Can anyone work out what I'm reacting to?

[BoudicanDestruction]

3 times in the last 4 days I've had reaction to something I'm eating. I get a runny nose, tingling from the tip of my nose, down to my chin, a tingling tongue, itching round my eyes and if I take an antihistamine, it goes away.

I can't work out what it is. If I list what I've eaten and reacted to, can anyone help?

Warburton's tiger bread with utterly butterly margarine

Asda frozen meatballs with Asda Bolognese sauce and cheese

and today I've just eaten Tesco sushi which is gluten free and a few of those coconut Mrs Crimbles gluten free biscuits.

I have coffee with milk in every morning which doesn't cause a reaction.

I first thought possibly gluten/wheat but what I have eaten today are specifically gluten free products.

Are you sure it's not hayfever?

I don't think so because it's straight after eating and at no other times, with itching around and in my mouth

Change in washing up liquid with residue on the plate or cup?

Cleaning product used to clean down the fridge or worktop?

It could be Histamine Intolerance, which is where you react once histamine has built up to a certain level, rather than reacting to specific foods

I am allergic to sulphites. A lot of processed meat products contain sulphites. Also some fruit squash drinks. Can no longer take paracetamol tablets as the coating contains an E number that is a sulphite. They cause my nose to go into overdrive.

I've never heard of this. Thanks I'll look it up

Interesting 🤔
It certainly could be, thank you

I second soya. It's in a huge number of products. One of my dcs is sensitive to it. She can cope to some extent but will begin to react if she has too much (we always notice if she has too much bread because most brands have soya in).

@BoudicanDestruction

Given the symptoms you described, it's possible that you have developed a food allergy or sensitivity to one or more ingredients commonly found in the foods you listed. Let's examine each item you mentioned:

1. Warburton's tiger bread with utterly butterly margarine: While bread and margarine are generally not common allergens, it's possible that you could be reacting to specific ingredients in either the bread or the margarine, such as preservatives, additives, or even a gluten sensitivity if the bread contains wheat.
2. Asda frozen meatballs with Asda Bolognese sauce and cheese: Allergic reactions to meatballs could be due to various ingredients, including meat itself, additives, or spices. Similarly, the Bolognese sauce may contain allergens like tomatoes, onions, garlic, or herbs. Cheese is also a common allergen for some individuals, particularly if they are sensitive to dairy products.
3. Tesco sushi and Mrs Crimbles gluten-free biscuits: Despite being labeled as gluten-free, it's important to note that gluten-free products can still contain other allergens. For example, sushi may contain seafood (such as fish or shellfish), soy, or sesame seeds, which are common allergens. Additionally, the coconut biscuits could contain coconut or other ingredients that may trigger allergic reactions.

Since you mentioned that you consume coffee with milk every morning without experiencing a reaction, it's less likely that dairy is the culprit in your case. However, it's essential to consider other potential allergens or intolerances present in the foods you listed.

To determine the specific trigger for your reactions, you may consider keeping a detailed food diary, documenting everything you eat and any corresponding symptoms you experience. Additionally, consulting with a healthcare professional, such as an allergist or immunologist, can help you undergo allergy testing or other diagnostic procedures to identify potential allergens accurately.

There's no short cuts to figuring out this sort of thing unless you get really lucky. A detailed food diary as pp have suggested is a very good idea.

I would lean towards the offending thing being an additive, but it might not be. I'd start by noting all the foods you have eaten in the past few days and when the reactions occurred, as well as you can recall. Perhaps do not eat any of those foods for a couple of days and see if the reaction dies down. If it does, then re-introduce foods one at a time and note any reactions. It's a pain but worth it once you figure it out.

I get exactly those symptoms - like sudden onset intense hayfever but with tingling mouth too - with raw apple. If I touch my eye with apple juice residue on my fingers, I can't describe the pain! Anyway, what vegetables were in the sushi? Any other fruit, vegetables or nuts? And do you get tree pollen hayfever (I.e. early in the season)?

It's called oral allergy syndrome or pollen allergy syndrome.

So all of the above contain rice/rice flour and dextrose. Definitely worth chatting to your GP. As PP say, some allergies can come on really quickly.

I'm thinking it's something like what you have described.
Im currently at a local bistro and literally just had an undressed salad. It has spinach, cucumber, tomato, red onion, black beans, chickpeas, hummus and rice. It did have halloumi on but it looked flour coated so I removed it. I also have a glass of wine.

My eyes are streaming, my nose is running and the front of my tongue is tingling. It's been worse but it's definitely happening.

That does sound like OAS, which is linked to hayfever, as described above. Typically only uncooked foods.

What I had today has rice too ...
Hmmm
I didn't even know you could have a rice allergy??

You can have an anything allergy!

Just thinking though, I had rice and salmon yesterday that I didn't react to tho.

I honestly didn't realise. I seriously need to do some reading

I agree with you. My nose is streaming right now.
Is it just trial and error to see what causes the triggers or is it still a doctors appointment?

"Warburton's tiger bread with utterly butterly margarine: While bread and margarine are generally not common allergens, it's possible that you could be reacting to specific ingredients in either the bread or the margarine, such as preservatives, additives, or even a gluten sensitivity if the bread contains wheat."

I just want to come back to this. Wheat is an extremely common allergen (IgE allergy trigger) and one of the top 14 that have to be highlighted by food producers etc. Like many, I carry epipens for an anaphylactic wheat allergy.

If it's OAS, then allergy tests typically aren't that helpful, as your actual allergy is to (typically) tree pollen/s, but your immune system gets a bit confused and thinks the proteins in fruits/veg/nuts are pollen proteins (very simplistic explanation!).

My ds has it and has tested highly positive to birch pollen and he reacts to fresh stone fruit. You can Google and find tables of typcial cross-reactivity.

https://www.allergyuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Oral-Allergy-Syndrome-v5.pdf

Oral allergy syndrome also called pollen food syndrome is what it sounds like. Have a look at the fact sheet here
http://allergyuk.org/

@Scampuss has managed to successfully link to what I tried to link to!
I have it and it sounds similar. It took me ages to work it out but it's kind of associated with hay fever. Annoyingly the triggers can change. Thankfully unlikely to cause anaphylaxis but still very unnerving.

I came to suggest histamine release reaction/ histamine intolerance

I had 2 non-immune anaphylaxis in 6 months and then a 3rd episode that required an ambulance as it looked like it was heading that way too but didn't

I was diagnosed after negative skin prick and blood tests. The foods that triggered my reactions were high histamine foods - cheese and fish.

I'm now on another medication for something else and it is also an antihistamine and due to this I rarely get allergy reactions and instead am violently sick 6-8h after eating out or having a takeaway - more so with cheap chains. I eat every fresh, if I eat out I have to avoid foods in sauces, gravy with a Sunday lunch is a no no. Now the most I get tingling that spreads across my jaw and up to my cheeks. If I stop eating it goes away after about 15 minutes.