Yikes!!

[clouddrifter]

:bonk: :bonk: :bonk:

I am telling you what ... if you haven't had an allergy test done - GET ONE! I didn't think I was allergic to very many things at all and just found out a few nights ago I'm allergic to a gazillion things! So, at every doctor appt I previously had, I said "Nope, no allergies except to latex and eggs - that's it"
So when the super duper specialist gynecologist suggested I use vegetable oil, or olive oil, as a vaginal moisturizer AND as a lubricant during sex, I thought it was weird, but I was willing to give it try! And it actually did work amazingly well for me compared to KY and other otc lubes and was very cheap. Obviously I started with vege oil. my skin had been so very dry that during sex it felt like my skin was literally ripping from my body. After a few weeks of applying the vegetable oil AND the shortening (to form the protective barrier and seal in the oil) I was totally in awe at the results. Penetration was easier, and the whole act was much nicer using the oil as the lube. HOWEVER, I still always felt sore and swollen and had that piercing glass feeling in my urethra - and the constant feeling like I had a yeast infection - but the vulvodynia test the doctor did at my last follow up showed amazing improvement. Not perfect but improvement. WELL, NOW I KNOW!! I have a freakin SOYBEAN ALLERGY!! What is in vegetable oil? SOYBEANS!! So I have been directly applying an allergen TO the vulvar area for SIX MONTHS!!! Not to mention, I've been using it when I go to pelvic floor therapy as the lube for the biofeedback instrument! I can't be upset at anyone b/c nobody knew til I had the allergy testing done, but DANG! Talk about feeling counter-productive!! So I'm going to switch to olive oil and see if I notice a difference in how I feel. And I tested negative to latex - BUT positive for CORN. So the doc thinks I'm allergic to the cornstarch found on the gloves - not the actual latex. how crazy is that?

But on a good note, I found a cookbook at Amazon this evening (well, actually my sister found it for me) that has a bunch of recipes for people with a lot of the main food allergies. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post it?? But I'll be happy to give you the link if you want it. I am very excited to see what it has to offer!

I hope I'm on the right path now.

[SharonA]

I hope you are, too. I have been meaning to ask you a question.

Have you ever heard of coconut oil? I know of some people who use it as a personal lube. You can get one kind at Wal Mart in the shortening and oil section. It comes in a cannister like shortening. It looks much like shortening. It melts very quickly into an oil on contact with your body heat and also when in contact with a warm room. It does not smell like coconut. This kind can be used for cooking, also and is very cheap. The canister lists coconut oil as the only ingredient.

You can also get coconut oil at a health food store. This would be purer than the one at Wal Mart and does smell and (from what I have heard) taste like coconut, but does cost more.

I have also heard that it is a good skin lotion.

I have not used it as a vaginal lube, but have used it as a lube in outside foreplay. I do not know if it would bother IC if used in the vagina or your allergies, but my guess is if you can eat coconut, then you might be able to use it on your skin and as a lube.

Caution...It is very slippery and messy once it melts, so use something to protect the sheets. ;)

[clouddrifter]

Very interesting. As far as I know, I can eat coconut. But I thought I could eat everything else up until a few days ago! lol! Thank you for the suggestion! I will definitely see if I can find some and try it out!!

[ICNDonna]

I raised three children, all with allergies. And there is a difference between contact allergies and food allergies. For examples, my youngest could not ingest anything containing wheat, but because the modeling clay kids usually use caused him a rash, I would give him a piece of unbaked pie crust to use. And I am very allergic to eating tomatoes, but I can slice them for family with no problem.

You can determine whether an allergy is a contact one by putting a tiny bit of the suspect solution on your upper arm; then put about a 2-inch square of saran wrap over it and tape the edges of the saran wrap and leave it for 24 hours. If your skin will not tolerate the substance, you will develop irritation in the spot where you put the potential allergen. If the skin is still clear and normal after 24 hours you should be able to handle it.

Donna

[clouddrifter]

Yeah, I can usually tell if something is going to bother me when I put it on my hands - it will usually burn and itch etc - but the cooking oil thing is just weird. I'm thinking the oil can get absorbed into your system through your vaginal tissues - thus helping to keep everything inflamed. So even if it doesn't bother me so much on the outside, it could still be irritating everything inside. Does that make sense?

[ABliske]

How do they test for food allergies? Is it the pin prick thing on your back that I've heard about? And what type of doctor do you look for? Can you find them under allergy specialist in the phone book?
I have bad sinus allergies and suspect I may be allergic to more than i know.

[clouddrifter]

Yes, I went to an allergy doctor and yes, you should be able to find them listed under allergy doctors in the phone book. You can also try www.yellowpages.com and enter your area information and do a search for one where you live.

