Food Allergies

[Stuck_At_Work]

Yesterday I met up with some friends for a pot-luck Easter brunch. We had mimosas (orange juice and champagne), fruit salad (which I prepared), waffles, and omelettes. All stuff I eat fairly often.

A few minutes after eating, my entire body went into some sort of shock. My mouth and throat became severely irritated. My face and neck got very swollen. My nasal cavity became so congested that I was forced to breath through my mouth. My gums felt like they were about to burst. My face itched, as well as my arm-pits (strange?). My eyes turned very red. We checked my temperature and it hit 101. Minutes earlier I was totally fine.

We went to an urgent care facility, but it was closed. I called a nurse through my insurance nurse-line, and she suggested I go to the ER. She said the ER doctor would likely give me Benadryl and Epinephrine. I loaded up on Benadryl and took the wait and see approach. Luckily I feel 90% better this morning, although my face still looks puffy.

We're guessing it was some sort of food allergy, but we can't figure out what caused it. Like I said, I didn't eat anything remotely out of the ordinary.

Man, I’ve heard of people having food allergies… but that was absurd.

I guess I should go see a doctor to determine what caused it. Maybe the sulfites in the champagne, but I drink often and never had any issues. It is all so strange.

 

[UTinBigD]

weird. I'm sure you would have noticed, but you did not get stung by a bee or anything like that?

 

[jimmyjazz]

I have severe allergies to nuts (except almonds) and soy products, along with some fish. I think most food allergies fall under those categories, along with strawberries and maybe other fruits. Wheat gluten is a problem for some people, but I don't think it's an allergy per se.

Sometimes food allergies pop up after years of consumption, too. Could the waffles have contained soy flour or maybe nuts? Did you eat some strawberries in your fruit salad?

I wouldn't screw around with it. I'd go to an allergist and get scratch-tested. I don't think injections help much against food allergies, so it would mostly be for information only, but it would help you learn what foods to avoid. I ask about nuts and soy at every restaurant -- it's a pain, but it beats being dead.

 

[Stuck_At_Work]

Just made an appointment with the allergy specialist. I'll keep you guys updated.

 

[TxStHorn]

I've a mild allergy to glutein, so have to avoid jsut about anything that contains wheat products.

Otherwise, my sinuses go crazy, and my body swells like I gained about 5-10 pounds.

No telling what caused yours. That's scary, because you didn't expect it

 

[jimmyjazz]

Man, I feel for anyone who can't handle wheat gluten. It's in everything from vinegar to beer to bread to whatever.

 

[rustjs1]

I have anaphylaxis, which sounds different from what you experienced. Good luck - food allergies suck

 

[longyak]

Eat any shellfish of any kind? What was in the fruit salad? Sounds like a strawberry, kiwi, tree nut, or shellfish allergy type reaction. Shellfish is one of the more common late onset food allergies. Get to an allergist and get tested. You need an Epi-pen to carry pronto as your life may depend on it. Call your PCP's office and tell them what happened and get them to call in a prescription for an Epi-pen.

 

[l00p]

I was bummed when I thought I was allergic to fish or shellfish. I would get this super nasty headache from it. I would get it other times so I tried to figure out what else may trigger it besides seafood.

Turns out it was just Bud products. They use some form of a formaldahyde base or something that gives me a wicked almost migraine headache. My nose has bled and I feel like caca. Easy solution, never drink Bud products, period.

A couple of years ago I picked up a pack of some Hard Lemonade to give it a go. I drank one and wouldn't you know it, I got that horrible feeling creep in. I checked the label...Manufactured by Annheiser-Busch. DAMNIT. The rest of it was given to a homeless person over by 35 and 15th street the next day.

But the good news is that I am not allergic to seafood. The bad news is most people have Bud products at their parties and bbqs and I sound like a beer snob. I am one but it sucks to have to explain why I am so insistent that they check the keg to see what it is.

 

[TexasEd]

Did you have a stuffy nose? (Read on)

Oranges, Eggs and Corn are the big three of the food allergy world. The corn can be in the form of Corn Syrup on your waffles.

If you have been having airborne allergies with post nasal drip that ends up in your stomach it will exacerbate the problem.

Your stomach interprets the mucus as a protein only it doesn't digest so it releases more acid which creates a very hostile environment of higher than normal acidity. When one of those foods hits the acid it disintegrates into forms your body thinks are foreign invaders instead of food so you get an allergic reaction.

So if you had sinus congestion it could have led to this. Take an antihistamine and try to avoid swallowing mucus. You can use a buffered vitamin C powder with magnesium to help neutralize the acid as well.

 

[Nivek]

Wife has celiac disease (gluten free). Only to also have peanut allergies as well to make life more difficult. I have a lactose problem... so together we make an interesting pair...

Gluten-free is tough simply because wheat is a hidden ingredient in many products and cross-contamination is a concern when getting food to go. To the gluten-free people on here, distillation process supposedly removes the gluten from drinks, the wife is fine with drinking whiskey. And RedBridge Beer is a decent beer that is getting some distribution, otherwise you are probably limited to Woodchuck Cider

Anyways, OP Benedryl around and you might want to get an inhaler (albuterol) like asthmatics use, if you have a real bad reaction in the future, it can help.

 

[Stuck_At_Work]

Update.

My doctor's appointment isn't until Thursday, but I've been doing my research. First, let me stress that I have never had an allergy to nuts. I eat almonds almost daily as a snack.

So my girlfriend mentioned that the light dressing we spinkled on the fruit salad contained something called 'artificial almond extract'. Perhaps there is something in this stuff that I'm allergic to. The strange thing is that this product is recommended for people that have real nut allergies. Is it possible that I have a backwards allergy? I am not allergic to nuts, but I am allergic to their artificial alternatives.

 

[hullabelew]

I am very allergic to soy products, which means a ton of stuff. I just have to watch eating too much that contains soy. As mentioned above, it is very risky to be treated for food allergies....most places will only do it in very extreme cases but the scratch tests will let you know what you ARE allergic to. I could have been a combination of several things that caused the reaction; sort of an allergic perfect storm.

If it ever happens again, don't screw around with it. Go straight to an emergency room for the epi/benadryl shots. I have had to do that a couple of times when I had allergic reactions to allergy shots I used to take. Also, I found that there is something in Aleve that causes the same symptons you experienced. BTW, the arm pit part is because in a lot of reactions, it is where you have hair or any pressure point, so if you are standing, it would be your feet, if you are sitting down it would be your butt.

Also, as TexasEd mentioned, taking an antihestimine daily will help, even with food allergies. I take zyrtec and a prescription nasal spray mostly for airborne allergies, but it helps with the food as well, for the reasons he mentioned.

 

[jimmyjazz]

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[CottonEyedHorn]

Sounds like a reaction I had to Aspirin a few years ago. For the record, I had never had a reaction to Aspirin before or since. Check out this link on WebMD about Salicylate Allergies

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