SparklyUnicorn Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 Ok so I've been feeling amazingly well. Which I've been kinda confused by because my number one issue of abdominal pain has resolved what seems like suddenly and magically. I've been having abdominal pain on and off pretty much since FOREVER. As a kid, then in my early 20s, then fairly recently, I pursued some testing to see what causes the pain. Nothing was ever found. Nothing. This past time that was chalked up to acid reflux, which I don't feel is related. Especially not since I really didn't have it as a kid nor in my early 20s. For years I've taken Benadryl for seasonal allergies. It works, but I'm so tired an dulled by it that I hate it. I decided to try something new to OTC to see if it helped. It's helping well enough (not entirely magical for my itchy eye problem, but I have no other typical to me symptoms). But it hit me that now I also have no abdominal pains at all. NONE. Ever. It's just extremely crazy to me. So then I wonder...could my pains be associated with allergies?? I suppose I could stop taking the allergy pills to see if the pains come back. Not sure I want to experiment on myself in that way. LOL But I am very curious now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 DS8 is having stomach cramps lately that we think is due to allergies. His allergist recommended using Nasacort before bed, instead of in the morning, which seems to be helping. He hasn't had a stomach ache since we started that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leav97 Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 Interesting. I've had similar issues with abdominal pain. The last time I went to the Dr. it was chalked up as a cramp. In the same place for 18 months. Pretty much a pat on the head and go away. I need to make another appt but I don't want to go again. It's to the point I'm willing to experiment on myself to avoid the doctor's office. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 7, 2017 Author Share Posted April 7, 2017 Interesting. I've had similar issues with abdominal pain. The last time I went to the Dr. it was chalked up as a cramp. In the same place for 18 months. Pretty much a pat on the head and go away. I need to make another appt but I don't want to go again. It's to the point I'm willing to experiment on myself to avoid the doctor's office. The stuff I'm taking is Xyzal in case you are wondering. I'd say I took it a good solid week before noticing a difference. I felt some slight fatigue, but that seems to have gotten better. Definitely nothing like the tiredness from taking Benadryl though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 A friends dd is allergic to dogs and has severe abdominal pain as a reaction. Thank you for mentioning this. Another friend recently shared that she has had unexplained abdominal pain for 35 years and I didn't think to ask if she'd been tested for allergies. I will do that this weekend! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 Nothing with the body REALLY would surprise me. (Brain, even moreso. I know brain is part of body, just specifying). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 DS has abdominal pain as part of his allergy makeup. It is worse when his seasonal allergies are flaring. I have to say though: we don't know which allergy causes which symptom. During the seasonal allergies, his "allergy cup" might just be full, meaning he's already producing tons of histamines and is on the edge of a reaction if he eats something he's allergic to. So it could be that he's being mildly exposed to one of his food allergens, and that's the cause of abdominal pain. Not actually the seasonal allergen. Does that make sense? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scbusf Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 I think it definitely could be related. If you have postnasal drip (which you may not even notice), that could be irritating your stomach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemsondana Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 When I finally decided to get treatment for my allergies, I found that a whole suite of problems went away - full-body aches, muscle twitches, reflux, random panic feelings, insomnia, and vertigo being the unexpected ones (congestion, ear pain, and headache were the normal ones that disappeared). I asked the allergist what else antihistamines and allergy shots helped with, and he said that most doctors dramatically underestimate all of the effects that allergies can have. Having a chronic hyped-up immune response can affect a lot of systems. After feeling pretty much the same my whole life and thinking it was normal, it was completely amazing to not feel like that any more. I tell my allergist that he gave me a whole new life, and my husband says that it's sometimes like taking 20 years off of my age. So, no, it wouldn't surprise me if you had stomach symptoms, especially if you have food allergies. You might also want to look up 'histamine and food' - there are some foods that I'm not allergic to but they can cause problems if I eat too much. Glad you found something that makes you feel better. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverland Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 Huh. I wonder if this explains one of my dc's unexplained stomach pain when he was younger. IIRC, it stopped around the time he started getting allergy shots. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 Going off the dog allergy--could you be reacting to cats? Or mold? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 7, 2017 Author Share Posted April 7, 2017 Going off the dog allergy--could you be reacting to cats? Or mold? yes and yes I do have cats. Although, I did not have cats for many years so I hesitate to chalk it up to cats. Mold is always a possibility. Hard to get away from mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 (edited) Pollen food allergy syndrome explains it as does post nasal drip irritating the stomach. Pollen food allergy syndrome ETA Intestinal allergic inflammation is also a possiblity Edited April 7, 2017 by Tap 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 7, 2017 Author Share Posted April 7, 2017 When I finally decided to get treatment for my allergies, I found that a whole suite of problems went away - full-body aches, muscle twitches, reflux, random panic feelings, insomnia, and vertigo being the unexpected ones (congestion, ear pain, and headache were the normal ones that disappeared). I asked the allergist what else antihistamines and allergy shots helped with, and he said that most doctors dramatically underestimate all of the effects that allergies can have. Having a chronic hyped-up immune response can affect a lot of systems. After feeling pretty much the same my whole life and thinking it was normal, it was completely amazing to not feel like that any more. I tell my allergist that he gave me a whole new life, and my husband says that it's