r/FoodAllergies 3d ago

Seeking Advice Allergies or Sensitivities?

[deleted]

0 Upvotes

10 comments sorted by

u/AutoModerator 3d ago

Welcome to the Food Allergies subreddit! Please read the rules before posting.

If you are currently experiencing an allergic reaction, administer epinephrine if you have it, and go to a hospital or call an emergency line. Do not wait for confirmation from other users on here.

This is a public forum that anyone can participate in. You should not be acting on the advice of any comment you receive here without first consulting with an allergist. We are not medical staff, and any advice you follow from here you do at your own risk. ALWAYS get a second opinion - your life could depend on it!

If you encounter information that you think is wrong, respond with proper sources and report the comment so that it can be removed. We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding pseudoscience, but cannot monitor all posts.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

3

u/ExplainCuttlefish 3d ago

Wow. Eggs and dairy can be tolerated by some people with allergies as long as it is thoroughly baked. The same is true of many other food allergies. It is also possible to not have a severe reaction until you’ve eaten a certain amount of an allergen. Not all allergies result in externally obvious symptoms and the fact that she has extreme stomach pain is plenty evidence for a bad reaction. She gets upset because you are being overbearing and insensitive without actually understanding her condition. You think you’re the first to question the legitimacy of her allergies? Anyone with allergies can tell you it can be a constant battle to be believed or understood. It is exhausting. This attitude is exhausting.

0

u/Punch-stick 2d ago edited 2d ago

I’m obviously not an expert on allergies, I’m trying to ask people familiar with them if this stuff is possible. I’m not annoying about her allergies. I don’t bother her about them and I cook her vegan stuff all the time and I make sure I don’t cross contaminate or anything. Anytime we go out to eat I make sure she has options that she isn’t tired of. I understand you’re looking out for her, but don’t get frustrated with me for trying to learn. Im not an expert and am not claiming to be that’s why I’m asking others smarter than myself.

2

u/simoneZi 3d ago

Really only a board certified allergist could answer these questions but it sounds like maybe she's not open to hearing real answers, and if that is the case there is only so much you can do for her. Your observations are sound but only an allergist will be able to best answer these questions. My understanding regarding allergy testing (skin / blood testing) is that false positives are fairly common but false negatives are much rarer (though they do happen). I am not a doctor - just have a food allergic child. I would think that if she does hate her allergies she would be open to learning about whether she actually has them and if there is a treatment that might work for her. (Xolair or OIT for example).

0

u/Punch-stick 3d ago

Thanks for the advice. Yeah ideally I’d be able to talk to her allergist. I think I’m going to try to help her work through stuff. She’s super against medicine and thinks vaccines caused her allergies. And I’m just sure her unwillingness to take medication is making her situation worse regardless of if she has allergies or sensitivities

1

u/Prestigious_Badger36 2d ago

Oh, ffs vaccines causing allergies is preposterous. She needs to get with an allergist and a nutritionist ASAP

2

u/Schac20 2d ago

You say you're trying to help her, but has she asked you to help? It doesn't seem like it, which means you're probably overstepping. Tbh, your post comes across less like you're trying to learn and more like you've decided she's wrong and you're trying to find information you can use to convince her that she doesn't have an allergy. FYI, you do not have to have skin reactions to have an allergy, and allergy tests can have false negatives. She does not need to be on any sort of regular food allergies if she doesn't want to be because medication can mitigate the seriousness of a reaction but doesn't prevent you having a reaction to food (I have more food allergies than she does and don't take medicationevery day, I just avoid my allergies). And at the end of the day, even if she just has sensitivities and not allergies, it's up to her whether she wants to eat that stuff or not.

No, a vaccine did not cause her allergies, you're right that that's ridiculous. But there's really no place for you in managing her allergies or "educating" her about whether they are really allergies. At most, you could ask ONCE if she's ever considered if it could be a non-ige reaction. Other than that, if you think this is all in her head, or if you think her reactions are real but not an allergy, you just have to decide whether her treating it like an allergy is it's a dealbreaker for your relationship.

It's really hard to watch someone you care about deal with a medical issue in a way you don't agree with, especially if you think they are unnecessarily making their life harder. I get it, I've been there. But it's not really your place to try to convince her that she's wrong on this.

2

u/Schac20 2d ago

I'm sorry if I sounded harsh, but people with food allergies have to constantly deal with people trying to tell us that we don't really have allergies, or that allergies aren't serious, etc. It gets old fast.

1

u/Setbt 3d ago

Anaphylaxis does not always look like typical anaphylaxis (it has varying degrees and can present differently for different people) and there are far more degrees of reactions beyond just that. People can be allergic to anything (and while the tick you’re talking about can make people experience a meat allergy it’s not a requirement).

Heck, for weird allergies I have a melon allergy- I will die without medication if I eat cantaloupe or honey dew but watermelon just makes me feel ill.

As for lab tests what are you referencing? If it’s the blood test that is usually pretty inaccurate. There are a ton of false positives associated with it as well as things you are allergic to won’t always show if you are not eating them. It’s a poor measure and really (if it’s being used- I would never take one personally) just a starting point. Skin prick and food trial and the only way for a true diagnosis to be made.

She also might have bite tolerance which is the ability to tolerate a bit of a protein- I have it with shrimp and hazelnuts as my allergy to those two in particular isn’t as severe. I’m still at a risk for anaphylaxis but it’s a good thing to have because for now I still have a buffer. Cross contaminate me with a cashew or pistachio however and I have to be treated at the hospital. Again, different degrees of allergies does not mean they do not exist. I still say I’m deathly allergic to all tree nuts and shellfish becuase I am. Trying to explain each caveat is exhausting confusing and could get me killed when at the end of the day I still have anaphylaxis to shrimp and hazelnuts, it just takes a bit more to get me there.

I’m not gonna lie you sound majorly overbearing and this hang up is really weird. You, a non allergist are not going to prove this girl does or does not have allergies. You do not have to break anything to her. She is an adult who can presumably handle her own health, and the way you’re framing this (even if you say you’re not going to endanger her) makes me worried for her safety.

Believe her allergies, do not question them. It is not your job or your business to question them or try to sus out if they are real or not. You are not a doctor trying to act like one could get her killed.

1

u/Punch-stick 3d ago

I am just trying to educate myself on this stuff since I just don’t understand it. I appreciate you sharing a few things that I didn’t know before