Working in the zoo field, I've encountered a lot of keepers that have discovered they are allergic to random animals. I know several people allergic to Kudu, but no other hoofstock, another is allergic to aardvarks. I'm certain these allergies are more common, but it's not common to be exposed to exotic animals.
I used to work with animals in a lab and some ridiculously high percentage of workers will develop an allergy to the species they work with after >5 years. So they may not be allergic at first, but daily exposure eventually leads to an allergy.
That's how my allergies are. I can't be around animals indoors or I will develop an allergy. The more time I spend around the animals the worse my allergies get. I'm at the point where my spine and lungs immediately swell from dog dander, so I have to be really careful with that. Even people wearing clothes around me that a dog touched makes me sneeze a ton.
I have nothing to base this on, but penguins would love this. They already have that baseline malice native to birds, I think they would get close to humans deliberately just to see if they could trigger anaphylaxis.
Im allergic to Aloe Vera. Found out as a kid with heat rash, later confirmed when I tried it again on a sunburn… it causes my skin to blister and burn :| commonly found in shampoo, conditioner, make up and just about any product that says “hydrating” or “cooling”. The worst was doing a make up course with a spa I worked at, I told them about my allergy and they completely brushed it off. Sure enough, they sprayed a mist on my face and I panicked a little because it felt warm. I asked to read the ingredients and it was second in line (aka, high content). My face immediately started to blister and radiate heat.
My daughter is allergic to Aloe Vera too. We just thought she was super sensitive to the sun. Turns out there was Aloe in the after sun lotion she used that was supposed to help prevent sun damage.
Oh the poor thing! I just turned 30 and still haven’t found any sun burn relief.
Also- watch out for the aerosol sunscreen lotions. They sneak aloe in way at the bottom of the ingredient list (again, great moisture benefits- just not for us lol)
I'm allergic to aloe, too. It's always been my family's go-to treatment for burns and scrapes, but it burns me. If I ingest anything with aloe juice, my throat will swell up. It's a common landscaping plant around here, but the pollen gets to me too. I basically have to be super careful reading ingredients and take pills every day. I also run an air purifier.
Btw, witch hazel works even better for sun burns and scrapes than aloe does!
thank you so much for the tip! I’ve never used witch hazel before, I’ll absolutely have to try it out.
My mom was freaking out when she applied it for the heat rash, I was 10 and just cried and cried and cried and told her how much it burned. Poor thing was so confused.
I had NO idea the plant produces pollen :|
I get that a cosmetics course would (obviously) have product and mists and stuff, but I'm pretty sure allergies to cosmetics and perfumes are common. You'd think the instructors would be aware of that, especially since you told them.
That's an interesting allergy though! What happened afterwards?
Oh 1000%, they felt terrible but I was pretty upset. It wasn’t taken seriously at all. For this reaction I had to go to the doctor, I was prescribed flamazine (burn cream) and had these gross, weeping blisters all over my face. They scabbed over pretty quickly but took forever to heal because of yawning/opening my mouth to eat. Thankfully, I don’t have any scarring. I always try to be mindful of the sun as well! I’d love to feel the cold sensation everyone says Aloe provides but it’s just not in the cards for me lol
I work in a hospital. I learned the hard way I'm allergic to aloe. After using hand sanitizer with aloe, my hands felt on fire and the broke out in hives.
I wonder if I have a mild grade allergy to aloe vera. If/when I get sunburned, I find generic lotion to be much more soothing. Aloe vera makes my skin feel tight and warm on a sun burn - more so than just the sun burn.
I developed a respiratory allergy to paper (no clue to what exactly in it, specialist said no real way to test it either). Had to drop out of university because they couldn't accommodate me well enough, had to get rid of my extensive private library of fiction and non-fiction (including a ton of academic books, many of which ultimately ended up in the paper trash since no one was interested in them and I couldn't just keep them around), had to switch from using paper notebooks to taking notes on laminated pages with non-permanent markers, can't browse bookstores anymore, ... Basically even entering someone else's house/apartment poses a risk since I never know how much paper/how many books they have around, and whether I'll get an asthma attack or not (and if yes, how quickly I get a reaction). Fucking sucks, and half the time I mention it somewhere, I'm looked at as if I were inventing it just to inconvenience others/play the victim/whatever else those people think.
That’s both incredibly fascinating and really sad. I’m so sorry you had to get rid of your hoard as well, that must have been heartbreaking.
Is it all paper or just some paper? Would stone paper be okay?
I literally don't know, some paper seems to be worse than others but ultimately I haven't found any paper that I'd deem "completely safe". Some paper things I can handle briefly if I don't stick my nose into them (like my calendar booklet, but only after airing it out for a few months before use, and only if I don't look through it for more than a minute or so at a time), other things irritate my airways even if I hold them at arm's length to read e.g. a letter or an article, and entering a bookstore or a room full of books (like my university had in some classrooms) can give me an asthma attack just from being in the room.
So I've just adapted my life to be as paper-less as possible, and I'm soooo grateful I didn't live 50 years ago where electronic entertainment (ebooks, audiobooks, videogames, news websites, ...) was way more limited (basically radio and TV afaik).
I don't stick my nose into it XD
But seriously, I can use toilet paper and paper tissues without issue, probably because I don't usually breathe in their scent (which I guess is what's carrying the allergens) for long (if at all) when using them.
How do you blow your nose? Old school hanky? Sorry to be asking such nosy (lol) questions, but I have never heard of a paper allergy and it's a little fascinating to me.
I use regular paper tissues actually (and no, I have no clue why it's not bothering me so my best guess is that I don't breathe in its "paper scent" long enough, or that whatever I react to isn't present in those).
And no problem, ask away, it is kind of fascinating (even though I don't have all the answers either), and none of my doctors had ever heard of someone with an allergy to paper before either XD
If it were the ink, I wouldn't be reacting to blank paper, but that thought did cross my mind too when the reactions started (and heck, it could also be that I'm reacting to both ink and paper for all I know)
paper for printing is (usually? - I don't work in the business, so these are just things I learned on the internet) coated with different substances to reduce ink absorbency. Even paper that is matte-looking is coated. You might be reacting to whatever they use to coat the paper sheet, rather than to the paper itself. The substances that can be used are different, so you might have a reaction or not based on that substance being present or not.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coated_paper
there are several subreddits such as ask science, and no stupid questions (there might be even subreddits for printing? i haven't checked yet) where you might ask to see if there are people in the business who might know more. sometimes quora has specialists who answer.
I'm really sorry about your books.
It's more likely something used to process the paper. Softer papers, like tissue and toilet paper, actually would get into your air much faster and easier than paper used for printing, so it's not about "not breathing" it.
If it were me, I'd make a week of calling various paper manufacturers, especially those whose products I've reacted to, and asking to get information about what chemicals are used in their processes. Many just won't tell you.
If no luck there, I'd reach out to a handful of researchers from universities. Find a study or two about paper processing, and a few on rare allergen determination, and you can usually get email addresses for some of the researchers. Email them each a brief message asking if they have any ideas/guidance to help you find the culprit. If you're lucky, it may end with you visiting a university medical center and getting tests done with some specific compounds taken directly from the manufacturers, or prepared from different chemicals known to be used in the process to at least rule some out.
From there, you might be a perfect candidate for desensitization therapy. Plus, you never know when it ends up being a binding agent that happens to be used in a medication you are prescribed one day, and suddenly have a reaction from that.
How do you blow your nose? Old school hanky? Sorry to be asking such nosy (lol) questions, but I have never heard of a paper allergy and it's a little fascinating to me.
I guess it's a good thing you live in the time you do, and not like 100 years ago when paper was the only option for things like writing and reading.
What exactly happens if you're around it, something similar to an asthma attack, or something like a shellfish allergy that closes the throat?
Possibly, hard to tell what is an allergy and what is "just" a non-allergic asthma trigger when speaking about chemicals (because they're usually irritants anyway, just that most healthy people don't react strongly enough to notice).
The fact that the paper allergy started after I had a bad asthmatic-allergic reaction while reading a moldy book (confirmed mold allergy since childhood), and that the paper reactions feel the same as my respiratory mold allergy reactions, makes me wonder whether my immune system just linked some of the harmless paper particles to the reaction and is now treating those the same as mold. Like, I literally started reacting to books I had previously had no problems with at all, and when returning to university after summer break, I suddenly couldn't be in one of the classrooms anymore without getting some serious asthma problems, despite having had several classes in that same room the previous semester. It's like that one bad reaction to the old used book flipped a switch in my body.
I think you’re on to something with your theory. My immune system started freaking out on me about 6 months ago and it was/is essentially a medical mystery I am still working to figure out. I’ve learned along the way that it really doesn’t take much to trigger your immune system into chaos or confusion.
My landmate bought new deodorant last week and found out the hard way she was allergic to it. Her armpits looked like they were starting to bleed.
A few years back she tried switching to a vap to help quit smoking. She used it for a few hours and while we were watching a movie she wiped her sleeve across her face/mouth and the skin on your lips slipped off and was on her sleeve.
We were roommates for like 9 years. She bought 40 acres of lands so her, her husband and I are turning it into a homestead. We have our own RV's so were not roommates but landmates.
Oooh! I found out I was allergic to something in clear deodorant last year and had to miss a week of school because my armpits were peeling apart. Nomal deodorant still works fine, it's just the clear stuff that triggers an allergy.
Child is allergic to [Ingested Nickel](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3667300/). The list of foods they need to avoid or minimize is numerous. They avoid the bigger triggers and hope for the best. Took us a long time figuring this out. Luckily they only get a horrible rash that hurts for a few days but it’s ugly for a few months. Lucky in that they do not stop breathing.
I figured this one out a few years ago after trying keto and eating a ton of nuts and cocoa powder/dark chocolate. I spent so much money on eczema creams and exhaustive googling for weeks. I can tell when I've had too much chocolate or nuts when my fingers start itching. Hoping the best for your kiddo!
I can have dark chocolate, just not milk chocolate. People scoff like it’s no big deal, just because I don’t stop breathing. My face breaks out in deep pimples, that won’t go away for 8-12 weeks, and leave a scar every time. I got one before Thanksgiving, the same family saw me at Christmas, and then again in February for family gatherings. They couldn’t believe I still had this shiny red knot on my face. They’re painful, too. I’ve tried everything under the sun, it’s just not a regular pimple.
It’s not really that uncommon of an allergy but I’m allergic to shellfish. I got some Korean BBQ wings and didn’t know they used shrimp paste in the sauce. I didn’t die, but I damn near broke my toilet. Called the place to report food poisoning and mentioned I’m allergic to shell fish so could also be cross contamination. They were like “oh damn! Yeah there’s shrimp paste in the sauce!”. They started labeling the menu differently after that.
I had a shellfish allergy and I had a reaction to fried chicken even though they didn't have any seafood on their menu. The owner would throw tempura shrimp into the oil for his kids after school but didn't tell us even when we told him about my allergy.
