Are you allergic to wheat? What type of reaction do you have?!

Are you allergic to wheat? What type of reaction do you have?

I have been allergic to wheat for many years, but over the last year I have found that my throat is swelling if I eat things with whole wheat.

I bought some new Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame dressing and put it on a salad. I didn't even think to look at the ingredients. My throat began swelling and I began coughing after eating the salad. Within minutes I was taking 2 benadryls to prevent further swelling.

My reaction to wheat is becoming more serious. Has anyone else experienced this type of reaction to wheat?

A person's reaction to a food is very individual. I have a wheat allergy but mine is more latent. It shows up as eczema, fatigue, bloating as opposed to an immediate reaction (swelling of the lips, mouth, difficulty breathing) which I also get but due to other foods like sesame.

Because you can develop allergies to anything at anytime in your life, I would keep track of ingredients in products and get tested. Your wheat allergy may be getting worse, or you may have allergies to other foods as well. Sometimes a combination of two mild allergies at the same time can overwhelm the body causing a greater reaction than if you had eaten just one of the foods.

Beware, just because you have an allergy to wheat, don't let anyone convince you that you are a celiac needing to be off all gluten products unless a doctor says so after testing. Do not unnecessarily restrict your food choices for no reason. Discuss all of your symptoms with your doctor to determine what you are allergic to and whether you need to be tested for celiac disease. So many people tell me because I am allergic to wheat that I should not eat products with gluten and I must be a celiac. I have been tested twice, once while off wheat and once after eating tones of wheat products for several months. Testing for celiac by blood work is not 100% effective and just suggests a likelihood of celiac but the results could mean that other conditions are present. It is standard practice to confirm celiac with a biopsy of the small intestine (a tube is shoved up your nose and down into your stomach into the intestine and then they cut out several small sections for examination in the lab).

It sounds like you have allergies by the description of your symptoms. I speak from 40 years of suffering with allergies and have been seen by some of the best specialists.