Yes, I had a skin prick test done. At my appt the other day, the nurse came in and had me take off my shirt, leave the bra on, and put a gown on that opened to the back. She had me mark on a sheet of paper the foods that I THOUGHT I might be allergic to and they tested me for those (I only thought eggs and maybe potatos & tomatoes) and they added corn, soybean, yeast, wheat, cow's milk, chicken, peanuts, and rice. They test for egg white and egg yolk seperately. So they only checked me for 12 foods to start with and then all the outdoor stuff - trees, weeds, grasses, etc. They did the test by first making little marks all over my upper back with a little marker. Then she brought out a little tray that had different allergens in little bottles and each bottle had its own little plastic stick - no bigger round than a toothpick but not as long. So, next to each dot, she would make a little scratch mark with the allergen. It didnt hurt whatsoever. She had 2 controls that she used - one was a saline solution that was supposed to be negative and one was histamine that was supposed to be positive. she had me wait 15 minutes before she took a look at the end result - and I really wasnt expecting anything to show up really. Cats bother me once in a while if I'm around them too long, but I dont swell up and have breathing problems or anything. But... after the first 5 minutes, I could feel a slight burn and then they all started itching at once! I could definitely tell which ones were worse than others! so she measured them all and then she brought out a pretyped list of all of the things they put on my skin. Each substance had boxes to check off if the results were negative, 1+, 2+, 3+, and 4+ to indicate the severity level. So after looking at each reaction on my skin, she marked the boxes and then showed it to the doctor. He came in and said I was severely allergic (3+ to 4+ range) on 47 out of the 60 things they checked me for! They also said they have 60 foods they CAN check for but we'd start with these for now. I have to keep a food diary for the next 2-3 weeks. (I have been having diarrhea and vomiting practically every day for 4 months) Along with severe bloating - like everything I eat sits in my ribcage and then comes out as vomiting or diarrhea.
He asked me if I suffered from recurrent yeast infections and I said yes I do, so the nurse marked my arm and tested me for candida albicans. I mentioned swelling up if latex gloves were used and they tested me for that too. I came back negative for the latex, but positive for the candida - he called it recurrent allergic vulvovaginitis. (he gave me a small handout and told me to google it!) Nothing like being allergic to what's found normally in your body!
So after the testing, and while the doctor was talking to me, the nurse took some tissues and scratched all my itchies :) hee hee. Then she put some medicine on it and the itching on my back was gone within a couple of minutes - just like that!
I was also concerned with the possibility of having a gluten allergy b/c my tongue and lips go numb from time to time and I sound like I'm deaf and trying to speak. I guess any one of the food allergies could cause it really. But he ordered several blood tests to be done. One was the gluten screening and the others were the foods that I was borderline allergic to - that being the milk, chicken, and peanuts. I am right on the 2/3 mark for those. So they are doing the blood test b/c it's more sensitive than the prick test.
They also told me that even though I feel like I'm allergic to tomatoes b/c they burn my hands when I cut them up, I could just be intolerant to them and not have the true allergy. The prick test was negative for them. but if I know I react to it, then try to avoid it anyway.
The blood test was simple - just the usual cut off the circulation in your arm and poke the needle in the vein. She took out 4 to 5 vials of blood and it took less than 5 minutes.
If the vomiting and diarrhea don't let up within the week, I'm supposed to go in and get a steroid shot. Otherwise, I eliminate all the foods I'm allergic to, keep the food diary, and note when I'm having episodes. Because even the spices could be culprits - which I've read on here before too.
I think it's really worth it to have it done b/c it helps in giving you a starting point in what foods to eliminate to help the bladder too. I just get the lovely job of fixing my gut right along with it. haha

[ABliske]

Clouddrifter,
Thank you for your quick response! Wow! That sounds like a lot of allergies. At least, now you know what they are. It probably is easier to say that, then to have to face the reality. I know I didn't take the IC diagnosis as a blessing. I hope you are staying positive! It will be better now with all the information at hand to help you.
I wish there was a test like that for foods that trigger bladder pain. So often, I don't know what the culprit was. I think that if I overeat I pretty much flare no matter what.
So did you test positive for the gluten allergy? My boss's daughter has that and she just found out about it. She had the stomach problems like you were describing. I hope you are feeling better soon! Take care.
Annie

[clouddrifter]

Hi Annie!

I won't get the blood test results back for at least another week, so no, I don't know if I have the gluten allergy yet. And if it's positive, wouldn't that just be the icing on my cake? haha.

Yes, I'm trying to stay positive and look at it as God's way of helping me go on a healthy diet to lose weight. haha. I've lost sixteen pounds in the last month already. I used to weigh about 140 (I'm 5'5) and I could wear a size 6. After this big perpetual IC flare started to hit and I went through the surgery and cystoscopy and still couldn't move without taking lortab (and then only a little bit for a little while) I gained 40 pounds!! During the month of September, I lost ten and when I stepped on the scales at the allergy doc I was 164. I was totally surprised!! I think its all coming out of my boobs! haha.

