I had my allergy appointment this last Monday, and the Doctor didn’t argue that I had hives. Which is great, because I was annoyed.
Instead, he said there were two possibilities. One possibility was that I was allergic to the parts of the wheat protein that break down when they bottle the juice used for allergy scratch tests.
This is plausible – I’m fairly certain I remember UW Allergy using flour paste and a needle that they dipped it in then poked me with. I had a reaction then, which is how we originally pulled me off wheat.
The second possibility is that it’s Celiac’s.
What.
He said a small percentage of people with Celiac’s have only hives and skin disorders and no gut issues. I have both hives and eczema in my hair – I had forgotten how awful it was in High School to have people constantly pointing out ‘there’s something in your hair!’.
Yes, I know. It’s my skin, sloughing off in the grossest manner it can manage. I’m talking huge chunks two millimeters and sometimes more across.
*facepalm*
He wants to test me for Celiac’s next as this is the next most likely reason I have hives. Which is great… except this means I have to eat wheat heavily the next three weeks so I don’t get a false positive.
*headdesk*
I have SO MANY hives, and it’s miserable. I bought some of my favorite foods I couldn’t eat because of a reaction and thought ‘It’ll be nice. I can eat some treats.’
No. No, it’s not nice. When I look at them I would rather be hungry than enjoy them because I’m SO miserable with itching and burning.
So frustrating.
But anyway, there’s going to be a great deal of misery for the next three weeks. He did point out though that regardless of what it is, the solution is to not eat wheat. Yes, I realize this. I had been avoiding eating wheat for years. He only wants to know for sure because if it’s an allergy he’ll try to work it into allergy shots we’re setting up.
Still. Ugh.
If you have Celiac’s, how did you find out what it was? What were your symptoms? How long did it take for them to catch it? Inquiring minds want to know!
That sounds miserable – I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this! I’m always amazed at how non-sciencey the field of medicine can be sometimes. Especially with skin symptoms, it seems the diagnosis is often, “Well, it could be this, this, this, this, or this. No way to know for sure, so let’s just try a bunch of stuff and see if something eventually works!”
I had a persistent rash on my face a few years ago that was spreading up the side of my face, and I told my doc that I had been using Neosporin on it, and he told me not to bother, because the rash wasn’t caused by bacteria. Then he suggested putting me on 12 weeks of oral antibiotics.
I said, “But if it isn’t bacterial, then how would antibiotics help?”
He said, “Let’s remember, I’m the doctor here.”
So I found a new doctor. 🙂
Best of luck to you, and best wishes for no hives in the coming new year!
Thank you! I have two more weeks of hives, and then I can test for Celiac’s. I would agree – with skin symptoms it seems to be a big guessing game!
You poor thing! We all have sensitivity toward wheat, itchy, flaky skin, special shampoo, behavior issues, and a gut ache when we have reached a certain threshhold. Allergy, Celiac’s or sensitivity, you know your limit and know what feels right with or without a doctor confirming it. Go with what works. Peace to you!
Just counting down the days now. The longer I go, the more convinced I am that this is NOT a Celiac’s reaction – I have large raised hives, not tiny blistering hives which is what Celiac’s gets. I’m going to be pretty bummed if this was all a waste.