how to get food allergy/sensitivity testing?

well, i was so excited for my allergist appointment today because i wanted to get IGE and IGG food allergy/sensitivity testing.

i told her about the IGG sensitivity forms i ordered online and she basically said there's no evidence to support any of that testing. the forms need to be signed by a doctor and the bloodwork ordered for me to get it. well, i couldn't get her to approve it. so....

i asked if she would at least do IGE allergy testing which is standard in allergy offices. she said since i didn't have shortness of breath or wheezing while eating certain foods that i wasn't allergic to anything.

obviously, i'm annoyed because i have hives everyday and obviously digestive problems. she told me it's chronic uticaria and dermatitis or some other D word.

for the people who have gotten these tests, where did you go? i've asked 3 GI doctors to approve them and all of them say food doesn't matter.

regardless, she gave me lots of meds to take- zyrtec, allegra, zantac, and doxepin. i'm super excited to try the doxepin since she said it's 700x more potent than benadryl. benadryl wears off so fast for me so hopefully this stuff will knock me out for a good 12 hours and not make me itch.

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Joanna 23
Current: 3-5 bms/day. recovering from c diff
Supps: vit D, CLO, astaxanthin, b12 shots, colostrum, enzymes, probiotics, l-glut
Diet: SCD/paleo
Tried: canasa, rowasa, entocort, pred, 6mp, remicade, humira, lialda, welchol, bentyl, LDN, cipro, flagyl, VSL, Vit E, 8 FT, clay, aloe, slip. elm, vancomycin for c diff.

Post Edited (bananagirl) : 3/12/2013 6:11:42 PM (GMT-6)

I'm not sure there is a test that will indicate a gut sensitivity. I took the lactose test and celiac tests and got negative results. However my UC symptoms improved dramatically when I cut both out.

I just remembered a story about an acquaintance many years ago who went to the hospital to have "scratch" tests done. He had many allergies but wanted to know exactly what to avoid. His wife was sitting in the hall and saw nurses and crashcart come flying toward her yelling "Code Blue". Turns out her husband went into cardiac arrest when they did the shellfish scratch. He survived to tell us the story.

I am obviously biased toward personal testing since medical tests have been useless for me.

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Current diet=modified Paleo (sm amts of swiss cheese and some fruit OK)
In remission April 2010 after 10 years of UC with no remission ever
gluten-free (bleeding stopped) and dairy-free (less gas) started remission path+food diary
current meds=(9)Balsalazide+(2)Citrucel,(1) VSL#3 nightly
Rx meds have never worked for me except for mesalamine enema

ND

killcolitis, she told me testing wouldn't be necessary for my situation and that she knows exactly why my hives have gotten worse- from my UC. i've been getting hives for about 20 years now, although they've gotten worse since i was diagnosed with proctitis 7 years ago. what prompted me to make an appointment was my hospital stay last month for c diff. i had hives like crazy and i've still been having them every day since then. i can't sleep at night because i'm always itching.

as for getting bloodwork, i get bloodwork from my GI so she can see all that- he orders a crapload of tests all the time.

i know my environmental allergies since i had a test done for that years ago and i can't control those unfortunately. it's just the stupid food i wanted done. i might just have to go to another allergist like you said. i just hate all these stupid copays if nobody will do the test for me.

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Joanna 23
Current: 3-5 bms/day. recovering from c diff
Supps: vit D, CLO, astaxanthin, b12 shots, colostrum, enzymes, probiotics, l-glut
Diet: SCD/paleo
Tried: canasa, rowasa, entocort, pred, 6mp, remicade, humira, lialda, welchol, bentyl, LDN, cipro, flagyl, VSL, Vit E, 8 FT, clay, aloe, slip. elm, vancomycin for c diff.

I was diagnosed with chronic uticartia too. I did have the environmental testing done years ago. My current allergist didn't feel it was necessary this time around. He did do some bloodwork though to see if something else was causing my issues but all came back good. I had been taking zyrtec, allegra and bendryl (like candy) daily. Now I take Allegra, Xyzal, Singulair and Hydroxyzine at night an hour before bed. I do tend to be itchier at night. I still get some hives and if I do I take another Hydroxyzine. However, if things get worse I would have to go on some hardcore drugs and with the possibility of that happening sometime in the future for my UC my doctor hopes we can continue to keep me comfortable with antihistamines and the Singulair.

He did also say that food wouldn't be giving me the hives. However, he did run bloodwork for gluten because I asked and said I wondered if that could be part of my symptoms of UC at times. It came back negative though.

