Do you REALLY have a food allergy/intolerance?!

bllowry

First bite of mushroom I ever took put me in hospital for 10 days; I was 10. I also get internal/external hives from citrus in general, and pineapple in particular, which suck because a lot of drug manufacturers use pineapple juice as a binder to make tablets. Found out that one the hard way too when an anitbiotic gave me such bad hives I had to have adrenaline :frown:

moran1917

I lie and tell people I am allergic to tomatoes. Truth is I just really hate them and people do not accept that.

zestyzaftig

While I agree that it could be used as a convenient "excuse" for just not eating anything, ever, it really makes me angry when people do that. It makes things that much harder for people who do have things they must avoid, because once someone has one bad experience with someone who is lying about something for attention or whatever other reason, it's easy to assume that anyone else with a similar "problem" is also a dirty lying liar.

Bravo!

My mother-in-law didn't believe I had Crohn's because I was overweight (and I got overweight from cancer treatment, go figure), as well as what I'm guessing were picky eaters disguised as 'food allergy sufferers'. So she was always skeptical whenever I brought my own food whenever hubby and I stayed at her house. Then came the time she made a lunch I really wanted to eat, although I know I shouldn't have because it had two major trigger foods. When she saw me with a severely swollen face and noticed I spent the better part of the afternoon in the bathroom, she suddenly became VERY supportive of the restrictive diet to manage Crohn's. Now she's not only accepting of my food intolerances, but is totally supportive of my dietary choices and fusses over my eating habits like crazy.

75Juniper

I can't get past this guy violating her privacy. Bad, bad, bad. He could potentially lose his license. :noway:

plipsurt

I'm actually lactose intolerant. My toilet can back me up on that one :embarassed: :laugh: :blushing: .

I am also lactose intolerant and likewise.....:laugh:

subcult

My mother-in-law seems to get sick to her stomach before trying anything that is not the highest price on the shelf. I think if we quit paying for it all she would be cured.

I'm allergic to those bar s hotdogs:)

cersela

For as long as I can remember (since childhood and I'm nearly 30) nearly every time I ate something I was getting sick to my stomach, I was always either constipated for days or had diarrhea for hours on end. I always felt tired, it felt like I was walking through jello. A few months ago I was giving up soda, (for the millionth time) and I realized it was the corn syrup in soda that was making it so hard to stop drinking it. So I started avoiding foods with corn syrup in them. This lead me to stop eating food if I couldn't read the label, and avoiding bread. It was specifically after I stopped eating bread for a few days, I suddenly felt amazing, I had more energy than ever before and I wasn't getting nauseous after eating anymore. So I've been gluten free for a few months now, I've had more energy than I have in years and the only time for the past few months I've been sick was directly after eating something with wheat in it. I know I will eventually have to go back to eating wheat so I can get properly tested at the doctor, because they can't check for a gluten intolerance if you are already gluten free so no, I don't know if I 'really' have an allergy. I just have some rather compelling evidence, and I've been enjoying my life without it.

ediths6

Ivhad this diagnosis too ibs until they checked for fructose malabsorbtion. Ibs suffers out there it might be worth asking.

nuffexercise2012

I'm actually lactose intolerant. My toilet can back me up on that one :embarassed: :laugh: :blushing: .

same here and certain fruits, but I still eat or drink them in small amounts

BinaryPulsar

When I eat large quantities of wheat gluten I break out in hives. One doctor told me to avoid it because I could be getting hives internally (causing problems that prompted another doctor to send me too a surgeon, who had me get an MRI and a colonoscopy). Some doctors don't give food advice. The doctor gave me a prescription for a drug that had very serious side effects and was not suitable for breastfeeding mothers (I was still breastfeeding at the time). It was ridiculous. Who would take a drug like that just because of minor bloating (I was able to treat it without drugs and have no problems now). Any way, wheat is a huge part of the readily available food source. Since it appears I just have an intolerance in excess, I did not cut wheat out of my diet, but I do sometimes limit it (it was my choice not to cut it out). Testing accurately for celiac disease is very difficult, so don't jump to a conclusion. My tests were negative and I accept that.

When I eat whey protein it causes me to vomit and feel sick all day. That didn't use to happen, but I developed an intolerance. There is no logical sense in eating something that causes me to vomit. It is unpleasant and it is a waste of money and nutrition.

My twin brother also has a true allergy to peanuts.

rebeccalray5

Not allergic to any foods, thank goodness! I am allergic to something in many soaps, cleaners and medical ointments. If it comes out of an aerosol can, I usually get a rash.

My youngest son is incredibly lactose intolerant. He cries for HOURS, throws up and sometimes breaks out in a rash when he has milk product. I never knew that someone could go through all that just because of lactose. So in order to reduce the risk of him having it, most of everything we have in the house has no lactose. I try to buy organic and after I got used to reading ALL labels, we really aren't suffering:)

marvelscale

I'm lactose intolerant, it's not too bad. I'll take lactase pills if I want to drink milk or the occasional ice cream though :P Cheese, yogurt, etc are all fine

marvelscale

Not allergic to any foods, thank goodness! I am allergic to something in many soaps, cleaners and medical ointments. If it comes out of an aerosol can, I usually get a rash.

My youngest son is incredibly lactose intolerant. He cries for HOURS, throws up and sometimes breaks out in a rash when he has milk product. I never knew that someone could go through all that just because of lactose. So in order to reduce the risk of him having it, most of everything we have in the house has no lactose. I try to buy organic and after I got used to reading ALL labels, we really aren't suffering:)

That sounds really awful, he might be allergic, not intolerant!

