This is topic I am allergic to... Update! The results are in! in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
 
You have about three hours to fill in the blank.

I have been plagued with what I've referred to as "allergies" all my life, and I am finally going in for an appointment with an allergist. Doing the whole little scratch test thingie and letting them stick needles with foreign substances into me and see what I react to. Seems insane.

Anyway... when I come back, I'll know! Neat.

[ October 13, 2004, 05:06 PM: Message edited by: ElJay ]
 
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
 
Good luck. Scratch tests tend to be inconclusive about the free-form respiratory allergies that run in my family. [Razz] Hope yours are definite!
 
Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
 
I bet you're allergic to dust mites. Those critters are a pain in the butt!
 
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
 
rivka, pooey. That puts a damper on things.

Truthfully, I'm just focusing on this 'cause I've got another doctor's appointment at 1:00 that I'm a bit less excited about. *shrug* But I'd still like to know.

[ October 13, 2004, 08:27 AM: Message edited by: ElJay ]
 
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
 
*twinkle* An appointment that will be less fun than getting lots of scratches? Ouch! [Wink]

Good luck with both. [Smile]
 
Posted by WishfulWiggin (Member # 6823) on :
 
I had this done a few months ago. It doesnt hurt at all, its just quite maddening to not be able to itch. I had to sit there for 20 minutes not itching the giant welts forming on my arm. Hopefully yours will go better. Good luck.
 
Posted by rubble (Member # 6454) on :
 
I also had this test done once upon a time. They tested me for 70 allergens and I was allergic to 54 of them! Then the worst 5 they did again with larger doses in my arm [Eek!] .

Oddly enough I don't have many day to day reactions ... go figure.
 
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
 
Also, the poke test can be overly sensitive. My brother, for instance, was found to be allergic to peanuts... Yet he had had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all his life, with no noticeable effect.

-Bok
 
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
 
Guys, I think she's asking us to list what WE are allergic to.

On that assumption, the only thing I know I'm allergic to is Deseret Industries Laundry Soap (circa 1981).

My family had to relocate for my Dad's job and we had to move before our old house sold. We were on (LDS) Church welfare for a year after we moved so my parents could make the two house payments and feed 7 kids at the same time. The food delivery also contained DI Laudry Soap. The first time I wore clothes washed in the stuff, I broke out in a terrible rash everywhere clothes touched my body. Needless to say, she stopped using that soap.
 
Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
 
My son was poked and found to be severly allergic to dust mites. He had a red "spot" the size of an orange on his back.
 
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
Bees and ragweed.
 
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
 
hazelnuts. mosquitoes. spiders. bees. wasps. most laundry detergents. most powdered cleansers. and the biggie? gold.
 
Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
 
(((quidscribis)))

That's awful! Allergies are certainly not very funny!
 
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
 
Cats. Dog. Cows. Horses. Leaf mold. grass pollen. Tree pollen. You name it, I'm allergic to it, to one degree or another (except for ragweed and poison ivy). No serious food allergies to speak of. Basil used to give me headaches, concord grapes make my lips itch, and pineapple can make my tongue break out if I eat too much of it.

The only thing that I'm dangerously allergic to is horses. when they gave me the scratch test as a kid, the horse scratch swelled to such an enormous size that it blotted out the surrounding scratch marks. Apparently if I ever want to kill myself I should just go and groom a lathered horse in a closed in stall. That really sucks, because I'd love to experience horesback riding. I generally don't let my allergies keep me from doing stuff--I've had cats and dogs all my life, and grew up in the country surrounded by all sorts of grasses and trees. We generally had a couple cows when I was small, and even after we stopped raising them I'd go and pet and feed and generally bother our neighbor's cattle. I did the same thing with their horses, but I never got to ride one.
 
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
 
I'm allergic to seafood, and poison oak/ivy/sumac.
 
Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
 
((((Noemon)))) Geeeshh, you poor guy!

((((everyone in this thread that suffers from allergies))))
 
Posted by skillery (Member # 6209) on :
 
quidscribis:

Gold? In the sense that your pocketbook is allergic to it?

Come on, gold is pretty inert stuff.
 
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
 
I have a feeling I have a whole lot more allergies than I previously listed. I just don't remember at the moment. Other than the pharmaceutical kind. Those I have as well.

Hmm. Allergic to memories?
 
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
 
Gold isn't that surprising. My mom is allergic to sterling silver.

