Never had allergies, and now.... (allergy, skin, blood tests, dermatologist)
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At the dermatologist for skin cancers, he gave me blood test that says "allergies" but not what kind. I am flummoxed by these instructions:
14/07/2021
65 Años - 3 meses
RP: Prescripción:
1. LORATADINE 10 MG. TABLETAS X 30 1. Dosis: 1 Unidades cada 24 horas, por 30 dÃa(s)
LORATADINE 10 MG: TAKE 1 TABLET EACH NIGHT (7 PM) FOR
ONE MOUTH AND CONTROL.
NO: CANNED FOODS, SAUSAGES, WITH COLORS AND
PRESERVATIVES.
NO: NYLON, WOOL, RUBBER, LICRA (ON THE CLOTHING). ONLY
COTTON OR THREAD, AND USE COTTON STOCKINGS TO AVOID
CONTACT WITH FOOTWEAR (ANY KIND).
NO: NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY (ASPIRIN, IBUPROFEN,
DICLOFENACO, NIMESULIDE, ETC), ONLY PARACETAMOL, AND
DIPIRONE OR VISIT A DOCTOR IF NECESSARY.
I've had a continually runny nose for over a year; started in Spain, but continues here in Ecuador.
Most of my clothes no longer have legible labels, but I'm sure most have SOME nylon or Lycra or something for stretchiness, including socks which I rarely wear (flip-flops is 99% of my footwear).
So I'm not really sure how to proceed. I guess he's saying no food dyes and concern over that chemical in can linings?
Has anyone else had these kind of instructions, and how did you go about following them? Eliminating certain things, then seeing the result? What worked for you?
Taking Claritin does help the runny nose, but what about all the other stuff?
Yes, I could ask him, but with translation issues, I wanted to get some other input first.
Since you went to a skin specialist you made no mention of anything about the skin. You did mention a runny nose. You didn't mention if it's every day or seasonal or in relation to any foods. A runny nose can imply environmental allergens at play. One thinks of pollens and spores in the air. Allergens can be present on your cloths which can cause skin irruptions and some foods can contain things one is allergic to.
Most atopic people (people with allergies) have multiple allergies from all sources air, skin contact and foods. The allergy burden is increased when exposed to many allergens and reduced when one watches all.
It is common to avoid synthetics with cloths and use cotton. Avoid strongly dyed cloths because sometimes its the dye in clothing or in food. If any item of clothing seems unfordable and itchy then don't wear it. If you break out in hives then especially don't wear it. Change your bed sheets regularly because dust mites is also a trigger allergen as is dust in general.
With foods it gets tricky also because there can be a delay between eating a food item and then getting a runny nose. Some foods can give you a runny nose without being an allergy like chilly peppers or hot sauce.
One just has to keep track of everything and try to tie it with a runny nose. You want to eliminate triggers and in this case he wants to eliminate most obvious things and then hopefully it stops. If it does stop then one can gradually reintroduce things and make note of it happens again and make that association.
Thanks, MLG. I didn't expect to hear from anyone on this rarely-used sub-forum, so I appreciate it.
You always provide professional, detailed advice we all appreciate.
Maybe it's an excuse for a new wardrobe, lol. But my nose runs all the time, not as a result of anything specific. No itching, no hives---I was just at the skin doc for skin cancers.
Thanks, MLG. I didn't expect to hear from anyone on this rarely-used sub-forum, so I appreciate it.
You always provide professional, detailed advice we all appreciate.
Maybe it's an excuse for a new wardrobe, lol. But my nose runs all the time, not as a result of anything specific. No itching, no hives---I was just at the skin doc for skin cancers.
It's hard to provide the context of your interaction with the dermatologist. They usually don't get involved with runny nose symptoms or allergies specifically. They do and can get involved with skin conditions that are allergic in nature or pathological on their own.
They probably just did regular blood tests and noticed a sightly high eosinophil count. Those are specific white cells normally associated with allergies. When the count gets to be higher then other conditions are involved like parasites or in cases like asthma. The more worrisome ones are the hypereosinophilic syndromes. Because it was a passing comment I take it it was only slightly elevated.
There are tropical parasitic causes for eosinophilia and so I would be careful out in the jungle with skin exposed and bugs flying everywhere.
If anti-histamines work then it is allergy related and even the runny fluid from your nose would contain eosinophils.
Good luck to you and try to minimize allergen exposure and use hepa-filters when available.
Thanks, MLG. I didn't expect to hear from anyone on this rarely-used sub-forum, so I appreciate it.
You always provide professional, detailed advice we all appreciate.
Maybe it's an excuse for a new wardrobe, lol. But my nose runs all the time, not as a result of anything specific. No itching, no hives---I was just at the skin doc for skin cancers.
