Fear Of Food Allergies Developing

[panik101]

Okay First off i have posted on here before about fear of developing food allergies. I have got some good answers but i am still having the same problem. For the ones who haven't read my other thread here is a quick summary of my fear... First thing i have ocd and panic/anxiety disorders.
I am so afraid of eating almost anything. At this present time I am only eating chicken patties on white bread. I have had test done for allergies but am negative to everything but a few seasonal allergies... Any time i try to eat something new i fell like my throat is swollen. I go into a panic attack and end up at the er and find out i am ok. This has been going on for 3yrs and In that time i have developed vitamin deficiencies.


I also have fears of vitamin,medicine,bees,any perfume or cleaning supplies.
If anyone has any suggestions please fell free to contact me... I really want to eat normal again.
I am so afraid my 5 yr. old daughter is going to start to eat this way.. She is already starting to ask me what every little bump is on here body and if she is going to be ok....

Thank You

[stopthissong]

Hey there,

I am so sorry that you suffer like this. I used to have seriously bad OCD, it got to the point of me just crying and feeling so alone. I quit my OCD cold turkey and have not looked back. It takes mind power and will power. I suggest you try and get that out of the way before you focus on your fear of food allergies. I might sound a little bit bossy in the next couple of sentences but I just want your life to be happy and fulfilled, because life is such a beautiful gift and we can't be wasting any of it.
Step 1: Write out a list of the pros and cons of having OCD. You will most likely only have cons and no pros, this is prrof that you know that you don't need it in life. Having OCD is a way of you controlling a fear or something in your life, but it is only mind control. If your mind is powerful enough to cause you to have serious OCD, it is most definitely powerful enough to quit OCD. Here is a website showing dr.oz on oprah. He did a test with many people suffering OCD. Look it up on youtube as I don't think the entire episode is on this link. Do the list thing with the food allergy fear aswell. :)http://www.oprah.com/showinfo/Dr-Oz-Goes-to-Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder-Camp
Step 2: Close your eyes and visualize. Visualise your life without OCD and without the fear of food allergies developing. Your happy, your family is happy because you are, your daughter isn't following in your actions, you feel free, you love your new life so much you will never go back to the way you were, the sun seems brighter and the air seems clearer, you have more time, you can focus on sharing all your love with your family, you life is completely enriched. I am not just making this up, this is the way I felt when OCD was no-longer consuming my life, apart from the daughter part... I am only 16!!!!
Step 3: See life with brand new eyes: Think about it this way. You are a tiny little human being on a wonderful, vast world. Does any of this really matter? Does eating a bowl of soup or a club sandwhich make a difference. It will make a difference, a good difference. But what I am trying to say is, these worries shouldn't be taking over your life. I mean, what good has come out of this entire fear? Anxiety, vitamin deficiancies, panic attacks, ocd... these aren't good things, right? Make the most of life. You don't want to be like this in the days, weeks, years to come. You don't want your daughter to be this way, so you have to stop being this way. This is probably going to be your major motivation, your daughter. Ofcourse you want her to have a happy life. Im sure she is very scared when she witnesses you having a panic attack, or going to er.
People always say this "Live each day like it is your last".... it's so easy to say. Think to the deeper meaning of that.

Eating food shouldn't have to be a scary thing. Food is what gives you brain power, energy, life. I assume you are probably not feeling the most energetic or physically happy due to your diet. If you start to eat apples, oranges, carrots, juice, whole grains, dairy, you will feel so incredible. It is proven that food has benefits on your life, in terms of happiness. http://www.philstar.com/article.aspx?articleid=521848

Do it now! No body is stopping you, but yourself. You will never control this anxiety of yours unless you do something. It is all up to you now. Go ahead, you have nothing to lose. Don't say "I will start tomorrow"... say "I will start today"... even better, start right now! Go ahead, you are worth it. Say to yourself "I am giving up OCD, anxiety, fear and panic attacks right now and I will never look back". If you say that to yourself, infront of your mirror everyday, you will start doing that, you will be that, you are that!
I want you to say on this post this time next week that you have successfully started a new life.
Sorry I have been super bossy, I just want to try and help you, because I believe everyone deserves to have happiness, every life is precious including yours.
Good Luck, I believe in you. I am 16 and I did it, my brain isn't even full developed, so I have no doubt you are more than capable.
The best of luck and I will be waiting to hear from you :)
If you want any help just send me an e-mail..... I am happy to mentor you!!

[den68]

i had loads of these fears you have medication hair dyes loads of different foods it wasnt fun. Unfortunatley i found the only way to get over it is by facing it. Think of a food that you wont eat that most people are ok with and then when you have someone with you try a tiny bit of it. I expect you will panick to start with but make yourself eat a bit of that one food everyday untill you can just eat it as you know nothing bad has happened and then start again with another food. The only thing that i wont eat now is nuts and i can live without them. Im not saying its easy but its the only way to get over the phobia.
good luck

denise

[panik101]

Thanks Stopthissong I don't think you were too bossy. I believe that is what i need to over come this stupid disorder. I am trying everything you told me to do and i will do like you said and post on here in a week and let you know how it is going....

Thanks den68 i need all the help to overcome this.

