OK. What Now?
I went to see the doctor today, Ms J. The allergist, Dr. Ho. He tested me for a host of different allergens. The only thing I reacted to, was the histamine. Histamine is the control substance. Everyone reacts to histamine. He tested me for allergies to a dozen kinds of mould, another dozen trees and plants and weeds, and he tested for peanuts. He tested for reactions to other nuts as well: Almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, hazelnut. And seafood: cod, halibut, tuna. And shrimp.
Nothing. I'm not allergic to anything he tested for.
"We'll take a throat swab, Dale," he told me. "If we find any evidence of strep throat, that would explain a lot. And I'll order some blood tests, but we may never identify the cause of your condition."
"Did I have an allergic reaction, Doc, or not?" I asked.
"No. You had something called angioedema. Swollen skin and sub-cutaneous layers. Swelling of the mucous membranes, like the lips and inside the mouth. Don't tell people you're allergic because you're not."
"Does this mean I can eat peanuts if I want? Or any nuts?"
"It means you can safely eat anything you've tested negative for."
So I feel ambivalent. I'm happy to learn that I'm not allergic ... to nuts, etc. But I'm still concerned about eating something that will cause those horrid, persistant symptoms to return. We still don't know what caused the reaction last month. I hope the throat swab or blood tests will reveal some answers.
Well, I'd better jump in the shower and get ready to go to the theatre. Tonight's our second last show. It will be adjudicated, so I'm really going to do my best.
Ta!
***
Mused by Dale @ 5:12 pm
At 21 January 2006 at 04:43, 
Michelle said...
At 21 January 2006 at 10:24, Zulu said...
2 Comments:
That's a wee bit worrying. I hope you get an answer. Best of luck on tonights show :o)
The Bloger demons would not let me comment on your post below....weasels. Anyhow..congrats to Heather!
Let me preface this by saying I am not a doctor, but you knew that, right? Anyway, I tested negative for food allergies with the skin test AND the blood test, yet certain foods (milk and soy specifically) cause severe reactions like yours AND throat swelling so I have the Epi. When I questioned my allergist about this they told me that if I had been avoiding these things, which I had, they wouldn't necessarily show up on the test because they wouldn't be present in my system. So, I still avoid those things because honestly, I'd rather not die because some test said I wasn't allergic when I have had numerous reactions.
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