Undiagnosed: Allergy symptoms without being allergic. Ideas?

Posted by alleah @alleah, Feb 6, 2022

Hello everybody,

I'm looking for ideas for the unexplained condition that I have had for the past half a year. Please, excuse my English since it's not my first language. At this point, I'm out of ideas, tired and hoping I might find someone who had a similar experience and might know what's going on.

Symptoms:
Eyelid swelling, red itchy rashes over my eyelids, bloodshot and itchy eyes, sneezing, coughing, throat ache and runny nose. Occasionally I have rashes on my body and face (hands, fingers, shoulders, chest, arms, legs, neck and forehead) and difficulty breathing. Recently I also experienced something that seemed like an asthma attack. It got better after 2 hours outside in the fresh air and two antihistamine pills.

It can get suddenly better, to the point that I'm almost completely okay to absolutely terrible in one day. Antihistamines seem to work the best.

How it started/other health issues:
It started along with the common flu and got terrible in one week. I was tested negative for covid. During this time I also struggled with sudden rapid heart rate – 140 beats per minute while being still. Normally I have around 70 beats per minute. This would happen at least 4 times a day for several minutes. Due to family anamnesis, my heart was checked and the results came out normal. After a few months, the rapid heart rate was gone on its own. A few months before the condition I had face shingles and herpes simplex on my lip multiple times during summer. I'm also watched for Hashimoto's thyroiditis. I have borderline results so I don't take any medication. I had eczema through my whole childhood and teenage years but I got rid of it 10 years ago.

Doctor examination:
When I visited my dermatology doctor I've been prescribed very mild corticosteroids that help with the redness but nothing else. I was examined and tested for allergies and the results were that I'm not allergic to anything.

What I already did and tried:
At first, I avoided for several weeks: sweets, chocolate, citruses, tomatoes, gluten, lactose, anything pre-made, alcohol, caffeine, high-histamine food in general, spicy and sour foods. It didn't make any difference. I continue to avoid or restrict all of these except gluten and lactose, just in case. What seemed to helped a bit is a low histamine diet but I'm not 100 % sure about the connection.
I focused on getting rid of dust mites. I exchanged the bedding, wash everything at 60°C, use anti-mites cleaners for mattresses, got rid of the carpets etc. I also exchanged the laundry detergent and stopped using cosmetics for 2 months but nothing resolved the problem.

I don't drink or smoke. I don't own a pet. I'm a sportswoman, I exercised up to 5 times a week before this condition and I eat healthy for most of my life. Except for this health struggle, I feel the happiest I've ever been in my life.

Thank you for reading this exhausting description and I'm looking forward to any answers!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Autoimmune Diseases Support Group.

15 tablets! I have taken over 30 tablets during a reaction with no relief. Then you add Xanax due to the anxiety and finally sleep. That is why I am concerned!
My endocrinologist is going to run an ANA blood test coming up this month. See if this shows anything.
I just don’t want to keep going on this way! !

REPLY
@novakp52

15 tablets! I have taken over 30 tablets during a reaction with no relief. Then you add Xanax due to the anxiety and finally sleep. That is why I am concerned!
My endocrinologist is going to run an ANA blood test coming up this month. See if this shows anything.
I just don’t want to keep going on this way! !

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@novakp52 Be sure to let me know about the results of the ANA blood test, if that’s OK

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@becsbuddy

@novakp52 Be sure to let me know about the results of the ANA blood test, if that’s OK

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Me too, please?

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@novakp52

I am having trouble after being referred to Mayo for a food allergy of unknown origin. The allergists has done all the test back here with no results. I have been going on 4 years of trying to find out why I can’t enjoy the foods I have been eating all my life. I don’t understand why or what triggered my Bobby to just suddenly respond with reactions any where from 30 minutes to several hours when it starts. First the nose and face starts to itch within an hour I have to start in on taking Benadryl ( can take up to 30 during this time) with no help. The nerves inside me start to react first that become very painful before the rash starts. The rash usual starts on my face going down my neck to chest before all over. It is very painful and itchy no matter what I try. Ow my breathing is being involved and I start to panic. So far y inhalers work but as of the last one, I had to ask for an epi-pen just in case.
Each time I have a reaction it keeps getting worst lasting up to 4 days. From here I become bloated and very comfortable and unable to eat anything. I just drink fluids this day. Then I get diarrhea that last most of the day. My whole body reacts to something in 99% of food.
I can’t just go any where to enjoy retirement at this time because I don’t know how to prevent these reactions. I know something I’m my body is not working/ or is working overtime against what I eat. I can’t go to a restaurant with friend and family because of how they know I react.
Something is terribl

