New here, a few questions

Alfers,

Wow! So sorry to hear about your allergies, but hurray that they were diagnosed. :) They're significantly easier to deal with than Lyme (in my humble opinion ;0) ).

I can't really offer you any help, since all of my allergies are still alive and kickin'. BUT I am aware that if you remain around an allergin from childhood you can *sometimes* build up a level of immunity to it. This immunity can be so strong that you don't have a very violent reaction to the allergin (apparently in your case, no reaction at all!). Perhaps this is what he was describing?? If so, did your doctor warn you about the risks (e.g. anaphylactic shock) of eliminating those foods from your diet and then re-introducing them??

As for the allergy shots, a friend of mine went through them about eight years ago and they did wonders for her. I saw that they were difficult for her to get through at times, but the difference in her has been night and day. She couldn't breathe out of her nose at all before she had them, and now is rarely stuffy. They also helped with her other symptoms including allergy induced asthma, ichy/watery eyes, sneezing, etc. She hasn't expressed any regret for going through them.

Thanks Sherry and TickSquisher! I still don't really understand those responses to the foods, and I'm wondering if I should try to cut down on those foods...Then again, it was milk, tree nuts, soy, and fish, so that means I'd be eating mostly brown rice the rest of my life (especially with the lyme diet too!). Fun! Maybe I'll just assume none of my problems are from those foods, as I've never had a noticeable reaction to them. Oddly enough, the area of my back where all the food allergens were tested is STILL inflamed and itchy, and I had that done on Monday. I don't understand.

Do you guys know anyone who has had surgery for a deviated septum, and did it help? My parents seem to think the surgery would be a big waste of time, but the allergist highly recommended it. I still have to get a referral to an ENT before I can go.

Alfers,
I've had two friends who have had that surgery (a father and son) and they both benifited greatly from it (i.e. much freer breathing through the nose and neither have had a sinus infection in a very long time). However, it's apparenty a very painful recovery. I'd see what an ENT says. Maybe it would be a great help for you too? On the other hand, you might be able to significantly improve your breathing by just taking care of some of these newly diagnosed allergies. :) I would personally take diet change over surgery any day!!

As for eliminating the foods you're allergic too, I understand (as best I can) your dilema. I haven't been able to alter my diet to help with the Lyme thanks to my own food allergies. Ha ha, I think we established that I would be able to eat tofu and lettus if I did. Not really a rounded diet!! But I'm kind of surprised that the allergist didn't bring up the option of changing your diet with you. I can't imagine that continuing to eat foods you're allergic to (even if you don't have a noticable reaction) is particularly healthy. BUT I must warn you that if you are truely allergic to these foods, eliminating them from your diet and reintroducing them at a later date (or even just reducing intake) carrys the potential of creating a strong/more sensitive reaction to them later. I was warned when I first changed my diet to eliminate the foods I was allergic to that the longer I was away from these foods, the stronger my reaction would be when I was reintroduced to them. I know it sounds obvious, but I guess you'll just have to weigh the benifits of sticking to a Lyme diet against the benifits of eliminating allergins. ...Have you considered visiting a nutritionist?? I'm not sure how helpful s/he would be, but perhaps s/he would be able to give you some help in finding a balance between these two very different diets. *shrugs*

I hope that was somewhat helpful! My brain is a little foggy today, so I don't feel like I'm making very much sense. :)

Post Edited (TickSquisher) : 8/17/2006 3:14:03 PM (GMT-6)

Alfers,
He shrugged it off?! That's insaine!! When I was younger and my allergies were first surfacing one of the first things to show up was fatigue and a heavy feeling, like having wet towels laid on me. I still get these symptoms (although they're accompanied by many, many others now). Perhaps you should be looking for a new allergist.

Ha ha! As for the nose job, one of my friends who had the surgery had, shall we say, a rather noticable nose. The surgon thought he'd do him a 'favor' and give him a nose job while he was in there (a decision he made *after* my friend was on the table). Needless to say, my friend--and his wife!--were anything but happy when he woke up to a new, much smaller nose. He laughs in retrospect because he's good natured like that, but can you believe the nerve of his surgon?!

Sorry for the delayed responce, Alfers. I didn't see your post.

Yes, I am allergic to both foods and environmental things. And yes, it's rough, but it's been so long that I'm sort of "in my groove" now. :) Let's just hope no new allergies surface!! Thankfully I haven't had a problem with dust mites. I hope the products you purchased help. I've heard you can get excellent results from them.