-Bok
 
Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
 
I know quite a few people who are allergic to gold.
 
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
 
I'm not allergic to anything and I don't get heartburn, or else I don't know what it is. [Razz]

:ducks rotten tomatoes:
 
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
 
I'm allergic to research.
 
Posted by Lost Ashes (Member # 6745) on :
 
Chicken feathers, animal dander and for some reason curry powder prompts allergy symptoms, although I'm not allergic to any of the components of it on their own...
 
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
 
I thought gold was hypoallergenic. Are you sure it's real gold and not just cheap imitation stuff?
 
Posted by Brinestone (Member # 5755) on :
 
Hm. Noemon, your anecdote is making me wonder what would happen if I were ever tested for horse allergies. I know I'm very allergic to horses; I don't have to be tested to know that. The last time I rode a horse, I was only out for an hour. I took allergy medication beforehand. I brought kleenex. Eventually it became so bad that I went home, put all my "contaminated" clothes in a garbage bag, took a shower, washed myself several times, put on entirely new, clean clothes, and still couldn't breathe very well. I lay down for about an hour and a half before feeling well enough to get up.

And this is from someone who was a horse freak as a child. I read a lot of horse books because I couldn't experience them firsthand.

Question: How on earth do you have cats and dogs and not go out of your mind sneezing and wheezing all the time?
 
Posted by Lost Ashes (Member # 6745) on :
 
For me, I love my wife and I love our dog and cat (which were there before I was), so I just take an antihistamine when I remember to and that keeps my allergies down to a low roar.

Sneeze, wheeze, and anything to please. Ain't love grand? [Big Grin]
 
Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
 
Apparently people with gold allergies are usually allergic to the nickel in lower quality alloys. But it looks like there's also sensitivity to gold salts like gold trichloride found in some dental fillings. A google search.

-----

I am somewhat allergic to my cat. He sleeps on my bed.
 
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
 
Well, I'm lucky enough to have a very low allergenic cat at the moment (luck of the draw--she adopted us, not the other way around), but I'm also pretty much resigned to always being on singulair, at least until something better becomes available. I've got an albuterol inhaler, but I basically never use it; it's just for emergencies.
 
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
 
And the answer is...

Histamine
House Dust
D. farinae
D. pteronyssinus
Cockroach
Cat
Dog
Alternaria
Aspergillus
Cephalosporium
Fusarium
Helminthosporium
Hormodendrum
Mucor
Penicillium
Phoma
Pullularia
Stemphylium
Ash (white)
Birch (mix)
Cedar (mountain)
Cottenwood (mountain)
Elm
Box Elder/Maple (mix)
Oak (mix)
Pine (white)
Willow (black)
Bluegrass
Orchard grass
Timothy grass
Kochia
Lambs Quarter
Pigweed (A. retroflexus)
Ragweed (short)
Ragweed (giant)
Russian Thistle

In other words, every last bloody thing they tested me for. The scale apparently goes up to 4... of the 37, I got 4s on 28 of them and 3s on the other 9.

But wait! There's more! (Possible TMI ahead.)

I went into anaphylactic shock from the test. I got my first shot of Epinephrine minutes after she finished with the needles, before the doctor even came in to gauge the results. Second shot 12 minutes later. I lay on the table whimpering in pain for a good 25 minutes or so, until I really, really had to go to the bathroom, which is apparently a side effect from the shots. They walked me down the hall and left me alone, which I appreciated, but stood outside the door and called in to me every few minutes... until I was done, and washing my hands, and started to black out. At which point I called out, and stumbled into the hall, and there was no one there.

I called out again, and a random chiropracter came rushing around the corner and caught me under the arms as I started to go down. (I found out he was a chiropracter later, I did not stop and ask for his credentials at the time. Although it turns out that he used to be an allergy nurse, so that was nice.)

Anyway, back to the story -- I could hear him asking what doctor I was seeing, and managed to answer "The allergist..." Someone else arrived, and then the nurse who had been with me was there (not the one who was supposed to be watching me.) She asked if I could see her, and I could, kinda, but it was like there was a heavy gray veil in front of my face. Very weird. They put me on an office chair, wheeled me back to the room, and put me back on the table and gave me my ice packs back. That was nice. Oh yeah, somewhere before they had given me an oral antihistimine of some sort as well, after the first shot I think.

