Is it normal, to have a severe salt allergy?

This is very hard for me to say, but here goes...

I have a severe salt allergy (sensitivity) as well as many other allergies. My allergy to salt didn't start until fall of last year. Before last fall, during the summer I had taken a trip to europe. I was just trying out a medication that was mainly for anxiety, but it also was a powerful anti-histamine. While, I was on that trip I had no little to no allergic reactions and at the time I could still have salt. I did however had a "mystery illness" during most of my stay there. It started out with leg pain and the day afterwards the pain was so intense that I had to beg for my travel mates to take me to a hospital. I went and I took a blood test which came back as normal. Over the next two weeks, my symptoms worsened. I had constant heart pangs, my shit was black, stomach pains, all forms of hallucinations (auditory, visual,etc) that were mild to severe, weakness, I felt like I was constantly moving and I could feel the ground underneath me shaking,etc. I had more symptoms but I can't remember them. Anyway, I felt like I was dying but eventually, the symptoms lessened towards the end of the trip and when I got home, I was fine... or so I thought.

Shortly, after I got home I started to have more allergic reactions to food. At a relative's suggestion, I stopped taking my benedryl and switched to the anxiety medication, Vistaril. My allergies didn't stop they only increased.... It got to the point where I could barely eat anything and to make matters worse, I had a ED relapse so my body was further weakened. I ended up having some severe allergic reactions that were so bad that I almost had to go to the ER. Eventually, I decided to eliminate certain foods in my diet to see what was causing the problem and in spring of this year, I realized that all arrows pointed to the salt. My immediate family acted very bad to my findings. My grandmother repeatedly called me a liar and blamed all of my recent health issues on me. She even went so far as to try to get me to stick some salt on my tongue, I ended up flipping out on her about how dangerous it was...

I cut salt and out of my diet that April and it's now September. In June, I had a psychical with my doctor and I desperately tried to tell her, but she ignored me and told me I had "food paranoia" so she forced me to get a blood test and everything I was tested for came back normal. By their standards I'm healthy, but I know for a fact that something is wrong with me.
I can't have any form of added salt in my diet unless it's Sodium Citrate. If I get anything else I'll have a severe allergic reaction: my throat swells, I can't swallow, lethargy, I can't breathe, my mouth swells and becomes tight like my throat, I get diarrhea or I'll vomit after I take a anti-histamine, I'll feel like there are "lumps" in my throat and I'm in pain. There are other symptoms which I unfortunately can't remember right now.

I really don't know what to do... I read somewhere that a allergy to salt can indicate a serious condition, but every time try to find out exactly what it could be I find only dead ends. I have so many questions that are in need for answers. I talked to others with salt sensitivities, but their cases weren't like mine. I can no longer travel or eat out anymore and I had to become a vegetarian... This has been making me very depressed, I don't want to die from this! Please don't say that I'm trolling because I'm not and I honestly can't fathom why anyone would lie about something as serious as this! Could the medication I was on cause this? Is is normal?!

Voting Results
33% Normal
Based on 18 votes (6 yes)
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Comments ( 6 )
  • reneerenee

    I dont think its normal. You and everyone else have all these "allergies". All kinds of new allergies popping up everyday! Its crazy! I dont have any allergies! Where are all the healthy people at?!

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    • Avant-Garde

      Sorry, for the late reply. Food Allergies have been on the rise in recent years after the introduction of GMOs in people's diets and If you look in my case, I unfortunately developed this after I was on medication. Imagine how many other people develop serious health issues after being on medication. I think people should stop risking their lives with laboratory made drugs, become more "aware" and switch to Herbal and alternative medicine. The same pretty much applies for people's diets. I more people would do this I'm certain that health problems like this can be easily avoided.

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  • do not discount the effect the medications could have either, look at those

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    • Avant-Garde

      <a href="http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-6144-Vistaril+Oral.aspx?drugid=6144&amp;drugname=Vistaril+Oral&amp;source=0&amp;pagenumber=6" rel="nofollow">http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-6144-Vistaril+O...</a>

      <a href="http://pain.emedtv.com/vistaril/vistaril-side-effects.html" rel="nofollow">http://pain.emedtv.com/vistaril/vistaril-side-e...</a>

      ^^Here's what I found.

      I went on ask a patient and I didn't find anything about allergies. Ugh! This makes me so mad! When I was guilt-tripped into the medication I was told it was safe and when I got the damn thing from the pharmacist I don't remember there ever being a pamphlet in it. I was looking for "side-effects" and I never found about it until earlier this year. I don't want to think about how much my body has been damaged. This all my fault! &gt;_&lt;

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  • dappled

    When seeing your doctor, did you have a urine test? If not, I don't know what your doctor is thinking. The body likes to keep its sodium levels balanced and has good ways of doing it (mainly excretion through urine). Checking how much salt is in your urine (and checking purines to make sure your kidneys are okay) is an important diagnostic tool.

    Don't be fobbed off by your doctor. This is your health and it's important. Especially because salt isn't easy to avoid in processed food, particularly in Western culture (I'm making the leap because I'm reasonably sure I know who you are).

    I'm glad the elimination diet gave you some answers, by the way. I've been having milder versions of your allergic reactions (difficulty breathing, throat closing, nausea) and it's obviously not the things I know about already because I'm avoiding them. It's something new. I've been on an involuntary exclusion diet this weekend (I've been ill). With the exception of something small last night, I've had water only. It's had a strange impact not only on allergies but anxiety. I feel extremely healthy today, despite recovering from illness.

    Time for a "food and mood" diary, methinks.

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    • Avant-Garde

      I didn't have a urine test. All she gave me was a blood test. I never thought about urine testing with me my doctors have always done blood. I baffled that she didn't care enough to get to the bottom of this, but this isn't the first time she hasn't paid much attention to my health...

      You're right, it is very hard to avoid which is why I cut out processed/pre-maid foods. Basically, all I eat is dairy, fruit/veg and chocolate.

      I remember reading somewhere on here that you had a cold:O Perhaps, it's the virus you caught that's causing your salt allergies? To strengthen your immune system, have you tried herbal medicine?

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