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I am terrified I will develop anaphylaxis with anything I eat!

Posted , 5 users are following.

liam71032
liam71032

Hi,

As the title says, I am petrified I am going to go into a shock with any food. I have not once had a an allergy, and never anaphylaxis. It started when I read online that you MIGHT develop an allergy in life to something you never used to have. I've lost almost 10kg in 2 weeks now as I'm struggling to eat!

In real life terms, how likely is this at age 28, with no allergy history what so ever?

I've had peanuts, walnuts, cashews, prawns, salmon, sea bass EACH more than 20 times in my life and never reacted.

Is this almost impossible to react now at this stage in my life, and if I did, would it likely be very very mild.

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • jan34534
    jan34534 liam71032

    Edited

    If you’ve had all those foods it’s likely that you’re going to be OK. But you can’t starve yourself! if you really want to know if you’re allergic to anything related to food, you can have a blood test that will tell you everything you’re allergic to. My daughter had that done at an allergist office also not every allergic reaction leads to anaphylaxis.

    you’re going to do yourself more harm by not eating enough. Have a talk with your doctor or an allergist if you’d like to get the blood test.

    take care

    • liam71032
      liam71032 jan34534

      Posted

      Hey,

      Thanks for the reply. Yes I know, I cant say why I've suddenly developed this fear but I have and its terribly strong. How much of a predictor are these tests though? Do they rule you out for life of a certain allergen?

    • jan34534
      jan34534 liam71032

      Edited

      actually when my daughter got the blood test they told her she was allergic to peanuts but it was a very low level . she got that done at the doctors office.

      But then when she went to the allergist and got a skin test, peanuts didn’t even register at all. so to be on the safe side, she’s going through a desensitization of peanuts through the allergist office. What that does is it teaches your body how to react to that specific food and to get used to it in tiny increments every so often so that you don’t get reactions in the future.

      there are so many new treatments for food allergies now.

      so if you really want to find out if you’re allergic to any food, I would suggest going to an allergist office. They test the main foods that are most likely to cause somebody to be allergic. Then you would know yes or no.if I was worried about this that’s what I would do because I’d rather find out then live day to day worrying about it.that would be miserable. At some point you have to get on with your life . have a good day

  • annie31369
    annie31369 liam71032

    Posted

    Hi liam i can understand what your going through ive also had mild panic about this i never take new medications as they might cause some extreme reaction its all common with anxiety and google makes it all worse . kind of like plays with our mind.

    if you had those foods in the past its very unlikely they would cause you an allergy now , just try to divert such thoughts.

    hope you get well soon.

  • sasical72
    sasical72 liam71032

    Posted

    Hi Liam,

    I went through this exact fear for quite some time, it's horrible.

    It is yet another manifestation of extreme anxiety and our need to control everything. I wouldn't eat, use hair dye, take meds, I even got to the point where I would make my own toothpaste because I was even afraid I would react to that. Then with help from therapy I started introducing things back into my life.

    I'm still a bit afraid of new things but now I don't even allow myself to dwell in it, I just go for it and what will be will be.

    Nothing in life is certain, you could stop eating for fear of an allergic reaction and then be so weak from not eating that you fall and bang your head. What I'm trying to say is that we can't control everything.

    The way I did it is that I had a friend who knew all about my fear, I would phone her when I was about to eat or take anything I was scared of and I would tell her: ok, I've got to take a "whatever" and I'm terrified, she would say, do it NOW as we speak, I would cry and shake but I would do it, and little by little I realised it was not so scary.

    Maybe you have someone who can help you in this way?

  • Sofi4563
    Sofi4563 liam71032

    Edited

    Hi Liam,

    I always have this feeling, when I tried cashews for the first time I even felt as if i was choking. Of course it was all just anxiety.

    Even if you are allergic you won't go into shock, most of the time the reactions are very mild. But you can always do a test and find out what you are allergic to. Obviously everything you have been eating up until now won't kill you. So don't starve yourself

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