I can get rid of headaches pretty easily with a combination of Tylenol and caffeine (coffee, Coke, etc...).  Target sells a brand of Tylenol for tension headaches that includes caffeine (the equivalent of one cup of coffee in each capsule).  Deb uses a similar generic from Walgreens.

Like you, I'm also sensitive to perfumes... plus airborne latex, silicone spray, and many products used for cleaning and renovations (paint, carpet adhesive, etc...).  However, none of the foods that are high in salicylates are a problem for me.  What's the link between them?  I'm not saying you shouldn't avoid triggers... just that I wouldn't assume something is a trigger unless you know for sure (for you personally).

Heather

Thank you for responding Heather and Deborah! I will look for those aspirin free tension headache meds tomorrow. I couldn't stand it any longer, so I went and bought regular Tylenol this morning. It did an ok job. As far as why I think I have a salicylate sensitivity...I have definite and immediate reactions to EVERYTHING with a smell, natural or synthetic. My whole life I haven't been able to tolerate anything herbal. When I was in high school, my moms friend was selling this stuff called blue green algae. It was to "preform miracles"! All it did was make me crazy sick. Then a couple of years ago a mother of a child at my sons school coaxed me into trying "univera" an herbal supplement drink and another product by the same company that was a pure "golden aloe" drink. That was the closest I have ever come into going into anaphylaxis. Much throat closed up tight and the entire inside of my mouth swelled (even my gums!) and was numb. It was super scary. I have never been able to drink tea, and now that I have read up on salicylates, things are clicking. I get these terrible sores on my tongue (I have them almost all the time, I wish I could show y'all a picture to see if any of you have experienced this) anyway, they are very painful to where some days I cannot even talk. I have a pretty good hunch it's from food, maybe foods high in salicylates.
So, I'm going to ease into this and see what happens! There is a lot of conflicting information out there as to what foods are high in sals and what are not. So my plan is to eat simple eating the foods that seem to be agreed upon by everyone. I am hoping that this will be the start of a new journey for me. Maybe just cutting fown could help. I know spices and sauces etc are the worst in sals.
I am in the preliminary thought of going back east to see either Dr. Afrin or the group at Brigham Women's (if they'll take autoimmune urticaria people) does anyone have a suggestion where to go? I have had some brief contact with Dr. Afrin via email and he seems to be on top of things. He actually told me that the American Allergy Asthma and immunology department just had a conference in I think February, and although he is not sure of the outcome, they were discussing putting autoimmune urticaria under the same umbrella as MCAS. Has anyone else heard this?
Thank you all so much for your support. What a road it's been for all of us!

Britt wrote on 05/16/13 at 07:34:50:

Definitely worth a try... Advil (ibuprofen) is an NSAID, which is a common mast cell trigger.

Heather

Thanks Deborah! I'm worrying about things I don't even know about yet. Although my symptoms have pretty much consume my life over the past 3 years (though I've had symptoms for almost 20 years) my only diagnosis is from a bloodtest confirming the antibody for autoimmune urticaria. I have a normal trypase, and had a colonoscopy 2 years ago where their findings were nothing but a couple small benign polyps (no mast cells). So I am concerned that the Boston group will not see me. But if I don't try, I'll never know. I just feel so crappy all the time, everything seems like so much work. I feel defeated and spent.
It seems that Dr. Afrin would be willing to see me from brief correspondence I've had with him via email.
Having said that, I would do anything to see the group on Boston. I just don't think I have enough to even send them to get an appointment