Some new options...

So I got my results this week.

My IGg results showed intolerance to cows milk (and goats/sheep actually), egg white, wheat, oats and a few other random things like peas, cumin, walnuts.

My lymphocyte sensitivity test showed my sensitivity to nickel is sky high as expected. I also showed up as sensitive to a range of other substances. One of them was something called 1,4 polyisoprene which apparently is natural rubber. I immediately jumped on this as a possible cause as I wear rubber gloves to wash up, and more recently I wear them to shower to protect my hands from soap and shampoo - what if this is the root cause?!

I immediately stopped using the gloves and after 48 hours things were looking better...I told myself not to get my hopes up as I do quite often have a good day or so every so often, and I didn't want to feel disappointed. I couldn't help it though, and really did think this could be it. I woke up this morning with loads of fresh blisters...argh. I am sure the gloves don't help matters, but it doesn't look like they are the root cause.

So I guess I need to consider the food results. Do I believe I am really intolerant to all those things? Probably not.  But at least it gives me a starting point. I was already doing gluten free when I got the results, although according to the test I am okay with some gluten containing grains, just not wheat. So my plan for now is to carry on being gluten free, and now go dairy free too. Ugh....with Christmas around the corner this isn't going to be fun, but I have to try, otherwise there was no point even having the test.

I have discovered one thing though - sugar makes things worse. I have been pretty good at avoiding refined sugar on the whole, including my very favourite thing - chocolate. But I have had a couple of little treats in the last month and my skin is very very clearly worse the next day. So - not the cause I don't think, but definitely a contributing factor.

Here's hoping that dairy free helps things along....

A new direction

So yesterday morning, I had my appointment at a clinic specialising in allergy, environmental medicine and nutrition.

I met with the doctor first, and we went through the whole history of my DE. He asked me what I thought the triggers might be, and didn't bat an eye lid as I ran through my list of possible contact allergens, food intolerances and candida theories. He agreed with me that any of them could be a possible cause. It was quite refreshing to have a doctor not look at me like I had completely lost my mind.

He outlined for me a number of tests I could have done to begin to explore these issues. As he went through the options, the costs mounted higher and higher - the consultation alone was a fortune, there was no way I could afford to get all of these tests done. I asked him what he thought the priorities should be and we settled on the following:

A food intolerance IgG test, testing for 120 common foods
A lymphocyte sensitivity test - I opted to test sensitivity to certain metals, detergents, fungus, rubber and formaldehyde.

I had my blood test done there and then, and will get my results in a week.

I came home and began researching the tests I had done. The reports were very mixed. Evidently the IgG test is widely criticised by the medical community as being pointless and unreliable. However a good number of people who had the test done report positive changes after eliminating the foods identified.

I went to bed feeling anxious last night - had I just spent several hundred pounds for useless testing?

Today, I have been reflecting on things a bit more. Yes, it is clear that traditional medicine frowns on this kind of testing. But I have been using traditional medicine to treat this for 18 months now, and has it helped me? No.

I guess I stand to lose a fair bit of money if this is all for nothing, but it has to be worth a try. Nothing else has worked so far, and there is a chance that this could really help. I am not pinning my hopes on it by any means - but it is good to have a new avenue to explore.

I'll post my results when they come through - for now it is going to be an anxious wait.