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Corn Allergies

About two years ago I began having major health issues including chronic nausea/vomiting, migraines, and abdominal pain. Most of my tests at the doctor came back perfect; as far as they were concerned, there was nothing wrong with me. It wouldn't be until later that a psychiatrist I was seeing suggested that maybe a lot of my issues were diet related, and perhaps I should see an allergist.

Now, I had no idea it was possible for a person to be allergic to corn. I actually assumed it was wheat because everything I ate made me feel sick, and wheat seemed to be the logical conclusion. My family went gluten-free and for a time my symptoms did improve (Likely through eliminating excess junk food), only eventually the pains began to come back and worse. A trip to the allergist/ENT revealed that I had multiple allergies I had not had before, with corn being the most serious (The others including tomatoes, potatoes, oranges, milk, and karaya gum, an additive to milkshakes and ice cream).

Until you start looking at ingredient lists, you don't realize just how MANY foods have corn or some kind of corn-derived ingredient. High fructose corn syrup is in most breads, corn syrup, cornmeal, corn starch, and corn proteins. In Washington I was lucky to be able to have Franz's bread, a brand in the Northwest that is free of all corn additives, but here in Arizona I've found it much harder to find food without corn.

I did have an allergy test before I came here and none of my usual foods (With the exception of milk) popped up, likely due to me eliminating them from my diet, but repeated exposure to even cornstarch will begin to cause me pain again. Every day feels like a battle against the things I wish I could eat vs the things I can eat. Eating healthy isn't just eating healthy foods, those foods need to react to our bodies well also. My extended family in Arizona now checks food labels for corn and was shocked just how many foods in their pantries had corn in them.

It can be an educational experience to look through food to see what you might be eating without necessarily being aware of it. I am curious if there are any others who have experiences like me, where even corn additives can cause vomiting and severe pain. I did see some topics when I searched about high fructose corn syrup and whether or not it has health issues associated with it, but that didn't really go with my topic of corn as a major allergen that can cause anaphylaxis with repeated exposure.

Another point, when I do eat corn in food I experience extreme drowsiness before any other symptoms, which is a good warning sign. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a sign before a reaction. In this case it gives me a chance to take a benadryl ahead of time.

Allergies Corn

Having a allergy to corn would be hard. I feel for you as many manufactures like to add corn products into everything. I am not allergic to corn but I did cut out corn from my diet due to its high starch content. I have cut down on potatoes too. It is not easy staying away from corn.