Oral allergy syndrome update – part 1

So the parting words with my fabulous, wise old owl Sydney allergist, had been to get tested in Sweden as apparently, they were way ahead on the allergy-testing game. So, in late 2018 I took myself off to our local GP, cried and screamed until he tested me, got a positive blood test for tomato and chilli which gave me a green light for a referral, then waited six months for the appointment with an allergy specialist.

During that time, I took better care of myself, took a job with less stress and a 30% pay cut, and waited, and waited.

Finally, the big day arrived. I met my new, Swedish allergist and spilt the beans on my tale of woe. Based on a clinical history, he agreed with my original diagnosis from my wise old owl – I have a food pollen allergy/oral allergy syndrome that stems from a certain type of grass. The protein in grass is mimicked in certain foods (things that grow as grass = wheat, for example) and cross-reacts, plus throw in a nightshade allergy as well.

And that’s where our agreement ended. My wise old owl was always showing me research and giving tips on what I could do to help. He had a penchant for recommending resistance training and drinking good quality water; he took a very holistic view on health. My new allergist, it seemed, had a penchant for recommending prescriptions.

“So, currently, I have a long, long list of foods I cannot eat, and I’d like to know if we can shorten that list. What exactly am I allergic to? Am I really allergic to waffles? Let’s find out and won’t eat it,” I said.

“Or, you could just take two anti-histamines a day, and go out and eat what you like.”

“Or, you could test me for various things, and just tell me what I’m actually allergic to.”

“I can’t test you for everything.”

“No, but you can use your 30 years of experience to test me for some things, then make a recommendation based on that.”

“Or you can just take anti-histamines,”

“Or you could run proper tests on me,”

“I can give you a nose spray as well if you like,”

“I think you should just test me for more things,”

“I think you should leave my office now.”

And when he called back three weeks later with the test results from my blood work, what he said, flawed me.

More to come.

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