Sulfites symptoms and conditions

I first posted about three weeks ago re: my 3 1/2 year old son who was taken off Singulair around the first of September. All the bizarre symptoms (mood swings, itching, tummy aches, etc.) he was experiencing are gone and he is still doing great in that regard. However, he caught a cold after starting back to preschool (which always turns into an asthma episode for him) and, as expected, we ended up having to use an oral steroid to pull him through. So ... we were happily off Singulair but still needed a method to deal with what would inevitably be more problems from his asthma. I had heard that some asthmatics have success when changing their diet and so decided that we really had nothing to lose and started to research this issue. While we knew that my son was not allergic to the foods that are typically known as allergens (due to past allergy testing), I learned that a food intolerance is totally different from a food allergy, and does not show up with testing. Most all of the food you buy at the store these days is loaded with preservatives, chemicals and artificial colors. I learned that sulfites can be particularly dangerous for asthmatics and that many also react to food colorings. While these things do not cause an immediate reaction in my son, the theory is that when these foods are consumed regularly, they weaken his immune system and thus make him more suscepticle to have an asthma episode when he does get a cold. There is a book called Fed Up with Asthma that explores this theory that was written by Sue Dengate out of Australia. While we have not gone on what she calls a "failsafe" elimination diet (it seems a little extreme for us), we did decide to experiment with buying all organic foods to see what happens and started on that quest about 2-3 weeks ago. Foods that are certified organic are supposed to be free of pesticides, preservatives, colors, etc. Last week, my son got another cold and this is the first time in 3 years that we have not had to use an oral steroid to get him over it. It was just like he was any other kid with a little cold. Another thing that I read about was that many asthmatics have a reaction to milk (which the medical community flatly denies) and the one lingering symptom we had after stopping the Singulair was a persistent cough that was not associated with illness, was not accompanied by a wheeze, and had no obvious origin. We switched my son to soy milk about 2 weeks ago, and the cough is gone. I also have a 17-month-old who is asthma-free (at least so far) but does have eczema, which I have learned is also thought to be affected by the consumption of cow's milk. When we switched from cow's milk to soy milk, his eczema completely cleared up, too. 6 months ago I would have laughed at someone who said that what I thought was healthy food I bought at the grocery store contributed to my son's asthma, but we have just had too many coincidences to ignore what we are seeing. I just figured I had nothing to lose by trying the organic route, and I'm glad I did it. Good luck.

I began taking advair October 2003 after the first case of brochitus in 20 years. I also turned 50 that year. I was asthmatic as a child, but had few occurences of wheezing during adulthood that I could remember in years. Always kept an Albuteral inhaler on hand just in case as some animals, smoky rooms, too much laughing, etc. could trigger the wheezing. Nothing I couldn't control with an inhaler and had never been hospitalized. Have always had allergies, excema but conrolled with Zyrtec and topical steriods.
I was 117 lbs. I would always gain 5 to 10 lbs. but could always bring it down when it was getting out of control. Occasional walking was my only exercise.
Within months, I started bleeding under the skin on my forearms. Only the top side. A bump made a large bruise, more like a dark purple spot. But most of the spots now are from the size of a dime to 2 inches in diameter. They start out deep red or purple, then fade as it is absorbed, which took a couple of weeks. But by then, I would have more. If I scratched gently due to excema it was a mess. I would wake up in the morning with more patches. Recently, it has started moving up past my elbow.
It has puzzled my dermatologist. The GP who prescribed Advair was not too concerned - I think he figures I'm the result of domestic violence. However, when I went to see him 2 months ago, my blood pressure was high and he wanted me to take blood pressure medicine. I had also gained 20 lbs. My blood work was fine.
I didn't even question the Advair until a couple of days ago. Why should I? My GP said it is the way to treat asthma now, before you get an attack. I felt it was a wonder drug - I haven't used an inhaler in over a 1-1/2 years. Over the last year I have tried eliminating anything I could think of that was causing this abnormal underskin bleeding. No aspirin, vitamins, sulfites, it goes on and on. It is like you can almost tear my skin.
Last week I broke a blood vessel in the white of my eye. The body is absorbing , but is this just a conincidence? I feel like my capilaries are disolving.
I'm not happy with the professional care I'm receiving from 2 difference doctors.
Stopped Advair 2 days ago. Anyone have this strange skin problem?