HELP!!! WHY HAS MY BODY SUDDENLY CHANGED??

@Inezza do things dettle down and then flare when uour stressed ? X

I know this is 3 months late but I have MCAS and agree to look into this. I have had severe digestive/stomach issues caused by the brain that started when I was 11..

due to the stomach issues I was taking antihistamines to help nausea and vomiting which masked a lot of my allergies to the world and I wouldn’t miss a day of meds incase I became sick.

every medical issue I have now, turns out to all be linked to one another so all your symptoms are likely all connected to one thing.

Its kinda hard to get it looked into but for me a tell tail sign is that I ALWAYS have raised white blood cell counts! I don’t think it has ever been normal or even low.

If you have been diagnosed with psoriasis, that's most of the explanation you need. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder.

Food is well intended as an explanation here, but that's failing to consider WHY anything, even food or drink, might be an issue.

If you have not been diagnosed with psoriasis but have visible plaques, I'd start there with getting a diagnosis, and getting the best clinical advice and treatments for that. Then address whether this is causing the other issues

It sounds as though there isn't a particularly joined up way of looking at all your symptoms at present.

First and foremost, you have a giant klaxon shouting autoimmune disease - the Psoriasis. It's not an allergy, it's an autoimmune disease.

Once you take that as your starting point, 'IBS' (and why do they always say that about women? As though being 'irritable' is the automatic response when there's an unwell female in the area) and lactose intolerance are less likely to be something completely random and more likely to be Coeliac - untreated coeliac causes lactose intolerance. And what I'd describe as a smell of death from your arse when you get glutened. Untreated Coeliac can also present with skin issues - dermatitis herpetiformis needs to be considered; it looks very much like awful eczema but won't always be considered if there isn't already a Coeliac Disease diagnosis.

Have Dermatology started you on DMARDs/Biologics? Have they considered giving an im steroid pulse? Have they fully taken into account the gut issues and given a reason why somebody with at least one unequivocal autoimmune disease presentation cannot possibly have another two they have symptoms entirely consistent with?

Diet does feature in autoimmune disease for many people - but it is never a cure. It's a way of reducing symptoms when you know what triggers the response and eliminate it from your diet permanently. With a diagnosis of Coeliac, that means no wheat/barley/contaminated oats (sometimes no oats at all because avenin is reacted to as well as gluten)/food that is contaminated with these substances in preparation. Which instantly excludes at least 85% of mid-high-ultra processed food (obviously, the small percentage of specifically Coeliac friendly foods and the occasional fluke item can still be safe, but there's not a great deal of that around now going gluten free isn't fashionable).

These things can happen in childhood and they can happen in adulthood. The immune system is a very complicated and amazing thing that sometimes just decides to turn into an absolute arsehole. Beating yourself up about it doesn't serve any purpose. But advocating for yourself and ensuring that the full spectrum of symptoms are taken into account does mean you're more likely to find some effective treatment and respite sooner.

I developed horrendous IBS and acne on the Mirena coil. It was awful.
Ivd had it sour and things are so much better, however peri menopause has since played havoc with my gut.

Although well intentioned, as a PP said, before cutting out food eg dairy and wheat, keep a very detailed food, mood, and symptoms diary. See if you can spot a pattern, then ask your GP if a referral to a dietitian is an option (they may not be allowed, it depends on what the referral protocol is). Or if you can afford to, book a freelance dietitian. If you're in Britain you can find a registered one here

Have you had covid? Apparently it can trigger MCAS/histamine intolerance in some people.

Almost the same happened to me when I turned 39. It took years of fodmap diets to work out it was preservatives in processed food and pesticides on vegetables. Now on a much cleaner simpler diet. Skin probs and IBS gone - so there is hope.

I developed a few new allergies and a horrendous stress related skin response (flares up still in periods of high stress) after a stressful divorce. Also developed skin problems after pregnancy.
I'm always better when less stressed (haha, i have 2 under 4 😂) and eating clean

Stress!

*I'd (not if)

If echo this 100% and it's really well put, if I may say so.

Modern diets are hideous. Maybe it's time to bring everything back to basics?

If you are open to alternate therapies please google health kinesiology as it helps with allergies. Kinesiology was originally developed by chiropractors.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/contact-dermatitis/diagnosis/

@Applepies5 as you are already seeing a Dermatologist, likely you’ve had the skin patch tests.

Posted as general info.

Some sensible answers already.

Autoimmune conditions can become symptomatic at any age, & have a variety of triggers, e.g viral infections, pregnancy - consider how the mother’s immune system adapts to carry her baby - & environmental conditions. Once the AI response is in overdrive, other allergens top up the load.

We are a family of varying autoimmune conditions & varying symptoms, the bottom line is that we each have highly reactive AI response. You might find it helpful ask about general health in your family group. It may be possible to spot a pattern & this in turn is useful information for the medics, e.g. several 1st & 2nd degree relatives are clinically diagnosed Coeliacs.