The doctor came back, told me that the shots had lowered my blood pressure, (which is normally pretty low anyway) and that, *ahem* certain bodily functions lower it even more. It was the consensus by this point, certainly among the patients in the room, that I should not be driving myself home, so they called my mom. They also brought me some orange juice, to try to cut the raging headache. And told me that they needed to give me two more shots, steroids, before I left. One in each cheek. I asked if we could wait until Mommy got there, and went back to being miserable.

As the need to vomit receeded and I got used to the headache, I began to notice the itching and the fact that I was freezing. They brought me blankets, which didn't help. Um, and did I mention that the first symptom I noticed was that the sides of my tongune were tingling? Apparently the parts of the body with the highest percentage of mucus membrane are the strongest affected. Yeah, there too.

Mom showed up. This was good. They repeated to her all the stuff they had told me about how I needed to be watched and if this started again in 6 - 8 hours when the shots wore off to call 911 and give them this sheet showing what had happened so far. I got up and dropped trou (partially) for two more shots. We were trying to decide if I should walk or wheelchair out. I had already gotten up and walked okay once, so I thought it would be fine. Yep, got up and promptly started to faint again.

Back on the table, bring the wheelchair in, wheel me out, make arrangements to leave the key to my truck with the receptionist so Dad can come pick it up. I was shivverring so hard my teeth were chattering the whole way. SO glad Mom has heated seats.

We drove to the pharmacy to put in my two perscriptions, and the itching was really setting in, especially on my ankles. So I kicked off my shoes and put my feet up on the dash to take a look... and saw that my feet were covered in hives. Pulled up my pants leg to the knee, and Mom looked over and said, "Well there's one spot that's not covered..." until we looked closer and saw that they were all run together and it was just one big hive. By the time we got home I only had 5 hives. One on each leg, one on each arm, and one on my back. Pretty much completely covering the surface area of my body. My scalp itched. I itched between my toes.

The nurse told me I has the strongest reaction to the tests she had ever seen. The doctor said that when we do shots, we will start with a very, very dilute solution. I will need two mixtures, one in each arm, to cover all my allergens. I had to cancel my other doctor's appointment for today, which was the one I was actually worried about.

This was probably the most hidious physical experience of my life to date. I skipped over a lot of "sobbing and whimpering," because it was tedious enough to live through, you certainly don't need to read about it.

I feel much better now.
 
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
o_O
 
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
 
Oh holy hell! Eljay, I think that may officially be the most harrowing "trip to the doctor" story I've ever heard in which there was absolutely nothing at all wrong when the patient walked in the door.

Damn. You have my sympathies.
 
Posted by punwit (Member # 6388) on :
 
Jeez Eljay what an awful experience. I was tested years ago and share many of the same allergies: animal dander, mold, house dust, grass, trees... you name it. I took shots as a kid but haven't had serious asthma for years. I still get hammered in the fall and I usually get a cortisone shot that helps immensely. I wish you a speedy recovery and effective treatment in the long term.

[Kiss] Just a get well gesture.
 
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
 
(((((((ElJay)))))))

What an ordeal... [Frown] [Cry]
[Hail] for going through so much.
 
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
 
Yikes!! [Eek!] That's one of the worst allergy test stories I've ever heard!

When I was tested, I found out I'm allergic to a lot of stuff (pollens, molds, a lot of foods). I don't think I got higher than a 3 on any of them. My reactions are never severe though - they're similar to pollen allergies - post-nasal drip and some nose itchiness.
 
Posted by Derrell (Member # 6062) on :
 
(((ElJay))) Allergies are evil. I hope you feel better soon.
 
Posted by xnera (Member # 187) on :
 
O_O

I hope you're okay, and that you don't have any more reactions.

I hated, hated, HATED my allergist. Did not trust her at all. I shall list the reasons:

Needless to say, I did NOT go back there again.
I am cat, dust mites, most nuts, mushrooms, onions, spinach, and a few others that I have forgotten. The onions are the worst. I will flush, and my throat will feel weird for the rest of the day. Not sore, and not like it's closing. More like I've got this taste in my mouth that I cannot get rid of. Annoying. I stay away from onions, now.

Nuts didn't bother me until recently. I used to eat peanut butter candy bars everday. Not anymore. Sometimes I can get away with eating some nuts and have no reaction, but then there will be the time I eat some and my eyes tear up badly. So again, I mostly stay away.

