To tell you I have Oral Allergy Syndrome?

[FromDespairToHere]

I know nobody cares, but I'm so happy that what I have is an actual thing, and not just my body being weird!

I get a terrible itch in my ears/throat when I eat certain fruits. It started with pineapples about 20 years ago and then apples, tomatoes, pears and most recently watermelon. It's infuriating as I bloody love most things on that list but it's so uncomfortable and an antihistamine only takes the edge off, it doesn't make it go away.

Anyway I was explaining (again) to somebody today why I was removing the pineapple from a fruit salad and somebody else told me that not only does my thing have a name but that she has it too!

I'm really excited that I'm not as much of a freak as I thought I was!

WorkingItOutAsIGo - I'm in the US and it's something that my health insurance covers once I've hit my deductible each year. Up to that point I pay the costs negotiated by the insurer, which is typically $11 per visit to get the shots. Having the serum made up costs around $350 per bottle, I get two different serums, and they last about 12-18 months. I've been having shots for over 3 years now so I'm on my third lot of serum bottles.

I can see why the NHS probably doesn't want to cover it as it's expensive, and it's not a life-threatening condition for most.

This is so weird. My daughter has just eaten a chicken noodle soup from the Chinese and everytime she has it if she spills some on her skin it makes her really ithchy. She's just complained that her mouth is itchy and I was thinking to myself I wonder if she has the same thing I have when I eat fruit and then this thread was showing in active while we were talking about it.

Anyway I can't believe there's so many others with the same problem. Whenever I tell people about it I know they're thinking "yeah right, great excuse" but I genuinely wish I could eat fruit. I was probably about 12 when it first started it was usually citrus fruit that done it but now it happens with all fruit as well as coleslaw and cucumber. I remember eating a slice of melon when I was younger and I had a rash all around my mouth where it came into contact with my skin.

Even just a singular grape sets it off. It's so annoying it would make my diet a whole lot easier if I could snack on fruit . I get tingly swollen lips and itchy throat and ears. I ate a plum a few years ago and it felt like my throat was going to close up.

I haven't read the full thread so don't know if this is related but whenever I peel potatoes I get tingly itchy hands. Also have hayfever.

I have something similar - but only my tongue is affected. Called 'Geographical Tongue': it has similar triggers (pineapples, tomatoes, kiwi, strong cheese, certain acids), but my Symptoms are not as severe: localised swelling and pain but it does go away reasonable quickly without intervention. And I too thought it was really unusual until I found out that a close colleague was similarly afflicted.

Oh wow just read the full thread and see a lot of others get the itchy potato hands!

When I was pg a consultant told me I had geographical tongue but I had no idea what she was on about

Longwayoff my understanding is that each subsequent reaction will be worse than the previous.
My DS has a very bad reaction to a nut bar he bought at school. Turned out the main allergy was Brazil nuts. The dr classed it as borderline anaphylaxis and said the next reaction would be worse so he has an epipen. As nut allergies go that's an ok one to have. He's not going to miss them.
My mum has a serious bee sting allergy. She had the desensitising injections years ago but they didn't work for her (she got stung and nearly died).

Ooh me too! Mine is orange melon (cantaloupe). The back of my throat gets maddeningly itchy. I can’t eat very ripe pineapple either or I get chronic stomach pains but pineapple is well known for being flesh eating.

I have this! I've always had bad hay fever (though less now I'm an adult), and as I've got older I've reacted to more and more fruits.

Bananas have always been the main culprit but I also react badly to cherries, peaches and nectarines and also sometimes to apples. I used to get it with tomatoes but that seems to have worn off now.

It's a shame because I love stoned fruit but I'm scared to eat it raw in case the reaction suddenly gets worse.

I get this too, with melon, and sometimes pineapple. My DD gets it with melon and tomatoes.

Oh yes, some nuts are bad too - I avoid Brazil nuts and hazelnuts. Walnuts are hit and miss but I eat them anyway because I love them.

MY DH has it and I have to say I thought he was exaggerating when he said he couldn't eat mango or strawberries. Only believed him when the hospital consultant confirmed that my daughter had allergies to a few things and likely had oral allegery syndrome! And then proceeded to give me a print out of information about it.

God I thought this post was about an allergy to oral sex! 💦🍆

Dd has this it started when she was about 11. She always had bad hay fever.
She can't eat raw fruit or vegetables, it's literally all of them, cooking them is mostly fine.
She's also developed a but allergy and has an epi pen

My dad has it with apples and almonds in particular. He has bad heyfever

Thanks shalli, one of my grandsons has the same Brazil nut allergy. As you say, I also understand that subsequent reactions are more intense which is why I wonder if its wise to continue eating reactive substances as some posters describe, sounds quite dangerous healthwise. As for me,first sign of a tingle has me reaching for anti histamines. In fact, just reading this thread's making me feel a bit breathless so I'm off. Have a good evening all.

I have this too! Apples, cherries, raw carrots, almonds, peaches, nectarines, plums all make me itchy and like my throat's swelling up, and peeling carrots, potatoes and parsnips makes me go wheezy. If I touch my face after touching any of these my eyes swell up and itch like crazy. Had NHS allergy tests (doctor referred me because of the nuts) and I don't appear to be anaphylactic. Only real guidance I was given was to avoid the triggers.

I have it too. Always had very bad hayfever as a child but as I've got older, the hayfever has lessened but developed oral allergy syndrome instead.

I'm very much the same with apples, pineapples avacados and tomatoes. I can get away with one apple occasionally, but if I eat them more than one day in a row, then I'll have blisters on my lips and tongue.

Me to! Since childhood. I always feel a massive twatt explaining it to people. The worse reaction was my tongue swelling and bleeding. Funnily enough we went out for dinner last night ght, I ordered a battered halluomi burger, with salad and chips. Had a mild reaction, tounge and throat itchy and sore, I realised it was something in the dip. Drives me nuts!