Food Allergies and IGE levels

A dermatologist had once asked me to go gluten free for a week and see how I felt. I did and lost weight! Unfortunately my facial eczema would become terrible and later I learned most of the gluten free alternatives were big allergens for me. Regardless, I don't usually have digestive issues and gluten free was not going to help, I'm not intolerant I'm allergic (and yes that includes wheat).

I requested my first food allergy test May 2009 after explaining how my eczema flared with meals. My allergist went over the devastating results with me too briefly. When I asked for guidance on what I could eat, he essentially said I was highly allergic to so many foods I couldn't avoid them all. He told me to avoid nuts and regardless of the results to chart the foods I had the worst reactions to and avoid those. So my current NEVER EVER list (though I have regretfully cheated once in awhile to my own detriment) is as follows: Tomatoes, Apples, Peaches and Milk. Those four foods are like poison ivy to my face! I used to cheat with milk for half and half in my coffee but it was undeniably irritating and I now use Goat Milk. I don't avoid all milk products though since I didn't test too badly with cheese, thank God!

My IGE level was really high at 2,587 IU/ML and the allergist recommended xolair shots to lower IGE and help the eczema and at the time asthma. It sounded like the answer to my prayers but it's beyond expensive and the insurance would not cover it. Everyone's dosage is different but I think for me it would have been around $15,000 a year and assistance programs could not help me because my income wasn't low enough. IGE, immunoglobulin E is something I never heard and after googling I was sure I had hyper IGE Syndrome. I do not and that is just a manifestation of my cyberchondria, thanks to eczema I have become somatopsychic (kind of the flip side of psychosomatic except my body's ailments affect my mind). I most certainly do not have hyper IGE syndrome and my heart goes out to those who do, it's a horrible disease. It's now June 2011 and my IGE level is down, hooray! Here are some scans of my first food allergy test:

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