adult allergies? | Imamother

mommy#1

Tue, Jan 26 2010, 3:06 pm

does it make sense that I was never allergic to anything, but I suddenly developed an allergy to many fruits, such as grapes and apricots? every time I eat any of them, my throat feels like its exploding! if it makes sense that I developed an allergy, does anyone know what type of doctor, or which allergist I can go to in/near lakewood to test out which/if any fruits (and maybe some vegetables, like hearts of palm) im allergic to?
tia

Mommy3.5

Tue, Jan 26 2010, 6:46 pm

It is possible to develop allergies as an adult. I have had this after pregnancies or when pregnant. When the body goes through a big change, some people develop allergies. Most important, if it bothers you---don't eat it!

Ima'la

Tue, Jan 26 2010, 11:38 pm

You need to go to an allergist who will perform scratch tests. But it would be a good idea to start by compiling a list of fruits & veges that cause it. Evey time you have a reaction, add the offending item to your list.

There is such a thing as a blood test, but it is notoriously unreliable, and therefore kind of pointless. A scratch test mean that they put a tiny drop of a liquid containing the suspected allergen (one drop for each allergen) on your arm, and poke each drop just enough to break the skin. Then you wait half an hour or so to see if a reaction develops (redness, swelling, itchiness, etc.).

In any case, it will help the doctor know what to test for if you are able to give him a list of suspected allergens. Besides being helpful for you to have the list.

cytlgr

Wed, Jan 27 2010, 7:34 am

Dr. Rabinowitz has an office in Brick & Toms River. He was recommended to me by a referral organization, I think Echo. The Toms River office # is 732-341-5403. There's also Dr. Pasternak in Lakewood and he takes Medicaid HMOs (not sure which insurance you have). I found out when I was 23 that I'm allergic to dustmites!

Boys"R"Us

Wed, Jan 27 2010, 8:20 pm

I have this. Yes, it is called Oral Allergy Syndrome. It does not mean that you won't react to skin test. It is more complicated than that. You do have to take not of which fruits and vegetables cause reactions in you. You should then avoid those. It is only in FRESH fruit and veg. You can eat these fruits when they are processed in any way, like baked, cooked, microwaved etc, you can eat them.
It is a cross-allergy syndrome, from pollen. Mine is birch tree pollen. Depending which pollen it is that you're allergic to, there are different lists of fruits, vegs and nuts that you might become allergic to.
I developed the whole thing (both the environmental AND the fruits and vegs) starting at age 28. For about 10 years, I discovered new allergies every year. Now, it seems to have plateaued.
Feel free to ask me any questions you might have.

Btw, sometimes, some people can get reactions that are quite severe. Most people have only mild symptoms. Mine have become anaphylactic and I carry an epipen.

Debbie

mommy#1

Thu, Jan 28 2010, 12:24 am

Thanks boysrus! One question: someone replied that I would need a list of all the fruits and veggies that bother me and get tested for each one. Do you know if I have to do that, or could I just go to a dr and tell him 2-3 fruits I found that bothers me, and he'll figure out which fruits to test me for? Thanks! Wow! It must be tough that you have to carry an epi pen! Hope you never need it!

Mommy3.5

Thu, Jan 28 2010, 8:34 am

Right Boys R us,I should have put it that many times it will not show up on a skin test because its not the actual food you are reacting too. I also had a Oral allergy turn anaphalactic on me. Now I react with breathing issues to the smell of it. Its a huge PIA.

Boys"R"Us

Thu, Jan 28 2010, 10:30 pm

mommy#1 wrote:

The thing is, that for this testing, in order for it to be accurate, they have to use juice from the actual fruit. It can't be a soloution made from the fruit, because that is already processed. When I was tested, I was told to bring in one of each fruit (at the time, I was not allergic to any vegs), and the doctor actually used a drop of the juice in the scratch test. Once it was confirmed that I had the Oral Allergy Syndrome, there are lists with the cross-allergens available. For example, as I mentioned, I am allergic to Birch tree pollen. That has a list of possible fruits, vegs, and nuts that are cross-polinated. At this point, I do react to most, but not all of the items on the list.

Btw, not all allergist are so familiar with OAS, ideally, try to find one who IS familliar. Otherwise, YOU will end up having to explain it to the allergist!

Here is one article you can read...
Oral Allergy Syndrome

~Debbie

Chocoholic

Mon, Mar 15 2010, 3:08 pm

I recently turned out allergic to eggs, I have been eating them all my life without problems. Oy!! And with pesach coming...

I do still eat things like cake and bread with eggs, at most I get some rqash on my back, but with a simple ommelet it pops up even on my arms...!!!

Arrghh Mad

Mon, Mar 15 2010, 6:42 pm

Oh there are others with OAS here too...

Mine started when I was 13. Then in my 20s when I was in Israel I went to a well known doctor/professor who basically told me to go to a shrink - thought it was probably a 2nd generation shoah thing - father used to talk about starvation and food related stories, and it manifested itself as allergic reactions.

It was nice to learn that it had a name, I knew the doc was wrong when he essentially called me crazy, but it was good to finally see in on paper (or computer screen) that it was real.

yOungM0mmy

Tue, Mar 16 2010, 2:07 am

I also have this with raw carrots, and have been since I was little, but everyone thought I was making it up - how could raw carrots irritate me, and cooked ones were fine? Even carrots that had sat in vinegar, eg coleslaw, were fine.
Then my son was intolerant to eating soy, but when we re-introduced it to him, on advice of the gastrointerologist, sometimes he would be fine, and sometimes his skin would react badly, even though he never threw up anymore, so I was really confused. When I mentioned this to the dr, he said "try getting it into him, instead of onto his skin". First I thought he was making fun of me, but then he gave me an article to read, and it all made sense.