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@novakp52 I have also had a lot of food allergy issues as well which started with reactions to gluten, and after eliminating that, I found other foods that caused reactions, and I presume that the inflammation from gluten allowed other foods to enter my bloodstream that were not fully digested, so I developed intolerance or allergies to other foods. I took a lot of foods out of my diet and stopped reacting. I have noticed a recent change in that I can now tolerate foods that previously I could not like dairy. I think what a made a difference in improving my over reactive immune system was when metals were removed from my body. I had lived with old silver amalgam dental fillings, root canals, crowns and bridgework. I developed an autoimmune thyroid condition, and my environmental allergy doctor advised me that the old silver fillings maybe causing this because they out gas mercury vapor. I had also noticed that I got a sore throat about a half hour after eating and I presumed the act of chewing may be releasing mercury. If I liquified my food and swallowed without chewing, I didn't get a sore throat. I had all my silver fillings replaced with safer composites. My thyroid condition improved immediately and the antibodies attacking my thyroid dropped from being off the charts to a still present low level. When my root canals (which contain cadmium metal) failed, I made the decision to remove the teeth with the root canals, crowns and bridgework and replace all of it with Zirconium (ceramic) implants and a Zirconium bridge. After making these changes, my body was now metal free and my asthma improved a lot. I retested the levels of antibodies against my thyroid and it was borderline. A few months later, I broke my ankle, and received titanium plates and screws during ankle surgery. 6 months after that, I started getting massive hives on my arms, legs, chest, or anywhere my clothing was tight against my skin. My asthma got worse again. I had to stay on antihistamines all the time to control it. After a year of healing, I was able to have the titanium plates removed, and again my asthma improved and there were no more hives. When I tested eating some foods again like dairy, I found I was no longer reacting to it. Other foods like egg whites still bring on a huge reaction with asthma. I was really surprised that I can now enjoy foods that previously were off limits.

I think anything we can do to reduce the load on the immune system helps. I do allergy shots for the seasonal stuff like molds, pollens, dust, etc and according to my doctor treating that lowers body inflammation. I also think that the immune responses to foreign substances in my body also added to the problem. Sometimes patients have problems with surgical implants. The field of medicine that treats this would be Environmental medicine. There is a provider search at https://www.aaemonline.org/

The practice that pioneered this field of medicine can be found at https://www.ehcd.com/ and they do have information about treating reactions to surgical implants. This may be something to consider if traditional allergy testing has not yielded results.

Do you have foreign substances or metals in your body from dentistry or surgery?

REPLY

sorry you are suffering with this mysterious malady. Possibly Sjogrens which when researched will show many of your symptoms. Doctors often consider Sjogrens Disease which is autoimmune to be just dry eyes, mouth, nose. Many are undiagnosed and untreated because of lack of knowledge by doctors.(also could possibly be gluten sensitivity/celiac?) Hope you get some answers soon.

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@alleah

Good morning @becsbuddy thank you for the answer! The ophthalmologist suggested corticosteroids that I already use. The doctors I have seen didn't suggest any further testing or specialist. I had to search for testing and specialists on my own. The dermatologist was done with me in literally 5 minutes so it's a bit frustrating. I'm not from the U.S. but the Czech Republic so the health system is probably a bit different here. I go to a centre that has almost a hundred doctors under one roof but it's not like they work or speak together about patients. They work only with information the patient provides them. So I try to connect the dots from all the examinations and testing.

I try to control the itching and irritation with antihistamines that seem to work. The swelling gets better with cold compresses and also helps with an itch for short time. Generally, a low histamine diet seemed to help with itching but I'm not 100 % sure about its connection to my issues.

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I think you should see a rheumatologist. Discuss these symptoms with him/ her. They may better know what route you should take. Good luck. Let us know outcome.

REPLY
@jenniferhunter

@novakp52 I have also had a lot of food allergy issues as well which started with reactions to gluten, and after eliminating that, I found other foods that caused reactions, and I presume that the inflammation from gluten allowed other foods to enter my bloodstream that were not fully digested, so I developed intolerance or allergies to other foods. I took a lot of foods out of my diet and stopped reacting. I have noticed a recent change in that I can now tolerate foods that previously I could not like dairy. I think what a made a difference in improving my over reactive immune system was when metals were removed from my body. I had lived with old silver amalgam dental fillings, root canals, crowns and bridgework. I developed an autoimmune thyroid condition, and my environmental allergy doctor advised me that the old silver fillings maybe causing this because they out gas mercury vapor. I had also noticed that I got a sore throat about a half hour after eating and I presumed the act of chewing may be releasing mercury. If I liquified my food and swallowed without chewing, I didn't get a sore throat. I had all my silver fillings replaced with safer composites. My thyroid condition improved immediately and the antibodies attacking my thyroid dropped from being off the charts to a still present low level. When my root canals (which contain cadmium metal) failed, I made the decision to remove the teeth with the root canals, crowns and bridgework and replace all of it with Zirconium (ceramic) implants and a Zirconium bridge. After making these changes, my body was now metal free and my asthma improved a lot. I retested the levels of antibodies against my thyroid and it was borderline. A few months later, I broke my ankle, and received titanium plates and screws during ankle surgery. 6 months after that, I started getting massive hives on my arms, legs, chest, or anywhere my clothing was tight against my skin. My asthma got worse again. I had to stay on antihistamines all the time to control it. After a year of healing, I was able to have the titanium plates removed, and again my asthma improved and there were no more hives. When I tested eating some foods again like dairy, I found I was no longer reacting to it. Other foods like egg whites still bring on a huge reaction with asthma. I was really surprised that I can now enjoy foods that previously were off limits.

