Have you a food allergy and how do you cope with it?

[lala]

I have rotten food allergies to an array of things. My tongue swells and I get hives particularly on my face. I avoid the allergens as best I can but when I eat out I am naughty and take antihistamines so as to avoid a fuss and I eat and drink what I want. I pay for it with sinusitis and eczema for days/weeks afterwards though. How about you?
thanks everyone so far-
Babycake thanks for alll the info but I dont have coeliac's disease. I've had the blood tests. I'm allergic to moulds and cultures and things that have moulds on them (cheese, yoghurt, mushrooms, raisins, fruit skins etc). And it's definitely allergy. However, your answer will most likely be of great use to some people reading it, who may be undiagnosed coeliacs. Food intollerances and allergies are so common place in modern society that it's scary.

[Lisa*]

Im alergic to gluten. My mum has it, and even though i dont have it to bad yet its apparently going to get worse when im older, so for now i only end up throwing up if i eat to much bread or stuff, but i cant help it, i love toast lol.

[blobby987]

i have LOADS of them i just try to avoid them
jus e-mail me if u want more info

[Babycakes]

Do you have Celiac Disease...???Check with your doctor ..

www.celiaccentral.org

People with celiac sprue suffer from abnormal immune reactions to gluten-containing foods. Gluten is a protein found in various cereal grains, such as wheat , rye, and barley. Oats may be tolerated in small amounts by some patients with celiac sprue, although those with severe disease typically do not.Allergic reactions to wheat can be acute or delayed, occurring within minutes or a few hours after eating or inhaling wheat. The symptoms can involve the skin (urticaria, eczema, angioedema, atopic dermatitis), the gastrointestinal tract (abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting) and the respiratory tract (asthma or allergic rhinitis). Wheat can cause Baker's asthma and has also been associated with wheat-dependent exercise-induced reactions (see below).

Baker's asthma: Contact with or inhalation of wheat flour proteins is one of the causes of baker's asthma (an occupational allergy), but allergens other than the wheat itself (e.g., storage mites, yeast and baking additives) may also be causes. Symptoms that may present include rhinitis, skin itching/rash, ocular symptoms (including tearing, itching and conjunctival injection), respiratory symptoms (including coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and sputum production) and "grain fever".

Wheat-dependent exercise-induced reactions: Exercise within 3 hours of wheat consumption can induce an adverse reaction in susceptible individuals. In some cases, this can also occur when wheat is consumed directly after exercise. Typical symptoms experienced include asthma, urticaria, angioedema, dyspnoea, syncope and anaphylaxis.

Dairy foods may not be tolerated when someone with celiac disease has active symptoms, since lactose intolerance frequently develops. However, this is due to the lactose sugar in the dairy foods, rather than the proteins, which can cause milk allergy.

[*S*p*a*r*k*l*e*s*]

I don't but my son has terrible hayfever he's 14 now but when he was younger I use to think he'd been fighting his eyes swelled so much but he has itchy red watery eyes blocked nose hes always sniffing up I tell him to blow it he says no point it makes no difference, now he's older he likens it to flu so I keep him off from school now when it's bad.

[crazywhitegirl!!]

I am allergic to bananas, oranges and avocados. It drives me crazy because I love bananas and guacamole. Banana pudding is my favorite and I haven't had it in years. It makes my throat feel like it is closing and it starts to itch real bad and so does my ears. It is a horrible feeling.

[Ollie]

Hi,I have no allergies however my dog is allergic to gluten.
I have to make sure her food doe's not have it in.It makes her skin go all flaky.

[Sean F]

I am lucky in that I do not have any food allergies that I am aware of yet (@28 one can still develop or realise them) but my partner is massively allergic to ginger, coconut and to the food additive E621 and her eczema (which has been completely controlled through diet and Chi healing for over six years) comes back with painful and almost unbelieveable ferocity if either of these are eaten inadvertantly. It is crushing to see her in such pain and so immobile. The best thing for her it seems was the Chi healing and the complete control over her diet which she now insists on. She still gets small topical patches of eczema and her asthma is still almost entirely drug controlled, but this is nothing to do with diet it is just that she has one of the most severe cases of asthma that any of her specialists have treated, her lungs are very, very damaged due to years of drug treatment and suffering from the illness.

[KIRSTY H]

Im allergic to artificial colours E100 numbers are the worst also allergic to chocolate so am really looking forward to easter i dont get anything too bad a migraine but if i dont lie down and go to sleep i do end up being sick