To scream in frustration because I cannot eat meat?

[Cocklodger]

I'll probably be hugely outted by this as I've never met anyone who suffers the same I can feel a NC coming on
But I feel so frustrated. I posted on a thread about this but just want to get some opinions etc on the situation so decided fuck it may as well post one of my own.
Unsure if relevant but my mums a vegetarian (By choice) Father isn't. As a baby I was weaned on whatever everyone else was having, by large. so I'd have bits off my dads plate, and my mums. Eating off my dads plate 9/10 meant I was sick. Or just gagged and wouldn't swallow it, even if the chunks of food were manageable. By the time I was 3 and starting nursery the nursery staff had the same issue with me. If the food I ate was meat or came into contact with a large amount of meat oil/fat (the latter causing a lot less problems than the former) They reported this to my mum over a fortnight. Mum took me to the doctors.
Doctor suggested I just didn't like meat and said to tell if thats the case (or if its a psychological thing somehow) to 'spike' my food somewhat. which my mum did. I failed to detect anything wrong with each meal, Threw up each time(Spiked me 3 times) . When we went to my doctors appointment again he said Oh well she's in good health just make sure you give her these food groups and make sure she gets such and such vitamins.. righty-o then. Throughout my life I've attempted to go to the doctors but have been told much of the same really. That I'm in good health, get what I need from my diet and what do I want them to do? Well, find out WHY I'm chundering within no more than 90 mins of eating meat.
Still to this day I try a bit of meat off DH's plate, sometimes DH will 'spike' me again with meat, and conceal it with quorn and a strong-ish flavor (like a garlic sauce) which results in me puking. But I want to eat meat. This has been going on for years and years, since I was a baby/toddler really.
No one understands as being allergic to all (white and red) meat is not a recognized allergy, but to my understanding you can be allergic to red meat. But again that isn't really known, so at a restaurant there is always one dickhead there that bangs on and on and on about how its impossible, how I should just 'try a bit' and I'll be fine. A couple of times this has ended in me giving in and puking by the time we're ready to leave and probably offending a chef or three. I do try to say I'm a vegetarian nowadays and some people fancy arguing it with me (How its daft to be a tree hugger yadayadayada...) which is annoying as its not my choice but I feel I cannot say that as there is always one person who thinks I'm talking out of my ass basically.
AIBU to just want to scream in frustration with this? :(

First thing is, it's not an allergy its an intolerance. [sigh]

I call mine allergies. Because when you use the word 'intolerance' people don't take it seriously and tend to roll their eyes.

Instead of getting in a conversation with the person booking my flight (and noting meal requirements) it's eaiser to say 'allergy'.

I'll call it what makes my life easier....thanks.

Are you in Australia?
apparently there is a tick there whose bites can cause meat allergy who knew?

www.bbc.com/future/story/20160201-a-tick-bite-that-makes-you-allergic-to-red-meat

You are not the first or the last person to be intolerant of meat . What puzzles me is why do you keep eating it ? And the GP is right , not much they can do for intolerances apart from telling you to avoid it , an allergy will show up on a test - but even allergies once diagnosed rarely do we know the cause . Often they are inherited & often we naturally avoid the food that upsets us , so maybe you've inherited something from you mum . I'm intolerant to several food which I avoid eating . Nothing wrong with being vegetarian. It would be ridiculous of me to go to the GP & tell them I want to know why I can't eat the food I'm intolerant of .

The vomiting within 90 min thing puts me in mind of fpies. I am NOT saying that is what you have though because too much else is different (children grow out of it, most common trigger is dairy etc) I am not a dr, I don't know if there are other similar types of intestinal reactions but it certainly is possible to have allergies that are triggered intestinally and cause vomiting.

I do think medical advice and support for allergies is pretty substandard. I've been told vaguely to just avoid my triggers without any support to actually test what they are (mine blow around in the air mostly, shall I wear a bubble on my head?), been told to take medication daily for life (without any checks to see if this approach continues to work), been told that possible cures like allergy shots are practically complementary medicine (which is not true, success rates are low but it's hardly homeopathy), and been brushed off as a time waster when I'm so desperate to get help that I'm in tears.

The reality is that research into allergy causes continues to evolve rapidly, and the understanding of how gut health underpins the immune system including immune disorders like allergies is changing quickly. There are options to treat and manage allergies that are better than the advice most HCPs manage, and if everyone with allergies just puts up with it "because that's how it is", this will never never change.

sentia that is completely different. If yours are airborn then you can't just make the decision to avoid them.

I can. The OP can. My dbro who is allergic to quinine can and his sends him into anaphylactic shock. He just doesn't drink gin and tonic/bitter lemon anymore.

I am not going to demand the NHS spends money on looking into my allergies when they are neither life threatening or difficult to avoid.

Yes I have to read every packet of food I buy. And every time because companies change recipes. But it's not going to kill me or that difficult to avoid.

