Talking Allergies

So I have a dairy hypersensitivity (this is what I assume the official term is). I don't get hives or have trouble breathing and it happens anywhere between 30 minutes to 24 hours after I've eaten dairy. Some doctors and dieticians call this an allergy, some tell me it is definitely not an allergy but an intolerance and yet other things I've read call it a hypersensitivity.

My actual symptoms are itchy palate, congestion, migraines, lethargy and a couple of days later GI issues. I have been told it is definitely not lactose intolerance since I can't eat anything with milk products as an ingredient and lactaid makes me feel ill. From the reading I've done it is an immune system reaction (IgG reaction maybe? - I forget and I lent the book to someone else), just not an IgE reaction. The book calls it an allergy, but it's definition of allergy is based on an immune system reaction. The book I've read is "Dealing with Food Allergies" by Janice Joneja.

So are there globally accepted definitions for these terms and where can I read more on them?

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Hiebs
Me - Allergic to Dogs, Cats, Dairy, Nickle.
DH - Celiac Disease
DS1 - Allergic to Horses, Cats, Dogs - Asthma, Eczema
DS2 - Allergic to Cats - Eczema, Asthma

hmmm..well, the itchy palate makes me suspect that it is an allergy. I don't know much about IgG reactions, but I do really like the book I have by Janice Joneja.

I can sympathize because I cannot eat ANY fruit. It has escalated to fruit juice, cooked apples and peaches. I have heard oral allergy only applies to raw fruit and cooked is ok. I don't have any anaphylaxis but I get tightness of the chest, hives and within a half hour it hits my stomach where I get intolerable cramps followed by diarrhea which can last days. This started prior to allergy shots with only the melon family but since starting shots two years ago it has gotten worse. My allergist told me it may get better in a few years with continued shots. It is very confusing and frustrating.

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allergic to all tree pollens except grass, hazelnuts, fruit and some veggies

There are varying degrees of allergies. Some are mildly unpleasant and some are severe.
Canadian Society of Allergy & Clinical Immunology (CSACI), in cooperation with Allergy/Asthma Information Association (AAIA), Anaphylaxis Canada, Association québécoise des allergies alimentaires (AQAA) and Canadian Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Foundation (CAAIF) created a website is to provide the necessary information and resources to help non-medical people better manage anaphylaxis. http://www.allergysafecommunities.ca/pa ... p?catid=33

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy and green beans) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: Oral Allergy Syndrome, Allergic to Birch trees

Thanks for the link Susan! The AAIA site really was helpful and described my dairy allergy. I suspect that this will be a go to site for me for quite a while...

The good news is that I have gotten very good at what goes into my family's mouths since I have dairy allergy, DH has celiac disease and we now suspect tomato allergy with DS1. We also eat a lot healthier than we did a few years ago!!

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Hiebs
Me - Allergic to Dogs, Cats, Dairy, Nickle.
DH - Celiac Disease
DS1 - Allergic to Horses, Cats, Dogs - Asthma, Eczema
DS2 - Allergic to Cats - Eczema, Asthma