27 June 2015

Spontaneous Urticaria and My Great Food Conundrum.

A few years ago, after a particularly delicious breakfast in a lovely little beach cafe with a friend, I ended up in casualty after having an allergic reaction to something. On the way home from the cafe, I began to itch all over and my airway started to close up and in the end I had to call an ambulance. It was scary and worrying and after the ambulance ride to hospital, being pumped full of drugs on the way and a 6 hour stay in casualty to make sure there was no adverse reactions to the drugs, I was given the all clear and was sent home. Over the next week I ended up back in hospital twice more with the same symptoms only this time with vomiting and diarrhoea thrown in for good measure. It was only after that third episode that I was sent off for tests and was diagnosed with spontaneous urticaria. This means that basically you can become allergic to anything at any time and without any warning and despite having copious amounts of blood being taken to try and find out if there was anything in particular I was allergic to, eventually I was told there was nothing else the doctor's could do and was given advice on how to manage the attacks should they happen. Over the last 4 years, since the first episode, I have had many more. They seem to come in clusters and my body seems to be particularly sensitive and prone to more episodes in the week or so after the first one. The last episode I had was after I ate a big bowl of French onion soup and using a process of elimination, onions ....... obviously ....... were flagged up as being the most likely culprit. It's safe to say I no longer eat onions :-) however, as I haven't had an episode for a quite a while now (touch wood!!) I am wondering if it's time for me to try eating them again. The problem is, the more episodes I have and the more things I cut out of my diet, the more restrictive my available food list gets which, when you have to try and live thriftily on a very tight budget, can be very limiting . As my daughter is home from uni for a few more weeks, I am thinking about re-introducing all the foods that I have not eaten for a while to see if I am still allergic to them. It's safer to do this while there is someone else in the house because when an episode happens, it is scary and there is the possibility that I will have to use my Epi-pen if the symptoms get too bad. The trouble is, it's so horrible when it happens and can take anything up to an hour to get it under control, that part of me is really not keen to put myself in that position, even if eventually, all I end up being able to eat is toast :-) 

4 comments:

  1. Oh how horrible for you, Kay. I think I would be too scared to try re-introducing *any* food which had caused an allergic reaction in the past. If you do decide to try then you most definitely need your daughter at home with you just in case. Good luck x

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  2. That is scary. I developed an allergy to bee and wasp stings a few years ago after never having had a problem with them before. My doctor says that often happens with age that we become allergic to things that have never bothered us before. I carry an EPI pen at all times too.

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  3. Very scary stuff, I think that it is a good idea to try this plan, just add 1 item a day and see what happens. Fingers crossed that you can start eating a wider variety of foods soon.

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  4. I've had similar for many years since I was a child and carry an Epipen and find taking an antihistamine before eating a meal out helps. Although not as frequent as your attacks, I have been able to eat the foods again because I've reacted to so many things. I have also found I get symptoms when I am run down and I suppose my body is trying to fight an infection, also if I eat too much of one thing or if I rush after eating, apparently physical exercise can also bring it on. Best of luck with it, you have my sympathy.

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