Anyone suddenly developed a food allergy?

[LargeGlassofRed]

So Thursday night Dp at work so treated myself to a thai fish curry I could just put in the Oven, about 30 mins after eating it, I started coughing and wheezing, I took an antihismanine as I though maybe it was hayfever which I get on occasion.
After after another half hour was really strggling and wheezing and coughing constantly, couldn't get through to Dp, so rang Nhs direct who wanted to send an ambulance! Was finding it really difficult to talk my thus stage.
Anyway knew I couldn't go in an ambulance as twin toddlers asleep upstairs, managed to text my inlaws fir babysitting and lift to hospital,

Got to hospital and sat in the waiting room for 40 mins before I was seen, by this time felt I was in the verge of passing out, my heart racing and coughing constantly. Went through to the triarge nurse would took me straight to resus ? (sp) then spent 4 hours there having loads of tests and drugs before going to the ward.
I've never had s reaction to food before, one of their main concerns was my heart rate which was 180 and my breathing. They also took an xray of my chest which the doctor said looked like an xray of an elderly lady and showed lots of scaring, I have to go back to see some one about this.
So now I'm on strong antihismanines and s short course if steroids, but really worried about it happening again.

Was it prawns? Apparently those who are 'atopic' so asthma/excema/ hayfever etc are more prone to develop further allergies and prawns is the common one for people over the age of 30. (I don't know how old you are obv)

Hope your feeling better. That sounds scary.

Yes helium, prawns and White fish, I'm 36 but I've eaten prawns regularly all my life, had asthma as a child and I'm allergic to animal fur but have never had any problems with food.

Was very scary at the time, but feel alot better now, just worn out.

Well the info I posted above comes from an allergist at Southampton hospital (a very good unit) o there may be something in it? I would ask for referral to allergist/ testing to prawns and then other fish if necessary.

Scary - yes. Annoying -yes. But if you know what to avoid you just get the annoying without the scary iyswim?

Thanks helium, I was going to try a prawn next week to see what happens, I'll make sure dp home this time though. My daughter had s very severe reaction to nuts a few years ago and couldn't get s referral for her, so don't hold out much hope for me,

Goodness, thats awful that you can't get a referral. I would go to GP and say you need one for you and DD.

Thankyou BB I was really wanting to say don't try a prawn too. But my experience isn't food allergies.

My friend suddenly developed severe reactions to rocket about 2 years ago aged 40. If she accidentally eats some in a salad her tongue and lips tingle and swell. In typical phlegmatic style she just checks her salad for rocket before eating it, hasn't been to the doctor or anything despite advice to go, so can't say whether it's an allergy proper.

So I'd say yes, it does seem possible. Could have been any one of a large number of ingredients though in a fish curry. You may have to do some serious detective work.

You can develop an allergy at any time in your life.

In fact some allergies develop as regular contact can actually sensitize you to it (latex is the one I am thinking of here which is a contact allergy so slightly different)

LargeglassofRed, sound like you have had a very scary experience. Please do be careful.

If anything like this happens again, I recommend allowing the ambulance to come - even if you have sleeping toddlers upstairs. Maybe get the inlaws to come straight over and look after the children - but then hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Hope you're okay...

I had a reaction to prawns after having ds (have always been fine previously). My throat started to swell and felt itchy, and my chest tightened. I was fine once i had had a puff on my dds ventolin and taken some Piriton. it was scary though, and I would definitely not go near prawns again (please don't try one at home!)

Thanks for all the replys, I've made a doctors appointment for next week to see what he says, I'm still on antihismanines and steroids which finish tomorrow, but still don't feel 100%. but maybe that's down to the chest scaring?

Yes - I became severely nut allergic at age 24. Had eaten copious amounts of all nuts throughout my life with no problems whatsoever. Now have to carry an epipen and have a medicalert bracelet. Oh how I miss peanut butter on toast, walnut whip, marzipan, pecan pie, walnut and maple syrup ice cream, baclava.... [csad]. Could have been worse - could have been chocolate or whisky!
If you are in London and have private insurance (NHS waiting list is forever and a day) I can recommend my allergist Prof Jonathan Brostoff. He's based in Hampstead/Swiss Cottage and is fab.