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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:
EBearhug · 02/03/2021 10:45

Talking of DEET, I reacted quite well to that, angry red welts all up my legs and arms. Still better than malaria or dengue, though.

SoftParade · 02/03/2021 10:47

Many years ago I heard about sperm allergy during an fertility consultation (seminal plasma hypersensitivity). Had never heard about it before ... must be awful! Allergic reactions are so varied, and many so serious!!

LMW1990 · 02/03/2021 10:47

I'm allergic to chocolate and apples. I used to be allergic to raw tomatoes too but grew out of this some years ago. I also suspect I have a mild allergy to celery as it makes my lips and tongue sort of numb. I was under investigation for oral allergy syndrome about 10 years ago but never really got anywhere. I had to travel quite a distance to be seen as my GP insisted that my local Trust did not 'do' allergy testing. It was a battle to get the testing done.

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fairydustandpixies · 02/03/2021 10:47

Bananas.

VikingsandDragons · 02/03/2021 10:48

*I know a doctor who is allergic to an antihistamine tablet. Fully diagnosed by an NHS allergy clinic.

She finds it mortifying and freely admits that if she had heard it from a patient she would think they were making it up.*

I'm allergic to antihistamines, as is one of my colleagues (which in a team of less than 20 is crazy odds as it is a really rare one!)

LadyCounterblast · 02/03/2021 10:50

Dog saliva.

Friends of ours went through a palaver to get a hypoallergenic dog (for their purposes, not mine).

One lick from it and my face puffed up and I went all blotchy and had difficulty breathing.

Sooverthemill · 02/03/2021 10:51

@BaggoMcoys

I have oral allergy syndrome quite badly, that's a reaction to raw fruits, veg and nuts. It's usually mild but mine is quite severe. Fine if things are cooked though.
So do I and my DD has it worse than me. Do you carry an epi pen? DDs nurse thinks she should as she's had a few terrible but not quite anaphylaxis episodes where we have no idea what it was. Mine is getting worse incidentally. I always thought everyone had itchy teeth and gums after eating apples and bananas but now I'm discovering I'm allergic to loads of legumes eg sugar snap peas
Idiotathome79 · 02/03/2021 10:51

@RhubarbAndRoses me too I get really bad reaction from fresh pineapple , weirdly not so bad from canned ! I only discovered this when I was told fresh pineapple induce labour , my lips and tongue swelled and bled ,

Sooverthemill · 02/03/2021 10:52

I'm also allergic to every single NHS stick on dressing I've ever had put on me, no one ever believes me though so I always have to suffer as they say 'oh I've never seen that before'

Sooverthemill · 02/03/2021 10:53

@IWantMyHoney

My ds has a mild but amusing allergy to mint. If he brushes his teeth, he sneezes, eats a mint, chews a mint flavoured chewing gum, he sneezes. Just one or two sneezes then he's fine. No rash or swelling.
Ooh me too! All peppermint things but mint tea is fine ( my family think it's hilarious)
Original poster
Soubriquet · 02/03/2021 10:54

Wow.

Lots of different allergies

Weird to think how different things affect different people

I’m allergic to Elastoplast. I get a nice rash when it touches me

Dh is allergic to cats, horses and some breed of dogs. It either gives him a rash, hives, sets of his asthma mildly or worse case scenario, sets his asthma off really bad.

Dd is also allergic to cats, though she appears to be growing out of her asthma so hoping that the cat allergy goes with it.

Ds when he was born had cows milk protein allergy which I was amazed by. I mean babies being allergic to milk?!
Luckily he has outgrown this.

OP posts:
ShakeaHettyFeather · 02/03/2021 10:54

My ex was allergic to nonoxynol-9 - the stuff they put on condoms to reduce HIV transmission.

outingallergy · 02/03/2021 10:55

I talk about this a lot so have NC, but I am also allergic to legumes (so peas, lentils, chickpeas, peanuts) as well as nuts. It blows people's minds that I could never go vegan or vegetarian because so many of the substitutes are in the legume family!

butterfly990 · 02/03/2021 10:55

My little girl as a toddler would tell people she was allergic to chestnuts. She isn't but wanted to be special.

Clevererthanyou · 02/03/2021 10:56

My niece is allergic to tomato ketchup of all things but not fresh tomatoes! Her mouth swells up and her face gets covered in a rash.

EL8888 · 02/03/2021 10:58

Carbonated drinks which afflicted an old course mate of mine

Stone fruit for me e.g. peaches, nectarines, avocados

I didn’t think kiwi fruit allergy was that unusual?

Sooverthemill · 02/03/2021 10:58

Also though I don't think it's particularly unusual I am allergic to water so showering or having a bath or washing hair or washing up I get a rash. It's not the soap it's the water. Doesn't matter where I am in the world. It's a bit shit

HalfShrunkMoreToGo · 02/03/2021 10:59

I'm allergic to calamine lotion, we discovered it when I was a kid and got doused in it for chicken pox. It didn't help 😂

I'm also allergic to PPDs in hair dye.

QuitMoaning · 02/03/2021 10:59

I am mildly allergic to something in washing up liquid, toothpaste and shampoo amongst others. It just makes me sneeze a lot which is fine, but those three items in particular are the worst as they are near my nose for a prolonged time (or leaning over it).
Not severe enough to get out of washing up though.

Sunnyday321 · 02/03/2021 11:02

My mum is allergic to Branston pickle. Makes her eyes, lips and chin swell up.

Original poster
Soubriquet · 02/03/2021 11:02

So I think the most unusual so far are:-

Heat
Cold
Sunlight
Semen
Antihistamine
and christmas trees!

Is that real or artificial trees that set your poor dd off @bloodywhitecat

OP posts:
PattyPan · 02/03/2021 11:04

A family member is allergic to a preservative called potassium sorbate (E202) which is in so many different things

Autumn101 · 02/03/2021 11:06

I’m allergic to bananas, can’t even touch one or I get a horrid red scaly rash. If I eat then I go delirious and throw up!

My DS is allergic to an anti-histamine too - went to the doctor for bad hay fever and he then started developing hives, they upped the dose and hives got worse. Ended up in A and E and we eventually realised it was the drugs! It’s not a particularly common one

Babdoc · 02/03/2021 11:07

Many years ago when I was a junior anaesthetist, I had a patient who claimed to be allergic to water.
My consultant dismissed it as impossible. We intubated the patient, and he soaked a throat pack in tap water to soften it, wrung it out and inserted it down her throat.
On extubation, the patient developed horrific allergic airway swelling, requiring emergency re-intubation.
My chagrined consultant decided she must have had a genuine allergy to something in tap water - probably chlorine!

DimOndCadwAnadlu · 02/03/2021 11:08

Polystyrene - they can't go near the stuff without a substantial allergic reaction.

Home deliveries are a nightmare in lockdown because no one can remove it for them!