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tigger67
Guest
Is the allergy to fish/shellfish to the actual fish or is it the iodine in the fish. I just wondered if I needed to just avoid fish with high iodine contents.
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Titchou
Guest
I think these are really questions for your allergist as he has your test results and knows what reactions you've had. I'd hate to speculate - though I could as my mother had an iodine allergy.
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tigger67
Guest
The doctor who did these tests isn't an allergist. She was just trying to find what's been causing my symptoms. I wasn't tested for iodine. I see my allergist in a couple months. I've never had a reaction to any of the items I'm supposedly allergic to except for the milk. I eat fish all the time and never have a reaction so my allergist will be hearing about all this for the first time.
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janewhite1
Guest
Sometimes allergy tests give false positives, especially since your test was only a class 2. The higher the class, the less likely it's a false positive and the more severe the allergy is likely to be.
I happen to be allergic to raw shellfish only. I eat shrimp, clams, crabs all the time and with great pleasure--as long as they are well-done. Once I ate underdone shrimp and my lips swelled up. At this point, I can't even clean the shrimp when they're raw, because if I get the tiniest cut on a finger my hand will swell horribly. But throw them in a frying pan for two and a half minutes and I can scarf them down all day long!
Regular fish though, I can eat both raw and cooked.
I happen to be allergic to raw shellfish only. I eat shrimp, clams, crabs all the time and with great pleasure--as long as they are well-done. Once I ate underdone shrimp and my lips swelled up. At this point, I can't even clean the shrimp when they're raw, because if I get the tiniest cut on a finger my hand will swell horribly. But throw them in a frying pan for two and a half minutes and I can scarf them down all day long!
Regular fish though, I can eat both raw and cooked.
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Titchou
Guest
Then I would definitely question the results. I've had allergies all my life...and I am now 64. I've seen it all! See your allergist and get properly tested - blood test for food, scratch test for environmental.
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tigger67
Guest
The test I had was a blood test. Will it be different if given by an allergist than a regular primary doc?
Also, if your reaction to an allergy is fatigue or asthma, will that show up as positive in a skin test or does that only show for physical symptoms like rashes? I had a skin test for ragweed years ago and it came up negative, but on the blood test it showed it as a class 1.
Most of my results were either class 1 or 2. Cats came up as a class 3. I'm actually very intolerant of milk and that only came up as a class 1.
Also, if your reaction to an allergy is fatigue or asthma, will that show up as positive in a skin test or does that only show for physical symptoms like rashes? I had a skin test for ragweed years ago and it came up negative, but on the blood test it showed it as a class 1.
Most of my results were either class 1 or 2. Cats came up as a class 3. I'm actually very intolerant of milk and that only came up as a class 1.
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Titchou
Guest
You really need to see an allergist who can explain all this to you. A milk "intolerance" is not an allergy. A lot of things are intolerance or sensitivities but not an actual allergy. So I would not expect it to show up much or at all on an allergy test. And allergies can take different manifestations. Most people think food allergies cause digestive distress. Not always so. My cousin is allergic to corn and get the usual allergy reactions of runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes that one associates with environmental allergies. I think you'd be better served seeing a good allergist. After all, if you had cancer, would you see your GP or an oncologist?
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janewhite1
Guest
A true immune-system mediated allergy should show up, whether it causes sneezing, asthma, rashes or anything else. Some people claim it's possible for allergies to cause fatigue only, some claim otherwise.
For a ragweed allergy, skin test is more reliable than blood test, so most likely either you aren't allergic or you just recently developed it. People with ragweed allergy typically feel symptoms from right about now until first frost.
Milk intolerance, digestive symptoms after eating dairy products, is NOT an allergy. It's just that you don't produce enough of the enzyme that breaks down lactose, which is a major part of dairy. In fact, about half of all adults on the planet (including most of those from certain ethnic groups) are at least somewhat lactose intolerant.
Since you got a positive RAST for milk, you might also have a slight allergy to it. People who are "only" lactose intolerant can generally eat dairy in very small quantities, if you are actually allergic too, you should probably avoid it entirely.
For a ragweed allergy, skin test is more reliable than blood test, so most likely either you aren't allergic or you just recently developed it. People with ragweed allergy typically feel symptoms from right about now until first frost.
Milk intolerance, digestive symptoms after eating dairy products, is NOT an allergy. It's just that you don't produce enough of the enzyme that breaks down lactose, which is a major part of dairy. In fact, about half of all adults on the planet (including most of those from certain ethnic groups) are at least somewhat lactose intolerant.
Since you got a positive RAST for milk, you might also have a slight allergy to it. People who are "only" lactose intolerant can generally eat dairy in very small quantities, if you are actually allergic too, you should probably avoid it entirely.