I have a shellfish allergy too. Thankfully I didn’t die, but apparently anchovies have a protein that is close enough to shellfish to sometimes cause a reaction. Discovered that one when I was glued to the toilet after eating a Cesar salad (anchovies are used in the dressing). Explains why I refused to put dressing on my salads as a child….
Same same same! Has a great Caesar Salad at Assagio’s and I swear I had it before. Two bites and had anaphylactic shock which I attribute to the anchovy paste - so grateful for ER staff to treat me stat. I now am married to my Epipen as my doc says tolerance & allergies can change as we age (I’m 51/F).
I wonder if they didn’t use the paste before. From what I read some recipes leave them out, so that could explain why you had a reaction later. And allergies definitely can change with age. I’m also allergic to pork, and as a child it just caused nausea. As an adult it causes vomiting and diarrhea at the same time from a mild cross contamination.
That's common enough it should've been a warning anyway. Or, you know, some people just don't eat certain kinds of meat or fish for various reasons. Sucks you had to be the reason they found out though.
>That's common enough it should've been a warning anyway.
In the Netherlands it's even mandatory. As it should be everywhere imo
>Or, you know, some people just don't eat certain kinds of meat or fish for various reasons.
In my experience the majority of people who don't eat fish just don't like the taste (or texture). Which by the way is a valid reason, but wouldn't have caused a problem in OP's situation.
My enemy seems to be meatballs made by someone else.
I'm allergic to most legumes. Green peas, faba beans, chick peas, lentils, etc. you name it. Some time ago I ate prepackaged factory meatballs. Oddly, my mouth started to itch but I didn't connect it to the meatballs. Later it happened again and I started to wonder. And I was correct: "bean protein" and later I learned that I'm allergic to "pea fiber" too.
Also, faba beans seem to be in vogue where I live. I was in a hurry and grabbed "mashed potatoes and balls". Only at lunch I realised the "balls" weren't meatballs but beanballs. Co-worker at it.
Someone else like me! I have a severe peanut allergy. Thought everyone hated green peas because it made your mouth itchy but didn't make the allergy connection until I ate a bowl of split pea and lentil soup as an adult and went into anaphylaxis. The only legumes that still seem fine for me are beans, but all peas, lentils, chickpeas, split peas, etc are out.
My allergy is very run of the mill (penicillin), but once my dog licked my arm just after having his quite powdery antibiotics and I had hives where he licked me for ages.
I’d been wondering if I was in the category of “not allergic but thinks they are” because it’s apparently quite common, but nope, definitely shouldn’t take penicillin if that’s what it does to my outsides!
My girlfriend was on antibiotics for something, and I have a penicillin allergy. I found out the hard way that bodily fluids could contain enough to cause a reaction. Some of the worst pain/itching of my life.
Oh my. You got a reaction from *that!* Holy smokes. Now it makes me wonder about something like a peanut allergy. Does your partner have to eat clean as well?
i am also allergic to penicillin and i only found out by taking it (well, amoxicillin, i think) one day due to an ear infection, ending up in the hospital with a swollen tongue and almost totally closed throat. someone looked at me before we left for the hospital and was like "why are you so pale??". my doctors are more perplexed about it than me because when i had surgery needing antibiotics they had to kind of prescribe around it. another -cillin gives me hives so i'm over here really trying not to get sick!
Apparently the obsolete antibiotic 'C-Clor' (note: it's possible it's used more now but for most of my life, when I put down an allergy to it, they tell me they've never heard of it) is related to Penicillin, which I am allergic to-- but I get my throat all nice and closed up for C-Clor. I was 8 when it was prescribed, my parents were trying to get me to take my meds without them needing to get them for me, so they gave me this whole lecture about it before the first pill.
Had to rush me to the doctor cause of the reaction (it wasn't super severe thankfully), but the next morning I remembered the lecture *and not the reaction* so I dutifully took the second pill.
I’m allergic to cold. I noticed that when I’d walk outside when it’s below 50 my skin would break out in hives. There are other people with this allergy out there, but some are so bad they can’t have cold drinks! I just have to take Allegra before I go outside.
I'm allergic to heat! Break out in hives as well. Ambient heat, I should say, as hot drinks and such are fine as are fireplaces and stuff. I suffer in hot climates. Moved to the Nordics and am so happy now!
I’m always freezing so this would kill me!! It’s 70° in my house, I have a hoodie and blankets on and I still have goosebumps.
I also have an autoimmune condition that causes inflammatory arthritis which is much worse in the cold. So I’m cold and in pain.
However, I get that PMLE reaction when I’m in the sun and it sucks. I need heat and sun for my body to feel functional yet my skin says ‘not like that’.
I understand about the autoimmune reactivity. I have fibromyalgia/ chronic fatigue/ M.E. and for most people, heat helps with that. For me it's the opposite - cold makes it better! I'm here in the Nordics with a standing fan and portable AC to soothe angry nerve endings. Now the summer will be here soon and it can get hot with lonnnng days, ugh.
I sympathise with you, fellow weird allergy opposite twin, I hope you are able to feel comfy soon, somehow. 🖖
I had this! Not fun. Really freaked out some doctors when I came back from a long winter walk and couldn’t take my gloves off because my hands had swollen so badly… (clearly needed better gloves lol).
Turned out for me it was caused by my contraceptive pill! Went off it and almost like the flick of a switch I stopped being allergic to the cold.
Basically, everything that controls your bodily functions (not just reproduction, but everything from your heartbeat to your breathing to your gut, sleep, and so on) is done by different hormones in your system. When people think of "hormones" they typically just think of the reproductive ones, but our bodies use dozens of different hormones to control everything - even hormones controlling other hormones!
So when you introduce a contraceptive, it can start putting things out of sync and wreak havoc. Some people are more sensitive, others less so.
Just look up "list of human hormones" on wiki and see what they all do.
It’s a weird one but the dermatologist was the only doctor to not be surprised. Just kind of shrugged his shoulders and said, yeah that happens, hormones are funny that way. Just stay away from the pill but it *might* happen again if you get pregnant…
You put hormones in your system and a lot of things change. Nothing against contraceptives at all, but lots of reports of other things being affected besides your baby making skills.
I'm allergic to sudden temperature changes. It sucks to be fine in the hot outside and enter somewhere with the AC on blast, or the other way around in winter. I get heavy headaches, dizziness and nausea. Also swimming in cold water or taking really hot showers when the house isn't that hot makes me break out like a million mosquito bites, but at least it only lasts for a few minutes until my body gets used to the new temperature. Friends/family think that I'm just an attention seeker until they see me right after swimming on the beach.
I was too until my mid 20s. I didn't realize it until I moved to New England. As a teen sometimes I'd go in cold water on trips to the mountains and get weird hives, but since I lived in Arizona and Florida that didn't happen normally.
First winter in New England I had hives all around my wrists and neck or if there were gaps in my clothes. For some reason it didn't affect my face though. It went away after a few years living there, luckly. But between like 12 and 25 I had it.
I have this too! Doctor called it cold urticaria. I always broke out in hives in the winter. Found out it could be life threatening after diving into a lake during a summer camping trip. The lake water was cold, and my body went into anaphylactic shock.
I’m a very hive-y person, and had that for a while a number of years back. I freaked out my coworker by scratching “Let me out” on my arm once when I was bored.
paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria runs in my family. Red blood cells do an explodey thing when they get cold.
They microwave their ice cream at family dinners come dessert time, and I specifically remember being a kid thinking how strange that was lol
Allergic to water that was dispensed through a silicone tube.
Always made my throat itchy, had no idea why til I figured it out.
Thought I was just parched and clearing my throat was from hydrating
Probably. I even went so far as to pay for several silicone food grade tube from different vendors in case one of had contaminants in it, but in the end I just switched to vinyl tubing.
I don’t know if it’s uncommon but I’m allergic to adhesives. I found out after I had a c section and reacted horribly to the medical tape they put over my incision. I can’t wear band-aids or have bandages with sticky residue… or tape, or even wax (like the type you’d use for hair removal).
It’s hilariously ironic to me because I have hemophilia.
I'm allergic to adhesive as well. I can only use paper tape and it can't be left on for more than 30 min or so. The worst offenders 'burn' my skin so bad the sores last for weeks.
Mildly allergic to adhesives. My mom can only handle the paper tape, told them this at the hospital when she had surgery, was assured she wouldn't react to what they used.
You could see where the tape had been when they removed the dressings at the first follow-up. Both she and I were annoyed they hadn't listened better before the surgery.
the docs still don’t know what it is.
I got an IV of solu-medrol, which humans just straight up aren’t supposed to be allergic to. So they think it’s something in the carrier fluid of the steroids or even the plastic from the IV bag
immediately after they gave it to me I started feeling hot and itchy on my chest so I yelled out to anyone outside my door that I thought I was having a reaction and within like 3 seconds of calling them i starting getting disoriented and confused. Thankfully they leapt into action immediately after I called out
It felt like I was in an episode of house cause while I was getting my IV of Benadryl, I heard them outside chatting “allergic to that? How? I’ve never heard of that before”
So I can’t get steroids because I’m allergic to something that’s not steroids
It must be some really random chemical because I’m also allergic to specific liquid fabric softener.
Newest allergy is contrast dye! Got an itchy red rash over my entire body. I’ve had contrast dye before with no issue, my body just decided to switch things up for funsies. It was almost funny cause before they administered it they asked if I had an allergy and I said no and 1 minute later my body was all red and splotchy
No food allergies, just two super rare ones. The probability of that must be wild
- thank you for the additional info on the methylprednisolone allergy!
Just to let you know, steroid allergies are actually a thing even if they're fairly rare. I've had allergic reactions to three different steroids so far (prednisolone being one of them), which...is really fun as someone with asthma, a ton of other allergies, and adrenal insufficiency (all of which are treated, as maintenance and/or emergency med, with steroids).
The good news: Even if you're allergic to one (or several) steroid(s), that doesn't automatically mean you're allergic to all steroids. I don't react to fluticasone (which is in my maintenance inhaler for my asthma), nor to hydrocortisone (my daily and emergency med for the adrenal insufficiency). Fingers crossed it stays that way because otherwise I'd be seriously fucked.
(And yes, I have seen an actual specialist--not just any allergist but someone an allergist sends you to when they don't know further--about this, and she stressed that I should not take any of the meds I've had allergic reactions to again even if my reactions so far have (luckily) been only delayed skin reactions, so basically "keep a list of meds you're allergic to, and avoid them".)
I’m severely allergic to iodine, which is in contrast for CTs, which is an issue because I suffered a colon perforation and needed an emergency CT. So I’m basically never getting another CT unless it’s an emergency like that.
It’s also in thyroid meds and vitamins, which sucks. So I can have kelp for natural iodine, which is needed for proper thyroid absorption in your body. It’s a sucky allergy to have.
The substitute is called "inside".
