What unusual allergies have you heard of?

[Soubriquet]

I mean most people know about things like peanut allergies but what else do you know is an allergen?

Someone I know (on here btw so hi if she sees this) her ds is allergic to tomatoes

I’ve never heard of a tomato allergy before so that was interesting

@canigooutyet

Fish poisoning is one of the worst food poisonings I've ever had the displeasure of having. Absolute horrific. Had it twice once as a child from the chippy, and as an adult at a party. Second time put me off fish for life after I was hospitalised.

and scombroid fish poisoning specifically is a very peculiar thing, as you get allergy symptoms. Flushed face, swelling, hives, dizziness, tachycardia - I actually passed out as my blood pressure was so low. Some sources believe it's very often misdiagnosed as allergy.

@playthegame

I know I am allergic to something, just not sure what. I'm in a job where I have to visit people at home. Most houses are fine, but in some my nose and eyes start streaming and I get horrendous coughing fits 😞

if there isn't anything obvious like pets then I'd bet on mold.

We have just discovered DS is allergic to coconut.

I'm allergic to SSRI type antidepressants, cats, shellfish (molluscs and crustaceans), a fair few metals (chrome, copper, tin etc) and although not specifically an allergy, I react badly to fish and eggs.

I come from a family with oral allergy syndrome and specific allergies to animals

I worked with people who became allergic to antihistamines and opiates.

I guess it's more of an intolerance than an allergy but my daughter is intolerant to high fructose corn syrup. Rules out a lot of deserts / sweets & biscuits. Especially American ones!

I did one of those allergy test where you send some of your hair away to be tested. Amongst a number of other random things, it stated I was allergic to eel

My sil is allergic to exercise!
It's actually only a partial joke, if she eats gluten and then gets warm/heart rate goes up she has an allergic reaction to the point she has needed adrenalin. Took ages to figure out and she was laughed at when she said she only came out in hives after eating and then walking. Finally a specialist diagnosed her with 'effort induced anyphylaxis'. Who knew??

My son is allergic to cold

I have severe oral allergy to fruits. It only developed at the age of 35!

I’m getting to grips now with diet and carrying epi pens. It’s bizarre!

@CMOTDibbler I’m also severely allergic to guinea pigs (not any other animals though..) and tomato plants (though not actual tomatoes..) Potatoes cause my hands to itch SO badly if I touch a raw one without skin.

I think tomatoes is a fairly common one - am I right in thinking they’re part of the nightshade family? Me and my brother both had pretty bad eczema as kids and it was something we had to cut out to try solve it.

@ShowOfHands

I'm allergic to NHS dressings too and reacted badly to everything they tried post CS. I had a horrible reaction to micropore last year. My tattooist ran out of their usual dressings and Covid had held up delivery so she used micropore and a different film for 24hrs. I was in such pain after an hour, I removed it and my skin was swollen, broken and bleeding, with welts. The tattoo was fine. The skin around it was agony. I've tried wearing a small piece since out of interest and the same thing happened. My Mum has confirmed that I had the same reaction as a toddler and she'd never used it again.

Yes that was what happened to me when I had a skin cancer removed. Usual 'oh you won't be allergic to modern ones' but oh yes, weeping weals and such pain for days. First happened when I was 8 and had an operation and they ended up using sellotape to secure my dressings. Each op since has been tricky and medics never ever believe me. DD is the same but allergic to almost everything including hospital bedding. We always take her own in with us but her air filter

@chocolateisavegetable

Family member has aquagenic urticaria - basically an allergy to water (not just tap water like Hazel - but it's "only" an allergy to water on the skin, so is able to drink water).

That must be what I have then

I wished I had a wine or chocolate allergy ; I might lose a bit of timber if I did.
Cats etc I can avoid easily.

