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.