Question:
How do I know if I have a Food Allergy?

As far as I know I have never had any food allergies but now 13 days post op I think maybe I have had a few. First weird thing is my ears: from about 6th grade I have had excessive itching and wax in my ears. I always was sticking something in them to scratch( about 6-7 x a day)Now after surgery no wax no itching at all! Ihave had greenish/grat/brown bruise like circles under my eyes since I was in my 20's when I got my first cat and attributed it to cat allergies because when I pet them and touch my eyes they become itchy and watery and swollen. I still definately have my cats but I see a difference in the color under my eyes and they appear to be wider open. I didnt even think they were puffy before. I am still on liquids and to my best guess I have only lost 10-12 lbs so I do not think it is due to weight loss. Could I have had a food allergy that I didn't know about?How do I find out and If it is How do know which food it is? Has anything similar happened to anyone else?    — dianekoch (posted on July 27, 2003)

July 27, 2003
If you eat something that makes you scratchy and breaks you out, you know what it is. The only real way to find out is to go to an allergist and be tested. As far as your eyes go, I have had what you describe all my life. They are called "racoon" eyes and are easily covered with concealer and make-up. Mine are really bad and I try to cover it up every day. I use a dermablend stick. It is what people use to cover birth marks.
   — Delores S.

July 27, 2003
Hi: I went last year to an allergist and he had me tested for the usual stuff, molds, cats, dogs, pollen, ragweed, etc. Then he had me go have my blood drawn and I was tested for allergens there; what he found SHOCKED me to the bone! I am allergic to cats, dogs, dust, candida (the mold that causes yeast infections), cockroaches (apparently they get in ventillation systems, die, and when they die they dry up and their carcasses blow around like dust). I wasn't allergic to pollen or any grasses or trees, but the food allergies! I'm highly allergic to milk, moderately allergic to corn and wheat, and mildly allergic to yeast, tomatos, white potatos, soy beans, and eggs (both the white and the yolk). I thought "Dear Lord, what am I gonna eat?" Well, I pretty much eat everything because it doesn't affect me as far as itching, throat closing up, hives, etc. <p> Anyway, the thing to do would be to go to a doctor who specializes in allergies and sinuses and stuff and get a blood test.</p> <p>Good luck; hope it's nothing major!</p>
   — Moysa B.