10 Reasons Why Your Allergies Might Not Be ONLY Allergies

Quick Note: I’m sharing this based on my personal experience and research, but I’m not a medical professional. This post is for informational purposes only and isn’t medical advice. You can find my full medical disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

1. You have a ‘cluster’ of diagnosis- You don’t just get a stuffy nose from something like pollen; you also have asthma, eczema, nasal polyps, Eosinophillic Esophagitis or some combination of these.
2. Hypersensitivity to ‘non allergens’- You have a list of things that you react to; even though your allergist insists that you are NOT ‘allergic’ to those things. This might be things like cigarettes, fragrances or chemicals. This could also include things like sudden temperature changes causing a reaction. Like for me, when I go outside and it’s cold, below freezing cold, half the time I get an asthma attack.
3. Chronic fatigue- Allergies, in and of themselves may make you sneeze or have a bit of a runny nose, but they shouldn’t leave you feel like something the cat drug in. It shouldn’t leave you feeling like you are walking around with a perpetual brain fog. (Unless maybe you took Benadryl. Then, if you’re anything like me, you might. But it would be short term in that case. Lasting however long the meds were in your system.)
4. Skin Issues or ‘Dysfunction’- If your skin is overly sensitive and reacts to more things that you can even pinpoint. Your skin is your first line of defense against the outside world, but it keeps flaring up, getting rashy or itchy, possibly even cracking or splitting in response to things you come into contact with.
5. Antihistamines don’t work or don’t work very well- You have been taking antihistamines for however long and you question whether or not they are even helping your symptoms.
6. No allergies- You have all of the symptoms of allergies, the sneezing, the runny nose, the congestion, the watery eyes, but the allergist tested you and said everything came back negative.
7. EVERYTHING sets off an allergic attack- You take the antihistamines, you use the nasal sprays, but it doesn’t matter. No matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, you are experiencing allergy ‘attacks’ and nothing you do, nothing that you have changed has stopped or really slowed down the problem.
8. Year round symptoms- You don’t just have symptoms a few weeks a year or when exposed to something specific. You have symptoms for months on end and more than likely, all year round.
9. Delayed Reactivity- You have maybe noticed that it seems like some of your reactions occur hours or even days after any additional exposures. An example of this for me would be pet dander. Most of the time, I don’t immediately start sneezing upon exposure to the dander. Over the course of several hours a few things begin to happen after exposure. I get a sore throat. My face and chest will get rashy. I can feel the mucus getting thicker and thicker in the back of my throat, possibly triggering a asthma attack. Then my sinuses will swell up and I will get a migraine feeling headache that lasts for days.
10. Eosinophillic Esophagitis- This seems to be typically caused by food, at least in my experience. It can feel like food getting stuck in your throat or like chronic acid reflux. For me it has been the acid reflux. That was the diagnosis that I was given. The medication I got prescribed was for acid reflux. But it never really seemed to solve that acid like feeling in my throat.

If you have found yourself readily identifying with one or more of these reasons why your allergies might not only be allergies; you are not alone. I spent years, over a decade of my life, having doctor after Doctor tell me that I ‘just’ had allergies and that they weren’t ’that bad’. Meanwhile I struggled to keep going every single day. There were days, too many days, where I had to remind myself of all of the reasons why I couldn’t die THAT day. Days where I felt like I couldn’t do this for even another minute. I may not need to tell you how hard that was. Every day I kept telling myself, ‘God loves you too much to leave you like this until you’re 90.’ I tried not to think about how many years there was between the age I was an 90. That would have been entirely too depressing. But I just kept reminding myself. God loves you. He’s not going to leave you like this. He has more for you than living like this. Day after day, year after year. Until one day, over twelve years into this battle, I walked into a new doctors office and heard the words, ‘I think you have type 2 inflammation.’ And maybe more importantly, ‘There’s a treatment.’ Today I am so thankful that I did not give up and I don’t want you to give up either. Hopefully the beginning of the end is in sight for you too. Please allow me to quickly tell you a little bit about the reasons why your allergies might not be only allergies and why they might be type 2 inflammation.

1. The Cluster of Diagnosis- Having a combination of allergies, eczema, asthma, nasal polyps and Eosinophillic Esophagitis have been linked to the same underlaying inflammatory pathway; Type 2 Inflammation.
2. Hypersensitivity to ‘Non Allergens’- Reacting to a lot of things that aren’t considered allergies suggests that your immune system may be working in overdrive, reacting to things in a hyperactive manner. This hyperactive behavior in your immune system is a hallmark of Type 2 Inflammation.
3. Chronic fatigue- Although allergies in general should not leave you feeling completely worn out, systemic inflammation will exhaust you and leave you feeling like you can’t see the world through the fog in your head.
4. Skin Issues or Dysfunction- This kind of extreme reaction and sensitivity can be caused by Type 2 Inflammation. The inflammation doesn’t just give you dry skin or a little sensitivity; it actually changes the way your skin is being ‘built’. Some of the essential proteins that your skin requires become suppressed and this leads to dryness in the skin and weakens the skins protective abilities. Thus allowing irritants to enter more easily into the skin.
5. Antihistamines don’t work-Because Type 2 Inflammation isn’t cured or curtailed by antihistamines, the antihistamines can’t solve your problem. They may even make the problem worse by causing dry mouth and increasing the ‘brain fog’.
6. No Allergies- You’ve done that work. You’ve tried the meds. You went to the doctor. Subjected yourself to been poked with all of the little pokey allergens and waited for the results, only to be told that you don’t have allergies. Now what? Well, you might not have allergies, but you might have Type 2 Inflammation. Type 2 Inflammation can cause ALL of the same symptoms and more, but without any IgE antibodies being involved.
7. EVERYTHING sets off an allergy attack-Whereas ‘regular’ ‘allergies’ cause an allergic reaction that can be ‘calmed down’ by antihistamines, Type 2 Inflammation seems to pretty much laugh at antihistamines. At least that’s how I perceive it. Because the Type 2 Inflammation pushes your immune system into overload on what might feel like a newer constant basis, you have these little cells called Mast Cells and somehow they get the message that they should all just break apart and dump a boatload or histamine and a chemical called cytokine into your system. That ‘dump’ sets off a chain reaction of symptoms.
8. Year round symptoms- Since typically a lot of allergies are seasonal, you might expect to only experience symptoms a couple of times each year for a few weeks. Having unrelenting symptoms ALL year round is a key indicator that something else is going on.
9. Delayed Reactivity- Having a delayed reaction is characteristic of a more complex immune system response like Type 2 Inflammation.
10. Eosinophillic Esophagitis- That feeling of food getting stuck or chronic acid reflux, especially if it is not resolved with acid reflux medications could be a sign of a inflammatory condition like Type 2 Inflammation. Especially if combined with other related diagnosis.

I know that that was probably a lot to take in. Especially if you are dealing with any level of brain fog. But I hope that if this is something that you are struggling with that you can get the hope and help that you need, so that you can start living your best life. No one should have to live with these kind of daily symptoms. It is my hope and prayer that if you are struggling with these symptoms that you get the diagnosis and treatment, or straight up healing you need. I will include some additional educational links regarding Type 2 Inflammation below. Until next time my friends.

Understanding Type 2 Inflammation

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America Link on Type 2 Inflammation

America College of Allergy Asthma & Immunology On Type 2 Inflammatory Disease

The information provided on melseeley.com is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, allergy (such as latex or environmental sensitivities), or health regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

Reliance on any information provided by this blog is solely at your own risk.

Photo original from Unsplash