Allergies Community

I'm 27 years old and have recently moved into a new city/new home in the last two months. In the last month, I have apparently developed an allergy and really need some general advice for my sanity.

First Reaction: After eating a salad from a salad bar in a tiny town in West Texas, my throat swelled, chest tightened, skin felt hot and tingly/turned red all over and itched. I had no medication to take so I just road it out and it calmed down after a few hours. THis was my first issue ever like this. (I have asthma, but it's never been so bad I couldn't deal with it). All I ate before the reaction was some lettuce, black olives, croutons, bacon bits, cheese, an egg white and ranch dressing.

Second Reaction: Midway through lunch at Fazoli's with my husband three days later, I had the same reaction. We went to Target and got Benadryl. A few hours it was gone. I had eaten half a lasagna and some garlic bread.

**In between, I went to an allergist (last Friday actually) and had an allergy test. ALl that popped up was a mild reaction to oats and mold. The doctor believed I had an allergy to sulfites used to preserve certain foods, which is a guessing game in itself. He advised me to take 5000 mg of B12 before I eat and to avoid foods with sulfite preservatives.

Third Reaction: Two houors after my appointment, we went to my favorite mexican restaurant called "Fuzzy's." While sitting in the booth and waiting on our food, I had one chip from my sister-in-law's chip basket (not my best decision) and proceeded to turn bright red and hivey/itchy. Went away in about 45 minutes, probably b/c it was only one chip and I had taken my B12.

Fourth Reaction: Yesterday (Tuesday), I walked into a Mexican restaurant (which I walked into last week) with the rest of my office. I felt my face begin to tingle but tried to ignore it. I walked through the buffet line and got some chicken, refried beans and fresh guac because it was all I trusted. When I got back to the table, I could feel my skin turning hot. I went to the bathroom and basically watched my face/arms/chest turn bright red right in front of me (probably amplified because I was upset). I could feel my chest tighten, so I took my inhaler. My skin as geting worse and worse, so my supervisor took me back to the office. I did not eat. I took 3 teaspoons of children's benadryl, which helped it all go away (about an hour later) and finally went home and went to bed.

Fifth Reaction: This morning, after waking up and getting ready for work, I walked into my kitchen to make my lunch. I felt my face start to tingle and I turned bright red yet again and itchy. I cannot take benadryl because it knocks me out and I need to work. I had no asthmatic reaction or throat swelling, just bright red arms, chest, back and face. It subsided about an hour and a half later.

Needless to say, I'm frustrated and wondering if this has happened to anyone else or if it's normal to play this guessing game with some allergies. I feel absolutely ridiculous.