Raina used to affect me badly. Got used to her, and now we are fine together. But my food allergies definitely got worse after I got her, so I think that has something to do with it.

The asthma bothered me occasionally for about six months. Now, I will wheeze maybe twice a year. As for the allergies, a daily Claritan is normally enough. Sometimes I need to supplement that with benedryl in the evenings, but this is becoming more and more rare.

Good luck with your treatment! It really works. I didn't need it, but my sister did it, and she is much better now.
 
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
 
Good lord, that's horrible! I'm so glad you survived and are okay enough to tell us about it. I just have random hay fever attacks in the summer and fall, they kinda fade in and out and I've never had to get a prescription or anything for them. Feel better soon! (((ElJay)))
 
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
 
That is so scary!

I'm glad you're okay, but what an ordeal!
 
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
 
Oh my stars!! I'm glad you're okay!! I'm glad someone could drive you home. Oh my goodness. [Frown]
 
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
 
Honey, I'm so glad you're doing better. I can't imagine how much that must have sucked! [Frown]

(I'm also going to send you the $ that I owe you. I promise.)
 
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
Poor ElJay!
 
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
 
ElJay, check back before you go to sleep if you have the chance, okay?

Good grief. [Frown]
 
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
 
Yep, looks like you're allergic. Oh man! *hugs*
 
Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
 
Geesh ElJay! You poor baby! (((ElJay)))
 
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
 
(((Eljay)))
 
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
 
[Smile] Thank you all so much. I really am better... I can't believe how much so, considering how I felt during it all. I'm down to a little swelling in my feet, red itchy spots on my back, and a minor headache. Oh, and some of my joints are sore... dunno if that's related or not.

The worst part would be my parent's sloooooow internet connection. [Wink] But I'm glad I live close enough to them that they can take care of me during stuff like this.

Truthfully, I dread the idea of going back in for shots. If this was my reaction to the test...? But I know they saw it, and I trust them to start me on a low enough level that it doesn't happen again, and I'm always so flippin' miserable during my allergy seasons that I'm gonna give it a try. Almost typed "gonna give it a shot," and decided not to. *hee*

Thanks again, it's great to know y'all care. [Cool]
 
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
 
(((ElJay)))

You are really, REALLY allergic to all those things? Can they even explain how that happens? [Eek!]

I'm glad you're feeling better.

You will probably have to carry epi-pens around now. Is that one of the prescriptions they gave you?

When you start seeing the allergist, make sure you only go on days or at times when you can sit there for at least 1/2 hour to be sure you don't react!!!

I went through the shots and they do help. It takes a long time to build up tolerance to allergans that way, but it does seem to work.

I hope this is the last time you experience this.
 
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
 
I doubt she will have to carry an epi, it wasn't the allergy that made her react like that...it was the combination of all of them at once.

I hope you feel better, ELJay, and I am sure you will be fine from here on out.

Kwea
 
Posted by Mrs.M (Member # 2943) on :
 
ElJay, how awful! I'm sorry you had to go through that and I'm glad you're feeling better.

Are you going to be going to the same doctor's office? If so, may I suggest that you give them a written note detailing your experience and some suggestions for improving their level of care? You shouldn't have to stumble into the hall of a doctor's and faint into the arms of a chiropractor.
 
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
 
[Eek!] YOWZA! [Eek!]

You poor thing! How awful!

So glad you're feeling better. Hope the recovery is rapid and thorough. *hugs*

[ October 13, 2004, 11:37 PM: Message edited by: rivka ]
 
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
 
Eljay - I'm glad you're feeling better. My brother had the shots and they helped him a lot. I hope they work for you.

KarlEd - yes, I'm sure it's gold. I'm not allergic to silver or nickel or any other metals, just gold and nothing but the gold. My mother is also allergic to gold.

Hypoallergenic doesn't mean that no one will ever be allergic to it, it just means that it's safer for most people.

And I have another to add to the list that I forgot about - sawdust. I get terrible ashtma attacks from that. Oh, and milk. Nope, not lactose intolerant. Lactose is actually the ONLY component in milk that I am not allergic to.

[ October 13, 2004, 11:27 PM: Message edited by: quidscribis ]
 
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
 
[Frown]
My mother in law is allergic to celery. Restaurants keep thinking it is a joke. She keeps having to leave in anaphylactic shock.
 
