I finally got around to seeing an allergist. Since I keep noticing pistachios around more lately, I figured I ought to get an epi-pen just in case. They are my anaphalactic "true" food allergy. I was afraid I'd have more, so I let them test me for all the usual suspects. They didn't have any pistachio extract, so they used every other nut, thinking I'd be allergic to more than one. Also on the list were wheat, corn, soy, eggs, milk, some fruits and tomato. The results were better than I expected. None of the nuts caused a reaction. Wheat caused a mild reaction (2 on the scale) - no surprise there, I knew I was allergic to it, along with all the other ways it's awful to me. Soy caused a milder reaction (1.5) - also no surprise. That was it. I got my epi-pen Rx and went home happy.

These tests only show some classic food allergies that can lead to anaphalaxis. I didn't have any blood tests run, since I just went b/c of pistachios. All food allergy tests can be somewhat unreliable, and I was afraid I'd come home with a list of 20 more foods I can't eat. Happily, I can just carry on as I know I should. No real answers, but no bad answers. The only surprise was that I didn't react to corn. I still consider myself very corn intolerant, but it's nice to not have to worry so much about it killing me by surprise one day.

I've been food journaling, for my neuropathy symptoms. It's hard yet to find any real links, since when I cheat with one thing, I usually cluster a few other avoids with it. I am leaning toward pointing my finger at sugar though. There may not be one solid answer or diagnosis for me, but blood sugar fluctuations seem quite likely at this point. If I have something sweet, especially away from other food, my symptoms flare up within 20 minutes. I suspect my blood sugar spikes a bit too high, then rapidly falls within an hour. All the glucose tolerance tests I've taken so far only measure at one hour intervals, but all the excitement is over by then. I think shellfish did have something to do with it, exposing a weakness and a process that was already underway. I also think my thyroid had something to do with it. Whatever the causes, sugar is soon to join the ranks of my list of foods that are mortal enemies to me.