Is it allergies or a chronic condition?

I finally got in to see the allergist for a complete testing panel to find exactly what I am allergic to. This appointment has been 4 months in the making.

Every spring, my allergies get so out of control that I get some upper respiratory infection from my post-nasal drip. I have to sleep slightly elevated, so it does not drip into my lungs at night.

The elevation alone was something that took me a while to get used to, to sleep. I end up having to double my allergy pills dosage, or I have so much congestion along with it running away from me that I can not breathe out of my nose. My eyes burn and water like crazy, and my body gets red all over.

I look like a walking germ. No joke, I went to the grocery store once when my symptoms were out of control, and the looks I got from people were insane. They looked at me as though I was a disease they could catch, and I was just so rude for being out in public like that.

Allergies are not contagious, but others do not know that it is just allergies, and I get the looks, with the widespread of many illnesses these days.

Not all symptoms show up as nasal issues. Some signs of allergic reactions to things are also redness, hives, indigestion, bloating, diahrea, and swelling.

When I first went in to see my family practitioner for my severe bloating and digestion issues, she referred me to two specialists; an allergist and a gastro-intestinal practitioner.

Although the GI specialist was able to get me in much sooner than the allergist, I chose to wait until after the allergy testing to go see them. This way, I can know exactly what I am allergic to so I can cut those things out and continue my healing journey.

For me, this is the path I wanted to take. My thought process here was I didn't want to go to a GI specialist to have a colonoscopy and an endoscopy for them to tell me they couldn't find anything wrong. Then, see an allergist and find all the things I am allergic to and be able to cut those things out and feel better.

You may not need to take this same route. I know I already have some allergies, but I have not been tested in 24 years, so it is time for a retest to see what new things show up.

So the week before my appointment, I was to stop taking my allergy pills to get accurate results from the testing. Days 1 and 2 were not too bad, but that may have to do with the allergy pills still being in my system even though I had stopped them.

Day3: The sneezing and eye irritation had begun. I had a tough time concentrating t work and had a box of kleenex on me at all times.

Day 4: My entire body had so much internal inflammation that I had body aches from the inflammation pushing on the damaged discs in my back, and my tendinitis flared up from the inflammation.

Day 5: I developed a severe headache that I could not shake. Which then resulted in intense brain fog.

Day 6: Testing Appointment finally!!!!!

My testing went pretty quickly. They had several questions regarding where and what I am doing when I have symptoms. This helps them determine what to test for. After answering all their questions, they come in with the testing boards. They look like 8 little lancets on a plastic strip. They poke them into your skin, and you sit there for 15- 20 minutes. After the time is up, the doctor returns and looks to see if you have a reaction.

I did not have the reactions he was expecting from my symptoms, so they did the second test, where they injected the allergen into my skin, and after 10-15 minutes, they came back in and checked for a reaction.

The only things I reacted to were things we already knew I was allergic to. Which filled me with disappointment and confusion. Why do I break out in a rash or have digestive issues from certain foods?

The allergist said that skin testing is not 100 percent accurate. I could be allergic to certain foods, but it is not life-threatening. If the rash or digestive issues bother me when I eat certain foods, take them out of my diet. If the rash does not bother you, continue to eat or drink them if you want. He advised me to continue taking my allergy medications daily and see a GI specialist for the gastro issues foods give me.

So now I have to see the GI specialist to try and get this all figured out. I have my first virtual appointment fairly soon here and will keep you all updated with what steps this specialist and I decide to take moving forward.

Was allergy testing the right choice to go before seeing the GI specialist? That all depends on you. If you feel it could be more of an allergy than intolerance or a specific chronic GI condition, then go that route. If you think it is all your gut and not allergies, then go to the GI specialist first.

I hope this specialist will be able to give me some, if not all the answers so I know exactly which way I need to go. As for now, I am journaling all my foods and documenting if I have any reactions to determine which foods I may have some form of allergy to.

I love cooking, throwing stuff together, and coming up with new ways of making things. Still, I always forget to take pictures while making these recipes or write down everything I put in them, so this can be the help I need to document all the new recipes I have been trying and share all those with you guys!

I want to know. What do you guys think?