergies/intolerances - both mild and not so mild. The thing with fibromyalgia is that it isn't an actual "disease" - it is a "syndrome" - a collection of symptoms that they don't have an actual cause pinned down for yet. My guess is that there might be a number of actual causes behind the symptoms that people have.

 

In my case, I've been helped tremendously by naturopathic doctors who have worked to pin down some of the causes. I've had vitamin/mineral deficiencies, adrenal problems (which is usually a secondary problem meaning that something is causing your adrenal glands to be depleted), parasites, heavy metal problems and food intolerances (not actual allergies because they did go away).

 

From what I understand, allergies or intolerances put stress on your body. And that stress can cause different symptoms like pain. I was told when I had my allergy testing that foods in the mild category should be avoided for 3 months and then eaten only on a rotated basis. So once you've cut out all dairy and shellfish for 3 months, you can try some but only have it every 4 days. Personally I would avoid shellfish even longer because shellfish can cause some pretty severe reactions.

[Luckymama]

There is truly no such thing as a mild food ALLERGY. Food intolerances can be mild or severe, but an allergy can whallop you at any time. You may go years with just a smidge of a mouth tingle or a touch of an upset stomach only to have a full anaphalactic reaction the next time you injest the food.

 

Did you have allergy testing? Blood or skin? False postives and false negatives are both common. Dd's allergist says the only true way of knowing if you are allergic is to react to the food. Dd had many false postives when she first presented with allergic symptoms, so she's undergone food challenges in the allergist's office, eating gradually increasing amounts of the potential allergen under extreme supervision.

[mom31257]

There is truly no such thing as a mild food ALLERGY. Food intolerances can be mild or severe, but an allergy can whallop you at any time. You may go years with just a smidge of a mouth tingle or a touch of an upset stomach only to have a full anaphalactic reaction the next time you injest the food.

 

Did you have allergy testing? Blood or skin? False postives and false negatives are both common. Dd's allergist says the only true way of knowing if you are allergic is to react to the food. Dd had many false postives when she first presented with allergic symptoms, so she's undergone food challenges in the allergist's office, eating gradually increasing amounts of the potential allergen under extreme supervision.

 

 

I had blood testing. I've always suspected the milk because when I had whole milk instead of skim, I would get a stuffy nose. The stuffy nose is why I had it done. I just feel that I have one a lot, but not able to blow much out or anything. The only thing I've ever had a serious reaction to was fire ant bites.

[mom31257]

I have fibromyalgia and have also dealt with food allergies/intolerances - both mild and not so mild. The thing with fibromyalgia is that it isn't an actual "disease" - it is a "syndrome" - a collection of symptoms that they don't have an actual cause pinned down for yet. My guess is that there might be a number of actual causes behind the symptoms that people have.

 

In my case, I've been helped tremendously by naturopathic doctors who have worked to pin down some of the causes. I've had vitamin/mineral deficiencies, adrenal problems (which is usually a secondary problem meaning that something is causing your adrenal glands to be depleted), parasites, heavy metal problems and food intolerances (not actual allergies because they did go away).

 

From what I understand, allergies or intolerances put stress on your body. And that stress can cause different symptoms like pain. I was told when I had my allergy testing that foods in the mild category should be avoided for 3 months and then eaten only on a rotated basis. So once you've cut out all dairy and shellfish for 3 months, you can try some but only have it every 4 days. Personally I would avoid shellfish even longer because shellfish can cause some pretty severe reactions.

 

Thanks for the information. My sister and bil are going to a naturopath doctor next month to have some kind of testing for parasites/metals and such. She does have fibro, but her doctor says it is because of her sleep. She has a son with severe epilepsy and most of his seizures happen while he's asleep. Her sleep is interrupted a lot and she probably doesn't get into very deep sleep because of listening for him. We'll see what the tests show, though.

 

I have a lot of old and big fillings in my mouth, so perhaps I have a metal issue. I think I'm at least going to go off of dairy products and see how I feel. I don't know that I will read every label, but I can lay off the stuff I know it's in.

 

My pain is odd in that it can be there and gone in a short time. It is more centered in my left shoulder area. I am large busted, and my left side is bigger than my right. I've wondered if that's some of my pain.

 

I'll just have to see what I can find out and do. I'm glad you've been helped. I hope all goes well!

[lisamarie]

I would do a trial period of going dairy free for at least 2 weeks and see if it helps. If it does, you have your answer. If not, then I wouldn't worry about it unless eating dairy causes other issues. And yes, I do think food allergies can cause other symptoms like pain. Whenever I eat a lot of wheat, my joints start to ache especially my hands and knees. I will lay down to goto sleep at night and my joints will just ache horribly. Took me a while to connect the dots, but now that I know, I try to limit my wheat intake.