sometimes like taking 20 years off of my age. So, no, it wouldn't surprise me if you had stomach symptoms, especially if you have food allergies. You might also want to look up 'histamine and food' - there are some foods that I'm not allergic to but they can cause problems if I eat too much. Glad you found something that makes you feel better. I hesitate to bother with allergy shots. Several people in my family tried them and they'd work great for a year...two years tops...and they'd be right back to where they started after. My 90 year old grandmother still deals with issues despite doing years of various allergy shots. They don't last for some reason. If this pill really is helping then holy cow that would be miraculous. Food seems possible to me, but I notice no obvious thing with a particular food. Maybe testing would help figure that out, but I'm not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 Pollen food allergy syndrome explains it as does post nasal drip irritating the stomach. Pollen food allergy syndrome ETA Intestinal allergic inflammation is also a possiblity I need to find DS's allergy testing results. He was having the pains after drinking smoothies, so I figured the dairy was aggravating his stomach. It may be the fruit instead. Not sure why I didn't consider this. This also started at the same time as baseball season, so he may be just getting overloaded with allergens, despite all the meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 yes and yes I do have cats. Although, I did not have cats for many years so I hesitate to chalk it up to cats. Mold is always a possibility. Hard to get away from mold. I think there are mold test kits you can DIY to see if your house is trying to kill you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 7, 2017 Author Share Posted April 7, 2017 I think there are mold test kits you can DIY to see if your house is trying to kill you. I'm sure every house around here is trying to kill me. It would be impossible to get away from. LOL I honestly don't even want to know. There would be no way to avoid it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenC Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 Dd has seasonal allergies and during the spring and fall she has to limit her dairy intake or she has abdominal pain. Maybe it's a combination of seasonal and food allergies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 That's interesting. My dd has had abdominal pain all her life too, starting around 8th grade. She has been tested and retested, and they can never find anything. It comes and goes. Recently, it was gone for about 8 months, and now is suddenly back. Around the same time as when my seasonal allergies got worse... hmmm...🤔 I wouldn't doubt that it could be somehow related. I suppose allergens could build up in the body, cause more inflammation all around, which could then aggravate the stomach. Or post nasal drip could aggravate the stomach. Or allergens could cause migraines, which in some people result in abdominal pain rather than headache. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemsondana Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 There are foods that only bother me if my allergies are already a problem - if histamine levels are high, then it's enough to push them over the edge into feeling bad, and otherwise it's fine. As for the shots, I'm down to once/month. I may continue with it forever - the difference is big enough that 30 min/month is a small price to pay. It's been interesting watching members of my family, who never had allergy problems, start to develop seasonal allergies. They seem shocked - you felt like this your entire life? How did you function? :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 7, 2017 Author Share Posted April 7, 2017 That's interesting. My dd has had abdominal pain all her life too, starting around 8th grade. She has been tested and retested, and they can never find anything. It comes and goes. Recently, it was gone for about 8 months, and now is suddenly back. Around the same time as when my seasonal allergies got worse... hmmm...🤔 I wouldn't doubt that it could be somehow related. I suppose allergens could build up in the body, cause more inflammation all around, which could then aggravate the stomach. Or post nasal drip could aggravate the stomach. Or allergens could cause migraines, which in some people result in abdominal pain rather than headache. I had migraines as a kid (a lot). I no longer get those. The abdominal pain comes and goes for me too. Which made it kinda challenging because I might suffer for awhile and then decide ok finally I'll go do something about it and then boom it's gone. So I'd forget about it for awhile. I don't notice any sinus issues though. That's something I really don't think I have. So the post nasal drip thing doesn't seem to fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 7, 2017 Author Share Posted April 7, 2017 I think there are mold test kits you can DIY to see if your house is trying to kill you. Ok, but seriously I've lived in about 10 different places since this has been a problem so either all 10 had major mold issues or that's not really the problem. The problem even happens when I travel out of the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 I had migraines as a kid (a lot). I no longer get those. Interesting. You know, you can get migraines and have it only affect your stomach. No headache pain at all. It's called an abdominal migraine. In fact, I have wondered if that's actually what my one dd has, since migraines are so prevalent in the family. It's a powerful gene! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 7, 2017 Author Share Posted April 7, 2017 Interesting. You know, you can get migraines and have it only affect your stomach. No headache pain at all. It's called an abdominal migraine. In fact, I have wondered if that's actually what my one dd has, since migraines are so prevalent in the family. It's a powerful gene! WHOA...I had no idea! I need to look this up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Histamine intolerance can cause abdominal pain. My dh has to watch what he eats during allergy season, because if he eats foods high in histamines, he gets all kinds of weird symptoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 So, those of you who have allergies/abdominal pain--is there a cycle of gi issues as well? I have two kids with moderate allergies. The rest are mild to none. One of the moderately allergic kids has a cycle of constipation and cramps followed by constant pooping followed by constipation. Related? She's also vegetarian and gets a ton of fiber, water and exercise. I can't imagine it's lifestyle related. I'm stumped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Interesting thread. Youngest DD has had awful allergy symptoms this week and has also been complaining of tummy aches. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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