r/FoodAllergies

I have a malic acid allergy and swell up when in contact with various foods like Limes, or Strawberries.

My boyfriend’s mom has a penicillin allergy so feta cheese and my antibiotics which adds to the risk of contamination from dirty dishes, since I crush my meds up and put it in yogurt.

We don’t have a dishwasher so everything is done by hand, but the thing is that I’m the only one who actually makes sure the dishes are clean. I wash everything three times (once with a sponge and twice with bare hands to make sure there’s nothing left on the surface) with plenty of soap and hot water. When everyone else does it they brush the sponge across the surface once, maybe adding a little soap, then barely even rinse in lukewarm water before calling it good enough, then they put it in with the actually clean dishes which contaminates them all.

What can I do to convince everyone to either put more effort in or just let me do the dishes instead?

I feel so hopeless

My fridge is almost empty. I gave away or disposed of everything I needed to. I feel better not having it in my apartment. It makes me less uncomfortable with current restrictions. Also gave away my candles because I realized those were made with soy wax. My neighbor is enjoying them.

I got a chest freezer because everything needs to stay frozen until I’m ready to eat it. I’ve filled it up with chicken and beef. And some cauliflower and broccoli. I can have 2 different drinks, so that’s all that’s in my little fridge. I have one bag of Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips. That lasts a long time because I only have a tiny bit per day.

So now I think I’m set up so I only need to go to the grocery store every 2 weeks, or when meat is on sale for a crazy good price. This is so great because we all know how grocery shopping can be not fun.

I used to love shopping and cooking. Instead I decidedly to turn that vibe towards one of my hobbies instead. Honestly I used to spend a lot on food. I no longer can binge eat (that’s a good thing) so I have a little more freedom in my spending. So now I can afford the plushy yarn and am having the best time ever making the cuddliest animals for everyone I can think of. And for myself!

I live in an apartment building so I also let the neighbors I’m familiar with know what’s going on, that my EpiPens are always in the bag that is on me, and to call 911 if I ever appear to be in distress. This helps me to feel more comfortable with things like taking out the trash (wasps are out), and if I knock on their door (or in one case the wall) and don’t speak they know to call for help.

What are some things you’ve done, especially in the transition periods where you needed to eliminate things from your diet that helped you feel emotionally l/mentally better? What techniques do you use to stay positive, feel less afraid, and look to the bright side and hold on to hope for a good life?

Caveat I’m in my mid 30s , and have had issues since I was a kid , but we didnt find out until I was a 20 year+ old and had blood work done.

I have the following food allergies:

Milk, wheat , eggs, shellfish.

All came back positive on blood tests.

So it’s not an intolerance, but an allergy.

From what I gather Shellfish is the worst for me, it makes my lips puff, my tongue and mouth itchy and gives me trouble breathing… thankfully not anaphylactic levels.

This is easily avoidable, I avoid Thai restaurants and don’t use any shellfish containing products

Wheat, Dairy and Eggs are another story they cause varying levels stomach cramps, gas , severe bloating (to point it shows up on ultrasounds) , pain and unmentionable GI issues often within just 5 mins of eating my meals.

I do not have celiac , colitis or anything in that area (have had colonoscopy/endoscopy)

I continue to eat them because I can’t afford an alternative …

Fodmapping has been horrible and I’ve done it for months at a time through dietician in the past.

The gas and bloating has been horrendous from fodmapping.

Ultimately money is the issue What can I do?

I developed hives two years ago and allergy test revealed a severe dog allergy (despite having a dog for years). Allergy test did not reveal any food allergies, although I have a mold allergy so I figure cheese is probably not my friend. Despite many measures to prevent issues, hives still show up randomly. So my doctor recommended a food sensitivity test…she ordered and administered it. But now I have an overwhelming list of things to cut for three months. And in researching restaurant options that avoid my big three (dairy, garlic, and mustard), I’m seeing lots of info saying that food sensitivity testing isn’t recommended or scientifically based. I’m so confused and don’t know what to do or whether to trust my doctor now. Any advice?

looking for dairy free recipes. I get hesitant taking a trip to the store to by anything due to a fear of buying something that may be cross contaminated such as dairy free milks but I have no choice but to buy them as my symptoms come on immediately if I have any dairy. I’m looking for healthy recipes for my gut and some sweets that I can make and Substitute milk with.

Recently I’ve had five episodes where I have sudden onset of a seemingly allergic reaction - I get a cough, sore throat congestion in my throat/chest, and a very itchy neck. I’ve been trying to isolate what is causing it. The first two times it happened I had done my nails at home using dip powder, so I assumed it was that and stopped doing them. But it’s happened three times since. The latest was Easter about 30 minutes after eating brunch. I thought it was a potential wheat allergy because I had eaten wheat the other times I had this reaction. My doctor ordered food allergy testing and all of the foods tested came back normal while the overall test was abnormal. My total IgE level was 127, which is just outside the normal range. I have no idea what to think now as I have zero experiences with anything other than the occasional seasonal allergy flare up. I ended up in the ER the morning after Easter because I had been having frequent heart palpitations for 10 days (burden 20-25%) and woke up in the middle of the night feeling terrible - nauseous, back pain, racing heart, knee pain, and cold sweats. Given my cardiac history I wanted to ensure I didn’t have or wasn’t in the process of having a heart attack. I wasn’t, which is fantastic. My blood work at the hospital was mostly normal, but my lymphocytes were low (232).

My question is this: has anyone experienced something similar? Is 127 IgE “high” enough for a food allergy to something else that wasn’t tested? Could my level just be slightly high due to something else? Any anecdotal evidence or wisdom would be appreciated. My PCP is going to refer me to an allergist, but in the meantime I’m left wondering what the heck is going on. My sister thought maybe it could be MCAS, but that’s a huge can of worms so I’m hoping there’s a super simple answer for this that someone else has experience with.

Thank you!

Allergic to dairy, soy, egg, peanuts, hazelnuts.

I’m looking for a store bought bread for her. I’m struggling to find some that are easy to access (we have all of the major stores locally).

Does anybody have any recommendations?

Hi all-- have an allergy to whey protein and then have been using the Orgain protein powder and having flares not realizing it has.....wheat grass.

Thinking it is connected to the flares. It is apparently celiac safe (which I am questioning) but I have celiac and a wheat allergy.

Any top ones? Not too stevia-y? Thanks so much!

my wife and I ate out at a restaurant last night where we got some Gorgonzola cheese (a type of blue cheese). I had eaten several pieces of the cheese but when I ate a piece that had a particularly high content of the blue veins, I almost immediately started to experience anxiety, delirium, increased heart rate, what felt like an itchy and fuzzy uvula, fatigue, and a hot flash. all of these symptoms passed within 20-45 seconds, and I was able to continue the meal.

I was somewhat concerned at the advent of these symptoms and would have alerted my wife if the symptoms had been prolonged at all, but they seemed to pass rather quickly. I thought maybe it was a property of the cheese itself, but my wife (who had been drinking. I do not drink) said that she had not noticed anything strange about the cheese. I ultimately brushed it off to continue with the evening, but I am now concerned that this might have been some kind of allergic reaction.

I have no known food allergies, except a very minor, itchy reaction to some beans after consumption. I have never been diagnosed with a food allergy before. any help is appreciated.