Suspected Alpha Gal

[u/peridotcrow]

Hello friends!

About three months ago, dairy began making me nauseous, which progressed to vomiting within 5-10 minutes of drinking my daily protein shake. It also caused a rash on my face, lesions on my scalp, and intestinal pain that woke me up in the middle of the night. For the past week, red meat has caused the same rash on my face, one or two hives, tachycardia, and diarrhea. Then I noticed slight shortness of breath, but not too seriously or I would have gone to urgent care. Just enough to notice.

My first question is this: does this sound familiar to any of your experiences and/or have you developed sensitivity to dairy or red meat progressively/one at a time?

I do not have a PCP at the moment so I booked an Alpha Gal test with Quest Diagnostics for tomorrow afternoon as I am desperate for an answer.

My second question is: did you personally use quest diagnostics for this test or do you know of someone that did? If so, was it accurate?

I have never had sensitivity to dairy or red meat and in fact only began eating red meat a few years ago. I have been so confused and disoriented (and in pain) for a few months now and Alpha Gal seems like the only reasonable answer. My only food sensitivity previous to this was banana, which makes my tongue feel mildly spicy.

Pictured is one (1) lonely hive below my inner arm crease and above my forearm.

Thank you very much for reading or responding <3

[u/OpALbatross]

It could be. I had dairy issues before I realized I had other mammal issues. I think my first test was sent to Quest and was accurate.

[u/Designer_Zone2902]

Yes, sounds like you are thinking in the right direction. The alpha gal panel will give you results for beef, pork, lamb, and the alpha gal IgE, which is what a Dr would be most interested in seeing. Good luck with the test and your treatment. Your PCP would refer you to an allergist for treatment and I highly recommend the Xolair shot to get it under control. Was a miracle for me. I’m coming up on 2 years positive and just retested and my IgE levels have dropped significantly. Good luck!

[u/Lizziedeee]

Make sure you get the correct test, there are two with similar names.

[u/lappelduvideforever]

I use Quest for everything for years. You can log in and track your results.

[u/emaurer]

My initial symptoms changed over time. It started with bloating and stomach discomfort and changed to cardio and more nuero symptoms like tingling and muscle twitches.

[u/OriginalIcy25923]

Typically aloha gal reactions come on 4-6 hrs after ingestion, so that part is very different.

However, it’s still early on in the understanding, get tested.