What Are You Allergic To?

Hi Teri,
My 7y/o son is the one with the allergies in our family. This has been an interesting year for us so far, since we've just found out about his food allergies this year. It's a bit of a long story, so the short version is this: He has food allergies to corn, soy and peanuts and environmental allergies to cats (although not bad enough to have to get rid of our 3), dust mites, mold, mildew, trees, grasses, pollen, etc. Just about everything outside. He's currently taking Allegra for the environmentals and we've eliminated the food problems. It's been quite a challenge since corn and soy are in everything out there! I'm still learning everyday and am still working on finding a variety of things for him. To top it off, he is a vegetarian by his own choice so it makes getting protein in him a challenge. We've been to our local hospital nutrionist with a food diary and she says I'm doing a very good job of balancing his diet, just try to add more eggs (which he hates). It was good to hear from a professional that my hard work is paying off.

His main symptoms were stomaches, headaches and an itchy throat and he also has what seemed like an ADD response from it too. He was tested for ADD, but the school and his dr. said no, not ADD. Like I said before it's been an interesting year!

I found the allergy forum through the Crohn's forum. I used to post there regularly for myself (Crohnie for 5 years) but haven't in a while, but I was glad to see there was another forum here for additional help! Thanks for your hard work in this forum, it's greatly appreciated.

BTW, my own personal allergies are eggs (although not severe and I don't limit them in my diet), peas, walnuts, trees, grasses,pollen, dust, dust mites, mold and mildew.

Take care,
Barbara

Teri,
Thanks for your welcoming remarks!

Yes, my son is a vegetarian by choice. He's the only one in the family that is. Up until age 3 he would eat anything I put in front of him and then one day he pushed his plate aside and said he didn't like the taste anymore and that was the end of that for a while. I do push his having a little bit of whatever I fix each evening for dinner because I know our taste buds change. He likes steak from our japanese steakhouse (which is too expensive to do very often, plus now with the soy allergy...), he liked chicken nuggets from Chik-Fila (but they cook in peanut oil) and he liked grilled chicken that I make on the grill marinated in teriyaki sauce. He has been good about trying some new marinades that he can have on chicken but none are as much a favorite as the teriyaki marinade. He was so hoping that his allergies would show an allergy to meats and chicken so he wouldn't have to eat them! What a stinker...

We have found a protein shake at the GNC that is from whey instead of soy protein. It's called Isosphere, but it's not much of a favorite yet. I'll keep trying.

I'm doing ok healthwise. Thanks for asking. I've been taking Remicade for 2 1/2 years and it has helped tremendously. I also have a 4y/o son, so I stay pretty busy.

Talk to you soon and thanks again for your kind words.
Barb

I've never been to an allergist but I do know what triggers my allergies just by the whole itchy eye, watery nose kind of thing. For me, it's mold, mildew, tree pollen (oh that Dogwood throws me for a major loop!), strawberries (I get all red and blotchy like my daughter painted me with red paint), and the latest new allergy for me is Sulfa drugs. Long story with that one.
My son was allergic to dust, mold, mildew, pollen,cats and dogs, but the dogs don't bother him anymore...he more or less grew out of that allergy. My daughter has the same allergies as me except for the strawberries. The hubby (lucky devil) has no allergies. He's the kind of man that never gets sick, never has cavities and tons of energy grrrrrr.

Teri, I can't can't have cavities because my mouth is full of crowns and root canals! LOL I always tell my hubby that when I'm 90 years old, I'm still going to have all my teeth because mine are porcelain while his are going to fall out! Ahem, ok a little spiteful but hey, if he wasn't so darn healthy geez!
Sulfa is both a godsend and evil drug. It can help so many but make life difficult for those that can't tolerate it. I have ulcerative colitis (UC) which is basically an auto-immune disease (with bleeding ulcers in the colon) and so I had to take a Sulfa based drug to help heal my ulcers. I was fine with it for a while then I started getting huge and I mean huge welts across my legs. As sudden as it came on, it went away and I continued on that med because my doc wanted to give it another shot. I was fine with it for years until my UC started flaring so bad that my doc switched me over to a non-sulfa med. I did a whole lot better on this new med then I ended up with a UTI. They prescribed me a sulfa based anti-biotic (Bactrim) and I had the worse abdominal cramps! Oh boy did they hurt. I almost went to the hospital but I got a slight phobia of hospitals. So I stopped that, then my Uc flared again so I had to take an additional sulfa based drug in addition to my non sulfa one and ended up with severe abdominal pains again.
I am due to go back to see my GI soon so I am going to mention this to him and see if I can get tested for sensitivity. So anyway, that's the long story made short about my sulfa problem.

