Blood Drug Testing

Is it normal for allergy tests to give different answers?

Hi, At the age of 25, I think I am suddenly allergic to coconut. I'm basing this on an experience I had after eating a raw, baby coconut (that was the only thing I had to eat). My lips swelled, mouth tingled, and throat started to swell shut before I went to the ER - and there I sat in the waiting room for about 4hrs before just walking out. Previous to this, I had eaten other forms of coconut on many occasions. PROBLEM: I've had four allergy panels, two were skin prick tests and two were RAST blood tests. None of the tests come back remotely similar, although each of the skin tests come back positive to a bunch of foods and the RAST tests come back positive to just one or two. (All of the tests implicate a different food btw). Only two of the tests included coconut, but both came back negative. It's like the only thing the tests agree on. Should I trust these tests???? It is a major pain to carry an epipen around everywhere and be paranoid about eating in restraunts.

Public Comments

1. The science of allergy testing is very imprecise, as you have discovered. There are several reasons for this. Consider that an multinational pharmaceutical company invests millions of dollars in research and development so that it can sell products and make profits for their shareholders. Why would such a business wish to spend money on developing improved allergy testing when the simplest solution to patient suffering from any symptoms is AVOIDANCE? There is no financial incentive for such an expense. There are many triggers besides foods. Some of them are: fluctuating hormone levels; airbourne inhalants too small to be seen or measured without scientific instruments; a delayed reaction to soaps, laundry detergents, skin care products, colognes; inhaling scented candles, air fresheners or tobacco smoke; an unnoticed insect bite; and the most insidious and difficult one to pin down, your body's response to an accumulation of too mucy of too many untested preservatives and additives that have been allowed into our food (processed and whole) in your lifetime. This information is not meant to alarm you. You do have control over what you ingest, breathe and wear. When our second son was born (he's a year older than you), he was extremely sensitve to the dairy products in MY diet. (He was breast-fed.) As he was introduced to solid foods, we added a new food every 4 days to ensure that there would be no bad reaction to it. With adults, you eat only rice and apple juice and lamb for 2 or 3 days. Then you add stuff one at a time until you know for sure that it is OK. It's time-consuming, but it sure beats dying! Do some on-line research to learn what plants are botanically related. For instance, melons, cucumbers, cantoloupe and strawberries are members of the same family and all cause me grief. I just avoid them. No more problems. Good luck.
2. About a year ago, I was tested by an allergist. My throat would start to itch internally (but not swell) when I ate raw strawberries, carrots, melon, and many other raw fruits and vegetables. The allergist tested me and I was told to stay away from these foods along with all nuts-that I should NOT eat them, period. I just got a second opinion and was told I could indeed eat these foods and they won't hurt me. I have oral allergy syndrome, not true food allergies. The first place only told me half the story. I also have Dermatographism, which is a benign condition in which my skin reacts when it is scratched by anything...whether I'm allergic or not. So I may have had some false positives, cuz the first place didn't catch this. Long story short, i recommend getting a second opinion!
3. Yes, you should trust the tests. I know all to well what a pain it can be to carry around a epi, but it is better to be prepared. You may have tested positive for opposite things due to what you may have eaten of the best two days. Food stays in your system longer than we think possible, but it would have a bearing on the outcome of the results. Think positive! At least you do have a heads up on what to look out for. Mine was almost to late. Throat closed up and could not breathe all due to a peanut. Just one M&M with nuts. How stupid was I? I now pay close attention to things I'm allergic to. I want to live life to its fullest and have a blast. Good luck. Think positive.... Life is to short.