I have an awful reaction to cheap paper or print. I thought it was print as I couldn't read a newspaper without my eyes and nose streaming nd coughing my guts up, nor could I thumb through piles of exercise books (awkward, as a teacher) but when we moved house a few years ago, after handling several dozen cardboard cartons, over the space of a few days, I was a right state - looked like I'd been in a fight (and ended up with opportunistic cold sores all over the place) . Cheap paper stuffing in packaging also sets me off.

I used to get bad hives after a shower or bath, in my late teens. Still look like salami if I wear non-breathable fabric next to my skin.

Also go through phases of ple. It's not so bad in years like last year when there was lots of early sunshine so I could build my tolerance for the year before the sun became too intense for my pale skin. A wet spring guarantees a summer glued to the shade or else trying not to gouge the skin off my arms.

@BaggoMcoys Do you ever find that your oral allergy syndrome comes and goes with raw fruits in particular? Last summer I had reactions to all sorts of fruits (washed) mostly stone fruits, but the worst was fig. And, as you've also mentioned, it was just raw fruits, cooked were fine. I went as far as having a blood test to try and get to the bottom of it, but the GP couldn't find the right code to communicate with the lab (or so he said! Sounds odd to me) and they ended up testing for cereals instead, which I know I am not allergic to! Anyway, things went a bit haywire with family crises, and I didn't pursue it further, just avoiding the fruits that caused a reaction.
Fast forward to perhaps January this year, and I absentmindedly ate some nectarine in a fruit salad, and was fine. So I've tried some of e other fruits that caused a reaction, and I seem to now have no reaction at all. Baffled.

@playthegame

I know I am allergic to something, just not sure what. I'm in a job where I have to visit people at home. Most houses are fine, but in some my nose and eyes start streaming and I get horrendous coughing fits 😞

Those plug in air fresheners do that to me.

Not sure if its an allergy, but very intolerant to garlic( which i used to love) after one bite my stomach cramps, i throw up and get horribly dizzy and shaky. Its a nightmare eating out because they put it in everything !!
Very allergic to tree pollen and dust
Come out in huge hives in daylight.

I’m anaphylactic to Quorn and mycoprotein.

Genuinely some veggie going “what I didn’t tell you about this chilli is....” could kill me

I have many allergies. Any semi permanent or permanent hair dye (even the ones that are supposed to be so gentle that cancer patients can use them) wheat, dairy, green peppers and the latest one which I think is hylaurinic acid which I am still getting over.
Always affects my skin with rashes and swellings and something that resembles crusty and wet cradle cap.
I cannot digest meat either. Ds has been brought up vegetarian and was once given meat ravioli and school instead of the vegetarian version. He projectile vomited over his classmates and couldn’t stop. My friend who worked as a TA said it was an impressive reconstruction of the Exorcist

My friend had some pickled mushrooms and had a really bad reaction to one. She ended up in hospital. She had never had this before with any other mushrooms. She could have died! It was lucky that her family were home and got her an ambulance and help straight away.
It is scary how one thing could ( potentially) kill you. It's a sobering thought.
She hasn't eaten mushrooms since.
Scary really.

Oral Mite Anaphylaxis / Pancake Syndrome
NSAIDS
Sulphites
ECG Sticker Pads
Dressings

The one single thing I am allergic to is okra conditioner from Lush. It made my eyes itch and my throat starting closing up. Not allergic to a single other thing.

To me that is weird.

Oil seed rape. It makes me wheezy in an intercity train with sealed windows whizzing past at high speed. I had one of my worst asthma attacks trying to walk through a field of it (circular walk, last half mile, I really wanted to get back to the car).

My youngest has fructose malabsorption which means that lots of fruits give him really bad stomach pains. If he ate an apple he'd be up half the night crying in pain. He also can't tolerate artificial sweeteners.
Pretty much every year he has an argument with his teacher when they are discussing healthy eating and he's saying fruits are bad for you!

14yo DS is allergic to raw potatoes (among other things, also carries an epi-pen). That gets him out of peeling spuds for ever.