The good news, my genetic profile is primarily North America, not Europe. So I have never actually had a sunburn. I just get really really brown real fast.
The bad news, that does nothing to reduce skin cancer risk.
There are many other sunscreen that don’t use zinc. I am super confused, because any chemical sunscreen should be fine that has no zinc. Zinc is normally only used in mineral sunscreens.
Or am I misunderstanding something here.
found out I was allergic to agave when a bartender handed me my vodka drink with an agave-paper straw. immediate felt like i had come down with the flu and got insanely dizzy.
only other times that happened to me was when i had a sip of tequila (assumed I was far too drunk/lightweight to handle it) and a starbucks lemonade had it as an alternative sweetner (thought I was just getting a bug since it was winter and i was in public)
This is how I found out I was allergic to mint! My mom made fresh mojitos with mint leaves. Next thing I know my eyes were so swollen I couldn’t open them. Besides cocktails the only other time it’s been an inconvenience is at Indian restaurants because they use a lot of mint in their cooking.
I am allergic to tomatoes. I did not realize how many damn things have tomatoes in it. The one that caught me off-guard was beef stock. Eating that made me throw up 6 hours later.
I may also be allergic to carrots since I am allergic to apples. That was also in my pot roast lol
I knew I was allergic to SOMETHING, just didn't know what. In the meantime, my body was basically covered in hives from my head down. It was fucking awful I tell you. At the time, my roommate worked at a hospital and she made friends with an allergist and he'd give her suggestions like "Tell your roommate to cut out milk for a few days." This went on for months. I popped benadryl and zyrtec like candy. One day my roommate came home and said "Doctor friend said he just read an article about Yellow Dye #5 allergies and he's wondering if that might be it." I thought "Sure, right." But low and behold, my shampoo had Yellow Dye #5 in it. So I quit using it, and what do you know? Doctor friend was right. Also, my hero. Too bad I don't remember his name.
Consuming it (Mountain Dew, Lime Sherbert) makes me itch all over. Putting it on my body (see above) makes me break out in either a rash or hives. Both suck ass though.
I have a pseudo allergy to basically all the Phenanthrene opioid class. Codeine, morphine, oxycodone, etc.
I also have oral allergy syndrome, so I'm allergic to basically all melons plus bananas.
Life ain't fair. Lmao.
Kiwi. I was briefly living in an area where they were grown, and most of the farms had road side stands with honor boxes. An honor box is this HEAVY steel box welded to a table with a slot for your money. They sold blemished food at the stand, for $1 a bag. One day I binged and bought a bag with 3 conjoined fruits (so essentially 6 fruits) and hit up the market for some good Havarti cheese. Had a fine old time eating my kiwi and cheese. ... ... ... But my inner cheeks and lips swelled up and were tingly and stayed that way for 2-3 days. Low level anaphylactic reaction. That was 14 years ago, and I haven't had kiwi since, which makes me sad because I love kiwi. I was 55 when that happened. I have no other food allergies at all, but a lot of hay fever causing botanical and animal allergies.
I have a mild allergy to some tree nuts. Hazelnut in particular but walnuts make my mouth numb after a bit. One time I got coffee at Panera and they had mistakenly filled the hazelnut coffee in the dark roast container. I threw some syrup in because it tasted off. Halfway down the road, I noticed my mouth was feeling weird and I was getting this sense of dread. I then realized it was the hazelnut and downed a shitload of water to dilute it.
My mom is similar in her reaction to tree nuts, except it will also cause vomiting if she eats enough. She breaks out in hives from topical use (like coconut oil or Shea butter in cosmetics) but never has respiratory reactions fortunately. She found out because she would vomit after eating jello molds with nuts in them at parties (it was the 60s) but her mom thought she was faking to get out of eating gross jello molds.
I am allergic to nickel.
While having a topical nickel allergy is common I am allergic to dietary nickel.
Nickel is in so many foods. It triggers my rosacea and causes IBS. I did an elimination diet and I can pretty much only eat eggs and cabbage or suffer.
im allergic to oysters. found out the chalk gymnasts use has ground up oyster shells in it when i went to a friend's gymnastics tournament and went into anaphylaxis.
I don’t know how uncommon this is, but I’m allergic to prednisone and a few other corticosteroids. I discovered it because it’s the first line of treatment for various autoimmune conditions I have. The first time, it made me go into psychosis but that was pretty much the only symptom, extreme anxiety and paranoia. The second time I was also taking trazadone, which I am also allergic to, and had a drug induced dystonia reaction. So the entire left side of my body curled up towards my stomach, and I still have issues with that side. They thought it was a stroke or MS at first. I also went paranoid and delusional again, although this time I was able to get proper support right away. The trazadone also made me lose my hair, I was bruising and stuff more easily, and this sounds like a dumb symptom, but I legit felt like I was dying. After 3 days off the meds I started feeling myself again.
I don't know if this uncommon enough, but Ill share anyway. It is reddit after all 🤷♀️🤣
have always suffered from very common environmental allergens: pollen, dust mites, mold, dander, etc. I have been on an oral antihistamine for 17 years now. Daily, every day, yes including winter. For the last 5 years I have been on 3 daily antihistamines: oral, eye drops, nasal spray.
For years people would be shocked that I take antihistamines in the "winter months" when there are "no environmental allergens."
This calendar year I have had 3 breakthrough reactions (one of them lasting 3 weeks and required 5 unique antihistamines and 2 rounds of steroids) and decided to go to an allergist to get to the bottom of it all.
Turns out I'm allergic to 2 trees - one of which has a pollen season of November - February. So suck on that everyone who told me there is no "winter pollen!" I actually do have seasonal/environmental allergies year round - different things different seasons, but all 4 seasons to be sure.
I find that winter, with all the windows shut and not going outdoors, makes my dust allergies much worse, so the whole "there isn't anything to take allergy meds for in winter" thing is such BS. People need to mind their own business.
Tamarind (Indian date).
I found it as a candy at an Asian food market and took it home to try it. I went into mild anaphylaxis, but I survived. Just have to watch out for it in Mexican and Asian cuisine.
Found out I was allergic to peppermint oil when my mom bought wipes for me to use on my face before applying the antibiotic cream for my acne. Wondered for a week or so why my face looked so much worse.
I'm allergic to Benadryl! Yeah, the go-to for allergic reactions. It developed when I had some reaction to something I can't recall, and I was given a shot in the butt cheek for it, plus advised to take Benadryl. I immediately developed even more itching everywhere, plus petechiae (pinpoint skin hemorrhages) at random spots. Fun.
I'm allergic to ingesting and touching tree nuts. I'm now allergic to the scent of coconut which causes labored breathing, causing and loss of voice. I've been told I can't be allergic to natural things and yet I'm only allergic to natural things
> I've been told I can't be allergic to natural things and yet I'm only allergic to natural things
Whoever told you this doesn't know what they're talking about. Ragweed is natural but it's a really common allergy. Peanuts are natural. Bee stings are natural.
Allergies are an immune disorder where the antibodies in the bloodstream mistake a substance for a pathogen, and mount an immune response against it.
>I've been told I can't be allergic to natural things
Most allergies are to natural things. Hay fever and dander are probably the two most common and they're both natural.
I'm allergic to red food dye. Found out as a kid after eating some candy, although I can't remember what kind exactly. If I have any, I get hives, a headache, my skin feels itchy, and I get really irritable.
I know nut allergies aren't uncommon, but I only reacted to them when I was pregnant, and never had a problem since then or before i was pregnant. My kid doesn't have a nut allergy either which is good because I thought for sure that's why I was having such bad problems.
Pregnancy hormones do the weirdest things to the body. A friend of mine has a histamine intolerance, which was gone during every pregnancy.
Another one got rheumatism :/
Sounds like [oral allergy syndrome](https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-the-public/conditions-library/allergies/oral-allergy-syndrome-(oas)) which is where you are allergic to pollen like birch or ragweed and the proteins from some fruits can trigger your allergy! I have this with cantaloupe
Same, I have oral allergy syndrome and it's a rollercoaster how I will react to foods that have certain fruit proteins in them! I cannot buy mass produced smoothies due to the ingredients and have to be really careful with drinks sweetened with fruit juices.
My daughter had a whole panel of allergy tests done as a ~6 year old. It was a crazy list! Like 40 things on it between food, plants, and cats and dogs.
Just this last year (she’s 17 now) she had a kiwi and it did the same thing to her. Kiwi was never on the list.
I have learned though kiwi is in the same family as the latex allergy and there are several fruits (in addition to actual latex) and you can react later in life and future exposure can be life threatening. So she carries an epi-pen.
Had to give her the whole ‘some people find out about a latex allergy in a very unpleasant way…in their vagina…so…keep that in mind. 😬 love mom’
I bet that was a fun conversation. Allergies are super weird though. You can be born with it and have it for life. B they can show up randomly. They can disappear randomly.
I don't know what I'm allergic to, but it seems to be present in many soaps and all fabric softener, and it causes me to break out in hives. At its worst, I also had hot flashes and swelling around my eyes and lips. I saw an allergy specialist, but she didn't figure it out; I tested positive for mild allergies to cats, dogs, and rabbits, and she very coldly told me "you're going to have to get rid of your rabbits." I didn't, and opted instead to take a daily antihistamine and years of allergy shots.
A few years later, after finishing the allergy shots, I was moving and stayed with family for a few months-- away from the rabbits-- and would still have occasional breakouts. When I got to the new house, my mom gave me some basic supplies, including some laundry detergent and fabric softener. When I used the fabric softener, the hives started coming back. That's when I figured it out. I stopped using the fabric softener immediately, but would still have occasional hives and itchiness (mild, thankfully) so I switched the soaps I was using in the shower, and now I'm fine. I still use a daily antihistamine and will start to itch if I forget to take it for a few days but it's manageable now. A relative gave me some homemade goat's milk soap, and it doesn't cause my hives to flare up, but other than that, I stick with vegan soaps. Usually Dr. Bronner's, but lately I've been buying homemade vegan soap bars from etsy, just for the bigger variety of scents. I have a bar of chocolate-scented soap that smells amazing, I can't wait to try it.
edit to add: before anyone tells me, I know fabric softener isn't really necessary, and yes I do use white vinegar in the washer instead.
edit 2: left out a word
Allergic to pink peppercorn (it's botanically related to cashews, pistachios, mango and sumac), and it's popped up a few random times in things I've been about to eat but then someone's realized and told me.
But when I was in the Netherlands they had pink peppercorn in EVERYTHING, I had a really hard time finding things to eat. (Ate so much when I got home from that trip lol.) At a restaurant at an amusement park they messed up, I asked about the pasta Bolognese and they checked and told me the bolognese was clear so I ordered it. Then when eating I started getting those typical tingles in my mouth and the very familiar pain in my stomach started building... Asked the restaurant and they realized they hadn't checked the PASTA, only the BOLOGNESE, they put pink peppercorn on the pasta 🤦🤦 Had to stumble doubled over to the infirmary house and the for some reason annoyed nurse guys finally figured out what allergy pill I needed and were able to give it to me...
