Talking Allergies

I'll have to try the Vegenaise again, thanks Eldi I looked at the CC list, I use many of the items, but I did react to some items on there as well.
How long have you been allergic to corn?? I have had major symptoms going on 4 years now.

I added 2 articles to the GMO's and food allergy blog---they are on genetically modified corn and proven allergic reactions to it if anyone is interested. I think the advent of biotech corn has spurred my allergies. So I am wondering how many people here have had this before GMO's and if so, are they allergic to more than just corn PROTEIN (as the allergists insist is all you can possibly react to and not corn derivatives like ascorbic acid) I didn't test positive for skin or blood corn allergy tests, but I wonder if I would if they used some of these GMO corn...

Shell...I have been allergic to corn longgggggg before GMO's. I was diagnosed as an infant. I most definitely react to corn derivatives where the protein has supposedly been removed. I think corn allergy is different than any other allergy in that a corn protein does not have to be present in order to have a reaction. This is why so many products claim to be corn free...things that are "made" from corn but that the protein has been removed. I wish someone would convince my body that these so-called derivatives were corn free...

I think I have always been allergic to Corn. However, it got exponentially worse since GMO's became common.

It used to take a LOT of Corn before I would have a mild reaction. Now trace amounts can trigger severe reactions.

Oh my! SORRY to hear that!

Yeah, sometimes I think I always had reactions that mostly caused me to really space out!! But now, I get dermatitis on my scalp, and a bad rash (down there) and heart palpitations and my face gets puffy and dark circles under my eyes, and my blood pressure drops and I get pain down my left arm into my pinky and ring fingers and I honestly feel like I am going to die. If it is happening at night, I have to get up and put on surgical stockings to get my blood pressure up and elevate my legs. I also feel like I am having a stroke because it usually affects one side of my head.
Does anyone else have those symptoms???
I've always been alright, but there have been a couple of times I thought about going to the hospital, but then I am afraid to go there!!!
Does anyone here wear an medic-alert bracelet?
Someone told me that in the case of an accident, there is a medicine that has dextrose (?) to stop bleeding, then there is the IV solution, etc.

I just went to a new doctor and he prescribed SINGULAIR for this allergy (well, I also have mild asthma and mold allergy) but he thinks it will really help me. Has anyone tried it??? I think it is helping me. Does anyone use Benadryl?

Shell...Benadryl and Singulair both have tons of corn in them. You might feel like they are helping but they most likely are just masking your reactions to them. You need to get these medicines compounded for you without any corn or corn derivatives. There is a list of compounding pharmacies under "Resources".

I used to have some of the same symptoms as you...my scalp was a mess (when I shampooed my hair, the water was blood red from all of the scabs). I don't have the pain in my arms that you mention, but I get severe numbness in them with a bad reaction. I used to wake up at night and not feel my arm(s) so I'd jump out of bed and shake them until the feeling came back. I don't get that anymore since finding out all of the things made from corn that I need to avoid. I have also gotten the heart palpitations and a heavy feeling in my chest...scary! You need to try to avoid all corn and these things will get better...I promise! I also used to have a LOT of bad headaches (I would call them migraines) where it got so bad that my stomach would get involved.

My skin is what is most affected by corn. I will have a major breakout with the tiniest amount of ingested corn. I can tell if I've gotten into some corn by what my skin is telling me.

Wow, thanks. Does anyone here use the compounded one???
Can you please tell me which ingredient(s) are corn-based??? (I took a chance, I thought that it was okay) I have a very hard time finding out about these ingredients, sometimes I really investigate and times, like now, I just cave in.

I see that one has mannitol, and cherry flavor--that one is out

mine is the 10-mg tablet:
microcrystalline cellulose, lactose monohydrate, croscarmellose sodium, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose

I recently found that lots of things with cellulose were okay, and it is ingredients with any "starch" definitely need avoided and I think that is why I took the chance. Plus, my doctor is convincing me to take it, telling me it will really help me.

You are correct in that the celluloses "can" be made from things other than corn...but, since corn is so cheap and readily available they are most likely made from corn. You will need to contact the manufacturer to find out what each one is made from.

Here is a list of things that "can be/are" made from corn. Some of the ingredients you mentioned are on this list.

http://www.cornallergens.com/list/corn- ... e-list.php

I called Merck Pharmaceuticals yesterday. The girl on the phone was essentially clueless. I asked to talk to her supervisor. She told me that I would have to have my Dr or Pharmacist call. I got a pharmacist to call and they still can't find the answer---just that the ingredients are from plant sources, so now I have to call them back, I don't know yet, it's just been really frustrating and time consuming.

I totally understand your frustrations... It's unbelievable that even a pharmacist can't get them to disclose the source of an ingredient in a drug. Besides, how many doctors and pharmacists have time to research an ingredient of a particlular medication????

The compounding pharmacy route might be easiest. They could custom make the medication for you using potato or tapioca starch (or whatever you can have) as the filler. Make sure the capsule that they put it in is corn free as well. People on another corn allergy forum have had great success using compounding pharmacies. At least their allergy medication isn't making them sicker...sigh...

