Do You Have Any Allergies???

I have never experienced allergies in my whole life, until this summer.
It started in July with rash on my face & neck, with swelling & itching.I
also had edema in my lungs which made breathing difficult.:(

I saw my Doctor and he determined it to be a allergic reaction to some new medication & stopped the med & began treatement of Pred & anti itching pills.Condition cleared up & breathing was much better.

Last Sunday a few red patches popped up on my face & a few on my neck.
By Monday morning the whole right side of my face was puffy with my eye
completely swollen shut. Had trouble getting enough air.I looked like I had
been hit with a Mack truck.:eek:

Saw the Dr. again last Monday morning & he is stumpted as to what is
causing this. The Pred has helped bring the swelling down & I go to see
him again tomorrow. This has got to stop, I'm becoming paranoid about
everything I touch or eat.:rolleyes:

Question: Do you have any allergies that you know of & how do you treat
for them? Did you go through any allergy testing? How do they test you?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I've got seasonal allergies. It starts in the Spring and goes through the summer. This season is unusually bad. My allergies aren't that bad though. Just alot of sneezing.

I have year around allergies with seasonal flare ups, NOTHING like yours though! That is scarey!

Try washing your bed pillows and drying them.. Wash sheet and things.. If you use Tide, a lot of people are allergic to that so try some other brand. If you use make up, stop! What you are going to have to do is either go for allergy testing or stop the use of things that you use on a daily basis. (LOOK at EVERYTHING!) I would be insisting the doctor gave me a RX for one of those pens that injects you when you have a allergic reaction to carry around at all times. This sounds scarey and I can't believe he didn't give you one or send you for allergy testing..

Unless it IS that medication and it is taking it awhile to get out of your system but even so, you need one of those pens!

I agree about the Epi Pen. Even without a definitive diagnosis right now, it could save your life.

If you have the breathing problems, use the pen and get to an ER STAT!!

I'm allergic to Penicillin - had it when I was a kid, so don't remember exactly what sort of reaction. I think it was a huge local rash.

My husband is allergic to 5 stinging insects - from wasps to yellow jackets to honey bees. He was stung several years back and would have died if I hadn't taken him to the ER. He didn't have the hives, and swelling in mouth and throat. He simply crashed - blood pressure went way down, even after some drugs. It was scarey.

He carries 2 pens, as their effect lasts only 15 minutes, and he wants to make sure he has time to get to an ER.

If it's a med, with you, you might have to go off everything, and then add one back at a time. Or it could be food. You'll probably have to have skin tests to be absolutely positive.

The thing with allergic reactions is - you can take some med, or eat some food for years and years - and one day, totally out of the blue, you're allergic. I've taken care of patients in the ER with just that situation.

Being allergic to things is no fun :(.

I'm allergic to Penicillin, Amoxicillin (anything that ends in -cillin!) and Sulfa drugs. Plus I'm allergic to some detergents/soaps/shampoos.

I don't have huge reactions like yours though, I hope you get things worked out.

I had allergy testing as a child. As far as I was concerned, I was allergic to everything (everything I LIKED, anyway!) - cats, milk, chocolate, pine trees, grass, lots of stuff.

You asked about the testing. They used a block of fine tiny needles, and just poke on your arm or back. You really don't feel it, less even than a pin prick I think mine was 5 across and 5 down.

Then you go sit in the waiting room for 10 minutes, and return for the doc to look. And "poke" which swelled up like a mosquito bite, means you are allergic to that item. Like a mosquito bite - as I recall, they didn't itch or anything, it was just the visual thing.

Since our allergies change every 7 years (no idea where I read that!), I am sure I am allergic to a whole different slew o GOOD stuff now, lol.

I take Claritin and Benadryl - this one puts me to sleep so I use that at night.

I hope you identify the trigger soon; when it impacts your breathing, this is a HUGE issue!

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Originally Posted by Grace

The thing with allergic reactions is - you can take some med, or eat some food for years and years - and one day, totally out of the blue, you're allergic. I've taken care of patients in the ER with just that situation.

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Now that's a scary thought.:( Then Dr did give me an antibiotic this
time (Sulfameth/tmp ds tab) and a albuterol sulfate inhaler to use for the
breathing.

On another note, I do use Tide, i always have used it. My Mom used Tide.
Unless they have changed the formula, that shouldn't be aproblem.:confused:

I'm really going to press the Dr for some answers, tests or something
tomorrow. This is getting old fast.:mad:

I have allergies of all sorts, including food allergies. I also have food intolerances, which are just as bad, if not as life-threatening.

There are several different type of allergy tests. The traditional one - the skin test, is what Freedom described. It is good for some things, but sometimes they have to do further testing. There are two different kinds of blood tests they can do, as well. They just take vials of blood and send them off to Kansas City, to a lab there. That takes longer, but is more thorough.

Liz, I know this is scary. For now, eat very simply. Try for things with few ingredients as possible. A tomato with a sprinkle of salt is better than with a salad dressing with 20+ ingredients, for example. Once you've eaten something and had no reaction that day, you can add something else. It's tedious, but the safest. Make a diary of what you eat, and when.