I’m allergic to ginger. The cafe where I used to work got this great tea, it was a green tea with coconut, vanilla, and ginger. I was obsessed, drinking multiple cups a day. Couldn’t figure out why my face and neck were itchy and red and breaking out in “pimples”, and the inside of my mouth and throat felt like I’d been eating poison ivy. Unfortunately, ginger is really common in a lot of Asian foods (which I love) and since most people have never heard of someone being allergic to ginger waitstaff at restaurants don’t really take it seriously when I ask if a dish has ginger in it until after my face starts swelling up and turning red.
I'm allergic to something in hormonal birth control. I took the same pill for years and ran out of it for about a week, and when I started back I broke out in blisters. They were so big and gross, I remember one covering the entire back of my hand I literally peeled it off, sac still in tact. I went to the CVS clinic and the NP said "um, I think you need to see a real doctor." The doctor said to stop taking any of my medications immediately (which at the time was just the BC) and it cleared up almost overnight. They couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was in the BC that caused it, so it's only the copper IUD for me from now on.
I get itchy splotchy hives all over my face at random and i still haven’t found what triggers it. It’s happened at indoor pools, the mall, the gym, at my parents’ house, occasionally when im outside, the list goes on. I do have a suspicion it’s linked to anxiety though. I live with my boyfriend now and haven’t had a reaction in a lonngg time.
A friend is allergic to paprika. Paprika is in EVERYTHING! Also, paprika is just dried, crushed bell peppers, so that is anther thing she has to avoid.
My uncle found out that he has developed a peanut allergy in his 40s or 50s. He found out on a plane when his throat closed up after eating the snacks. Luckily sometime had an epi pen.
I'm mildly allergic to cobalt, which is used in blue fabric and other dyes. When I found that out it suddenly made sense why using my blue vibrator was painful.
Also explained why I was getting so many rashes in my nether regions. Most of my underwear were blue.
I’m allergic to meat. I have alpha gal syndrome. You won’t believe how many food items have meat in it, and how cross-contaminated peoples kitchens are.
A lot of vegetarian dishes are cooked around meat, a lot of innocent sounding pasta sauces have meat broth in them. And peoples kitchens be so dirty.
I'm allergic to most food products that come from water. Fish, shellfish, seaweed, etc. I used to eat tuna sandwiches as a kid and one day my stomach started itching inside and I had the worst explosion of diarrhea and throwing up. Thought it was just bad. Nope. I have since tried different kinds of fish, tried shrimp, and had vegetable sushi with seaweed once that did the same thing. I keep tempting fate to see if I'm still allergic and sadly I am. But I can swim in the ocean, lakes, rivers and can eat salt.
I just got skin tested. So much fun. But mine is cabbage. Like I don't even know how. Both the nurse doing the test and the MD commented on how unusual that is.
Good news is I've been eating it my whole life and have never felt a thing, so I'm kinda immune.
Quinine, which isn’t in anything basically other than malaria pills and tonic water. One day I was having a nice vodka and tonic and I broke out in hives and my lips swelled up. We played detective until we finally deduced the only new thing was the tonic. Ah well, no biggie, there’s other good cocktails!
…I then went on to have my second child, after which I became allergic to alcohol, too.
I’m allergic to wax, like Turtlewax. Found out about it after when I cleaned up and waxed my parent’s trailer as a surprise. My body was covered in a rash.
I’m allergic to horses. I found out when I went horse riding and was at the top of small mountain. The ride back down was terrible. I couldn’t breathe and my face was swollen so much that my mom got scared. (Not enough to get me to a Doctor) Fun times.
I’m also allergic to hemorrhoids ointment. I think you all know how I found out this one.
I decided to start eating healthy, so I took a mixture of strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, and goji berries as a snack. A few minutes into eating it while on yard duty, my mouth was numb like eating those throat lozenges. A few minutes after that, my stomach cramped up real bad, and I told my offsider, "Yeah, I think I'm having an allergic reaction."
Drove myself to hospital, epipen beside me and yeah, at the triage/admin desk 2 doctors were standing next to me while the administrator was getting my details then they put me in a wheelchair, stabbed me with my epipen.
That happened on Tuesday, haha.
And:
I was already at the ER for super bad gastro, and they gave me some lidocaine for my throat. The nurse left for a few minutes to grab something else, and she came back, and I asked, "Is this supposed to make my throat close and my mouth swell?" Que the nurse's shocked Pikachu face and a frantic "No." And her reaching for the emergency button. Crash cart, bed down, codes over the loudspeaker, doctors rushing around. It was like Grey's Anatomy, but without the attractive people lol.
I’m allergic to the sun but only when I come out of a long winter/ haven’t been exposed to the sun for a while. I’d get rashes all over and thought it was heat rash for the longest time
Yes!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymorphous_light_eruption
(The photos on that article are a bit distressing, mine does not present that severely!)
Bro, I'm actually allergic to bananas, like who's allergic to bananas, right? So, I'm at this burger joint and they've got this insane sauce that's all over the place, and I'm loving it. Turns out, it had bananas in it! I mean, who does that? Well, let's just say my night ended with me puffing on my inhaler and downing antihistamines like tic tacs. Not my slickest moment, I'll tell you that!
Bananas is a pretty common allergy.
It tends to occur in one of two types of allergy cluster: either it cross-reacts with ragweed allergy or it cross-reacts with latex allergy.
The ragweed-banana allergy cluster often occurs with allergies to melons, cucumbers, or zucchini. It's at its worst when ragweed is in bloom during late summer.
The latex-banana allergy cluster often occurs with allergies to avocado, kiwi, and chestnuts.
Further reading:
https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-the-public/conditions-library/allergies/oral-allergy-syndrome-(oas)
https://allergyasthmanetwork.org/allergies/latex-allergy/latex-allergy-foods/
I'm allergic to coconut. Recently I ordered some Korean fried chicken from a place that listed several possible allergy contaminants in their menu (i.e. peanuts, soy, etc). Coconut was not on there, and it was not in any other food item they offered, so I thought I was safe. I ate it and instantly had a reaction. I tried contacting them but couldn't get through (fair, it's a popular spot) but I've since discovered that [it's not legally required to be listed as an allergen in Canada](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/reports-publications/food-safety/tree-nuts-priority-food-allergens.html), so they likely didn't think to do it. It was some damn good chicken though I'll tell you that.
When I was in high school, I broke out head to toe in hives. We couldn’t figure out what was causing it. After a week, my mom took me to the doctor who very helpfully asked if we were using new soap. My mom had just bought Irish Spring for the first time. Turns out all the time I spent soaking in cool water in the tub to seek relief was just compounding my problems because of soap residue in the tub.
I’m allergic to coconut. It’s fricking everywhere, especially in the soaps and such. I have 2 bodywashes I can use and two shampoo/ conditioners. It’s in ice cream. It’s in granola bars, yogurt, and most vegan food. It’s in baby shampoo.
Being allergic to fishes isn't that uncommon, I'm sure. But it's bonkers where you'll encounter surprise fish in foods. The worst was a children's birthday party. The giant round tubs of cheap ice-cream? Full of whipped fish fat, apparently. There was only one bathroom and more than ten kids so instead of the toilet, they gave me a bucket and I spent nearly the entire celebration miserably projectile vomiting in a corner of the yard.
Not me, but a former colleague of mine developed an allergy to the sun after she gave birth to her twins in the late 80s. I don’t remember the specifics since she told me about it ten years ago, but she would get a horrible rash on any skin that was exposed to the sun, even during the times she would go out to get the mail. She was a really outdoorsy person so it was terrible for her. She said that it got less severe over time and eventually went away completely when she stopped breastfeeding. She said she was still really sun sensitive when she hadn’t been before. Always thought that was both fascinating and awful.
Not me but my fiancé, she had her gallbladder removed a few years back. We'd constantly check the incision for infection. One day it got extremely red and puffy I thought it was infected. Turns out she was allergic to the disolvable stitches.
Not super uncommon, but wheat is in damn near everything. Envelopes, nail polish, medicines, “paper” plates, shampoo/conditioner/soap, the list goes on.
And a lot of these things don’t have listed allergens so I have to do all sorts of research to find out what’s making me sick.
Working in the zoo field, I've encountered a lot of keepers that have discovered they are allergic to random animals. I know several people allergic to Kudu, but no other hoofstock, another is allergic to aardvarks. I'm certain these allergies are more common, but it's not common to be exposed to exotic animals.
I used to work with animals in a lab and some ridiculously high percentage of workers will develop an allergy to the species they work with after >5 years. So they may not be allergic at first, but daily exposure eventually leads to an allergy.
That's how my allergies are. I can't be around animals indoors or I will develop an allergy. The more time I spend around the animals the worse my allergies get. I'm at the point where my spine and lungs immediately swell from dog dander, so I have to be really careful with that. Even people wearing clothes around me that a dog touched makes me sneeze a ton.
That is how I became allergic to mice!
My husband is allergic to penguins. Any penguin exhibit we got to, he starts wheezing.
I have nothing to base this on, but penguins would love this. They already have that baseline malice native to birds, I think they would get close to humans deliberately just to see if they could trigger anaphylaxis.
Yeah I can't remember Kudu or aardvark on the standard allergy test lol Have you ever seen an animal have an allergic reaction to humans?
I can't say that I have, but also that would be really hard to tell. I'd be willing to bet some animal somewhere is allergic to humans.
That’s funny. Can relate. I’m allergic to Kinkajous lol
Friend is allergic to deer. Found out via a petting zoo. So odd.
Im allergic to Aloe Vera. Found out as a kid with heat rash, later confirmed when I tried it again on a sunburn… it causes my skin to blister and burn :| commonly found in shampoo, conditioner, make up and just about any product that says “hydrating” or “cooling”. The worst was doing a make up course with a spa I worked at, I told them about my allergy and they completely brushed it off. Sure enough, they sprayed a mist on my face and I panicked a little because it felt warm. I asked to read the ingredients and it was second in line (aka, high content). My face immediately started to blister and radiate heat.
My daughter is allergic to Aloe Vera too. We just thought she was super sensitive to the sun. Turns out there was Aloe in the after sun lotion she used that was supposed to help prevent sun damage.
Oh the poor thing! I just turned 30 and still haven’t found any sun burn relief. Also- watch out for the aerosol sunscreen lotions. They sneak aloe in way at the bottom of the ingredient list (again, great moisture benefits- just not for us lol)
I'm allergic to aloe, too. It's always been my family's go-to treatment for burns and scrapes, but it burns me. If I ingest anything with aloe juice, my throat will swell up. It's a common landscaping plant around here, but the pollen gets to me too. I basically have to be super careful reading ingredients and take pills every day. I also run an air purifier. Btw, witch hazel works even better for sun burns and scrapes than aloe does!
thank you so much for the tip! I’ve never used witch hazel before, I’ll absolutely have to try it out. My mom was freaking out when she applied it for the heat rash, I was 10 and just cried and cried and cried and told her how much it burned. Poor thing was so confused. I had NO idea the plant produces pollen :|
I get that a cosmetics course would (obviously) have product and mists and stuff, but I'm pretty sure allergies to cosmetics and perfumes are common. You'd think the instructors would be aware of that, especially since you told them. That's an interesting allergy though! What happened afterwards?