And today, I had to go out of town for pelvic floor therapy (about 30 minutes away) and while I was there, I decided to go by the pet store and get some mice for my stepson's snakes. I was only in the store for maybe ten minutes (and I usually just wait in the truck and my husband runs in and gets them) and when I got back in the truck with the mice (all nice and taped up in a box they couldn't chew through and escape) I started feeling like the back of my throat was on fire! My tongue was on fire, my ears were itchy and on fire and I sang along with the radio to see if I could talk and my Elmer Fudd voice was back! I took an allegra and called the allergy doc to see what to do and they just suggested to take some benadryl in addition to the allegra b/c none of my results were in yet!

I hadnt really ate anything yet at the time, and all I had drank was water - so the pet store pretty much has to be the culprit! I must have inhaled something my body didn't like!

And on the bladder pain note... I am REALLY hoping that if I eliminate the foods I'm allergic to - that pain will ease up too. that's the main goal anyway!

[clouddrifter]

Just wanted to let you know the blood tests came back negative for allergies to the milk, peanuts and gluten! :) I still have to be careful though b/c I could still be intolerant. But at least that widens the recipe options a bit - butter! AND, I don't have to remove wheat from my diet too!

[ABliske]

That is wonderful! Congrats!!! I think I really need an allergy test. This weekend was miserable. My nose was running the whole times and my eyes were itchy. I was so embarrased to even go to the store.
My allergies haven't even been this bad for this long. I think I'm allergic to my dog.:help: Of course, I'm going to have to live with it.
That's kind of a funny story about the mice. I mean maybe if you get the right treatment and can look back on it. I just shows how sensitive you are! I've taken allegra too and it doesn't help much. Two Claritin in 48 hours seemed to help. This first one did nothing thought. I've also tried Zurtec ( without much success) and Claritin D (that gives me massive headaches). My co-worker and husband have the same reaction to the Claritin D.
My nieces used to have a cobra. They're-home schooled and my sister jokingly said she almost wished they were in public school just so they could take in for show and tell. It was defanged and devenimized so they had to kill the mice before the fed it. My sister was absoluted disgusted by this, but my brother-in-law had always wanted a snake and got this one for free at a garage sale. I can't imagine. My poor little 5 year old niece wanted to name the mice!!!

[clouddrifter]

I couldn't imagine having to kill them first! that gives me the willies!! It gives me the willies just watching them run around! haha. The whole way back from the pet store I kept thinking "what am I gonna do if they chew through that box!" hahaha. The little bitty baby mice didn't bother me so much - its the big ones that creep me out!

I'll tell ya what, I really didnt notice too much in the way of seasonal allergies before - I knew if I went hiking I'd have to take benadryl and I'd take some dimetapp or liquid benadryl if I got a stuffy nose here and there - but I spent years watching my sister live with all of these allergies and severe asthma - so if she was around anything that triggered her allergies, she'd be on a breathing machine within seconds! so, I just assumed I wasnt that allergic to anything.

I was put on the zyrtec, b/c at the beginning of my flare - last YEAR - the doc thought I was having a somewhat allergic reaction to my husband's bodily fluids during sex - and she put me on the zyrtec and had me use lidocaine on the vulvar area before we had sex. Well, sex was a little easier w/penetration since it was numb, but it still hurt on the inside real bad, and I felt like it was swollen in there for 2 or 3 days after we did anything. so I went to an even more specialized gynecologist - who knew a lot about vulvodynia - she said the worst thing I could do was to use the lidocaine b/c it has drying properties. she said the reason it was burning and hurting and I FELT like I was having an allergic reaction was b/c my skin was so dry and the friction of sex was basically tearing my skin in there. then when the body fluids hit it, it was burning. that made a lot of sense to me. so at that point is when she told me to start using something all natural - like the vegetable oil - on my vagina instead of the lidocaine. so I bought this little spray bottle and I would put the oil on and then put a layer of shortening on over that. And I used vagifem (still do) twice a week. which is a little estrogen pill you insert vaginally at bedtime. They both made a huge difference in how I felt down there. my skin got better and sex is waaay more comfortable. However, I still have a lot of trouble with yeast and just pain in general around that area - so my sex life isn't perfect yet - but at least some aspects are improving. I just have to use the olive oil instead of the vegetable oil now! (and maybe coconut oil haha)

so, I took the zyrtec for about a year, and when the rx ran out, I really didn't see a point in refilling it since my vaginal problem was something else. That was 2 weeks before I had my allergy test done. so, it's possible that it was helping somewhat - and by being in the 3rd week without it - made the pet store reaction worse than it normally would have been. That's my guess anyway. So, yeah, I had no clue that I was allergic to so much before that testing - and we were low on the dough when I found out the foods I couldn't eat - so all I had in the house to eat were potatoes and salt for a couple of days - while I searched for edible recipes and thawed out some deer meat. hahaha. I finally found some good ones I tried yesterday - and spent a lot of time in the kitchen - and I hurt so bad I couldn't get out of the bed this morning! I had to wait for the pain pills to kick in and even then, I'm still moving pretty slowly!