Shortness of breath and anxiety when eating – Teresa

I ate less and less. For fear of reacting to normal food with shortness of breath…

 

Everything possible reacts in the prick test, but the doctors think it means nothing

My name is Teresa (17), I live in a village and have several allergies (dust, cat, dog, grass, mold, etc.). In spring/summer 2014, I ate a bread roll for breakfast and got shortness of breath that lasted the whole day. So I went to the ENT doctor. They sent me to Marburg University Hospital. A prick test was carried out there, and although there were marks everywhere because of my skin sensitivity, the doctors said that it didn’t mean anything and that I wouldn’t react to anything.

Wait until I react with shortness of breath? I’m afraid of that

A doctor then told me to write everything down and if I reacted, to leave it out. Finally, I was sent to a nutritional counselor. I should keep a food diary so that we can find out what the allergens are. Everything together took several months. The dietician then told me that I could go to a clinic for a week, where I would be given unrecognizable food samples. Two doctors would be there and they would wait for me to react. This is how you could find the allergens. I was afraid of that. I ate less and less food for fear of reacting.

I was overjoyed with the result of the Cytolisa test – finally I knew in black and white what fits and what doesn’t

My parents then heard about the Cyto Lab. They thought this was a possibility and I was happy to only have to send a blood sample. When the post arrived with the result, I was overjoyed. At last it was written in black and white what I could and could not eat. Mushrooms, pulses, pork, beef and turkey, all dairy products except butter, yeast, guar gum, nuts, spelt, barley, wheat, oats, millet, rye, egg white and a few more foods are marked as negative. It was a difficult adjustment at first, but the nutritionist helped right from the start with recipe ideas and shopping suggestions. Sometimes this was difficult to implement, as we always had to look for shopping opportunities in nearby towns. We didn’t find some things either. But over time, rhythms were found and everything settled into place. The explanations from my nutritionist were very helpful. Special questions about cookies, for example, were also answered.

Changing my diet was hard, but I feel much better and I can finally eat again without fear or shortness of breath

Strictly avoiding the negatively labeled foods for 5 – 6 months was hard, I didn’t manage it a few times. But after about half a year, I was able to eat what I wanted once or twice a month, which made me very happy and relieved. In the meantime, however, everything has settled down and I no longer miss the “old” food much, but have found new favorites. The nutritionist has changed a lot. I pay more attention to ingredients. When I go out with friends I have food with me and when I eat out I go to a Chinese or Turkish restaurant because I can find suitable food there. My many travel destinations for the future have been curtailed as it is too strenuous for me with my intolerances. But the most important thing is that I can eat again with confidence, my anxiety is almost gone. I am generally healthier, I have more strength, concentration, I am no longer easily irritated, I need less sleep (no longer sleep during the day), I am much happier, my skin is clearer, colds no longer last two weeks. Lots of little things that I wasn’t even aware of before have improved. But, as I said, the best thing for me is normal eating without fear and shortness of breath.

Many thanks to the Cyto Labor team and a special thanks to Miriam, my wonderful nutritionist.

 

Find out more about the Cytolisa Immune Test and the nutrition program here