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

I’m allergic to ‘visible light’ apparently, it started a couple of years ago. It’s the most bullshit diagnosis I’ve ever received and extra depressing because the sun is my best thing in life. Lucky to live in the UK really where I only have to stay indoors between 10am and 3pm.

@Soubriquet

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

Real ones sadly.

@ShowOfHands

I'm allergic to dull, overcast days. Seriously! If I go for a walk, or do any mild exercise when it's around 10 degrees and cloudy, I come out in terrible hives. It's happening right now. My thighs are agony and covered in welts. I have no clue what is actually going on but it is some kind of temperature related urticaria and I've always had it. Teen DD has exactly the same issue. It's wherever my clothes brush my skin.

My FIL has never had an allergy in his life and aged 55 developed full on anaphylaxis to all shellfish. It had been his favourite food for 50 years and he went from no issue whatsoever to a life threatening reaction overnight.

I have that too but for me it’s if it’s chilly out. Not really cold, but a bit chilly and when I get back inside to warmer temperatures I get the most awful hives on my legs and bum.

I also get hives on my arms and chest from slight knocks and scratches, it can be quite a cool party trick as it means I can draw and write on my skin.

I've had tree pollen hay fever for ages, probably had it mildly as a child but it got bad when I was in my 30s. But it's only in the last four years that I realised that I have oral allergy syndrome when the birch pollen is around, so far to hazelnuts and strawberries. I guess I just hadn't eaten either strawberries or hazelnuts during birch pollen season up until then. My tongue swells up, not dangerously so but it's a bit uncomfortable and I get the pie-crust effect around the edge of my tongue where it presses against my teeth.

I've never heard of someone having a reaction to anti-histamine, how incredibly awkward. How are allergic reactions treated if you can't use anti-histamine?

It’s the sap in Christmas trees that causes the allergies.

My niece when little (she was about 4) had allergy to mosquitos, every bite was bright red and swollen.
She cant have any vinegar in her meals as thats upset her tummy.

I have a sun allergy, not sure how thats called professionally, my skin when exposed for a bit longer (1 hour) even with high SPF is getting blotchy, itchy and red.

I heard of someone being allergick to all preservative in food, so they couldnt have any ready meal, or those meals kits to cook from scratch, or oxo cubes ect

[quote Idiotathome79]@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 , [/quote]
It's probably sensitivity to the enzyme bromelain, which is active in fresh pineapple. Not necessarily an allergy, but a reaction to the damage caused by it.
It will be denatured in cooked pineapple (canned - which is heated), and no longer active.

Paracetamol, ibuprofen and red wine are my worst ones.
Discovered this week an intolerance to paprika after eating a whole bag of chorizo-flavoured crisps...

2 of my friends are allergic to cumin.

Oral allergy syndrome here too - massive pain. Main triggers are fresh fruit (some cooked too), nuts, seeds, some vegetables (aubergines in particular). Loads of cleaning products. Tree pollen (birch and plane). I get reactions from wine too sadly!

Someone I know has a child who is allergic to dog saliva.

I have lots of allergies, mostly the typical ones, I’m allergic to all nuts and peanuts, cat dander, pollen, grass and trees, I can’t go near lavender or anything that has it as an ingredient, I get severe hives, wisteria also causes a bad reaction and any product with rosehip oil.
I’m allergic to vinegar and I can’t eat bovril or marmite without breaking out into a rash. Sometimes I just have random reactions and swell up and I’ve no idea why, I can’t go anywhere without my epi pens or antihistamines!

I had a severe anaphylactic reaction to Sunny Delight about 20 years ago (first and only time trying it). Lips, tongue. throat started to swell and I spent a week covered in itchy hives! I was tested at an allergy clinic, but never did find out what the specific allergen was - some obscure E number, I guess 🤷‍♀️ It hasn't happened since.