I, for example, have an anaphlactic reaction to pistachios, almonds, and other "tree nuts," as well as chick peas and fish, and am allergic to carrots, celery, anything in the cabbage family, "stone" fruits like peaches and nectarines, citrus of just about any sort, strawberries and even beef and lamb and olives/olive oil. I could go on, but you get the picture! I also have environmental allergies - pollens, dust, dust mites, cats, and more. My reactions also vary - besides the usual ones, my body's response can be "exploding gut diarrhea" that goes on for several hours, or 12-16-hour bouts of vomiting, long past the point when anything I might have ingested is in my body.

The sooner you can get some answers, the safer life will be for you!

And yes, I carry an epi pen at all times. I have never had to use it, but that is because I am annoying and ask lots of questions.

Freedom, 7 years is an urban legend. Anyone's allergies can change at any time, there's no statute of limitations, or predictability to it. 12 years ago, I had no known food allergies, just environmental ones. I don't wish my existence on anyone, but I manage to get by!

Any questions you have, I'd be happy to answer.

Lizbud, switch to Tide Free - the lack of scent is perfect, and it doesn't bother even me.

Hope you find out what's going on soon. That swelling can be very frightening.

Wow Karen, I thought I was allergic to a lot of things but mine are not nearly as bad as yours. I have some allergies to environmental, but my main allergies as I get older are more and more different types of foodl. Currently, I have to avoid corn, wheat, milk, chocolate and alcohol of any kind. Thank heavens I don't have life threatening reactions - mostly I end up with migraine headaches that can go for days.

I did the "stick" tests but my doctor at the time wasn't impressed with the results so he did the blood tests and they showed a higher reaction to different food allergies. So I do my best to avoid them and if I can't avoid I try to mix up my meals to balance them out.

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On another note, I do use Tide, i always have used it. My Mom used Tide.
Unless they have changed the formula, that shouldn't be aproblem

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The thing with allergic reactions is - you can take some med, or eat some food for years and years - and one day, totally out of the blue, you're allergic. I've taken care of patients in the ER with just that situation

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The people I know that are allergic to it were not always allergic, one day they woke up with a rash.... However, I was rethinking this, if the swelling and rash are mostly on your face... it is probably something else. Tide allergy is all over the body since everything you wear is washed in it..

Ok... now... I am going to say something REALLY creepy and this can happen to ANYBODY.. It happened to me many, many years ago..

I spent the night at a friends house and woke up the next morning with my eyes swollen almost shut and rashes all over my face.. Every time I spent the night at her house that happened. It was bed bugs. Those darn things are spreading all over the USA, in clothing stores, hotels and everywhere and spreading more and more. I was extremely allergic to them but I never had a problem breathing.. Just throwing this in the mix as something to consider so do not take it as anything personal against you.. We are ALL going to have to be on the look out for these critters until this population explosion of them has been gotten under control..

Also, you can get those allery free matress and pillow case covers and I would try that right away.

Let me remind you again, it could be something you have eaten all your life or used all your life and never had a problem, then wake up one day and you are suddenly allergic to it. As you age, your body changes and so does it reactions to things..

Has your doctor suggested sending you to nuclear medicine to test for nuclear antibodies? Your allergies could depend on your immune system not working properly. I remember being told I was allergic to my own body and at the time I took it as a joke but down the line after many other tests the doctors discovered that I was indeed allergic to my own body, my immune system doesn't function and I can get flare ups to anything or everything depending on how run down I get or what triggers my immune system to react. And I do carry an Epi Pen for safety. I have RXs that I use if I notice the faintest red spot on my body because if I don't catch it in time I will break out and it could take weeks to control it.

When I had my first surgery for my heart problem at 9 months old or so, they found out I was allergic to a certain anesthetic, I don't remember which one it was. :o For some reason, I think it was Penicillin but I am not sure.

I am also allergic to pollen, I get sick from it every spring. But I'm not sure what type of pollen, it could be flower or grass pollen. I never underwent allergy testing. I am just glad I am not allergic to animal dander :)

I hope you find the problem with your allergies soon. That reaction isn't something I'd want to go through! Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Alysser

When I had my first surgery for my heart problem at 9 months old or so, they found out I was allergic to a certain anesthetic, I don't remember which one it was. :o For some reason, I think it was Penicillin but I am not sure.

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Penicillin is an antibiotic, not an anesthetic. You should contact the hospital where you had that surgery, and get the name of the drug. It could save your life one day.

I never had any allergies until I hit my 30's, then it was just seasonal allergies as so many people have. Since then I have developed a few more. It does seem as you get older, then the more they hit you.

As a kid I was always getting stings, since I liked to go barefoot and was forever stepping on things like yellow jackets. Never had any reaction till a few years ago when I got stung on my leg by several, and my leg swelled like a balloon over night. Ended up going for a shot with that one.