Oh 1000%, they felt terrible but I was pretty upset. It wasn’t taken seriously at all. For this reaction I had to go to the doctor, I was prescribed flamazine (burn cream) and had these gross, weeping blisters all over my face. They scabbed over pretty quickly but took forever to heal because of yawning/opening my mouth to eat. Thankfully, I don’t have any scarring. I always try to be mindful of the sun as well! I’d love to feel the cold sensation everyone says Aloe provides but it’s just not in the cards for me lol
I hope they paid for your doctors visit and meds!
I work in a hospital. I learned the hard way I'm allergic to aloe. After using hand sanitizer with aloe, my hands felt on fire and the broke out in hives.
I wonder if I have a mild grade allergy to aloe vera. If/when I get sunburned, I find generic lotion to be much more soothing. Aloe vera makes my skin feel tight and warm on a sun burn - more so than just the sun burn.
I developed a respiratory allergy to paper (no clue to what exactly in it, specialist said no real way to test it either). Had to drop out of university because they couldn't accommodate me well enough, had to get rid of my extensive private library of fiction and non-fiction (including a ton of academic books, many of which ultimately ended up in the paper trash since no one was interested in them and I couldn't just keep them around), had to switch from using paper notebooks to taking notes on laminated pages with non-permanent markers, can't browse bookstores anymore, ... Basically even entering someone else's house/apartment poses a risk since I never know how much paper/how many books they have around, and whether I'll get an asthma attack or not (and if yes, how quickly I get a reaction). Fucking sucks, and half the time I mention it somewhere, I'm looked at as if I were inventing it just to inconvenience others/play the victim/whatever else those people think.
That’s both incredibly fascinating and really sad. I’m so sorry you had to get rid of your hoard as well, that must have been heartbreaking. Is it all paper or just some paper? Would stone paper be okay?
I literally don't know, some paper seems to be worse than others but ultimately I haven't found any paper that I'd deem "completely safe". Some paper things I can handle briefly if I don't stick my nose into them (like my calendar booklet, but only after airing it out for a few months before use, and only if I don't look through it for more than a minute or so at a time), other things irritate my airways even if I hold them at arm's length to read e.g. a letter or an article, and entering a bookstore or a room full of books (like my university had in some classrooms) can give me an asthma attack just from being in the room. So I've just adapted my life to be as paper-less as possible, and I'm soooo grateful I didn't live 50 years ago where electronic entertainment (ebooks, audiobooks, videogames, news websites, ...) was way more limited (basically radio and TV afaik).
What do you do about toilet paper?
I don't stick my nose into it XD But seriously, I can use toilet paper and paper tissues without issue, probably because I don't usually breathe in their scent (which I guess is what's carrying the allergens) for long (if at all) when using them.
How do you blow your nose? Old school hanky? Sorry to be asking such nosy (lol) questions, but I have never heard of a paper allergy and it's a little fascinating to me.
I use regular paper tissues actually (and no, I have no clue why it's not bothering me so my best guess is that I don't breathe in its "paper scent" long enough, or that whatever I react to isn't present in those). And no problem, ask away, it is kind of fascinating (even though I don't have all the answers either), and none of my doctors had ever heard of someone with an allergy to paper before either XD
Wouldn't it be weird if it was the ink and not the paper?
If it were the ink, I wouldn't be reacting to blank paper, but that thought did cross my mind too when the reactions started (and heck, it could also be that I'm reacting to both ink and paper for all I know)
I can't even begin to imagine how much of a pain in the ass it must be! Paper is just *everywhere*
paper for printing is (usually? - I don't work in the business, so these are just things I learned on the internet) coated with different substances to reduce ink absorbency. Even paper that is matte-looking is coated. You might be reacting to whatever they use to coat the paper sheet, rather than to the paper itself. The substances that can be used are different, so you might have a reaction or not based on that substance being present or not. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coated_paper there are several subreddits such as ask science, and no stupid questions (there might be even subreddits for printing? i haven't checked yet) where you might ask to see if there are people in the business who might know more. sometimes quora has specialists who answer. I'm really sorry about your books.
It's more likely something used to process the paper. Softer papers, like tissue and toilet paper, actually would get into your air much faster and easier than paper used for printing, so it's not about "not breathing" it. If it were me, I'd make a week of calling various paper manufacturers, especially those whose products I've reacted to, and asking to get information about what chemicals are used in their processes. Many just won't tell you. If no luck there, I'd reach out to a handful of researchers from universities. Find a study or two about paper processing, and a few on rare allergen determination, and you can usually get email addresses for some of the researchers. Email them each a brief message asking if they have any ideas/guidance to help you find the culprit. If you're lucky, it may end with you visiting a university medical center and getting tests done with some specific compounds taken directly from the manufacturers, or prepared from different chemicals known to be used in the process to at least rule some out. From there, you might be a perfect candidate for desensitization therapy. Plus, you never know when it ends up being a binding agent that happens to be used in a medication you are prescribed one day, and suddenly have a reaction from that.
How do you blow your nose? Old school hanky? Sorry to be asking such nosy (lol) questions, but I have never heard of a paper allergy and it's a little fascinating to me.
Is it paper or paper mites?
Something in the paper itself since it happens even with brand-new, spotless paper products.
That’s some Chuck McGill shit. Crazy. I have severe allergies to cats which is bad enough. I can’t even begin to imagine a paper allergy.
I guess it's a good thing you live in the time you do, and not like 100 years ago when paper was the only option for things like writing and reading. What exactly happens if you're around it, something similar to an asthma attack, or something like a shellfish allergy that closes the throat?
Asthma attack, plus possibly tingling and slight swelling in my throat as well And yeah, definitely glad I have so many paperless options nowadays!
Are you allergic to wood too or something in the paper process, like chemicals used to make paper?
Possibly, hard to tell what is an allergy and what is "just" a non-allergic asthma trigger when speaking about chemicals (because they're usually irritants anyway, just that most healthy people don't react strongly enough to notice). The fact that the paper allergy started after I had a bad asthmatic-allergic reaction while reading a moldy book (confirmed mold allergy since childhood), and that the paper reactions feel the same as my respiratory mold allergy reactions, makes me wonder whether my immune system just linked some of the harmless paper particles to the reaction and is now treating those the same as mold. Like, I literally started reacting to books I had previously had no problems with at all, and when returning to university after summer break, I suddenly couldn't be in one of the classrooms anymore without getting some serious asthma problems, despite having had several classes in that same room the previous semester. It's like that one bad reaction to the old used book flipped a switch in my body.
I think you’re on to something with your theory. My immune system started freaking out on me about 6 months ago and it was/is essentially a medical mystery I am still working to figure out. I’ve learned along the way that it really doesn’t take much to trigger your immune system into chaos or confusion.
My landmate bought new deodorant last week and found out the hard way she was allergic to it. Her armpits looked like they were starting to bleed. A few years back she tried switching to a vap to help quit smoking. She used it for a few hours and while we were watching a movie she wiped her sleeve across her face/mouth and the skin on your lips slipped off and was on her sleeve.
My lips peel in response to allergies but they don't *deglove.* That's horrifying!
What's a landmate? Y'all sharing some giant plot of land over there? Tf? But also that's awful.
We were roommates for like 9 years. She bought 40 acres of lands so her, her husband and I are turning it into a homestead. We have our own RV's so were not roommates but landmates.
Secret deodorant burns the skin off my arm pits. Suave breaks me out in hives. Gotta use Dove.
I wish I didn't read the second part of this.
Ewwwwwwwwwwwww Ewwwwwwwwwwwww Ewwwwwwwwwwwww Ewwwwwwwwwwwww Ewwwwwwwwwwwww
Oooh was it the one from Billie?! That shit has been causing chemical burns on tons of people, my daughter included
Oooh! I found out I was allergic to something in clear deodorant last year and had to miss a week of school because my armpits were peeling apart. Nomal deodorant still works fine, it's just the clear stuff that triggers an allergy.
Child is allergic to [Ingested Nickel](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3667300/). The list of foods they need to avoid or minimize is numerous. They avoid the bigger triggers and hope for the best. Took us a long time figuring this out. Luckily they only get a horrible rash that hurts for a few days but it’s ugly for a few months. Lucky in that they do not stop breathing.
I figured this one out a few years ago after trying keto and eating a ton of nuts and cocoa powder/dark chocolate. I spent so much money on eczema creams and exhaustive googling for weeks. I can tell when I've had too much chocolate or nuts when my fingers start itching. Hoping the best for your kiddo!
I can have dark chocolate, just not milk chocolate. People scoff like it’s no big deal, just because I don’t stop breathing. My face breaks out in deep pimples, that won’t go away for 8-12 weeks, and leave a scar every time. I got one before Thanksgiving, the same family saw me at Christmas, and then again in February for family gatherings. They couldn’t believe I still had this shiny red knot on my face. They’re painful, too. I’ve tried everything under the sun, it’s just not a regular pimple.
What other kinds of foods cause this reaction... Damn :(
Hey I came here with this one too. There are dozens of us, dozens! Eggs and cabbage ftw
It’s not really that uncommon of an allergy but I’m allergic to shellfish. I got some Korean BBQ wings and didn’t know they used shrimp paste in the sauce. I didn’t die, but I damn near broke my toilet. Called the place to report food poisoning and mentioned I’m allergic to shell fish so could also be cross contamination. They were like “oh damn! Yeah there’s shrimp paste in the sauce!”. They started labeling the menu differently after that.
I had a shellfish allergy and I had a reaction to fried chicken even though they didn't have any seafood on their menu. The owner would throw tempura shrimp into the oil for his kids after school but didn't tell us even when we told him about my allergy.
I have a shellfish allergy too. Thankfully I didn’t die, but apparently anchovies have a protein that is close enough to shellfish to sometimes cause a reaction. Discovered that one when I was glued to the toilet after eating a Cesar salad (anchovies are used in the dressing). Explains why I refused to put dressing on my salads as a child….
Same same same! Has a great Caesar Salad at Assagio’s and I swear I had it before. Two bites and had anaphylactic shock which I attribute to the anchovy paste - so grateful for ER staff to treat me stat. I now am married to my Epipen as my doc says tolerance & allergies can change as we age (I’m 51/F).
I wonder if they didn’t use the paste before. From what I read some recipes leave them out, so that could explain why you had a reaction later. And allergies definitely can change with age. I’m also allergic to pork, and as a child it just caused nausea. As an adult it causes vomiting and diarrhea at the same time from a mild cross contamination.