EccentricDad

This rant belongs in chit chat. Celiac and gluten intolerance are two different things. One is auto immune, the other is a digestive issue without inflammation. Please troll somewhere else.

I have a story that I would like to share.

You see, I have a cousin. She is 5ft4 and around 90lbs at 26 yrs of age.
She is clearly underweight to the trained eye... although, most people really just think that she has a petite frame.
As a teenager, my cousin was "normal" and maybe even slight overweight.

So what happened?
She started out being lactose intolerant. Great! No more dairy!
Then, one day, she told me that her gastro Dr. told her that she had celiac disease! No more gluten!
Then, last year, she decided that she was going to become vegetarian!

So, now, what does she eat? Rice cakes, veggies and the occasional fruit.

I had gastrointestinal issues of my own and when my Dr. (the same gastro specialist as my cousin) asked if there was any celiac disease in my family, I casually mentioned my cousin. He looked at me and sighed and said that she didn't have celiac disease when he had tested her...This Dr. probably didn't do it on purpose to reveal medical information about another patient.... but, anyway... that's beside the point to my story.


So, she's BUSTED! Her real intolerance is food... she has anorexia nervosa. Without hitting every criteria for anorexia nervosa and being severely underweight, I believe many people cut out food groups to lose weight.

Do you cut out whole food groups and tell people you have an intolerance/allergy in order to lose weight? How often does this occur?

tragicpixie

This occurs often with anorexia patients, it's a good way to get people to stop asking you to eat X, Y, or Z. Eating disorders often aren't necessarily about weight, so people with EDs often find themselves exercising control in other areas - so it may make sense that they would feel the need to make up an excuse as to why they can't or won't eat something for pushy family members or etc. In my personal experience, I have made up food allergies for my family because they just don't know the meaning of the word "No" when it comes from my mouth. For example, I will say I don't want any cake and my parents will hand me a plate with cake anyway, tease me for not eating it, or talk about my weight if I do eat it, etc. Anyway, it is pretty common among EDs for a number of reasons.

I've done it. I went vegan when I was suffering badly, and I have considered going gluten free to lose weight because that would cut a lot of high carb items out of my diet. I've also just wondered if I might feel different on gluten free diet though, and I don't have an allergy per-say, but gluten does seem to aggravate some skin conditions.

The only thing I am really allergic to is raw pumpkin.

GadgetGuy2

I really do have lactose intolerance (gastroenterologist diagnosed). Lactaid pills (OTC @ pharmacy, daily and before dairy consumption) and Lactaid Milk (I drink and cook with it) allow me to eat dairy (except cheddar cheese) without the horrible symptoms.

Interesting fact: 10% of European/British Isles people quit making lactase before they die. "Most" the rest of the world (non-European blood lines) quit making lactase in early childhood.

Small world story: A co-worker mentioned he was gluten intolerant. I mentioned my lactaid pills. He said his uncle invented those pills. I said tell your uncle THANK YOU!

MoreBean13

This reminds me of my sister-in-law. She's not quite as severe though. BUT she tells people she's a vegetarian so they won't notice her bird-like eating, and has other "intolerances" as well. She spends a lot of time in the bathroom after meals. When I've brought it up to my family members, they get really defensive and act like I'm "picking on her" and she looks "beautiful" and I'm being "jealous". She really is beautiful, but she also is chronically tired and sometimes passes out for no reason. It's very frustrating.

shiseido_faerie

I am not allergic to any foods that I know of, but I do have some IBS issues (and no Gall bladder) so there are some foods I avoid because I've noticed I feel better when I do. For example I used to drink a ton of milk, but I switched to almond milk, seems to have helped. And I don't eat a ton of bread because it really bloats me up, to the extreme that I could have 2 different sizes of pants for before and after I eat it lol. The only thing I 100% don't eat is bananas and it's a shame because I truly love them, but they do not love me, the stomach pain and sickness I get from them is horrendous. I have told people I am allergic so that they didn't put it in a smoothie etc otherwise they seem to think you just don't like it.

jess1992uga

I am currently recovering from anorexia and that was a common trick I used. Now the problem is I do have food intolerances thanks to the anorexia as well as a surgery gone wrong and its hard for people to believe me. In fact, some people don't believe me and sneak foods I am not supposed to have (animal fats for example) into recipes and then they find out just how intolerant I am.
It is a common thing to use to get away from eating certain foods and anorexia is a dark, dark place. Honestly her mind is probably so entrenched in the pure horror of eating caused by anorexia that she may very well be convinced she has those intolerances. I know there are a lot of foods I was convinced I couldn't have because of my messed up surgery combined with my anorexia. For example, peanut butter, nuts, and olives. I literally believed these foods would make me ill and many times psychologically imposed symptoms on myself. But I now know that was a lie of my ED and those are some of the few fat sources I can process.
I wish your cousin all the hope in the world in recovering. I am fighting now from a very low weight and it is so hard, but I have semi-recovered before and I know its worth it. I know some good treatment places if she needs them.

shiseido_faerie

Not allergic to any foods, thank goodness! I am allergic to something in many soaps, cleaners and medical ointments. If it comes out of an aerosol can, I usually get a rash.

My youngest son is incredibly lactose intolerant. He cries for HOURS, throws up and sometimes breaks out in a rash when he has milk product. I never knew that someone could go through all that just because of lactose. So in order to reduce the risk of him having it, most of everything we have in the house has no lactose. I try to buy organic and after I got used to reading ALL labels, we really aren't suffering:)

Yikes my niece is that way and is full out allergic, definitely keep an eye or have him tested because her allergies worsened pretty quickly/suddenly.