Did you know that studies show that allergies in the UK are on the rise? And yet despite this, a large percentage of people living with allergies never actually get a formal diagnosis.This doesn't really surprise me, as I've struggled with allergy symptoms for almost a decade now without ever being able to get any real answers as to why.Ever since becoming pregnant with my first child 9 years ago, I've struggled with some strange symptomsDuring the later months of the pregnancy, I would often find myself covered from head to foot in large skin blotches - they looked similar to hives but much larger and flatter than any hives I'd seen before, they didn't itch or feel uncomfortable but they were embarrassing and they seemed to strike at the most random of times.I went to my Dr numerous times, but despite keeping food diaries and looking for patterns in when they appeared - we never did manage to pinpoint what was causing them, and they disappeared entirely after my son was born - never to return, not even during my subsequent pregnancies.That mystery rash wasn't the only strange symptom of an apparent unidentifiable allergy I've had over the years - I went through a long period of time where I'd develop gastrointestinal symptoms such as pain and bloating after eating certain things, I presumed this to be a gluten allergy but again tests never showed anything. My symptoms have mostly died down in recent years, but one that persists is that occasionally I'll find myself coming up in hives on my legs - they never appear anywhere else on my body and they disappear if I take anti-histamines, but other than noticing that they seem to appear when I'm cold or I'm out in damp weather - I've never managed to pinpoint their root cause either.So after almost a decade of wondering what these mystery symptoms mean and finding myself unable to get answers from my GP, I've been thinking about trying a home allergy test.I took to Google and spent some time going through my options. I found Klarify.me who have have over 100 years of experience with allergy testing, which I thought was quite impressive. They offer different types of allergy testing including a DIY home test that looks at your bodies reaction to over 290 different allergens, including pollen, pets, insects, moulds, yeasts and foods. The DIY home test includes a simple to use lancing device to enable you to take a small blood sample, which is then sent back to the lab using the pre-paid return envelope and Within two weeks you will receive a comprehensive report to discuss with your doctor. There's an easy to follow How-To video on the website, so the process really couldn't be simpler.I've decided to try out this service and I'm feeling very hopeful that I may finally get some answers about these ongoing symptoms.
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