Burning, puffy, red face 2 evenings in a row. UPDATE w/ TEST RESULTS #42 - Page 3

[sbgrace]

Some of their lattes have tree nuts. All you need is a trace left on machinery.

[FondestBianca]

Allergy test update

So I finally got in to the allergist. My life just got even more complicated. Just when I (along with my doc and the ER doc who treated one of my reactions) thought I had this figured out, life has thrown me another curve. I did the skin tests for several kinds of nuts, spices, any other frequently or recently consumed foods, or common allergy causing foods, and environmental stuff. In total they tested me for 70 diffferent things.

NONE of them reacted. NONE!!

I can't afford to just test randomly for zillions of things. The allergist was WONDERFUL and chopped my bill from around $1000 and just charged me an existing patient (which I wasn't), discounted, office visit of $181!! He didn't even tell me he was going to do it. He told the billing person then went off to his next appointment. He did agree that since we now have no current leads it wouldn't be cost effective for me to keep testing before having another strong lead. In the mean time he told me to continue to stay away from nuts for awhile just in case. He wrote me a lab slip for a blood test that can be done while having an allergic reaction to definatly tell if that is what is going on.

He mentioned some sort of condition where a person's body is weakened and it has an allergic reaction to basically nothing but there is no way to tell if that was what was going on at this point. I brought up my lyme tests with him and he seemed curious but, didn't have any connective knowledge there. I'm still in the dark as to wether I have chronic lyme or not. 2 "slightly elevated" titers proving a past of exposure (with no treatment) but neg western.

[lil_miss_understood]

Is the test called serum tryptase? Make sure you contact the hospital PRIOR to needing the test to make sure they know it's not serum tryptin... I recently had a friend whose bloodwork was messed up with this accident and now she needs to wait for another reaction to rule out anaphylaxis.

eta: so sorry you got no answers. Hoping the best for you.

[Koalamom]

Originally Posted by FondestBianca

He mentioned some sort of condition where a person's body is weakened and it has an allergic reaction to basically nothing but there is no way to tell if that was what was going on at this point. I brought up my lyme tests with him and he seemed curious but, didn't have any connective knowledge there. I'm still in the dark as to wether I have chronic lyme or not. 2 "slightly elevated" titers proving a past of exposure (with no treatment) but neg western.

Don't push this aside then. Lyme seems to be the answer to many of my health issues. Treating has finally given me relief. Perhaps test again or maybe check in with the lyme group thread.

[WuWei]

Had you been on any benedryl, steroids or antihistamines the 7 days before the skin testing? It would make the testing invalid/inaccurate.


Pat

[KatWrangler]

Originally Posted by WuWei

Had you been on any benedryl, steroids or antihistamines the 7 days before the skin testing? It would make the testing invalid/inaccurate.


Pat

This.

[FondestBianca]

Originally Posted by WuWei

Had you been on any benedryl, steroids or antihistamines the 7 days before the skin testing? It would make the testing invalid/inaccurate.


Pat

nope. Just pre-natals and vit D. The only other thing I may have taken within 7 days is an over the counter pain med for a migraine. Besides that, the test site did react... wouldn't that prove I'm able to react or would that react regardless?

[FondestBianca]

Originally Posted by JacquelineR

Is the test called serum tryptase? Make sure you contact the hospital PRIOR to needing the test to make sure they know it's not serum tryptin... I recently had a friend whose bloodwork was messed up with this accident and now she needs to wait for another reaction to rule out anaphylaxis.

eta: so sorry you got no answers. Hoping the best for you.

and now I can't seem to find the lab slip...

[FondestBianca]

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1

Don't push this aside then. Lyme seems to be the answer to many of my health issues. Treating has finally given me relief. Perhaps test again or maybe check in with the lyme group thread.

I've already had 3 tests in the last 4 months. My doc was ready to drop it after the 2nd. I don't think he'll agree to another one. He is the only doc I can see under the charity program I'm working with. I've thought about going the Igenex route but, it's just really not in the budget. I think I could get my doc to agree to order the lab for the Igenex since it would be my expense but, the fact that it is my expense means I can't get it.

I've been studying up on lyme since my first test came back wonky. It would seem to answer a lot of currently unanswered questions.

[JaneS]

Just throwing out something weird... did you get a Xmas tree when this all started? I've known of several people reacting to their trees IRL, including my mother. Whether it was the tree or the pesticide stuff they sprayed on it we still don't know.

All tests are not necessarily accurate. I would go for RAST blood testing if you can.

[FondestBianca]

Originally Posted by JaneS

Just throwing out something weird... did you get a Xmas tree when this all started? I've known of several people reacting to their trees IRL, including my mother. Whether it was the tree or the pesticide stuff they sprayed on it we still don't know.

All tests are not necessarily accurate. I would go for RAST blood testing if you can.

I can't afford any blood testing for allergies unfortunatly. I used a small fake tree that I've had for a few years. I put it up a couple weeks before all of this happened.