I'm not medically trained, bit IMO parasites sound unlikely I'd you've been that way since birth. And they often thrive on meat, so I can't see why it would be that you would throw up.

I really, really sympathise with you OP, but it really may be that there's nothing you can do to change it. With pretty much all intolerances/allergies the recommended advice is just to avoid those foods where possible.

It seems from Googling that the red meat allergy is nearly always caused by a tick bite, and there's no "cure" as it changes the way your body processes/reacts to meat.

As to why you and no-one else, who knows? Same as others who have a very rare condition.

Given you've had it from birth, is it possible that even if you could "fix" it your body would react anyway as it's never had to process meat and won't be used to producing the correct enzymes, bacteria etc?

OP you NEED to research Eosinophilic Esophaghitis your symptoms sound very, very similar. Good luck.

phillipp I was addressing the OP because in her case it is important that she understands the difference.

I understand why you use the word allergy, as some serious intolerances can be worse than mild allergies. But the tone of your post is highly offensive. "I'll call it what makes my life easier....thanks."

People don't take "intolerance" seriously because intolerances generally aren't as serious.

People like you lying about their medical conditions put the lives of people with serious life-threatening allergies at risk. The amount of people who have assumed that my allergic DS will be able to tolerate "just a little bit" of something because the last person they met who claimed to have an allergy (who was lying, because it "made their life easier") could have some is truly frightening.

So, yeah, thanks for that.

The thing is if you don't know why something is happening to you its frustrating especially if it's a long term thing. Knowing why something is happening to you and having a reason can be the first step to accepting it .
I had severe stomach problems as a child and ended up hospitalised a few times they had no idea what caused it a few things was thrown around one suggestion was Ibs but at the time it was classed as an older person illness so it was overlooked. Next came psychological as a cause and I was sent to see a psychologist but it still kept happening. At 23 I was finally told I did have Ibs and asked to keep a diary of attacks I had and given the appropriate medication. I now know why it happens and what triggers my attacks and knowing that has been a big life changer.
It's hard not knowing why something is happening you and can make you feel really lost and alone. So while leave op knows what happens if she eats meat she doesn't know the why and that can be the worst part.
Op the only thing I could suggest is to keep going back and dig your heals in as something you need to know or ask to see a different gp for a second opinion. Some gps can be dismissive I know from experience from getting my ds2 needs met.

I was 'allergic' and used to vomit blood (sorry tmi) because of the inflammation, but it was found years later that I was actually having a reaction to the oil it was cooked in (growing up everybody used nut oils & we didn't really eat poached meats). I was told that a true allergy to meat is really rare, but if you get the same reaction to bland/poached meat then you might have it.

I can't have red meat or red fish. I refused it as a baby (apparently), in fact I refused all meat. Managed to wean myself onto white meat and white fish, but red meat ended me in hospital. I just avoid it now. Was advised it could be an enzyme deficiency. Recently I discovered that I can't have gluten either. This makes my choice more restrictive still and I do get stressed eating out as even a little gluten makes me quite ill.

I just live my life around it and as red meat isn't too healthy I reasure myself that it is better for me.

One approach that you could try is taking a tiny bit of the most processed white meat that you can find - e.g. chicken nuggets. Day one just have a tiny nibble, day two slightly more and gradually increase it. If you have symptoms then drop back to the level just before you started to feel ill and have that for a few days before attempting more. That's what we had to do with the dc when they had milk protein problems. Started with mini cheddars and worked up from there.

Fpies? Is that a typo? If so, what for?

Cock (I really don't like your name, btw, sorry, I'm really loath to type it out in full!! As I'm sure you can't be one) -- do you manage to digest other protein foods ok? Legume proteins, grain proteins, mushrooms, etc.? If so, it's unlikely to be a digestive insufficiency. There aren't special "meat digester" enzymes, only protein digesters.

It also seems unlikely to be in your head, since it happens whether or not you're aware of the presence of meat.

But you clearly are intolerant to meat, of all kinds, and so, frustrating though it is I tend to agree that you should stop trying to eat it!

I get that you're frustrated because you don't know WHY and you don't know if there's anything that could be done about it - but in all honesty, little enough is done about common allergens that cause anaphylaxis; understanding of immunology is still pretty incomplete and theories change all the time. So I agree with others that you're being unrealistic to try and get doctors to do something - there's not much they CAN do!

I have a friend who finds meat physically repulsive and doesn't eat it in general - but I don't think she's intolerant to it, as you are. But maybe! All her children have some kind of allergy/intolerance (multiple, in most of them) and there is a genetic predisposition for this sort of thing.

Some amino acid products are known to produce reactions in sensitive people - tyramine is a particular one, the breakdown product of tyrosine. Tyrosine is found in high quantities in meats and fish, but also eggs, dairy products, and soy (lesser in other seeds, grains etc.). Tyramine is mostly associated with migraines in sensitive people - but there is such a thing as "abdominal migraine" where the symptoms are not in the head but in the gut:

Fpies? Is that a typo? If so, what for?