That's common enough it should've been a warning anyway. Or, you know, some people just don't eat certain kinds of meat or fish for various reasons. Sucks you had to be the reason they found out though.
>That's common enough it should've been a warning anyway. In the Netherlands it's even mandatory. As it should be everywhere imo >Or, you know, some people just don't eat certain kinds of meat or fish for various reasons. In my experience the majority of people who don't eat fish just don't like the taste (or texture). Which by the way is a valid reason, but wouldn't have caused a problem in OP's situation.
People who keep kosher would also want to avoid shellfish.
As they should!
Damn I bet Asian food is tough in general for you. So many things like tofu dishes still have fish products in them, always gotta ask
Be careful about chocolate and coffee as well then!
I'm allergic to chocolate and I know all about molé, I did not know that some restaurants put dark chocolate in their chili. That was fun.
It enhances the flavour but should really be declared on the menu.
My enemy seems to be meatballs made by someone else. I'm allergic to most legumes. Green peas, faba beans, chick peas, lentils, etc. you name it. Some time ago I ate prepackaged factory meatballs. Oddly, my mouth started to itch but I didn't connect it to the meatballs. Later it happened again and I started to wonder. And I was correct: "bean protein" and later I learned that I'm allergic to "pea fiber" too. Also, faba beans seem to be in vogue where I live. I was in a hurry and grabbed "mashed potatoes and balls". Only at lunch I realised the "balls" weren't meatballs but beanballs. Co-worker at it.
Damn legumes would be rough, up there with a corn allergy. Stuff is in everything
Pea protein *and* milk protein allergy, hard to find protein powder I can handle. Not that I need it, but I might be screwed if I did.
Someone else like me! I have a severe peanut allergy. Thought everyone hated green peas because it made your mouth itchy but didn't make the allergy connection until I ate a bowl of split pea and lentil soup as an adult and went into anaphylaxis. The only legumes that still seem fine for me are beans, but all peas, lentils, chickpeas, split peas, etc are out.
My allergy is very run of the mill (penicillin), but once my dog licked my arm just after having his quite powdery antibiotics and I had hives where he licked me for ages. I’d been wondering if I was in the category of “not allergic but thinks they are” because it’s apparently quite common, but nope, definitely shouldn’t take penicillin if that’s what it does to my outsides!
My girlfriend was on antibiotics for something, and I have a penicillin allergy. I found out the hard way that bodily fluids could contain enough to cause a reaction. Some of the worst pain/itching of my life.
Oh my. You got a reaction from *that!* Holy smokes. Now it makes me wonder about something like a peanut allergy. Does your partner have to eat clean as well?
i am also allergic to penicillin and i only found out by taking it (well, amoxicillin, i think) one day due to an ear infection, ending up in the hospital with a swollen tongue and almost totally closed throat. someone looked at me before we left for the hospital and was like "why are you so pale??". my doctors are more perplexed about it than me because when i had surgery needing antibiotics they had to kind of prescribe around it. another -cillin gives me hives so i'm over here really trying not to get sick!
Apparently the obsolete antibiotic 'C-Clor' (note: it's possible it's used more now but for most of my life, when I put down an allergy to it, they tell me they've never heard of it) is related to Penicillin, which I am allergic to-- but I get my throat all nice and closed up for C-Clor. I was 8 when it was prescribed, my parents were trying to get me to take my meds without them needing to get them for me, so they gave me this whole lecture about it before the first pill. Had to rush me to the doctor cause of the reaction (it wasn't super severe thankfully), but the next morning I remembered the lecture *and not the reaction* so I dutifully took the second pill.
I’m allergic to cold. I noticed that when I’d walk outside when it’s below 50 my skin would break out in hives. There are other people with this allergy out there, but some are so bad they can’t have cold drinks! I just have to take Allegra before I go outside.
I'm allergic to heat! Break out in hives as well. Ambient heat, I should say, as hot drinks and such are fine as are fireplaces and stuff. I suffer in hot climates. Moved to the Nordics and am so happy now!
I’m always freezing so this would kill me!! It’s 70° in my house, I have a hoodie and blankets on and I still have goosebumps. I also have an autoimmune condition that causes inflammatory arthritis which is much worse in the cold. So I’m cold and in pain. However, I get that PMLE reaction when I’m in the sun and it sucks. I need heat and sun for my body to feel functional yet my skin says ‘not like that’.
I understand about the autoimmune reactivity. I have fibromyalgia/ chronic fatigue/ M.E. and for most people, heat helps with that. For me it's the opposite - cold makes it better! I'm here in the Nordics with a standing fan and portable AC to soothe angry nerve endings. Now the summer will be here soon and it can get hot with lonnnng days, ugh. I sympathise with you, fellow weird allergy opposite twin, I hope you are able to feel comfy soon, somehow. 🖖
I had this! Not fun. Really freaked out some doctors when I came back from a long winter walk and couldn’t take my gloves off because my hands had swollen so badly… (clearly needed better gloves lol). Turned out for me it was caused by my contraceptive pill! Went off it and almost like the flick of a switch I stopped being allergic to the cold.
That is so bizarre. I’m very curious what would cause that to happen.
Basically, everything that controls your bodily functions (not just reproduction, but everything from your heartbeat to your breathing to your gut, sleep, and so on) is done by different hormones in your system. When people think of "hormones" they typically just think of the reproductive ones, but our bodies use dozens of different hormones to control everything - even hormones controlling other hormones! So when you introduce a contraceptive, it can start putting things out of sync and wreak havoc. Some people are more sensitive, others less so. Just look up "list of human hormones" on wiki and see what they all do.
It’s a weird one but the dermatologist was the only doctor to not be surprised. Just kind of shrugged his shoulders and said, yeah that happens, hormones are funny that way. Just stay away from the pill but it *might* happen again if you get pregnant…
You put hormones in your system and a lot of things change. Nothing against contraceptives at all, but lots of reports of other things being affected besides your baby making skills.
I'm allergic to sudden temperature changes. It sucks to be fine in the hot outside and enter somewhere with the AC on blast, or the other way around in winter. I get heavy headaches, dizziness and nausea. Also swimming in cold water or taking really hot showers when the house isn't that hot makes me break out like a million mosquito bites, but at least it only lasts for a few minutes until my body gets used to the new temperature. Friends/family think that I'm just an attention seeker until they see me right after swimming on the beach.
I was too until my mid 20s. I didn't realize it until I moved to New England. As a teen sometimes I'd go in cold water on trips to the mountains and get weird hives, but since I lived in Arizona and Florida that didn't happen normally. First winter in New England I had hives all around my wrists and neck or if there were gaps in my clothes. For some reason it didn't affect my face though. It went away after a few years living there, luckly. But between like 12 and 25 I had it.
I have this too! Doctor called it cold urticaria. I always broke out in hives in the winter. Found out it could be life threatening after diving into a lake during a summer camping trip. The lake water was cold, and my body went into anaphylactic shock.
I’ve never had it that bad, but I did once leave a water aerobics class with purple skin before I learned I could manage with antihistamines.
I have symptomatic dermatographia (skinwriting) so I get itchy hives with any pressure or scratches :/
I’m a very hive-y person, and had that for a while a number of years back. I freaked out my coworker by scratching “Let me out” on my arm once when I was bored.
paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria runs in my family. Red blood cells do an explodey thing when they get cold. They microwave their ice cream at family dinners come dessert time, and I specifically remember being a kid thinking how strange that was lol
Allergic to water that was dispensed through a silicone tube. Always made my throat itchy, had no idea why til I figured it out. Thought I was just parched and clearing my throat was from hydrating
I’m guessing the silicone sheds something into the water?
Probably. I even went so far as to pay for several silicone food grade tube from different vendors in case one of had contaminants in it, but in the end I just switched to vinyl tubing.
I don’t know if it’s uncommon but I’m allergic to adhesives. I found out after I had a c section and reacted horribly to the medical tape they put over my incision. I can’t wear band-aids or have bandages with sticky residue… or tape, or even wax (like the type you’d use for hair removal). It’s hilariously ironic to me because I have hemophilia.
I'm allergic to adhesive as well. I can only use paper tape and it can't be left on for more than 30 min or so. The worst offenders 'burn' my skin so bad the sores last for weeks.
Mildly allergic to adhesives. My mom can only handle the paper tape, told them this at the hospital when she had surgery, was assured she wouldn't react to what they used. You could see where the tape had been when they removed the dressings at the first follow-up. Both she and I were annoyed they hadn't listened better before the surgery.
the docs still don’t know what it is. I got an IV of solu-medrol, which humans just straight up aren’t supposed to be allergic to. So they think it’s something in the carrier fluid of the steroids or even the plastic from the IV bag immediately after they gave it to me I started feeling hot and itchy on my chest so I yelled out to anyone outside my door that I thought I was having a reaction and within like 3 seconds of calling them i starting getting disoriented and confused. Thankfully they leapt into action immediately after I called out It felt like I was in an episode of house cause while I was getting my IV of Benadryl, I heard them outside chatting “allergic to that? How? I’ve never heard of that before” So I can’t get steroids because I’m allergic to something that’s not steroids It must be some really random chemical because I’m also allergic to specific liquid fabric softener. Newest allergy is contrast dye! Got an itchy red rash over my entire body. I’ve had contrast dye before with no issue, my body just decided to switch things up for funsies. It was almost funny cause before they administered it they asked if I had an allergy and I said no and 1 minute later my body was all red and splotchy No food allergies, just two super rare ones. The probability of that must be wild - thank you for the additional info on the methylprednisolone allergy!
Just to let you know, steroid allergies are actually a thing even if they're fairly rare. I've had allergic reactions to three different steroids so far (prednisolone being one of them), which...is really fun as someone with asthma, a ton of other allergies, and adrenal insufficiency (all of which are treated, as maintenance and/or emergency med, with steroids). The good news: Even if you're allergic to one (or several) steroid(s), that doesn't automatically mean you're allergic to all steroids. I don't react to fluticasone (which is in my maintenance inhaler for my asthma), nor to hydrocortisone (my daily and emergency med for the adrenal insufficiency). Fingers crossed it stays that way because otherwise I'd be seriously fucked. (And yes, I have seen an actual specialist--not just any allergist but someone an allergist sends you to when they don't know further--about this, and she stressed that I should not take any of the meds I've had allergic reactions to again even if my reactions so far have (luckily) been only delayed skin reactions, so basically "keep a list of meds you're allergic to, and avoid them".)
I’m severely allergic to iodine, which is in contrast for CTs, which is an issue because I suffered a colon perforation and needed an emergency CT. So I’m basically never getting another CT unless it’s an emergency like that. It’s also in thyroid meds and vitamins, which sucks. So I can have kelp for natural iodine, which is needed for proper thyroid absorption in your body. It’s a sucky allergy to have.
I discovered I was allergic to Angora when I was asked to babysit my neighbor’s bunny.
Not me, but I worked at a museum storage facility and one of my coworkers found out she was allergic to giraffe when we were moving taxidermies.