[stopthissong]

Very proud of you. You have to stop at some point :) Don't ever give up, and that was a good technique that Den said.
Good Luck :D

[bab]

i was the same, i would only eat if i had anti histamine near me. i would avoid going near shellfish and peanut butter aisles int he supermarket. at one point i would only eat if i was sat near a hospital. now im much better - although i still worry about new meds and washing powder x

[allergyphobia]

hi panik i think i probably replied to you last time as you know i am going through the same phobia. it is very difficult, especially for me as i have developed through hayfever something called 'oral allergy syndrome' which is a reaction to raw fruit and veg. this never used to bother me though until i got anxious about it and now i obsess about a lot of food. i agree with what everybody has said, the only way to get through these things is to push through them. with my CBT therapist i have written a list of all of the foods that i am terrified to eat. i have got to work my way through that list starting at the easiest and ending on the hardest. eat where you feel comfortable, with a friend, outside the hospital... make sure you have all the things close to you that make you better. if you have a tight throat etc you know that this is because you are anxious and not because of the food.. i have bad hayfever so my mouth is quite itchy at the moment, and so i tell myself it's itchy before i eat, and it isn't the food causing it. it's all about disconnecting food with the anxiety symptoms you are experiencing, and seperating it out in your brain. why do you feel safe with patties and bread? how about some nice chicken, cooked and plain with your bread. how about some potatoes? what about a satsuma. push yourself and get some nice vitamins in your body - you have absolutely no reason not to. x

[princecarspian]

Common phobia can have serious consequences. Fear of food is known Cibophobia, and can trigger health problems, psychological problems and emotional upsets.Fearing the food is not normal. After all, as human beings, we need food to keep us alive. It gives us food that is essential to our health and longevity.

[panik101]

Thanks for all the advice.... I am going to try and do all of the advice and see what happens... I know it will be hard but i have to do this.... I will update this and let everyone know the progress i am having....

[stopthissong]

Good on you! I applaud/envy your strength. All the best!:yesyes:

[sb001f8994]

Hi.
I have a similar phobia, I cant eat anything with additives in them. My food intake now is, I suppose very healthy. I live on fresh meat, cod, salad, veg and some fruit. I am actually sensitive to strawberries and oranges (I come out in rashes with oranges and get migraines with strawberries). I dont eat chocolate because it seemed to aggrivate the palps and I dont drink tea or coffee. It sometimes feels my diet is very boring but I do make lots of nice sauces to go with my meat/fish. It is a shame I cant get passed these fears as Im missing out on currys and even tho I make my own pizzas I do miss take away pizza. The plus side to this is it has helped me lose weight!
Take care,

[panik101]

I have got alot of helpful information on here... I hope i can get over this soon... I am at a stand still for now cause i have gotten gallstones and i have to talk to my dr tomorrow july 27 2010 to get referred to a surgeon... So maybe after i get this done it will go alot smoother

[stopthissong]

aww so sorry to hear you have gallstones. this is just a small bump in the road. I can see this isn't going to deter you from your goal. Good on you

[anthrokid]

Hey buddy,

I probably replied to you last time. I'm petrified of allergies. Just the thought of my throat swelling up from an allergy makes me feel funny!

The advice here's been great so far :) Everyone's so supportive. I'm going to add my advice, which will probably go into what others have already said, but you can never have too much reassurance or information right?!

I am actually allergic to nuts, but not the degree that it's a dangerous allergy, I'm just terrified that it will become one. After a horrible experience away I started having panic attacks and stuff when I ate food and every time I freaked out that it was a severe allergy because it felt like my tongue and throat were swollen and I couldn't breathe. It is the most horrible sensation, I understand exactly what you are going through.

From experience I know that the only way to possible get past this fear is to actually eat things you are afriad of. Which is a horrible thought. I remember when I first got fed up and decided it was time to try eating food again and it was torture!

Start with the small things. You know, instead of having just chicken patties on bread have chicken patties and a bit of lettuce, or carrot. Slowly introduce new foods that you remember having eaten in the past without any issues.

It's scary, but try it. What always helps me is knowing that if I am terribly allergic to something I wouldn't be able to worry about it. The effects of the allergy would be instantaneous. Generally you would know within seconds. So after I try something I generally wait 5 minutes to see if my horrible tongue, throat and chest feelings get worse, and if I don't end up on the floor I decide that it's just panic and continue eating.

It's always comforting to eat with other people as well, just so you know someone is there to help if something bad does go wrong. And when I first started going out to eat again I started by eating at places which were at a relatively close distance to the hospital or a local doctor. Just in case. And slowly I started to relax and eat again without panicking.

There are still some foods I will nto go near. If anything has nuts or is near something with nuts it is an absolute no-no. I'm comfortable with this. I know it's still an irrational fear, but I'm happy to avoid them, as long as I remember that it's only the nuts and there's no other foods that are going to harm me.

Remember, a severe allergy is a build up of immune cells to that specific food. The allerg response will not become severe straight away. So you'll realise it is an allergy before it has the chance to become a serious allergy :)

I know how hard it is when you have panic attacks and anxiety about the allergies. There's always that thought "What if this is an allergy and not anxiety". Keep in mind that it's just anxiety talking and an allergy would be completely different to anything we feel as anxiety. It would be impossible to mistake an allergy with anxiety. It doesn't make it any easier for us to know this sometimes, and we still think it's an allergy, but just stick to the 5 minute rule. If you're still sitting or standing within 5 minutes the food is ok to eat :)

Give me a message anytime you need some help, it's always good to know there's someone who understands that wants to help!

[anthrokid]

Also remember, taking vitamin tablets won't harm you because you already ahve all those vitamins in your body and in the food you do eat :) And if you have too many you'll only pee them out anyway :)

[panik101]

I am doing pretty good so far.... I am eating crackers and hot dogs now... Plus i have quit smoking cigs.... It has been 2 days and still going strong.... I will beat the smoking and allergy phobia !!!!!!!

[allergyphobia]

i just wondered if you ever come on here still panik, are how you are getting on now?

[anx2005]

Is anyone still on this thread? I am having this issue and would like some support.

[allergyphobia]

Hi anx, i'm still around, though a lot better.. read some of my recent threads. :)