I think anything we can do to reduce the load on the immune system helps. I do allergy shots for the seasonal stuff like molds, pollens, dust, etc and according to my doctor treating that lowers body inflammation. I also think that the immune responses to foreign substances in my body also added to the problem. Sometimes patients have problems with surgical implants. The field of medicine that treats this would be Environmental medicine. There is a provider search at https://www.aaemonline.org/

The practice that pioneered this field of medicine can be found at https://www.ehcd.com/ and they do have information about treating reactions to surgical implants. This may be something to consider if traditional allergy testing has not yielded results.

Do you have foreign substances or metals in your body from dentistry or surgery?

Jump to this post

Thank you for sharing. I have a fear of titanium tooth implants. Because of 25 + years of misery from a botched root canal. But over and over am told no one reacts to titanium. But the same people think it was a coincidence my severe cough and migraines and complete distance vision perfected, after bad tooth removed. Common sense is not in medical schools???
Thanks for sharing. No such doctors in Minneapolis area!

REPLY
@jenniferhunter

@novakp52 I have also had a lot of food allergy issues as well which started with reactions to gluten, and after eliminating that, I found other foods that caused reactions, and I presume that the inflammation from gluten allowed other foods to enter my bloodstream that were not fully digested, so I developed intolerance or allergies to other foods. I took a lot of foods out of my diet and stopped reacting. I have noticed a recent change in that I can now tolerate foods that previously I could not like dairy. I think what a made a difference in improving my over reactive immune system was when metals were removed from my body. I had lived with old silver amalgam dental fillings, root canals, crowns and bridgework. I developed an autoimmune thyroid condition, and my environmental allergy doctor advised me that the old silver fillings maybe causing this because they out gas mercury vapor. I had also noticed that I got a sore throat about a half hour after eating and I presumed the act of chewing may be releasing mercury. If I liquified my food and swallowed without chewing, I didn't get a sore throat. I had all my silver fillings replaced with safer composites. My thyroid condition improved immediately and the antibodies attacking my thyroid dropped from being off the charts to a still present low level. When my root canals (which contain cadmium metal) failed, I made the decision to remove the teeth with the root canals, crowns and bridgework and replace all of it with Zirconium (ceramic) implants and a Zirconium bridge. After making these changes, my body was now metal free and my asthma improved a lot. I retested the levels of antibodies against my thyroid and it was borderline. A few months later, I broke my ankle, and received titanium plates and screws during ankle surgery. 6 months after that, I started getting massive hives on my arms, legs, chest, or anywhere my clothing was tight against my skin. My asthma got worse again. I had to stay on antihistamines all the time to control it. After a year of healing, I was able to have the titanium plates removed, and again my asthma improved and there were no more hives. When I tested eating some foods again like dairy, I found I was no longer reacting to it. Other foods like egg whites still bring on a huge reaction with asthma. I was really surprised that I can now enjoy foods that previously were off limits.

I think anything we can do to reduce the load on the immune system helps. I do allergy shots for the seasonal stuff like molds, pollens, dust, etc and according to my doctor treating that lowers body inflammation. I also think that the immune responses to foreign substances in my body also added to the problem. Sometimes patients have problems with surgical implants. The field of medicine that treats this would be Environmental medicine. There is a provider search at https://www.aaemonline.org/

The practice that pioneered this field of medicine can be found at https://www.ehcd.com/ and they do have information about treating reactions to surgical implants. This may be something to consider if traditional allergy testing has not yielded results.

Do you have foreign substances or metals in your body from dentistry or surgery?

Jump to this post

I have dentures and no implants in my body.
I tried allergy shots for common allergies but as it got stronger, I started getting headache from them. 😔
Most thing I react to is in most processed foods, oils etc.
What is Environmental allergist?

REPLY
@novakp52

I have dentures and no implants in my body.
I tried allergy shots for common allergies but as it got stronger, I started getting headache from them. 😔
Most thing I react to is in most processed foods, oils etc.
What is Environmental allergist?

Jump to this post

I am going to have an ANA done Tuesday. I am on hydralazine 50mg daily. How long should I be off if it prior to the test so I don’t get a false positive?

REPLY
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