food allergy testing

so i've been looking into getting the IGG or IGE testing done, but i called my insurance company today and they only cover a 70 allergen skin prick test. i had this done 16 years ago and they found 4 allergens, none to food.

do you think it would be worthwhile to get it done again? could i have developed allergies since i was 7? also, is this test supposed to be reliable?

i ordered an allergy testing kit online from some website for food intolerance testing. it requires me to bring it to a doctor and they have to give me a prescription for bloodwork. i know this route wouldn't be covered by my insurance and would cost around $300, but if it's more reliable than the skin prick test, i'll just do it.

any thoughts on this? i'm just desperate to figure out if something i'm eating is giving me symptoms. i've cut out all the common allergens like corn, soy, lactose, gluten, casein, nuts, eggs, nightshades. not sure what else there is. it's just exhausting to be doing all this and still have the runs. uhhh

 

From what I understand it is the skin prick test which is far more reliable than the blood test. Your allergies can change during your life so it is possible you could test differently now than when you were 7. I have heard several times that the blood test is not all that reliable. I think it is a good idea though to try and figure it out because I just hate it when people eliminate foods that they could actually be eating.

My daughter has been going thru food allergy testing for her eosinophilic esophagitis (sp?).  All of the prick tests done on her back came up negative as well as the blood tests.  The final test was to take actual samples of some of her most commonly eaten foods(from her food diary), put a tiny amount on her back, tape it up and leave it for 48 hrs.  After removing it, she had to wait another 24 hrs to have it checked for a reaction.  Sure enough, even though the previous tests had given a negative report she tested positive for a corn and pork allergy on the longer test.  The places where the samples of pork & corn had been attached had a definite rash that hadn't been there when the sample was removed. There was absolutely nothing special about this test and no reason that you couldn't just try doing it yourself.  As a matter of fact, the allergist didn't have samples of some of the foods that were suspected (carrots, zucchini, apples) so I had to cook them, mash them, and she took them to the Allergist with her.  If you decide to try it, just make sure you number your locations and write a list so that you remember what was what.  It will cost you nothing to try and if you think you have a reaction you can then go to your Dr and hopefully point them in the right direction.  All of the samples were placed in a grid pattern on the very center of her back, starting right around the bottom of her shoulder blades.

Here's some info I found.   Looks like the time left on the back varies.  http://www.dermnetnz.org/procedures/patch-tests.html

Post Edited (Eil) : 1/16/2013 7:24:01 PM (GMT-7)

gary, that's what i'm thinking!! i've eliminated so much and it would be nice to know for sure what really bothers me. obviously, something in my diet still does and i'm eating so few foods as it is. the skin prick test is covered by my insurance. i remember it being really painful when i was 7 but i'm sure i could do it now and be fine.

stereo, the test i ordered online came with a urine kit, poop sample kit, and the IGE/IGG info. it's supposed to be done with just one vial of blood. i am under my parents insurance until i'm 26.

soystud, yes my sig is current. what do you think it could be from?

Kefir might be a problem if you have problems with dairy. Aloe vera can have additional ingredients such as citric acid, potassium sorbate, and sodium benzoate that might irritate the intestines.

the cod liver oil and the spatone iron would be my first suspects - that's where i would start - if not either of those, i would keep eliminating one at a time -

i hope the humira works for you -

if it was me, i would take away all the possible problems before i started something new -

kinda like driving with the emergency brake partially engaged - the car will move, just not quite as well and in a short amount of time, somthin's gonna give -

soystud, i definitely agree. i'm hoping the humira will give me even a short remission so i can at least get this testing done. that way when it stops working, i'll have a better chance of things not getting too horrible since i'll have implemented my food findings.

stereo, i think what i'm gonna do is the skin prick test and the IGG testing. that way, i can see what my immediate reaction is with the skin prick test and then my delayed respone in the IGG testing. the IGG test i have does 94 foods and most of what i eat is on there. i'm not even sure if my allergist will sign the papers for the IGG testing since he doesn't know me. did you have a doctor do it that you had been going to for a while? i could ask my GI but don't have an appointment set up. my last GI said no because "food makes no difference."