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Co-Moderator UC and Breast Cancer forums
Sheri-40 years old

Diagnosed UC/IBS April 2009-Left sided Jan 2013 Endo showed gastritis and Colonoscopy showed only 2 cm of rectal inflammation
Diagnosed in Jan 2013 with Chronic Uticartia

Meds-2 Lialda, Protonix, Allegra, Singulair, Xyzal, Vitamin D3, Hydroxyzine (as needed), probiotics, Rowasa twice a week

She can't say that without testing. It could be related to the UC but unfortunately there is an autoimmune urticaria which obviously people with AI disease are more likely to get. It's still rare though. It can be correlated with AI thyroid disease, lupus and some other stuff. Or it can be an AI disease in itself - they need to test to exclude it. It can also be a viral issue - do you have EBV or anything like that?
Most likely it's an allergy though. You need testing. In the end, you need to exclude the other stuff and then they'll just call it "ideopathic".

sherbear, yeah, the hives are a total pain. seems like your doctor and my doctor are similar with the meds. i don't have a problem with taking the meds if they help. i just wish i knew the cause of the hives. it's not like my body is releasing histamine just for fun, you know? do you think you know what your hives are from? the doctor told me i will most likely never figure out why i get them.

seasons, i will look at metametrix. thanks. doing it at home would be so much better for me. i've only been to 3 naturopaths in my town (not sure where any others are) but i know they didn't do the blood testing. i wonder why? i'm honestly not supportive of going to an ND again just because it costs a ton of money for little results. just haven't found one yet that knows anything about this disease.

killcolitis, she didn't mention the different types of uticaria. just said that flaring makes it worse. i don't know if i've been tested for EBV or not. i've never asked/it was never mentioned. i do know that my pets are a major problem- well, my parents' pets. when i got allergy testing as a kid, i was highly allergic to dogs and cats. we have both and the fur is just everywhere. i usually avoid the dog as much as possible but i love the cat and she usually sits by me a lot. the hives have just been so much worse since i got c diff and i don't get it.

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Joanna 23
Current: 3-5 bms/day. recovering from c diff
Supps: vit D, CLO, astaxanthin, b12 shots, colostrum, enzymes, probiotics, l-glut
Diet: SCD/paleo
Tried: canasa, rowasa, entocort, pred, 6mp, remicade, humira, lialda, welchol, bentyl, LDN, cipro, flagyl, VSL, Vit E, 8 FT, clay, aloe, slip. elm, vancomycin for c diff.

bananagirl, ask your doctor about metametrix complete GI stool testing. On the website you will find it, and my doctor just quoted me $99 bucks instead of the $349 it was last summer! I will be doing it again, because I feel i'm in a 'remission'.

This is an interpretive guide, (regardless of whether you have, or will take the test, i think everyone should read this!) www.metametrix.com/files/test-menu/interpretive-guides/GI-Effects-IG.pdf -symptoms, causes and treatments for diagnosable gut-related ailments!

This test really helped me out. After supplementing since last summer's results, i'm in a better place because I know my issues were partly digestive related and needed to be tackled. The testing kit is simple. You poo in a container, use 'grabbers' to select parts of your poo and put in these small viles, then send it in this included discrete packaging through Fed-Ex. It's the most disgusting and disturbing thing I've ever done and now written, but well worth it. :)

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On another note, I don't understand why some of you needed GI doctor's notes to do allergy testing? If you go to an allergist and just say I want to have testing done, they will just ask for your insurance. =/

Diagnos-Tech is another good lab to look for.

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male, Diagnosed Crohns-Colitis Sept 2011
Gluten Free-Limit Grains+Sugar, VSL#3, Slippery Elm, Suppositories #2, Asacol, Digestive Enzymes
Metametrix Labs stool testing reveal yeast overgrowth, parasite, h.pylori

Just fyi, you can order a lot of tests, incl. many functional tests, off the internet without any doc or practioner being involved. E.g. From directlabs.com which I have used many a time. They even offer the metametrix tests although some are not listed- but if you email them or phone them they can order it for you. In the case of blood tests, they essentially generate an online rx for you frkm their doctor and you print the prepaid order and show up at your nearest labcorps facility, which allow online appointments.

Urticaria can also be caused by an extreme sensitivity to asprin and derivatives (and therefore to the ASAs).

Steve -

money well spent - i'm sure it will help - it did me -

gary takes pills, i avoid - what's better ? my way i don't wanna carry a bottle of pills around so i can eat !

Joanna - did you ever have any tests run - i don't remember ?

how bout calling the place and asking them if they can find you a doc in your area ?

i can get you the #

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diagnosed with pancolitis december 21, 2003
currently taking: -- Astaxanthin,vit D, ALA, DHEA, a smorgassbord of probiotics, & Wild Harvest Inflamma Shield -
No Gluten, Rice, Corn, or Sugar - No Meds - Just good, healthy food -
Lots of H2O, exercise & sleep as much as possible & enjoy this great life that God has blessed me with -

I find it amazing that your docs believed in muscle testing but not science.. And this is where NDs completely lose me. Muscle testing, oy vey.

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Current: No Dairy, Sugar, Wheat.. Olive leaf (20% Oleuoropein), NA-Cysteine, Triphalia, METHYLATION polymorphism support, sodium butyrate, anantamul, neem, Blis K12, Probiotics, Proteolytic enzymes
My story www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&m=2644147