Gluten Free Garden

This CNN article explores the many challenges in diagnosing food allergies and intolerance.  While I am pleased that awareness of diet-related symptoms is increasing, I can’t help but continue to feel frustrated by the lack of medical solutions to these problems. 

I, too, have had a “skin-prick” allergy test for approximately forty different types of allergens and the results were all negative.  The allergists’ advice to me was inconclusive and unhelpful at best:  see an IBS specialist.  I asked whether an IBS specialist would be able to help me identify causes of other symptoms such as skin irritation, migraines, fatigue, etc.  The allergists’ response was that I am absolutely not allergic to any foods (or, I can assume, just the forty allergens he actually tested me for…), but that if I really believe I have diet-related symptoms then I need to practice a limited diet.  I asked how I could medically determine which foods I should avoid if the allergy test was inconclusive.  He didn’t have any answer for me other than, “avoid what makes you sick.”

I am sure many of you have been faced with this frustrating situation.  Doctor visit after doctor visit, copay after copay, test after test, and still… inconclusive results.  The most conclusive response I received from my allergist was that the saliva test I had done through Enterolab was “hooey” and that the lab should be sued for malpractice.  Unfortunately, other than criticizing the one medical establishment whose test results seemed congruent with my own experiences and assumptions, the allergist was unable to give me any real advice or direction.

I try to limit my diet to determine what I can and cannot eat to maintain good health, but the list of foods I can enjoy is growing shorter by the month and I continue to have symptoms.  I find that I feel better when I am on no medication at all, and it is easier to determine sensitivities to food when medication is not a factor in the equation.  So, onward I march!  I will keep you posted on my progress.

What have been your challenges and successes on the road to diagnosis?  Who or what has helped you feel healthy again?