Tomato, celery, kiwi, antihistamine tablet, anti inflammatories, cold air, bananas, nickel, gold, red meat, various additives in food , cosmetics and cleaning products, saccharine

And one that everyone thinks is bollocks - exercise. Didn't even know it was a thing until I mentioned something to my gp one day and tests were ordered for allergy and exercise stress test. Explaining the epipen for that one is always interesting

Raw egg and some cooked foods depending on the egg ratio. That one offended people for years as unless I know the exact ingredients in baked goods, pancakes etc I won't risk it.

I react badly to mosquito bites, and any other bugs. Also sneeze or get a runny nose with temperature changes. Notably, often when eating hot food.

DS used to get a rash on his torso the first days of going to the beach. Never quite got the reason for it. It could have been a mixture of sun block, sea water, heat and sun.
I ended up prepping him with antihistamines prior to the beach, plus putting on a t-shirt the whole time, and use sun cream only on exposed skin.
He seems to have grown out of it as he got older.

I'm severely allergic to latex. I wasn't until I was in my mid 20s, I developed it after years of wearing latex gloves.

I can't touch the stuff without breaking into a rash, my hands swelling up, and struggling to breathe. I think that type of allergy is pretty common though.

I've remembered one. When I lived on the Isle of Dogs there was a tree pollen that made my ear canals swell shut. I never worked out which tree it was, but there were definitely some beside Asda. I remember walking there when my DS was in a pushchair and there was a big gust of wind and my ear canals swelled shut so rapidly that they made a crunching sound. I got itchy ears in the spring time both before moving there and after moving away but that's the only place that the ear canals swelled completely shut.

You can be allergic to anything. Some obviously more common than others particularly in children but can suddenly affect adults in later life.

Pineapple and kiwi for me - my throat closes up.
Light makes me sneeze - if I walk from a dark room into a light room/outside, I always sneeze.

@canigooutyet

You actually need an epipen for exercise allergy?

Jeez, that must be perfect for people who hate exercise

Pain the arse otherwise though

I also have a severe latex allergy my kids couldn't have balloons in the house I had to bin party bags when they were small because even taking the balloons out there is always residue that affected me. Im a highly allergic person

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.

You can be allergic to literally anything.

But some things are more common as allergens than others

My main issues are medicine allergies/reactions - nsaids, codeine, penicillin if taken orally (immediately vomit and red swollen lips), several anti depressants, some ointments... I have a theory as to why as this all started after an accident plus another mner years ago pointed me in the direction of a possible cause which is fairly rare and relates to my genetic makeup, as I have the opposite issue with anaesthetics - very little effect on me at all! Which is a problem in itself, they wear off VERY quickly - even during GA!

I'm allergic to numerous scented stuff especially if worn next to my skin

Hay fever too which is a bugger

Lots of vapes set my asthma off

I believe I have an intolerance for red meat, something nobody seems to have done any studies on, I became veggie at 16 and lifelong issues suddenly much improved (mainly stomach but also eczema). Labelling wasn't as careful back then and I had a few incidents where I unwittingly ate red meat or red meat products and I was VERY ill (mainly upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhoea, cramps but also some hives the last time) so I am super careful to avoid such products now

I have a relatively mild latex allergy too which I have to weigh against my allergy to dishwashing liquid (which is worse, so wearing gloves is better) when I take the gloves off hands are red and itchy for a few hours after

I have friends/relatives who are allergic to:

Fish
Shellfish
Dairy
Eggs
Strawberries
Wool//lanolin
Latex
Hair dye (horrific reaction)
Various make up ingredients

All fairly common allergies

But also:
Blackberries
Tomatoes
Olives
Grapes/raisins etc
Chocolate - that one is very hard to avoid surprisingly chocolate or cocoa powder etc are in SO many things and not just sweet foods
Leather/suede
Cotton - that's a difficult one as cotton is very commonly used in clothing of course and often even described as hypoallergenic

@Soubriquet my heat allergy means I'm allergic to exercise too by default
If anyone thinks they have it, it's known as cholinergic urticaria

I'm allergic to cider. It's actually the sulphites, some wine has the same effect. Throat swells, eyes and nose stream and it brings on an asthma attack.

Am allergic to lots of things though. Leaf mould spores, dog hair, lots of different flower pollen amongst others.