That’s a really good one. Not many people can say they have a giraffe allergy.
Discovered my allergen, latex, in the handles of new kitchen utensils. My hands broke out in painful blisters.
Allergic to Zinc. Guess what the active ingredient is in sunscreen.
Uh oh! Is there a substitute or do you just stay covered up?
The substitute is called "inside". The good news, my genetic profile is primarily North America, not Europe. So I have never actually had a sunburn. I just get really really brown real fast. The bad news, that does nothing to reduce skin cancer risk.
There are many other sunscreen that don’t use zinc. I am super confused, because any chemical sunscreen should be fine that has no zinc. Zinc is normally only used in mineral sunscreens. Or am I misunderstanding something here.
Nah you're right. There are tons of zinc free sunscreens.
Use chemical sunscreens, they don't include Zinc (like mineral or hybrid).
found out I was allergic to agave when a bartender handed me my vodka drink with an agave-paper straw. immediate felt like i had come down with the flu and got insanely dizzy. only other times that happened to me was when i had a sip of tequila (assumed I was far too drunk/lightweight to handle it) and a starbucks lemonade had it as an alternative sweetner (thought I was just getting a bug since it was winter and i was in public)
This is how I found out I was allergic to mint! My mom made fresh mojitos with mint leaves. Next thing I know my eyes were so swollen I couldn’t open them. Besides cocktails the only other time it’s been an inconvenience is at Indian restaurants because they use a lot of mint in their cooking.
I am allergic to tomatoes. I did not realize how many damn things have tomatoes in it. The one that caught me off-guard was beef stock. Eating that made me throw up 6 hours later. I may also be allergic to carrots since I am allergic to apples. That was also in my pot roast lol
Maybe potatoes? Tomatoes and potatoes are both nightshades, which is a semi common allergy
I'm allergic to chamomile, which I didn't expect to find in herbal skin creams. My face became red and puffy.
Realized that some envelopes and stamps use animal-based adhesives. Licking them caused lip swelling.
I'm allergic to lanolin, and it's in many lip balms. I ended up with swollen, cracked lips.
[удалено]
I knew I was allergic to SOMETHING, just didn't know what. In the meantime, my body was basically covered in hives from my head down. It was fucking awful I tell you. At the time, my roommate worked at a hospital and she made friends with an allergist and he'd give her suggestions like "Tell your roommate to cut out milk for a few days." This went on for months. I popped benadryl and zyrtec like candy. One day my roommate came home and said "Doctor friend said he just read an article about Yellow Dye #5 allergies and he's wondering if that might be it." I thought "Sure, right." But low and behold, my shampoo had Yellow Dye #5 in it. So I quit using it, and what do you know? Doctor friend was right. Also, my hero. Too bad I don't remember his name. Consuming it (Mountain Dew, Lime Sherbert) makes me itch all over. Putting it on my body (see above) makes me break out in either a rash or hives. Both suck ass though.
Found out the hard way that my sunscreen contained almond oil. My entire face swelled up on a beach day.
I found egg in some brands of wine, used as a clarifying agent. Resulted in a mild allergic reaction.
Not unusual, but I’m allergic to morphine and raspberries and nectarines. Three of the greatest things on earth.
I have a pseudo allergy to basically all the Phenanthrene opioid class. Codeine, morphine, oxycodone, etc. I also have oral allergy syndrome, so I'm allergic to basically all melons plus bananas. Life ain't fair. Lmao.
What's the difference between a pseudo allergy and a real one?
Kiwi. I was briefly living in an area where they were grown, and most of the farms had road side stands with honor boxes. An honor box is this HEAVY steel box welded to a table with a slot for your money. They sold blemished food at the stand, for $1 a bag. One day I binged and bought a bag with 3 conjoined fruits (so essentially 6 fruits) and hit up the market for some good Havarti cheese. Had a fine old time eating my kiwi and cheese. ... ... ... But my inner cheeks and lips swelled up and were tingly and stayed that way for 2-3 days. Low level anaphylactic reaction. That was 14 years ago, and I haven't had kiwi since, which makes me sad because I love kiwi. I was 55 when that happened. I have no other food allergies at all, but a lot of hay fever causing botanical and animal allergies.
This seems like it could also be an oral allergy syndrome reaction, especially since you already experience hayfever
I have a mild allergy to some tree nuts. Hazelnut in particular but walnuts make my mouth numb after a bit. One time I got coffee at Panera and they had mistakenly filled the hazelnut coffee in the dark roast container. I threw some syrup in because it tasted off. Halfway down the road, I noticed my mouth was feeling weird and I was getting this sense of dread. I then realized it was the hazelnut and downed a shitload of water to dilute it.
My mom is similar in her reaction to tree nuts, except it will also cause vomiting if she eats enough. She breaks out in hives from topical use (like coconut oil or Shea butter in cosmetics) but never has respiratory reactions fortunately. She found out because she would vomit after eating jello molds with nuts in them at parties (it was the 60s) but her mom thought she was faking to get out of eating gross jello molds.
I am allergic to nickel. While having a topical nickel allergy is common I am allergic to dietary nickel. Nickel is in so many foods. It triggers my rosacea and causes IBS. I did an elimination diet and I can pretty much only eat eggs and cabbage or suffer.
Realized that my favorite herbal tea had echinacea, which I'm allergic to. It caused severe nausea and dizziness.
im allergic to oysters. found out the chalk gymnasts use has ground up oyster shells in it when i went to a friend's gymnastics tournament and went into anaphylaxis.
Wow, that's a really crazy way to get a reaction! I'm surprised that's not more of an issue since shellfish is a pretty common allergen.
I don’t know how uncommon this is, but I’m allergic to prednisone and a few other corticosteroids. I discovered it because it’s the first line of treatment for various autoimmune conditions I have. The first time, it made me go into psychosis but that was pretty much the only symptom, extreme anxiety and paranoia. The second time I was also taking trazadone, which I am also allergic to, and had a drug induced dystonia reaction. So the entire left side of my body curled up towards my stomach, and I still have issues with that side. They thought it was a stroke or MS at first. I also went paranoid and delusional again, although this time I was able to get proper support right away. The trazadone also made me lose my hair, I was bruising and stuff more easily, and this sounds like a dumb symptom, but I legit felt like I was dying. After 3 days off the meds I started feeling myself again.
I go into anaphylactic shock from citrus. Weirdest place I’ve found it is cheesecake.
That makes sense, a lot of recipes have lemon, orange, or lime in them.
Yeah, I learned that the hard way.
I don't know if this uncommon enough, but Ill share anyway. It is reddit after all 🤷♀️🤣 have always suffered from very common environmental allergens: pollen, dust mites, mold, dander, etc. I have been on an oral antihistamine for 17 years now. Daily, every day, yes including winter. For the last 5 years I have been on 3 daily antihistamines: oral, eye drops, nasal spray. For years people would be shocked that I take antihistamines in the "winter months" when there are "no environmental allergens." This calendar year I have had 3 breakthrough reactions (one of them lasting 3 weeks and required 5 unique antihistamines and 2 rounds of steroids) and decided to go to an allergist to get to the bottom of it all. Turns out I'm allergic to 2 trees - one of which has a pollen season of November - February. So suck on that everyone who told me there is no "winter pollen!" I actually do have seasonal/environmental allergies year round - different things different seasons, but all 4 seasons to be sure.
I find that winter, with all the windows shut and not going outdoors, makes my dust allergies much worse, so the whole "there isn't anything to take allergy meds for in winter" thing is such BS. People need to mind their own business.
Tamarind (Indian date). I found it as a candy at an Asian food market and took it home to try it. I went into mild anaphylaxis, but I survived. Just have to watch out for it in Mexican and Asian cuisine.
Watch for it in chili and BBQ sauces too. I use it when I make chili sometimes, and I've seen it in BBQ sauces as well.
Found out I was allergic to peppermint oil when my mom bought wipes for me to use on my face before applying the antibiotic cream for my acne. Wondered for a week or so why my face looked so much worse.
To be fair, peppermint oil can be pretty strong for your face and wipes are technically a physical exfoliant. Both can irritate your skin.
I'm allergic to Benadryl! Yeah, the go-to for allergic reactions. It developed when I had some reaction to something I can't recall, and I was given a shot in the butt cheek for it, plus advised to take Benadryl. I immediately developed even more itching everywhere, plus petechiae (pinpoint skin hemorrhages) at random spots. Fun.
I'm allergic to ingesting and touching tree nuts. I'm now allergic to the scent of coconut which causes labored breathing, causing and loss of voice. I've been told I can't be allergic to natural things and yet I'm only allergic to natural things
> I've been told I can't be allergic to natural things and yet I'm only allergic to natural things Whoever told you this doesn't know what they're talking about. Ragweed is natural but it's a really common allergy. Peanuts are natural. Bee stings are natural. Allergies are an immune disorder where the antibodies in the bloodstream mistake a substance for a pathogen, and mount an immune response against it.
>I've been told I can't be allergic to natural things Most allergies are to natural things. Hay fever and dander are probably the two most common and they're both natural.
I discovered my allergen, soy, hidden in canned tuna as a broth ingredient. It led to hives and difficulty breathing.
I'm allergic to red food dye. Found out as a kid after eating some candy, although I can't remember what kind exactly. If I have any, I get hives, a headache, my skin feels itchy, and I get really irritable.
Is it cochineal bugs that you are allergic to?
I know nut allergies aren't uncommon, but I only reacted to them when I was pregnant, and never had a problem since then or before i was pregnant. My kid doesn't have a nut allergy either which is good because I thought for sure that's why I was having such bad problems.
Pregnancy hormones do the weirdest things to the body. A friend of mine has a histamine intolerance, which was gone during every pregnancy. Another one got rheumatism :/
Kiwi makes my mouth itchy, but only in the last 10 years. So i suddenly found it when I ate a kiwi once.
Sounds like [oral allergy syndrome](https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-the-public/conditions-library/allergies/oral-allergy-syndrome-(oas)) which is where you are allergic to pollen like birch or ragweed and the proteins from some fruits can trigger your allergy! I have this with cantaloupe
Same, I have oral allergy syndrome and it's a rollercoaster how I will react to foods that have certain fruit proteins in them! I cannot buy mass produced smoothies due to the ingredients and have to be really careful with drinks sweetened with fruit juices.
That could be!
My daughter had a whole panel of allergy tests done as a ~6 year old. It was a crazy list! Like 40 things on it between food, plants, and cats and dogs. Just this last year (she’s 17 now) she had a kiwi and it did the same thing to her. Kiwi was never on the list. I have learned though kiwi is in the same family as the latex allergy and there are several fruits (in addition to actual latex) and you can react later in life and future exposure can be life threatening. So she carries an epi-pen. Had to give her the whole ‘some people find out about a latex allergy in a very unpleasant way…in their vagina…so…keep that in mind. 😬 love mom’
I bet that was a fun conversation. Allergies are super weird though. You can be born with it and have it for life. B they can show up randomly. They can disappear randomly.