You name it, someone in my family is allergic to it! Cats, dogs, pollen, ragweed, dust, etc... We have all the strange food allergies too, my grandfather is allergic to apples, peaches, bananas, and plums. My brother is allergic to watermelon!!! I am allergic to nuts (tree nuts that is, not peanuts with are legumes). I just recently found out that pine nuts are included in that category, as I ate a lovely bowl of pasta chock full of pesto and had a terrible anaphalactic reaction... thank god for epi-pens!! My younger sister also just found out she's allergic to shrimp - she used to never eat them before because she thought they were too cute and felt bad, but she finally ate some this past month and turned into one big hive! My fiance really hopes our kids get all his genes, his family isn't allergic to anything!!! I hope so too I can't tell you how many desserts I've had to pass up because they had nuts in them

HI I am 41 and just 3 years ago became allergic to poultry. I started having problems and finally narrowed it down what was going on. I can not believe all the products that have chicken in them. Turkey is bad for me too. about an hour and a half after eating it. I start getting really bad pains in my back. Then my stomach starts to get very very upset and I just feel like I have been run over by a truck. I have to go to bed. I sleep for about 4 hours and then I get up. I am very exhausted but the bad stuff is over with. I have never been able to stay awake because of how I feel. No one seems to know anything about it. I hear even from the Doctor that is rare. His advice, Dont eat it.  There is nothing I can take or anything. I can not even find any information on it. Eggs sometimes too. I can not eat them alone, but in something I am fine.

Now I have to read labels very well so I do not get struck with this.

When eating with family members the other day they ordered pizza with sausage. Never even thought about it. Eat pizza with sausage on it from othe places never had a problem. 1 1/2 hrs later boom I was hit. I called the pizza place and they comfirmed that they do indeed use chicken based sausage.

I've talked to the Dr., Pharmacist and neither one of them know of any medicine that could help me. Nor did they know what could be in the poultry that would be doing this to me.

Have any idea, where I could find information on this?

I have searched and searched the net. Only thing that I came up with is: Science has not really explored this allergy. Is it so rare that they wont even check it out?

I really need some help.

I really miss my chicken and turkey too. Holidays, grilling, and allll the products that has anything poultry in it. It can not even be broth, or a slight bit of juice.

I am afraid that someday I will get a worse reaction from accidently digesting it and they wont be able to help me.

 

Hi I'm new. :) I'm a 21 year old female living in Sydney, Australia.

Allergies? uh huh! The blue colour dye used in clothes (blue disperse mix 6?), most chemicals, most animals - dogs I'm not because I grew up with them, wheat, dust, pollen, chicken, eggs, protien, dairy... all in varying degrees of severity. I have eczema, allergic rhynitis, athsma...

Peanuts are the only thing that'll cause the dreaded hospital visit though.

Anyway, yeah.



~L

Hi Teri!

I normally post on the Chron's website but saw the lactose intolerance thread and decided to read on. I have an interesting allergy. I can not have Red 40 (dye in food). You would be surprised what it is found in. I dont have a deadly reaction, I just get very itchy and hivey. I was allergic when I was little but then I grew out of it. When I turned 21 I had the allergy again. I discovered it drinking red strawberry margarittas. Come to think of it Im also allergic to strawberries. But due to my Chrons I also abstain from a lot of food.... lactose, caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, greasy gross food, spicey food... etc. Just figured I would add to your list of allergies!

-Fitzy

I am allergic to pork and pork products, macrodantin and antibiotic deathly allergic to it then the grass and tree pollen really affect me and we have oak, pine and maple trees where we live they all make my allergies act up something awful have to take medicine when they arre in blom and inhaler a lot too. I take allegra and flonase when I am on medicine for these allergies but stay away from Pork and pork products and no macrodantin ever again.
Heidi

 Hello, 

           I am new here. I have a daughter with multiple food allergies. Well here goes eggs,wheat,dairy,soy,all nuts,peas,peppers,tomatoes,potatoes,corn,LATEX, mustard,garlic,onions,dust mite,mice,cockroaches thank god we don't have any  couln't deal with  anything like that,cats, dogs, ragweed, Looking for any suggesionts   on  what to feed her..LOL She has never  has anaphalaxic  shock she just gets severe ECZEMA...............got epi pen just in case also oranges, I just took corn away and like someone else said corn syrup is in everything..........UGH............. ..........she has had this  since a  little baby.