Yeah, I that's what I said, I told them my doctor's office is so busy and so is the family pharmacy and they suggested I call a chain, so I called Walgreen's and they tried to no avail. Now I am not sure what to do, I guess I'll keep pushing to find out what's in it. I've talked to the compounding pharmacy where I live but I they do not work with insurance and I ended up finding thyroid medicine that I could take anyways. As for Singulair, I paid $67 for 1 month and that's with insurance!! I do not like taking drugs, but I am hoping Singulair can help take some of the burden off, and perhaps help with the anaphalaxis reactions (???) I can definitely breathe better on it since I have mild asthma. It blocks leukotrienes which are inflammatory and our bodies have to detoxify them (Phase II Dextox Pathway via glutathione, which is the basis of the antioxidant system in the body) and along with leukotrienes, Phase II Detoxifies heavy metals, hydrocarbons, pesticides, estradiol, and protects thyroid from self-generated hydrogen peroxide produced in the conversion of inorganic iodide to iodine) I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis which is cause by the latter. I am also enviromentally sensitive and electrically sensitive. I have been trying to get better, but it is all just too much, this is all very hard. But I am just hoping that this new doctor of mine (who is just so nice) is right and this Singulair helps since I have problems with all of that above. I am going to try to boost my glutathione levels with grass-fed non-dentaured whey protein, but I didn't order it yet, I'm sure it tastes putrid
"SIGH"

I see that Singulair is actually made in the U.K. so I just emailed them, hopefully they can tell me.

I often lose feeling in my left side and additionally sometimes my entire body.

However, I have seen zero correlation to being "corned".

For me I see a better correlation between temperature and the loss of feeling in my limbs.

I do have to regularly lie flat or have my feet elevated. Sitting in a chair for a long time is hard on me. Again, though, I don't believe this problem is food related.

it's happened to me many times, and it's always from corn. It's how I figured out I was allergic to it. I was newlywed and my husband was diagnosed with celiac disease and we were eating lots more corn products when this all started. ( I have Celiac now too) I rarely get the heart defibrillations anymore (thankfully--knock on wood!) but I ALWAYS get dermatitis in a spot and the rash and dark circles and my face looks puffy and I feel yicky. I also get eye pain too--feels like someone is sticking a needle in my eye (that happens with the blood pressure drop and heart pain...) I even react to my husband if he gives me a kiss when he gets home from work ---he has started to wash his face when he washes his hands now. Maybe I am just allergic to him, no seriously, this girl with peanut allergy told me she would react if someone ate peanuts and she simply touched them!!!! YIKES!!!! I am a lot better now because I know more what to do, but there was a time when I told him if something "happens" to me my only wish is that he insists that I died from a corn allergic reaction. I met one other person with corn allergy and she knew of a woman who she thinks did die from it after having to go to the hospital. because they did not know better and gave her the dextrose IV. Does anyone here wear a medic alert bracelet?

My old Dr. diagnosed me with Systemic Candida i developed from a major dose of IV antibiotics---candida fungus puts holes in your intestine and causes leaky gut sydrome which usually involves food allergies. Did/does anyone here have Candida? He told me if I kill the yeast and heal my gut my allergies will dissapear, I keep trying. Others symptoms of Candida are mold senstivity/allergy, chemical sensitivty (smells--like perfumes esp.) and joint pains, etc.

Oh, I got a call from Merck Global. The rep. said that they change the formula depending on what's available so it is possible that one of the cellulose ingredients (she couldn't tell me which one) in Singulair could be derived from corn cobs, but that generally they are from wood or cotton cellulose.
Yesterday I also talked to the Pharmacognist who formulated NatureThroid and he said that for them to just change raw ingredients like that would be a big undertaking (because it has to be written up and re-tested, etc.......) and the price difference would have to be so great in order for them to do that... To not do that he said is unlawful. So how do these big companies like Merck get away with it?
it just so fundamentally wrong to be able to not say what or where something is from. Furthermore, she also said that it would not be available at a compounding pharmacy. The Pharmacognist said he was not familiar with cellulose from corn cobs and that it's from wood or cotton and also that starch hydrosalates (which are not in Singulair) are synthetic or from potato. He said most of that stuff is from Germany and Switzerland Perhaps he is misinformed and since China and corn products are taking over. It just shouldn't be this complicated.

From my understanding, a compounding pharmacy would use a generic form of the drug that you need. Most of the older drugs have a generic form.

Have you thought about contacting another...more congenial...drug company to see what they have to say? I don't think I would trust what Merck is telling you.

I used to wear a Medic Alert Bracellet. Then my skin started reacting to it. Well, more likely the sweat that kept collecting under it.

That said, I wore the Medic Alert Bracellet for years. During that time frame I ended up in the ER many times. Each time the ER IGNORED the bracellet even when I couldn't speak or indicate that I was aware in any way.

My Medic Alert Bracellet listed my conditions and gave a contact number to get a fax of all the gory details of dealing with my conditions in an emergency.

I just ended up finding that carrying multiple copy's of my medical information was the only way to hope to get proper treatment.

Top of the first page states which IV's are safe. Any IV with Salt or Corn are dangerous for me. I have a page that goes into great detail about my Food Allergies by itself. I have 3 pages for the Periodic Paralysis (because the medical books in ERs are ALL wrong about this rare condition).

It is annoying to carry the packet of medical info with me, but it is like carrying an Epi-Pen. I often keep them in the same place.

My cell phone lists my conditions and my husband's cell phone number with the word ICE in front of it.

Part of the problem is I can't get a doctor to back up my diagnosis or proper care.

A rare condition means NO ONE can have it right?