Update

[Jen]

Accidentally posted this in the forums, then thought it would be more appropriate here in the blogs, since I haven't updated in a while.

I saw an allergist today, and within five minutes he was like, "You're a highly allergic person, you're very inflamed ..." can't be good ... I tested very positive to grass, dust mites, cats, dogs, and horses. I'm also allergic to trees and weeds (I have symptoms and previous tests have been positive) but those didn't show up much on the tests this time around.

For foods I tested positive to milk, wheat, eggs, and peanuts. Milk and eggs I was pretty sure going in that I was allergic, but wheat and peanuts surprised me. He wants me to avoid all of those to see if my throat swelling and overall allergies improve. I think I'm going to start out with just milk and wheat. He also ordered blood tests to check for allergies to fish, shellfish, soy, and sesame, as well as confirm the four positive skin tests. He didn't test for kiwifruit or banana which I'm 99% sure I'm allergic to, or for potato which I already carry an epi-pen for.

Wheat-free (which I think, but am not sure, is the same as gluten-free?), from everything I've found so far, is sooooo high-carb and also 90% of it seems to have potato starch. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to handle wheat-free eating and a somewhat low-carb diet (about 100g/day)?

He gave me a steroid nasal spray and steroid/bronchodilator combo inhaler because he said my nose and lungs were really inflamed, and he thinks my body in general is just allergic and inflamed. Hopefully eliminating some of these foods will help my eosinophilic esophagitis but also my overall allergies and subsequent diabetes control - would not be surprised at all if all this inflammation and such is having a negative impact on my control as well as causing at least some of my infusion set reaction issues.

He did say that after a period of avoiding these foods, and once my nose, throat, and lung inflammation is under control, I can try re-introducing them to see if they cause an allergic reaction and/or trigger my eosinophilic esophagitis symptoms. So it is possible, hopefully, that I'm not allergic to all of these foods, but many people with EoE are allergic to the top allergens, so I may well be allergic to all of them.

[roodgirl]

Although I'm sorry that there's a bunch more allergens for you to be worried about now, at least you have a plan and a possible means to be feeling better. I really hope it helps.

As far as what to eat, if you're able to batch-cook on the days you're not working, you might want to check out some vegan cookbooks as they already avoid eggs and dairy. There's even some gluten-free vegan cookbooks out there. You could then add other ingredients like meat back in, if you wish. I'm personally OK with wheat, but for the purpose of reducing carbs have started eating pasta made from mung beans or soybeans. High in protein, lower in carbs, and don't cause an allergic reaction for me. Worth looking into if there's a brand sold up north… And sunflower butter is a wonderful replacement for peanut butter. Meat, veggies, beans. There's a lot of options for you if you're able to cook.

Time for our overactive immune systems to chill out!

[Jen]

Thanks for the advice! I also found out that Paleo is similar to what I can't eat (milk, wheat, peanuts, potatoes, sugar), although I have slightly more things like eggs and some fruits, but I might check out some of those recipes as well. I've been avoiding those foods for three days now and at first I felt great - stomach stopped hurting and my back stopped itching, both of which have been almost constant for months now! But yesterday at dinner my nose and throat were reacting and my face broke out in a rash, and this morning I woke up pretty much back to square one (itchy, stomach hurt, congested). I'm guessing there may be more things I can't eat ... I got the allergy blood tests (along with A1c, etc.) done this morning, so hopefully I'll be able to view those results online in the next day or so. Honestly, at this point allergies have eclipsed diabetes as my main health concern at the moment.