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Original poster

What unusual allergies have you heard of?

384 replies

Soubriquet · 02/03/2021 09:12

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

OP posts:
Megan2018 · 02/03/2021 22:48

Oh and my horse is allergic to penicillin and my cat is allergic to spot on flea treatments etc.

justilou1 · 02/03/2021 22:49

@cornishmylovely - if zinc supplements make you vomit, it’s because you don’t need supplementation. Your body can only handle minute traces of it - it’s a heavy metal - and it reacts as though it’s being poisoned, hence the barfing. I can’t take them either. I’m violently ill writhing 10-20mins.

PastaAndPizzaPlease · 02/03/2021 23:00

I’m also allergic to antihistamines 😂 I can only take one type and if I ever develop a tolerance I’m screwed as I have really bad hay fever. I take them sparingly and use eye drops/nose spray/inhaler instead

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PastaAndPizzaPlease · 02/03/2021 23:06

In answer to the poster who asked what happened an allergic to antihistamines person takes antihistamines, I basically end up unconscious. It’s like drowsy times a million. Lasts 4 hours or so and I really genuinely can’t wake up properly, it’s an incredibly deep sleep and if I do rouse enough to talk I make no sense.

TrevorWithTheWeather · 02/03/2021 23:08

DS is allergic to cinnamon. Had an awful reaction, swollen face and eyes, which needed two courses of steroids from the GP to fully clear. We narrowed it down to cinnamon in a purée pouch that my mum had given him, so we've steered clear since!

RoomAtTheEndOfTheWorld · 02/03/2021 23:18

Elephants Confused

Thelnebriati · 02/03/2021 23:23

@Figgyboa

Tomatoes isn't an uncommon allergy. I know a few ppl allergic to them. I'm allergic to white fish
Thats worrying, DS was violently ill after eating white fish last year and hasn't dare touch it since. We all ate the same thing and everyone else was fine. I hadn't considered an allergic reaction. He's allergic to a few other things including penicillin but they all cause a rash.
Thelnebriati · 02/03/2021 23:25

I'm allergic to unspayed female cats. They make me sneeze and my face feels like its covered with their hairs. I'm fine with spayed ones and males.

wonderstuff · 02/03/2021 23:30

My dad died of anaphylaxis and we never found out what he reacted to, coroner ran tests but couldn't identify it. He was fine until he was 64, it's really strange that they can just develop.

LondonStone · 03/03/2021 01:06

@AgentCooperDreamsofTibet That’s really interesting as I have something similar! I’ve been around dogs my whole life; I had dogs as a child and teenager, many of my friends and family have/had various types of dog, my ex had a Dalmatian who I adored but when I met DH’s Labrador I had an instant reaction.

It didn’t even cross my mind to be wary as I love dogs and would always give the friendly ones a stroke (with permission, of course) in the park or pub or whatever but now I’m more cautious!

InTheShadowOfTheMushroomCloud · 03/03/2021 01:24

Macdonald's......I can count on one hand how many I have eaten in my lifetime and the last one made me very ill. Classic anaphylactic response. Spoke to GP and even though I am known to have general allergies ( was patch tested in hospital ) he won't prescribe me an adrenaline auto injector.

I just avoid Macdonald's

InTheShadowOfTheMushroomCloud · 03/03/2021 01:25

And....I am allergic to the gas propellant in inhalers.....which defeats the object.

VimFuego101 · 03/03/2021 01:29

There are enough lettuce allergic kids at DS' school that they have a dedicated table for them in the lunch room. Also so many nut-allergic kids, at least 8 in his class. It always surprises me how common nut allergies have become, I don't remember anyone in my school suffering from it.

Ellbell24 · 03/03/2021 01:52

I am allergic to kiwi (not sure if that's uncommon or not) but it's quite a severe allergy! And also mango??

EBearhug · 03/03/2021 02:19

I grew up with hay-fever, but nothing else - till I went to uni and came back in the holiday yo discover that 3 months absence from cats meant I was now allergic. Horses, too.

Then I went travelling, and away from civilisation, had no bread for several weeks. First bread I ate, massive itchy hives all over. Also had to avoid Marmite, alcohol and mushrooms, but eventually brought them all back in, slowly. Don't eat much bread now, though, and didn't drink anyway.

I now find I am more likely to react to more things. Still get hay-fever, and I'm more likely to react to other things when it's the season. Things I have reacted to - mostly itchy mouth, but no swelling - most stoned fruit (very sad about cherries,) apples, tomatoes, nuts, especially fresh hazels (not that I've ever had any other nut straight from the tree to know.) It doesn't always happen, and it's only when raw - cooked is fine. I've never actually been tested for any allergies, though. I don't want to develop a full-blown allergy to any of them.

WhipperSnapperSteve · 03/03/2021 02:22

DD is allergic to sand!

AlfonsoTheTerrible · 03/03/2021 08:57

Allergies to sand and eels are new ones to me.

listsandbudgets · 03/03/2021 09:06

both dd and ds get swollen lipsand hives if they eat prawn cocktail crisps. Nothing else seems to cause an issue.

Took a while to work out what was causing it and I'm still not clear why!

At least they are a relatively easy thing to avoid

Sooverthemill · 03/03/2021 09:07

It's interesting that many of these are not at all rare, kiwi and latex for example are well known ( and shit, don't get me wrong). Oral allergy syndrome is indeed linked to hay fever and allergies to tree pollens so if you are allergic to cherry pollen you are likely to get a reaction if you eat cherries or any related fruit RAW.

I am allergic to so many things it's not worth listing but I am also allergic to penicillin which always always gets questioned by medics and every single time I tell them what I remember happening ( I was eight) and every single time they then say 'oh okay then no penicillin'. Bloody annoying. I think DD has MCAS because she has severe reactions to so many random things. Another thing to investigate. But we are just incredibly careful and read the back of everything. All people who come to the house have to be perfume free for 24 hours first ( tricky in a medical emergency) . She nearly died when we had a hospital bed delivered to our house for her and she had a reaction to the preservative used on the wood. All metal ones are tricky because of the mattresses. Life is a total nightmare really

Sooverthemill · 03/03/2021 09:07

@listsandbudgets

both dd and ds get swollen lipsand hives if they eat prawn cocktail crisps. Nothing else seems to cause an issue.

Took a while to work out what was causing it and I'm still not clear why!

At least they are a relatively easy thing to avoid

Paprika crisps here. I'm not sure we were built for modern life
listsandbudgets · 03/03/2021 09:11

@justiou1 I was violently sick the one time I tried a zinc supplement and now I know why. Thank you.

Ihaventgottimeforthis · 03/03/2021 09:13

I once knew someone who had a horse that was allergic to grass, poor thing.

blissfulllife · 03/03/2021 09:19

The dye on clothes. That's a tricky one

listsandbudgets · 03/03/2021 09:19

I have an allergy to a particular anaesthetic. My grandmother nearly died on the operating table and luckily my mother remembered this before I needed surgery in the late 1980s so they did a test and went for a different one. Now I have to declare it everything I'm asked about allergies and most people don't even know what it is.

Luckily its not much used now

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 03/03/2021 09:58

Blissfulllife, I’m allergic to indigo dye ( in jeans) and my friend is also allergic to several dyes. I’m a textile teacher, there’s some really heavy duty chemical used in dye.

I once had a student do some tie dye, and she was being silly and kept shoving her hands in the dye. ( we usually make them wear gloves, but she hadn’t put hers on) both her hands puffed up.

That was fun.