IBS - look at low FODMAP eating, search for MONASH Uni as a staring point. This is now a standard protocol for managing IBS & also helps reduce intestinal inflammation associated with other AI conditions. Costs nothing as common place foods are eliminated & nothing pricey added. This will quickly cut down bloating, farting & longer term calm the inflammation response. Overall gut health is a priority & as helpful as FODMAP is, it is important to make sure that friendly bacteria flourish.

The saying ‘you are what you eat’ is sound, but ‘you are what you absorb’ does apply when the gut is inflamed. You can scarf the most nutritious food at every meal, but if the gut wall is inflamed to the point where it does not efficiently absorb nutrients, overall nutrition may be affected.

That said, it is worth keeping a food:symptom diary & going back to the GP to discuss if you need a test for Coeliac disease before you cut gluten out of your eating plan. You may also ask to see an NHS Dietician about FODMAP as you may find their guidance helpful, & it is important to manage the possible impact of cutting out food groups. How likely your GP is to refer you IDK, but they should know that you are changing your eating patterns.

Dermatologist & thorough skin testing: my DD got this on the NHS, if they couldn’t get it now, I would pay for it. Ask your GP for a referral, if they can’t/won’t, ask them to recommend a local consultant Dermatologist. The testing process does take time as the patient returns to clinic to have the reactions monitored over a few days after the substances are applied & dressings put on top. It was a revelation. The tests showed nil, medium & strong reactions to a range of things. She has since avoided - at some effort & small costs - all the known irritants & anything perfumed, all of her chronic skin problems have gone. She still has the underlying atopic responses, & occasionally something unknown/unexpected will invoke a response, but a Fex’ is enough quell it.

HTH.

OP, do the symptoms tend to come together? As a PP helpfully pointed out, it could be mast cell related.

Where did you go to medical school? I'm genuinely amazed that you feel able to diagnose someone over the Internet without any kind of history!

Do you take a H2 inhibitor as well as an antihistamine? They're typically for reducing stomach acid but also reduce the effects of histamine.
As a previous poster said - look at your birth control if you take it, people report increased allergies when theyre on it.
I'm pretty sure you must be careful with what you eat - but I'd say you should look at reducing high histamine foods and wheat/dairy. Lactose intolerance can develop with age.

Did you travel anywhere interesting around the time it started? Sometimes you can pick up a parasite that does wacky things to your gut

This happened to me with my second pregnancy in my late 20s. Am early 40s now and haven’t eaten raw apples or carrots for 15 years. Also miss them!

It started with apples and carrots, then moved on to lots of fruits (especially stone fruits like plums but also pears), cabbage etc.

OP - in the last five years I thought I noticed a reaction to nuts but wasn’t sure if it was in my head. Got tested and it turns out I have also developed a nut allergy (most nuts but especially hazelnuts and peanuts).

Turned out it was oral allergy syndrome (I am insanely allergic to birch pollen and that has also become worse over the years).

I’m now much more careful about being nut free and it has helped my skin a lot. I thought for ages I was developing something like rosacea as my skin was constantly red around my face and neck and almost looked sunburnt on occasion. That seems to have calmed down since avoiding stuff with even traces of nuts.

Just as an extra anecdotal story about allergies and skin troubles!

You might take a look at your maths. 1% of 67 million people is not “millions” but far less than a million. Screening for coeliac makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Could you have hidden black mould in your home?

But can I give you hope @Applepies5 I was highly allergic with asthma and eczema so badly an “ordinary” cold was always turned into bronchitis and more often than was healthy, pleurisy. Really bad colds which knocked me out at least 4 times a year. And flakey skin all the time.

But it has all died down. The eczema gradually disappeared in my 20s. Asthma was bad throughout my 30s (although leaving a boyfriend who smoked really helped for a bit) and improved gradually throughout my 50s to the extent that now I rarely have symptoms.

I now take an OTC anti-histamine at night about 2 or 3 times a week and that seems to damp everything down.

It does get better.

Where do you live? (No need to answer this, but something to think about). I’ve lived in a couple of major cities and had that range of allergies (they’re all linked btw). But now live in a rural small city within 20 minutes of the sea coast and rarely suffer from allergic reactions.

But it sounds like there’s an underlying chronic condition. Coeliac disease? Crohns?

Also, with asthma, my doctors always recommended keeping fit aerobically. Swimming is good.

And try not to use soap on inflamed areas of skin or where you’re likely to have an eczema outbreak - face, crook of the elbows, behind the knees, arms, hands (these were the areas where my skin would flake and itch big time). Don’t wear artificial fabrics close to your skin - cotton or silk only. Cut out make up and use the
mist simple products on your face and body skin that you can. I found even Clinique hypo-allergenic cosmetics were impossible. Only Nivea doesn’t inflame my facial skin.

This happened to my mum at almost 60, she now has an epipen! Main allergy seems to be around fruits, particularly melon which she loved to eat. Never had any allergies before, ever! It’s bloody scary when she has a reaction. Epipen was given after a bad reaction to a medication she took which was not her usual brand. Same meds but simply a different brand 🤷🏼‍♀️ Absolutely no reason been given/found why this has happened.