Cock (I really don't like your name, btw, sorry, I'm really loath to type it out in full!! As I'm sure you can't be one) -- do you manage to digest other protein foods ok? Legume proteins, grain proteins, mushrooms, etc.? If so, it's unlikely to be a digestive insufficiency. There aren't special "meat digester" enzymes, only protein digesters.

It also seems unlikely to be in your head, since it happens whether or not you're aware of the presence of meat.

But you clearly are intolerant to meat, of all kinds, and so, frustrating though it is I tend to agree that you should stop trying to eat it!

I get that you're frustrated because you don't know WHY and you don't know if there's anything that could be done about it - but in all honesty, little enough is done about common allergens that cause anaphylaxis; understanding of immunology is still pretty incomplete and theories change all the time. So I agree with others that you're being unrealistic to try and get doctors to do something - there's not much they CAN do!

I have a friend who finds meat physically repulsive and doesn't eat it in general - but I don't think she's intolerant to it, as you are. But maybe! All her children have some kind of allergy/intolerance (multiple, in most of them) and there is a genetic predisposition for this sort of thing.

Some amino acid products are known to produce reactions in sensitive people - tyramine is a particular one, the breakdown product of tyrosine. Tyrosine is found in high quantities in meats and fish, but also eggs, dairy products, and soy (lesser in other seeds, grains etc.). Tyramine is mostly associated with migraines in sensitive people - but there is such a thing as "abdominal migraine" where the symptoms are not in the head but in the gut:

Fuckit, posted by accident:
Abdominal migraines are rare in adults, but about 4% of all children with migraines experience abdominal migraines. Children who experience abdominal migraines often go on to suffer migraine headaches later in life. Abdominal migraines can cause severe stomach pain, nausea, abdominal cramping and vomiting.
Abdominal migraines: Symptoms in children and adults - BootsWebMD

It's rare, but then so is meat intolerance. So might be worth some research on your part.

Allergy vs intolerance:
It really annoys me that people think an intolerance is somehow "made up" or "less threatening". Yes, it's not anaphylaxis, it's not going to kill you in minutes like an anaphylactic reaction to a food would. But one of the most common and dangerous "intolerances" is Coeliac disease. This isn't an allergy, it is an intolerance to gluten. Lactose intolerance is pretty fucking dangerous in newborn babies if not recognised or dealt with.
It's due to the "it has to be an allergy to be important" so-called mythbusters that this problem has arisen, IMO.

So Phillipp - I understand your point, but I totally understand Balloon's as well. If only the popular press and the "quackbusters" would stop making out that intolerances are just made-up excuses for "I don't like it", then everyone's life would be easier.

And yes, I do know that there are many people who don't suffer true intolerances who jump on the bandwagon to use it as an excuse for "I don't like it" - fuckers that they are!

ANd of course I know that intolerances are less threatening than anaphylaxis! IN case that wasn't clear enough from my previous post.

It could be worse - some people are allergic to alcohol...

"Not eating meat at all is not straightforward to do. "

On the contrary, it's a piece of piss to be vegetarian in the UK these days

Excatly! There is so much info, so many blogs, websites, books, masazines about being vegetarian or vegan there isn't really any excuse to find it a difficult way of living whether by free choice or enforced circumstanes.

And to be honest sometimes 'I don't like it' can be 'I have a mild intolerance but just not aware of it.' dd2 doesn't like much gluten and I wouldn't be surprised if when she is older she becomes like me. I'm not too sure in this era of tollerance why people think that my intolerance is something for them to judge me on. I don't tell people that I am allergic but I do tell them - if they persist - that I will be really unwell and have ended up in hospital, hence my reluctance to tuck into a steak however juicy, delicious and succulent they insist it is.

i have developed an allergy ( as opposed to intolerance) to champagne ...it sucks, and of course i do not expect medical profession to be able to tell me why ...why is anyone allergic to anything ? we don't know .

I also sigh when people say ' oh i have that too...i get a headache the next day if i drink alot of champagne'....thats a hangover, slightly different to my life threatening anaphylaxis.

OP...i think you have to accept you cannot eat meat, unless you are happy vomiting later and leave it at that and try to not let it upset you.

Personally I don't see how you can be allergic to all meat (ie what allergen connects a pork chop or steak to a chicken breast which wouldn't be a problem in ie salmon? Or in fact, many other foods?)

So I also wonder if it's a physiological issue. I think the meat spiking is a bit of a moot point which is making you think it must be physical but the mind is more complex than that

sorry to hear you're going through this op it sounds awful.

just a correction to thumb - coeliac isn't an intolerance, it's an autoimmune disorder.

If you google, there is research available into allergies to meat, like this paper.
www.uptodate.com/contents/allergy-to-meats

When you have something rare, you usually have to read up on it yourself.

Are you 5?? Because you sound like it, "My body can't process it, but I want it!" Whah, Whah, Whah!!
You are obviously allergic to it so just don't eat it! Drama Lama much?