DH knocked out by allergies but we don't know to what! Help!

[WinkyWinkola]

DH has serious digestive issues. We need help, please. Is there somewhere we can go to get him properly tested? Our gp doesn't seem to have much idea. DH is convinced that because he was weaned at 2 weeks old, his system is screwed up. I don't know about that but it definitely is screwed up and his quality of life is badly affected.

He has eliminated wheat from his diet. If he eats bread or pasta, his stomach becomes distended with gas, he has to go on all fours for comfort and belches like a water buffalo for 12 hours. Can't sleep, sometimes has difficulty breathing afters.

We've found he reacts to capers too. He ate some once and his nose swelled so much, the skin split! He can't for example, drink coffee and then some juice at breakfast time as he starts to feel ill.

He can't have carbs after 6pm otherwise he struggles with great discomfort in digesting it through the night.

On Thursday evening, for supper, I gave him grilled kippers and a salad followed by a chocolate mousse (Waitrose's own). Since then, he has had difficulty breathing - he's taken about five antihistamines, slept for fourteen hours on Friday night after our guests had gone home in the afternoon and is still feeling awful today, nearly 48 hours later.

This is extreme, isn't it? I worry that we are unable to identify what troubles his clearly very sensitive system and that we are unwittingly overloading it.

How can I make things better? Go back to basics with simple, raw foods? And introduce other foods gradually? I have no idea what to do. It's been going on since I've known him (ten years) and is getting worse and worse.

Any advice or tips would be really appreciated. Thank you.

Has he been tested for celiac disease?
It sounds like it could be that.

Thanks, RuthChan. I don't know if it's coeliac disease. Does that cause problems with breathing?

He's in bed now, just wants to sleep and sleep and sleep. And struggling with his breathing. I've asked him if he wants me to take him to A&E but he says no, he just wants to sleep.

It's the most extreme reaction I've seen in him.

Coeliac disease is not an allergy and doesn't usually cause breathing difficulties.
However, it is possible that he has a wheat allergy in addition to it.
That does happen.

I would really recommend taking him to an allergy specialist to get him properly checked out.

It might be coeliac especially if he is so plinly affected by wheat but the breathing thing sounds very serious. Your DH may be anemic because of it and hence have shortness of breath. I am coeliac and never had that issue but it can definitley happen.

Coeliacs can be both intolerant to gluten (ie the protein in wheat, barley and other farinacious grains) and also lactose (ie milk sugar).

The kippers may well have been sprayed with malt to make them brown and the mousse probably contained milk.

It may of course be caused by many other things. Coeliac though is commonly left undiagnosed for years and the symptoms get worse and worse. I felt utterly dreadful and desperate before I discovered why.

It can seriously damage long term health.

I used to feel absolutely knackered a lot of the time too, poor sleep patterns, bloating and itchy skin if I ate after 6.

well the first thing the GP ought to have done is send him for allergy testing.

they can also test for coeliacs, but that does involve him having to eat wheat/gluten so that they can test

Winky - yes, definitely get him tested for allergies, but also rule out coeliacs.

In the meantime, I would tend towards feeding him whole foods only, i.e. no additives of any kind, and staying away from (whole) foods that you know will aggravate him. It is very limiting, but probably one of the safest options for now.

I would second hospital if his breathing is affected. If he won't go - ambulance?

I know you want to respect his wishes but sometimes you have to go with your gut instinct.

with severe intolerence you can have breathing problems, however, thats just chest pain.

did his voice change, or did he find it hard to swallow?

the swelling does sound like a ige response , rather than intolerence.

you need to go to gp and ask for blood tests for basic food allergens if they cant reffer you to a adult allergy clinic.
the anaphylaxis campaign can help with the name of nearest doc/clinic to you if contact them on their helpline.

if you are still considering severe intolerence, you can get some good books that help with a exclusion diet.
in the mean time a its might be worth cutting out milk , wheat, caffine, and acidic foods , like oranges and spicy food. as this can irritatate inflamed gut lining.

you need an allergy clinic referral
they will do blood/skin prick tests and can also refer you to the allergy dietican

Hi Winky ( we met at the Ford day)

I would be worried about him going to sleep with breathing difficulties. Is it because his airways are swollen/inflamed? If the anti-histamine wears off overnight, the swelling could worsen and stop him breathing.

If you call NHS Direct, I think they would call you an ambulance straight away. Please consider going to A and E.

Longer term, I would request that the GP refers your dh for specialist allergy testing. I suspect this would be suggested if you do go to a and e.

Good luck!

Poor bloke - sounds awful. You need to put your foot down and make him go to the Dr as an urgent appointment, or even to A&E - the difficulty breathing is the bit that worries me. Seriously - he needs to go and be assessed by a professional. The antihistamines will make him want to sleep all the time. By the way, allergic reactions can suddenly get worse as the allergen passes through the system, so keep a close eye on him and try to persuade him to seek medical advice.
I have nut allergic DD and have witnessed a bad reaction - it's not pretty.

He refuses to go a&e or his g.p. again. He thinks g.p.'s don't know their arse from their elbows. He has now got some non-drowsy anti histamines so he says he'll be fine.

Great.

So he can freak me out whenever he wants with some random reaction (which happens at least 3 times a week at home in the evenings usually), making me think I've inadvertently poisoned him with something. Not only that, very often, he can't function leaving me to deal with the dcs all weekend.

I'm pretty at the moment actually and have lost sympathy for him because he won't help himself.

I have severe allergies. I can see where he is coming from to a point, but can understand your frustration. What antihistimine is he taking? I was given a form of piriton by the GP as it is suitable for food allergies, not all antihistimines are. As soon as I had been tested I was also given 2 epipens in case of anaphylaxis.
This will not get better on its own. He does need some pretty thorough testing to decide whether it is allergy or an intolerance. It could be both!

The problem with some allergies and especially mine, is that the response by the body; the reaction, continues to get worse over time. I used to only suffer from loose bowels after eating peanuts. This progressed to an itchy throat, then breathing difficulties a year later. After a reaction, i tend to feel bloody dreadful too.
He needs to be very careful, and take the reactions seriously. I would suggest that a trip to A&E when a reaction happens could actually speed up the diagnostic process. Next time he cannot breath call an ambulance, men are notorious for ignoring medical staff with the don't fuss attitude!

I reccomend keeping a food diary for now. You may have to go back to "raw basics" if they Dr cannot figure out what is causing the allergy but if you have some idea then that is a start.
Do you have health insurance? You could go to a private allergy clinic if testing is covered by your insurance?

I agree - if he won't do anything then you need to call ambulance when his breathing is difficult.

Is the alternative really worth the risk?

He spent the day out of the house at football match with ds1. He said he felt much better.

Tonight he said he was feeling bad again.

I'm starting to think he's allergic to the cat actually. I mean, I think he's definitely sensitive to some foods but all he had tonight was some broccoli soup I'd made. No dairy in it at all and he was reacting before he ate. He's gone to bed now and the cat isn't allowed upstairs so perhaps he'll feel better.

I also want boards in the bedroom as opposed to carpet as I think all the dust carpets accrue don't help. He likes carpet so opposes this. Sigh. Why do I even bother talking about this?

I'm definitely calling for help when his breathing gets bad again. And I'll facilitate a g.p.'s appointment too. I will find the most senior, white, male g.p. in the practice (horrible but I bet that's who he'll take most notice of) and I'll prep them too with the usual 'male not wanting to visit doctor' scenario too.

Thank you so much for all your words.

MadApeth, you've been very quiet. All's well, I hope?

How is dh Winky?