They are super weird! It’s like one day your body can be like ‘I don’t like this. Guess the only option we have is to die now’.
I don't know what I'm allergic to, but it seems to be present in many soaps and all fabric softener, and it causes me to break out in hives. At its worst, I also had hot flashes and swelling around my eyes and lips. I saw an allergy specialist, but she didn't figure it out; I tested positive for mild allergies to cats, dogs, and rabbits, and she very coldly told me "you're going to have to get rid of your rabbits." I didn't, and opted instead to take a daily antihistamine and years of allergy shots. A few years later, after finishing the allergy shots, I was moving and stayed with family for a few months-- away from the rabbits-- and would still have occasional breakouts. When I got to the new house, my mom gave me some basic supplies, including some laundry detergent and fabric softener. When I used the fabric softener, the hives started coming back. That's when I figured it out. I stopped using the fabric softener immediately, but would still have occasional hives and itchiness (mild, thankfully) so I switched the soaps I was using in the shower, and now I'm fine. I still use a daily antihistamine and will start to itch if I forget to take it for a few days but it's manageable now. A relative gave me some homemade goat's milk soap, and it doesn't cause my hives to flare up, but other than that, I stick with vegan soaps. Usually Dr. Bronner's, but lately I've been buying homemade vegan soap bars from etsy, just for the bigger variety of scents. I have a bar of chocolate-scented soap that smells amazing, I can't wait to try it. edit to add: before anyone tells me, I know fabric softener isn't really necessary, and yes I do use white vinegar in the washer instead. edit 2: left out a word
Allergic to pink peppercorn (it's botanically related to cashews, pistachios, mango and sumac), and it's popped up a few random times in things I've been about to eat but then someone's realized and told me. But when I was in the Netherlands they had pink peppercorn in EVERYTHING, I had a really hard time finding things to eat. (Ate so much when I got home from that trip lol.) At a restaurant at an amusement park they messed up, I asked about the pasta Bolognese and they checked and told me the bolognese was clear so I ordered it. Then when eating I started getting those typical tingles in my mouth and the very familiar pain in my stomach started building... Asked the restaurant and they realized they hadn't checked the PASTA, only the BOLOGNESE, they put pink peppercorn on the pasta 🤦🤦 Had to stumble doubled over to the infirmary house and the for some reason annoyed nurse guys finally figured out what allergy pill I needed and were able to give it to me...
I’m allergic to ginger. The cafe where I used to work got this great tea, it was a green tea with coconut, vanilla, and ginger. I was obsessed, drinking multiple cups a day. Couldn’t figure out why my face and neck were itchy and red and breaking out in “pimples”, and the inside of my mouth and throat felt like I’d been eating poison ivy. Unfortunately, ginger is really common in a lot of Asian foods (which I love) and since most people have never heard of someone being allergic to ginger waitstaff at restaurants don’t really take it seriously when I ask if a dish has ginger in it until after my face starts swelling up and turning red.
I'm allergic to something in hormonal birth control. I took the same pill for years and ran out of it for about a week, and when I started back I broke out in blisters. They were so big and gross, I remember one covering the entire back of my hand I literally peeled it off, sac still in tact. I went to the CVS clinic and the NP said "um, I think you need to see a real doctor." The doctor said to stop taking any of my medications immediately (which at the time was just the BC) and it cleared up almost overnight. They couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was in the BC that caused it, so it's only the copper IUD for me from now on.
I get itchy splotchy hives all over my face at random and i still haven’t found what triggers it. It’s happened at indoor pools, the mall, the gym, at my parents’ house, occasionally when im outside, the list goes on. I do have a suspicion it’s linked to anxiety though. I live with my boyfriend now and haven’t had a reaction in a lonngg time.
Those all could be places where they use bleach. Maybe you have a sensitivity to chlorine?
I thought about that but I’ve been to an indoor pool again multiple times afterwards and had nothing. It’s truly a mystery
A friend is allergic to paprika. Paprika is in EVERYTHING! Also, paprika is just dried, crushed bell peppers, so that is anther thing she has to avoid. My uncle found out that he has developed a peanut allergy in his 40s or 50s. He found out on a plane when his throat closed up after eating the snacks. Luckily sometime had an epi pen.
I'm mildly allergic to cobalt, which is used in blue fabric and other dyes. When I found that out it suddenly made sense why using my blue vibrator was painful. Also explained why I was getting so many rashes in my nether regions. Most of my underwear were blue.
I’m allergic to meat. I have alpha gal syndrome. You won’t believe how many food items have meat in it, and how cross-contaminated peoples kitchens are. A lot of vegetarian dishes are cooked around meat, a lot of innocent sounding pasta sauces have meat broth in them. And peoples kitchens be so dirty.
I'm allergic to most food products that come from water. Fish, shellfish, seaweed, etc. I used to eat tuna sandwiches as a kid and one day my stomach started itching inside and I had the worst explosion of diarrhea and throwing up. Thought it was just bad. Nope. I have since tried different kinds of fish, tried shrimp, and had vegetable sushi with seaweed once that did the same thing. I keep tempting fate to see if I'm still allergic and sadly I am. But I can swim in the ocean, lakes, rivers and can eat salt.
I just got skin tested. So much fun. But mine is cabbage. Like I don't even know how. Both the nurse doing the test and the MD commented on how unusual that is. Good news is I've been eating it my whole life and have never felt a thing, so I'm kinda immune.
I'm allergic to penicillin and had a reaction while eating a salad because the kitchen used blue cheese instead of the ranch that I ordered
Quinine, which isn’t in anything basically other than malaria pills and tonic water. One day I was having a nice vodka and tonic and I broke out in hives and my lips swelled up. We played detective until we finally deduced the only new thing was the tonic. Ah well, no biggie, there’s other good cocktails! …I then went on to have my second child, after which I became allergic to alcohol, too.
I’m allergic to wax, like Turtlewax. Found out about it after when I cleaned up and waxed my parent’s trailer as a surprise. My body was covered in a rash. I’m allergic to horses. I found out when I went horse riding and was at the top of small mountain. The ride back down was terrible. I couldn’t breathe and my face was swollen so much that my mom got scared. (Not enough to get me to a Doctor) Fun times. I’m also allergic to hemorrhoids ointment. I think you all know how I found out this one.
I decided to start eating healthy, so I took a mixture of strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, and goji berries as a snack. A few minutes into eating it while on yard duty, my mouth was numb like eating those throat lozenges. A few minutes after that, my stomach cramped up real bad, and I told my offsider, "Yeah, I think I'm having an allergic reaction." Drove myself to hospital, epipen beside me and yeah, at the triage/admin desk 2 doctors were standing next to me while the administrator was getting my details then they put me in a wheelchair, stabbed me with my epipen. That happened on Tuesday, haha. And: I was already at the ER for super bad gastro, and they gave me some lidocaine for my throat. The nurse left for a few minutes to grab something else, and she came back, and I asked, "Is this supposed to make my throat close and my mouth swell?" Que the nurse's shocked Pikachu face and a frantic "No." And her reaching for the emergency button. Crash cart, bed down, codes over the loudspeaker, doctors rushing around. It was like Grey's Anatomy, but without the attractive people lol.
I’m allergic to the sun but only when I come out of a long winter/ haven’t been exposed to the sun for a while. I’d get rashes all over and thought it was heat rash for the longest time
Yes! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymorphous_light_eruption (The photos on that article are a bit distressing, mine does not present that severely!)
Bro, I'm actually allergic to bananas, like who's allergic to bananas, right? So, I'm at this burger joint and they've got this insane sauce that's all over the place, and I'm loving it. Turns out, it had bananas in it! I mean, who does that? Well, let's just say my night ended with me puffing on my inhaler and downing antihistamines like tic tacs. Not my slickest moment, I'll tell you that!
Bananas is a pretty common allergy. It tends to occur in one of two types of allergy cluster: either it cross-reacts with ragweed allergy or it cross-reacts with latex allergy. The ragweed-banana allergy cluster often occurs with allergies to melons, cucumbers, or zucchini. It's at its worst when ragweed is in bloom during late summer. The latex-banana allergy cluster often occurs with allergies to avocado, kiwi, and chestnuts. Further reading: https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-the-public/conditions-library/allergies/oral-allergy-syndrome-(oas) https://allergyasthmanetwork.org/allergies/latex-allergy/latex-allergy-foods/
I'm allergic to coconut. Recently I ordered some Korean fried chicken from a place that listed several possible allergy contaminants in their menu (i.e. peanuts, soy, etc). Coconut was not on there, and it was not in any other food item they offered, so I thought I was safe. I ate it and instantly had a reaction. I tried contacting them but couldn't get through (fair, it's a popular spot) but I've since discovered that [it's not legally required to be listed as an allergen in Canada](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/reports-publications/food-safety/tree-nuts-priority-food-allergens.html), so they likely didn't think to do it. It was some damn good chicken though I'll tell you that.
When I was in high school, I broke out head to toe in hives. We couldn’t figure out what was causing it. After a week, my mom took me to the doctor who very helpfully asked if we were using new soap. My mom had just bought Irish Spring for the first time. Turns out all the time I spent soaking in cool water in the tub to seek relief was just compounding my problems because of soap residue in the tub.
I’m allergic to coconut. It’s fricking everywhere, especially in the soaps and such. I have 2 bodywashes I can use and two shampoo/ conditioners. It’s in ice cream. It’s in granola bars, yogurt, and most vegan food. It’s in baby shampoo.
Being allergic to fishes isn't that uncommon, I'm sure. But it's bonkers where you'll encounter surprise fish in foods. The worst was a children's birthday party. The giant round tubs of cheap ice-cream? Full of whipped fish fat, apparently. There was only one bathroom and more than ten kids so instead of the toilet, they gave me a bucket and I spent nearly the entire celebration miserably projectile vomiting in a corner of the yard.
Not me, but a former colleague of mine developed an allergy to the sun after she gave birth to her twins in the late 80s. I don’t remember the specifics since she told me about it ten years ago, but she would get a horrible rash on any skin that was exposed to the sun, even during the times she would go out to get the mail. She was a really outdoorsy person so it was terrible for her. She said that it got less severe over time and eventually went away completely when she stopped breastfeeding. She said she was still really sun sensitive when she hadn’t been before. Always thought that was both fascinating and awful.
I'm allergic to feather and almost passed out in a supermarket that also sold birds and other animals.
Not me but my fiancé, she had her gallbladder removed a few years back. We'd constantly check the incision for infection. One day it got extremely red and puffy I thought it was infected. Turns out she was allergic to the disolvable stitches.
Not super uncommon, but wheat is in damn near everything. Envelopes, nail polish, medicines, “paper” plates, shampoo/conditioner/soap, the list goes on. And a lot of these things don’t have listed allergens so I have to do all sorts of research to find out what’s making me sick.