A few years ago a woman started having a wide variety of medical issues. They ranged from a skin condition all the way to classic heart attack signs and symptoms. Her family doctor ran a complete array of tests over a period of months, but never considered the possibility of a heart attack. The doctor's lack of concern with ruling out any heart problem worried the husband from the first appointment. The end result was all of her medical issues were allergies, lots of allergies to a host of different things. None of the ailments suggested allergies were the cause; either alone or collectively. Why would they?
The lady had been suffering from extremely dry skin with flaking and itching all over, but mostly on her back. She assumed it was from the brand of soap she was using in the shower. Later she began to notice unusual sensations around her mouth and in her throat, but it didn't seem to last for any length of time. Still later she started to notice she was having stomach problems on a semi-regular basis. She still had no major concerns with her health in general, nor did she have any idea they might be somehow related to a common cause.
After several months she started noticing headaches, something she almost never experienced in the past. Even more time passed and other abnormal conditions developed. Last was the chest pain and pressure, pain radiating down her left arm, shortness of breath and pounding heartbeat. Up to this point she had made little or no mention of any of these issues to her husband. When she started seriously losing sleep because of the chest pain and related discomforts she informed her husband. The very next day she made an appointment with her family doctor.
After the very first appointment her husband was really concerned because the doctor hadn't ruled out any heart disease before considering anything else. The doctor ran tests for gall bladder and several other possibilities. Each test meant another follow up with the family doctor and each time nothing showed up. Still no attempt was made by their family doctor to deal with the possible heart problems.
After new problems popped up and the scare with the chest pain continued both the husband and wife decided to change family doctors.
The very first appointment with the new doctor quickly showed the couple they had made the right move by getting a second opinion. The new physician made two appointments for his patient. One appointment was with a dermatologist for the skin problems and one appointment with an allergist.
The dermatologist explained exactly what the course of treatment was going to be and explained that nothing was going to happen until the woman had seen the allergy specialist. He explained everything he was going to do in satisfying detail. Finally the couple felt some relief, all but knowing positive results were just around the corner.
In just a couple of appointments with the allergy doctor, the couple knew exactly what all of the medical problems were a result of and knew what they had to do to avoid repeats of the discomfort.
It seems the list of different things the lady was allergic to was two and a quarter pages long. Almost all of the allergic reactions were different from the next. Some of the allergies were causing the skin dryness. Some were much more dangerous, causing her airway to constrict. The allergy doctor told her that some of the things she was allergic to would close off her airway so rapidly that emergency medical treatment would not be quick enough to save her life. The husband was most relieved by learning that the heart attack signs and symptoms were all allergies too.
It is important to know this woman was age 49 when she demonstrated allergic reactions. Prior to that time, she had no known allergies throughout her lifetime.
In the event that someone you know does have similar medical conditions, insist that the doctor consider allergies as the cause. If the conditions present themselves like a possible heart attack, first insist that all heart issues are ruled out. That should be the doctor's first focus. Hopefully, simple testing will prove that the heart is healthy. If so, insist the doctor test for allergies. Keep in mind that this lady had lots of medical difficulties and none seemed related. That is because there were lots of different allergies - each producing different symptoms with different levels of severity. It is worth the uncomfortable feeling of pushing the medical professional for the peace of mind you will finally gain.
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