See an allergist/ent. They can test you for what may be causing your symptoms. My runny nose went away after stopping lactose products, ie: cow's milk and wheat products. Dermatologist's test only for skin reactions.
I would see an allergist for the runny nose problem if it continues after following the doctor's instructions. If you had irritated skin, it can well be from sensitivities to any of the products he mentioned. It's not literal allergies, it's called chemical sensitivities and almost any synthetic product could be affecting you.
A good allergist who is familiar with chemical sensitivities will tell you to clean your home of things such as scented soaps, smelly cleaning products, sprays that some people use to make the air "smell good", processed foods, because they usually contain non food ingredients that can make you sick, and yes, the fabrics can definitely be affecting your skin too. When I was diagnosed I got rid of a lot of household products that I had been using and for clothing I switched to 100% cotton or linen for anything that would touch my skin. Watch out for laundry products too because they can cause big problems.
I know you can't get 20 Mule Team Borax where you live, but that works really well for laundry. Maybe you can find a laundry product that is unscented and doesn't contain dyes. The more junk they put in things, the sicker we get. Definitely don't use fabric softeners or dryer sheets, not just for your skin's sake but because they often contain neurotoxins and are unsafe.
If you go to an allergist and get tested, they can determine which foods might be affecting you (or you can just experiment on your own) by leaving out one food that you eat a lot. Leave it out for four days and then eat it again and wait and see. Trouble is there are delayed reactions so it's not as though you'll get sick immediately when you eat the food. You can get sick a few days later instead. That's why it's so confusing.
But an allergist can also test you for environmental allergies, such as to weeds and other plants, dust, dust mites, animals, molds, lots of things.
I would see an allergist for the runny nose problem if it continues after following the doctor's instructions. If you had irritated skin, it can well be from sensitivities to any of the products he mentioned. It's not literal allergies, it's called chemical sensitivities and almost any synthetic product could be affecting you.
A good allergist who is familiar with chemical sensitivities will tell you to clean your home of things such as scented soaps, smelly cleaning products, sprays that some people use to make the air "smell good", processed foods, because they usually contain non food ingredients that can make you sick, and yes, the fabrics can definitely be affecting your skin too. When I was diagnosed I got rid of a lot of household products that I had been using and for clothing I switched to 100% cotton or linen for anything that would touch my skin. Watch out for laundry products too because they can cause big problems.
I know you can't get 20 Mule Team Borax where you live, but that works really well for laundry. Maybe you can find a laundry product that is unscented and doesn't contain dyes. The more junk they put in things, the sicker we get. Definitely don't use fabric softeners or dryer sheets, not just for your skin's sake but because they often contain neurotoxins and are unsafe.
If you go to an allergist and get tested, they can determine which foods might be affecting you (or you can just experiment on your own) by leaving out one food that you eat a lot. Leave it out for four days and then eat it again and wait and see. Trouble is there are delayed reactions so it's not as though you'll get sick immediately when you eat the food. You can get sick a few days later instead. That's why it's so confusing.
But an allergist can also test you for environmental allergies, such as to weeds and other plants, dust, dust mites, animals, molds, lots of things.
I agree with the post with a disclaimer though. Not all tests are accurate depending on the test and how it is prepared. For example there isn't any generic dust one can use to test for. There's no standard. My allergist had me collect dust from my own house and then prepared his own antigen. The problem with that is that it is preparation dependent. If the person wants to use them as a guide and as you mention elimination and reintroduction to determine the source then that is the way to go. Allergist can come up with a list of possible candidates but not all will be culprits. My report said I was allergic to several things but when I eat them nothing happens. Others that I had known based on my own experiences were confirmed by testing. False positive and false negatives are far greater with IgG testing rather than RAST methods. It's just unclear what another countries standard of care is and what is allowed and not allowed or what the common practice is.
Most of the time it is imperative that a person see an allergist when confronted with anaphylactic type of reactions. I don't know how remote they are within the country if an allergist is an option or not which is why I didn't bring it up. The list provided can give them an idea as to possible causes based on test reactivity. High in the list would be environmental pollens and fungal spores because they are constant and in continuous contact with mucus membranes. If the only major complaint is runny nose then a corticosteroid based nasal spray is an option if nothing else can be done to eliminate exposure.
With the instructions about socks and shoes, I wonder if the doctor suspects a latex allergy. Latex allergy is progressive and very inconvenient when it becomes an airborne allergy, so it would be worth making an effort to avoid it if that was the case.
I have latex allergy and I only wear flip flops 99% of the time. Crocs and Okabashi have been safe for me, but I don't know how hard they are to get where you are.
Why didnt he do a prick or patch tests and this would have given answers.
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