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
 
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ElJay}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

I've never been scratch tested and frankly now I'm hesitant (even though a part of me knows that what you went through is obviously quite rare). I do know I'm allergic to cat, dog, dustmite, pollen, mold, ragweeds, some trees (but I don't know which), and Queen Anne's Lace (that's a nasty one!!)

My sister has all the same plus chocolate, gold, milk (or maybe that's a lactose intolerance, I don't recall now) and eggs.
 
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
 
[Eek!] ElJay I'm SO SO sorry!!

[Frown] (((((LJ))))))
 
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
 
*hee* This is like my very own private hug thread.

(((((((back atcha all))))))
 
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
 
o_O And I thought I had bad allergies...

(((ElJay)))

Anyway, the strangest allergies I've ever heard of are the ones one of my uncles has: he cannot eat green fruits (unripe ones, that is), and when he touches leather his teeth hurt! I almost thought it was a joke first time he told me, but apparently it's not...
 
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
 
Glad you are still doing well, ElJay. *whew!

Don't take any extended absences just right now, okay? We'll worry.
 
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
 
I missed this being out yesterday! YIKES!

(((ElJay)))

My allergies usually aren't bad enough to seek medical help, and I think I'll stick with that.
 
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
 
No need to worry... that's the nice part about having relatives on Hatrack, dkw will let you know if something awful happens to me. [Big Grin] Or vice versa, of course. I was thinking about that when Eduardo posted about if he died we would never know why he disappeared... unless something takes out dkw and me and now probably Bob, too, you'll at least be notified.

*giggle* That probably wasn't as comforting as it was meant to be.
 
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
 
[Angst] No, it wasn't...
 
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
 
In an odd coincidence, the day after I read this I talked to my family. Seems my brother had his allergy test and swelled up/got massively sick. Just a day before he was to move his stuff into a new house. [Roll Eyes]
 
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
 
My sympathies to him.

The nurse called me the next day to make sure I was alright... she reiterated that I was the worst case she or the doctor had ever seen, and asked how things had went after I left. When I told her about the hives after I left she was a little concerned, that things had kept happening. We also talked about the shots a little... I told her I was nervous, considering my reaction to the test. She said that the test is at a 1:1,000 dilution and if I went ahead with the shots it would be a 1:1,000,000 dilution. I'm going to try it.

Although I felt better by Wednesday night, I still didn't feel really great... had to leave work early Friday and go home to bed. I didn't feel completely recovered until pretty late Saturday evening. I would have hated to have to move in that state. Frankly, I doubt I could have. I could barely hold my head up for most of the day Saturday.

Anyway... I don't think my experience should stop anyone from getting allergy tests. My reaction was undoubtably extreme. But I wouldn't care to go through it again. (Read: Not for love or money.
 
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
 
Thankfully, his new house is just across the water from his old one, and my family is all there to help him out. The moron actually drove himself back to the doctor while he swelled up to look like the Michelin man. [Roll Eyes] That's the Stamm brothers, stubborn to the core.
 
Posted by drumsntolkein (Member # 6095) on :
 
I'm allergic to wheat, rye, and barley....not too fun. but I can live.
 
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
 
quote:
I'm allergic to wheat, rye, and barley....not too fun. but I can live.
Me too (gluten intolerant actually). It's a major annoyance, especially here in the states.
 
Posted by drumsntolkein (Member # 6095) on :
 
yeah, Gluten intolerance, Celiac Disease, whatever you want to call it. It's amazing how much stuff has wheat in it. It's also bad because I'm a-symptomatic so even if I were to eat wheat it would destroy my intestines and I wouldn't know it.
 
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
 
Wow! I'm not really asymptomatic. Before I was diagnosed I was always severly anemic. Now I have read blood cells (Woo Hoo!!) Unfortunately, that isn't exactly a fast feed back loop. I could be eating the wrong stuff for months before I keeled over.
 
Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :
 
Wow, I just read this thread. Glad you are ok, Eljay!
 
Posted by Kingfounds (Member # 12922) on :
 
(Post removed by JanitorBlade. The spam is really coming down today.)

[ December 12, 2012, 09:53 AM: Message edited by: JanitorBlade ]
 
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
 
My first thought was "ElJay posted? When?!?".


In 2004, it seems. [Big Grin]
 
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
 
If you look at my post history, you'll see that I posted twice in November and sporadically before then. I've never actually left.
 


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