I hate to dredge up a thread from the past, but I just came across this today and wanted to contribute for anyone else who sees it.
I just learned the term OAS today, after years of suffering through what appear to be its symptoms. I will be making an appointment with an allergist to confirm, but if you care to read on you will see it is safe to assume I am suffering from OAS.
As a small child I was a very fussy eater, according to my longsuffering mother. I was very picky about what I ate and was plagued with bouts of diarrhea. Some of my early memories of elemetary school include having the soft and hard palates of my mouth swell and throb painfully during lunch time, and having just one side of my lip puff up for no reason. I didn't at the time associate these things with anything I ate.
In the summer between second and third grade, I had a soccer coach who would give the team fresh oranges after every game, and I remember many post games vomiting in the trash barrel, or just on the field. Even at that young age I eventually managed to associate the bouts of sickness and mouth irritation with the oranges, and soon cut them out of my diet.
After throwing up bananas, watermelon, and other fresh fruits and vegetables, we soon learned that I could not have ANY fresh fruits or veggies. A close call with some holiday brownies chock full of walnuts soon had nuts cut out as well.
We went to see a few doctors, but none could offer any explanation, other than one dietician who guessed it could be some type of enzyme deficiency, which would account for the fact that I could eat any of the offending foods if they were cooked, canned, pickled, or heat processed.
For me, OAS is a bit more severe than described elsewhere on the net. If I consume any fresh fruits or vegetables I will shortly become very ill and vomit. The swelling can get bad enough to make breathing difficult, and sometimes even causes me to begin coughing. I have just outright avoided fresh fruits and vegetables, and have to endure the incredulous stares and rapid fire questions I get from friends and acquaintences when I tell them I cannot eat any fresh or raw foods. Many have told me that I am lying, and others often speculate that it is psychological.
It is good to finally put a name to the condition, I will have something to offer my friends when I tell them I will not be attending their vegan raw foods pot luck this weekend. I am also disheartened by the lack of treatement for OAS. I will try the allergy shots if they are prescribed, but there does not appear to be a simple and easy treatment. My cholesterol and blood pressure would certainly love to see the matter resolved :)