Having chronic illnesses does funny things to your body -- I fully blame it all on the Lyme and CFS as I was healthy, healthy, healthy all growing up. But, my very astute doctor routinely tests for allergies in lyme patients as part of her immuno-therapy program. Eliminating allergens or treating the allergies frees up the immune system to work on the bigger issues. So, after two years of treatment I went in to be re-tested and see where I stand.
Phase 1: HORMONES First of all, who even knew you could be allergic to substances your own body creates? Well, you can! Two years ago I tested positive for allergies to serotonin, progesterone & histamine. At my retest serotonin and progesterone have decreased dramatically (yay!). All those drops are helping :) Ironically, the histamine allergy showed up must worse (no explanation)
and I tested positive for two
new hormone allergies T3 & T4 (thyroid hormones) ... well that can definitely explain some of my lethargy and weight gain, after all thyroid does control metabolism. Many folks with Lyme and/or CFS experience a wasting effect. I wondered why my muscles wasted and yet I did not, in fact I just keep getting bigger and bigger. My doctor says these T3/T4 allergies explain it all. Phew ... starting drops for those right away and anxiously await some improvement there. As frustrated as I may get with my weight, my dr keeps telling me to relax and focus on getting healthy and getting better -- fighting the Lyme, healing my body and that in turn everything else will fall in to place. Easy to say on the other end of the office when clothes fit! Anyway, I digress ...
Phase 2: FOODS The first round I tested allergic to everything but egg whites. I literally left the office crying b/c I didn't know what to eat. Well, it's definitely exposed my family's palate - not sure we would have ever tried millet otherwise & know we find it pretty tasty. Luckily, I only had to swear off all the foods for 6 weeks, then I was able to slowly introduce them back and eat them sparingly. That, along with the desentitising drops, have helped me reduce all them. I'm so ectastic I can hardly keep it in! I'm still mildly allergic to most things - the only additional thing that tested negative was soy (woo-hoo soy milk!), so I'll still need to be moderate with my consumption, but knowing that my immune system is getting stronger is cause for cheers (rah, rah, rah). Below is the complete list ....
- Almonds
- Baker's Yeast
- Banana
- Beef
- Chicken
- Corn
- Egg Yolk
- Milk
- Oats
- Orange
- Potato
- Rice
- Tomato
Now, I'll always be gluten sensitive - that's a whole 'nother issue, but many of the gluten alternatives are on the list above (hello sorghum, millet, amaranth & quinoa) so being able to use them less sparingly will be nice!
Phase 3: ENVIRONMENTALS I'll have the retest done in a few weeks, but I'm extremely hopeful that these will show a decrease as well. Trees, grass & weeds are hard to eliminate since they're all over the place. Not to mention having a less severe allergy to them will help with the histamine allergy ... interesting connection there.
- Mold
- Grass
- Trees
- Weeds
- Dust
- Feathers
- Cat
- Dog
I promptly told my doc that I would NOT be getting rid of Maddie (the dog) or Willow (the cat), but I have kicked them off the bed... now that's progress!
Phase 1: HORMONES
First of all, who even knew you could be allergic to substances your own body creates? Well, you can! Two years ago I tested positive for allergies to serotonin, progesterone & histamine. At my retest serotonin and progesterone have decreased dramatically (yay!). All those drops are helping :) Ironically, the histamine allergy showed up must worse (no explanation) and I tested positive for two new hormone allergies T3 & T4 (thyroid hormones) ... well that can definitely explain some of my lethargy and weight gain, after all thyroid does control metabolism. Many folks with Lyme and/or CFS experience a wasting effect. I wondered why my muscles wasted and yet I did not, in fact I just keep getting bigger and bigger. My doctor says these T3/T4 allergies explain it all. Phew ... starting drops for those right away and anxiously await some improvement there. As frustrated as I may get with my weight, my dr keeps telling me to relax and focus on getting healthy and getting better -- fighting the Lyme, healing my body and that in turn everything else will fall in to place. Easy to say on the other end of the office when clothes fit! Anyway, I digress ...
Phase 2: FOODS
The first round I tested allergic to everything but egg whites. I literally left the office crying b/c I didn't know what to eat. Well, it's definitely exposed my family's palate - not sure we would have ever tried millet otherwise & know we find it pretty tasty. Luckily, I only had to swear off all the foods for 6 weeks, then I was able to slowly introduce them back and eat them sparingly. That, along with the desentitising drops, have helped me reduce all them. I'm so ectastic I can hardly keep it in! I'm still mildly allergic to most things - the only additional thing that tested negative was soy (woo-hoo soy milk!), so I'll still need to be moderate with my consumption, but knowing that my immune system is getting stronger is cause for cheers (rah, rah, rah). Below is the complete list ....
- Almonds
- Baker's Yeast
- Banana
- Beef
- Chicken
- Corn
- Egg Yolk
- Milk
- Oats
- Orange
- Potato
- Rice
- Tomato
Now, I'll always be gluten sensitive - that's a whole 'nother issue, but many of the gluten alternatives are on the list above (hello sorghum, millet, amaranth & quinoa) so being able to use them less sparingly will be nice!Phase 3: ENVIRONMENTALS
I'll have the retest done in a few weeks, but I'm extremely hopeful that these will show a decrease as well. Trees, grass & weeds are hard to eliminate since they're all over the place. Not to mention having a less severe allergy to them will help with the histamine allergy ... interesting connection there.
- Mold
- Grass
- Trees
- Weeds
- Dust
- Feathers
- Cat
- Dog
I promptly told my doc that I would NOT be getting rid of Maddie (the dog) or Willow (the cat), but I have kicked them off the bed... now that's progress!