5 ms·

I have difficulty swallowing pills! I've been hospitalized for it twice and just barely avoided a third. I had an unrelated allergy test after I thought I devel

I have difficulty swallowing pills! I've been hospitalized for it twice and just barely avoided a third. I had an unrelated allergy test after I thought I developed a food allergy but didn't test positive on any of the food tests. Do you have enough experience to know what that might be?

freedomben 8y ago
Depending on the food, you may have a false negative on your allergy test (this happened to me with dairy). You will also want to make sure you get tested for both IgG and IgE (tho there is a debate out there regarding whether that is necessary). Unfortunately the Elimination Diet is the only way to prove it if the test isn't working. If you have a food you suspect, you can try cutting it out for a couple of weeks and then abruptly adding it back in and see how you feel. If you are willing to spend the money, an endoscopy can provide some valuable clues. They can take a biopsy of any inflammation and can analyze it to look for clues about what is causing the problem.
BadCookie 8y ago
Are you, by chance, allergic to mold? Most people don't think of mold as a food allergy—I certainly didn't used to. But many foods contain mold (especially aged cheese). There seems to be some controversy around whether mold-allergic people need to follow a special diet, but anecdotally, I find that I must. Otherwise, I get chronic migraine headaches and a whole laundry list of related problems that I won't list here. (I tested positive to mold allergy on a skin prick test.) I was also having difficulty swallowing at one point. https://www.webmd.com/allergies/mold-allergy-basics https://www.webmd.com/allergies/mold-allergy-basics (Note: The list of foods here is pretty good, but some of the foods only need to be avoided if they've been dried/aged/preserved, such as meat, in my experience.)
- freedomben 8y ago
  Wow, thanks for sharing. Didn't even think about mold as a food allergy! I have tested positive for allergies to molds, so this could be one of the sneaky things causing me issues!
- kevinmchugh 8y ago
  I am indeed allergic to mold! But I've never noticed any symptoms. The incident that caused me to get tested by an allergist was a slight itch in my throat after eating some mac and cheese I made. But there wasn't any aged cheese and aged cheese hasn't given my cause for concern before. I later felt that same itch eating pre-cubed grocery store cheddar. They add cellulose to those packages, which I'm guessing could be too blame.
  - BadCookie 8y ago
    Most cheeses contain mold: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/is-moldy-cheese-okay https://www.bonappetit.com/story/is-moldy-cheese-okay Only fresh cheese don't, such as cream cheese, mozzarella, and queso fresco. One last tip that might help you if mold is your problem: I find that I have to scrub my faucets clean about once a week with an old toothbrush. I'm sensitive enough that a bit of mold in my drinking water can cause a coughing fit. (But I also live in a pretty humid place where mold grows easily.)

freedomben 8y ago

Depending on the food, you may have a false negative on your allergy test (this happened to me with dairy). You will also want to make sure you get tested for both IgG and IgE (tho there is a debate out there regarding whether that is necessary). Unfortunately the Elimination Diet is the only way to prove it if the test isn't working. If you have a food you suspect, you can try cutting it out for a couple of weeks and then abruptly adding it back in and see how you feel. If you are willing to spend the money, an endoscopy can provide some valuable clues. They can take a biopsy of any inflammation and can analyze it to look for clues about what is causing the problem.

BadCookie 8y ago

Are you, by chance, allergic to mold? Most people don't think of mold as a food allergy—I certainly didn't used to. But many foods contain mold (especially aged cheese). There seems to be some controversy around whether mold-allergic people need to follow a special diet, but anecdotally, I find that I must. Otherwise, I get chronic migraine headaches and a whole laundry list of related problems that I won't list here. (I tested positive to mold allergy on a skin prick test.) I was also having difficulty swallowing at one point. https://www.webmd.com/allergies/mold-allergy-basics https://www.webmd.com/allergies/mold-allergy-basics (Note: The list of foods here is pretty good, but some of the foods only need to be avoided if they've been dried/aged/preserved, such as meat, in my experience.)

freedomben 8y ago
Wow, thanks for sharing. Didn't even think about mold as a food allergy! I have tested positive for allergies to molds, so this could be one of the sneaky things causing me issues!
kevinmchugh 8y ago
I am indeed allergic to mold! But I've never noticed any symptoms. The incident that caused me to get tested by an allergist was a slight itch in my throat after eating some mac and cheese I made. But there wasn't any aged cheese and aged cheese hasn't given my cause for concern before. I later felt that same itch eating pre-cubed grocery store cheddar. They add cellulose to those packages, which I'm guessing could be too blame.
- BadCookie 8y ago
  Most cheeses contain mold: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/is-moldy-cheese-okay https://www.bonappetit.com/story/is-moldy-cheese-okay Only fresh cheese don't, such as cream cheese, mozzarella, and queso fresco. One last tip that might help you if mold is your problem: I find that I have to scrub my faucets clean about once a week with an old toothbrush. I'm sensitive enough that a bit of mold in my drinking water can cause a coughing fit. (But I also live in a pretty humid place where mold grows easily.)