Sulphite allergy/intolerance or what could this be?

[UninventiveUsername]

Hi there, I wondered if anyone knows anything about sulphite allergy or intolerance and could help me. I began reacting to wine several years ago to the point I no longer drink it. When I drank it I was feeling very sick (though only threw up on two occasions), got a terrible headache and once came up in hives. A few times while drinking it my ears burned. It also seemed to trigger my asthma. I seem ok with fizzy stuff so do have a glass of that occasionally which doesn't seem to affect me. From what I could find online I thought this might be a sulphites intolerance.

More recently I've started reacting after I eat certain foods. It happens during eating or very soon after. I go extremely pale, feel really sick, I have to lie down every time as I feel so ill and I then get bad pains in my stomach. Some garlic containing products though so far fresh garlic chopped in things seems fine. It's also happened with some sweets (haribo and maybe others), most recently happened while I ate some biscuits from a tin I was bought as a gift. Neither the sweets or biscuits say they contain sulphites but I know garlic naturally does. All the info online seems to be from America and I really want to get to the bottom of this as it seems to be getting worse. Does it sound like I'm reacting to sulphites or something else?

I thin, as a first step, see your GP and as to be referred for allergy testing.
If you can't get it on the NHS, think seriously about getting it done privately.

It does sound as if it is getting worse.

Do you take antihistamines as soon as you get the first symptoms?

Allergy testing isn't that simple, there is not a test which says you do or don't have an allergy... Tests show that you're sensitised to things and if you have both a sensitisation on the test and a history of being unwell with the food only then is it probably an allergy.

Keep a food diary and save the labels of things that make you feel rubbish. Best thing is to do that and then exclude things you suspect you're allergic to and see if it helps. Can then do a food challenge and reintroduce things to see if it's those particular foods that make you unwell.

I have had allergy testing done in the past but that was for things like pollen, grass, trees, dust, various pets, mould etc. I'm allergic to most things like that and have oral allergy syndrome which also triggers my asthma (this also seems to be getting worse too.) I mentioned at the clinic about the wine and they just sort of shrugged it off and this was before I had the food reactions.

How long do you recommend keeping a food diary for Parsnip?

3littlefrogs a couple of times I've taken my travel sickness pills when I've for symptoms and they do seem to help ease it faster. Not sure if that's because they are a strong antihistamine or because they ease the nauseau.

Keep the food diary for a couple of weeks (or as long as it takes for you to see a pattern). Sometimes after looking at a food diary it's obvious that something you hadn't even considered is the cause.

OK I will give it a go thank you. Hope to find out what it could be as I've never had this type of allergy before and it's awful!