Some of my allergies were confirmed by the allergist through blood tests. Others did not show up on blood tests, but when I described a reaction to her, she'd say, "Well, not all intolerances show up on a blood test, so we're not gonna bother doing a test every time something new makes you sick, just avoid that substance." We have not done the extensive blood tests for years, as getting results takes several weeks, and also requires me to be off all allergy meds for 3 days beforehand ... so is annoying to schedule, given my environmental allergies are prevalent year 'round.
My Primary Care doctor relied on the allergy doctor for my food issues, as my allergy doc has been working in the field longer than my doc has, an has a good reputation ... I will be talking to my Primary Care doc well before I talk to the allergy doc again. This will all be very interesting, to say the least!
There are foods I have not eaten for years, as the list just grew and grew. Sigh. The longest-existing one I can pinpoint the date - almonds (which could kill me, causes anaphylaxis reaction) was first noticed when my nephew was 12 - he sold me the popcorn with almonds in it. He's now 26 years old, so that allergy is 14 years old.
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