Finding Out I’m Allergic to Everything

I know, I'm being hyperbolic. I'm not allergic to everything, but that's what I think whenever I'm in front of food nowadays. Three weeks ago, I found out I had several food allergies: wheat, peanuts, hazelnuts, sesame, egg whites, milk, almonds, soybeans, walnuts, shrimp, and scallops.

I sat there, staring at the lab results on my phone, doubtful and confused. I eat at least one of these ingredients for every meal.

The Doctor's Point-of-View

Let me take you back to the beginning of this journey. I had been feeling awful for several months. I gained 20 pounds within a short period and was constantly tired and sleepy, regardless of how many hours of sleep I had. It was bad. So much so that it was becoming dangerous for me to drive. My doctor ordered lab tests and referred me for a sleep study. Nothing significant came from either result except that I'm pre-diabetic. I wanted to do more blood tests to dig deeper, or get referred to a specialist of some sort. He said it was unnecessary and left it at that.

I felt defeated, cried, and felt sorry for myself for days. Part of me wondered if this was just aging and my new normal, and yet the other part of me became angry, feeling unheard and completely disregarded.

AI's Recommendation

Fueled by my frustration, I used Claude AI to get an idea of what kind of doctor I should be working with based on my symptoms and test results over the last year or so. I wanted a more holistic point of view of what might be wrong with me, which wasn't what I was getting at my doctor's office. I received two suggestions. First, go to an endocrinologist—I can't remember why, maybe because of the pre-diabetic results. My insurance only covers specialists if I'm referred by a doctor. I already knew I wouldn't get a referral, so I went on to the second suggestion: to go to a doctor of integrative medicine.

The Integrative Medicine Approach

After some research, I found an integrative medical clinic that had a doctor who specialized in endocrinology. I can't even begin to explain how immense the difference was between this doctor and the one I'd met with just weeks before. They listened to me, asked me questions, and treated me with empathy. Again, I was sent out to do more lab tests. This is when I found out I'm allergic to all these things.

A couple weeks later, at my follow-up appointment, the doctor asked that I eliminate the ingredients we’ve discovered I’m allergic to from my diet—even in small amounts—to see if it might help my other test results that were showing abnormalities, seemingly from some sort of inflammation.

I already knew my approach. Rice bowls would be my go-to food. But just to make sure, I asked if I might be allergic to rice as well.

And Rice

I've eaten rice all my life and never felt like it would be possible that my body would ever mistake it as an enemy. Especially as an Asian, which I suppose is a weird validator. But turns out I have to add both rice and oats to my list of allergies now.

So for at least the next few weeks, I need to eliminate these allergens from my diet so that I can take blood tests again to check if it made a positive difference in my other test results. Hopefully so, otherwise there is more to figure out in regards to my health.

Finding My Way Forward

I won't lie. This feels overwhelming. But I'm trying to reframe this as detective work rather than deprivation. Maybe my body has been trying to tell me something for months, and I'm finally listening.

I've learned that I'm prediabetic, I've been dealing with inflammation for a long time, and I've developed adult-onset food allergies. I'm sure I'll learn more as I work with my new doctor.

I've already begun thinking through how to make adjustments to my old staples so I can still eat something comforting and easy. It's strange how something that initially felt like loss is slowly transforming into curiosity about what my body actually needs. Besides, eliminating my go-to carbs may help with my prediabetes.

There’s an important lesson here that goes beyond finding what’s making me feel sick. It's trusting that advocating for myself was the right choice. I felt so alone and doubted what I was feeling because it was difficult to process that I would know more about my body than a professional. Maybe that's a confidence issue, or something else. Maybe it was meant to be that way so I could find the right doctor for me.

For the first time in months, I feel like someone is actually trying to help me figure this out instead of dismissing my concerns. Whether these dietary changes help or not, I've learned that I should trust my gut. Figuratively and literally. When it comes to my own health, I should see myself as the biggest expert and advocate for what I need to live well. Everyone should.