Has anybody increased their tolerance to an allergen?

[BertieBowtiesAreCool]

I want to know if I can do it!

I am "allergic" to cheese, in that every time I eat it (and I have done so unknowingly) it gives me D&V starting a few hours later which lasts around 2 days. Every other form of dairy is fine.

However, if I have a very small amount (like, a miniscule amount, as in, I realise I'm eating a cheese flavoured thing and spit it out) then I'm fine. But the last time I reacted to it, it was because I'd eaten some vegetables which were in a dish wish Potatoes Dauphinoise which was covered in cheese - the vegetables themselves weren't cheesy but I think the water they were sitting in must have had some kind of residue of cheese in. So that's a fairly small amount, too.

I wondered if it would be likely to be possible for me to build up my tolerance to it by starting off with small amounts and slowly increasing it. I've heard of people doing this with lactose and also eggs. I don't particularly find it difficult to eat without eating cheese but it would be nice to be able to eat it occasionally and not have to explain all the time that I can't have it.

Any thoughts?

Yes, I've heard of this too with pollen. Hayfever sufferers take a pill with a tiny amount of pollen everyday and gradually build up tolerance before pollen season.

I've done this with cats. My mum bought one and whereas 10 years ago I used to have a bad allergic reaction to them (breathing difficulties, swelling etc.), now I just get a bit sniffly.

Funny, I had similar discussion with our dietician last week about my allergy ridden children. She said research is unclear as to whether exposure to allergens can build tolerance or make an allergy worse.

They are starting to desensitise kids to peanuts by introducing tiny amounts and then upping the amount slowly. However, I think they start off with something like one three hundredth of a peanut.

It would be pretty difficult to know what level of cheese to begin with and even if you did know, the quantities might be so small that you might not be able to isolate them.

I think it depends. Some years ago, I went travelling somewhere remote, which meant I didn't eat bread for 3 months. The first time I had bread when I came back to civilisation, I came out in the most impressive (and uncomfortable) hives. After talking to the doctor, I cut out yeast totally (bread, Marmite, mushrooms, alcohol,) but after a while, I tried small pieces of bread and so on, and built it up. I still can't eat massive amounts of bread - every meal would make me feel ill.

I've also had times when nuts and tomatoes and various stoned fruit and apples all make me tingly, but I can eat them. If they're being tingly, I don't touch them, but after a couple of weeks or so, trying small amounts again is often okay. Although I can only eat apples if I have an anti-histamine tablet first. Mostly I just don't bother having apple, but this time of year, I will treat myself to a cox at some point. Also, cooked fruits are fine, no problem at all.

Things I have noticed are that I am more likely to react when I'm stressed. Also, if I'm reacting to one thing, I am more likely to react to others, so I have to be more wary during the hayfever season. (I've had hayfever since a small child.) Cooked versions are usually fine when raw things may not be. And short-haired cats can be okay when long-haired cats aren't, but I'm not going to try cooking them to see if they're okay...

Also, I am an adult, and I am making my own decisions in gauging my reactions and whether I risk anaphylactic shock. I'm not going to start experimenting with other people.

Anyway, I do think that introducing small amounts and building up will help, but if you've got a major reaction like peanuts and shellfish and things like that, where just touching the thing can cause anaphylaxis, I am not sure how tiny an amount it should be, and I'd leave that to medics.

When it comes to cheese - have you tried different cheeses? Soft cheese may have a different reaction to hard cheese. (I could introduce blue cheese as another variable, but why anyone would want blue cheese is beyond me in the first place!) I think if I were you, I'd probably start experimenting with small amounts, and avoid experimenting when anything important is coming up, in case of reactions, and if I did get a reaction, note the amount, and cut it out again, then start building up again. Although I don't get very bothered about cheese, so I probably wouldn't actually bother! But I know where you're coming from. I can't imagine being happy having to give up stoned fruit entirely.