I also developed a reaction to a potent antibiotic (name slips my mind right now but it was sulphur based) several years ago. I was on a 6 week i.v. treatment for a serious bacterial infection I received from a bone graft during surgery. I had a pic line in and administered the dose twice a day at home. For 4 weeks I had no problem, and then one day, I had a mild anaphylactic reaction on the first dose, but didn't think much of it - some pain and tightness in my chest and shortness of breath. The second dose of the day was even worse and accompanied with a blinding headache, so it was off to the doctor. He wanted to put me in the hospital to monitor me for the remaining 2 weeks of treatment - I said no - and that I wasn't going to continue with it - and I wanted the line pulled. He didn't want to, but when I said I'd pull it myself, he agreed to have it removed. The 4 weeks must have been enough to kill the infection tho, since I'm still kicking.

It does seem strange that these reactions can just pop up over night in some instances, but I'm proof that they can.

Liz - I hope that your doc finds out what's going on, and can get you feeling better soon. I can't imagine going thru what you are, and for so long.

Geeze - I'm sorry I read or posted here - I think I jinxed myself.

I fixed 2 crab and shrimp cakes for lunch today. Before I even got the 2nd one down, I started itching all over, but mostly my scalp, arms, chest and back. My ears are ringing and my hands are partially numb - tho can't figure those 2. I popped 3 Benadryl before it got totally out of control, and that seems to be helping.

So I guess I can add shelfish to my list. I LOVE all seafood - this is going to be torture if I can't eat shellfish now. :mad:

I saw the Dr this morning and told him about all the ideas & suggestions
you all shared about the allergic reactions. He & I sorta agree that Tide
probably is not the culpret because the rash would be more wide spread.
He also felt the inhaler I have will help control the shortness of breath,etc
and doesn't think I need carry the epi pen.

The swelling is way down on my face & eye and just a little redness left
on the skin. So I am to continue the meds & especially the antibiotic, to
treat for any lingering infection in the lungs.( He thinks this might have been
helpful the first time around.:rolleyes:)

If this happens again, he will send me to an Internist or Allergist to follow
up for testing for specific allergies. I told him if this all comes back again
for him to just shoot me & get it over with.:p:p Thanks for all your help
and suggestions.:)

My Mom was terribly allergic to tomatoes. She couldn't even slice them because getting the juice on her hands would cause a bad reaction. It was a problem because tomato is in so many different things and even a minute amount would cause serious problems. When I was small, Mom got a reaction so bad that she broke out in hives internally that blocked her airway. Any allergy is a serious situation and should be handled with the utmost care.

I have had 2 more episodes in May and again in June & July. My
Dr sent me to a allergist for testing. I had that done in June & the
result was negative for all the common allergies tested for. The Allergist
gave me a Rx for Pred to clear the rash & the swelling did subside.

He gave me his cell number & advised me to call him right away should
the swelling,rash etc return. It did return on7/10/11 & I went in to see
him again. He diagnosos was Poison Ivy.:eek:

Evidently I am super allergic to PI. My body overreacts to it , bringing
the breathing problems, rash & swelling. Believe it or not, I still have the
rash eruptions on my hands & arms even after my last dose of Pred. It's
been 22 days now, shouldn't the rash be gone by now?

Liz- are you saying it was PI all along, your allergy? If so, wouldn't your family doctor have recognized that one pretty easily? I think I could dx that one, LOL.

My friend has a serious PI allergy....she breathes it in...

I'm glad you found out what you were allergic too, just be very careful where your walking I guess! I hope it goes down and that solves it.

I've never really had a life threatening allergic reaction. However, I swear I'm allergic to just about everything. I'm allergic to Sulfa antibiotics, they give me the hives. I'm allergic to pretty much every animal with fur, ironic that I was born an animal lover eh? Sneezing, itchy eyes and nose, and Springen's slobber gives me the hives! Doesn't stop me from loving them though :) I'm much more allergic to cats than dogs. I'm allergic to grass, weeds, and pollen. I was so allergic to dust that when I was little my parents had to rip out the carpet in my room and put plastic covers over my pillows and take away my stuffed animals. I hate allergies.
I take zyrtec/claritin and flonase (nasal spray) every day. Benedryl when it gets really bad.

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Originally Posted by Cataholic

Liz- are you saying it was PI all along, your allergy? If so, wouldn't your family doctor have recognized that one pretty easily? I think I could dx that one, LOL.

My friend has a serious PI allergy....she breathes it in...

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My primary care DR. thought since it was so severe it must have been
something taken internally, like some meds I was on or a food I had eaten.
He treated me with a aggressive round of Pred (9 days) and it did go away.

He also eliminated one med after anouther to find what caused it but
never found it, so he sent me to an Allergist.

I too thought he should have suspected PI, but what do I know?

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Originally Posted by dab_20

I'm glad you found out what you were allergic too, just be very careful where your walking I guess! I hope it goes down and that solves it.

I've never really had a life threatening allergic reaction. However, I swear I'm allergic to just about everything. I'm allergic to Sulfa antibiotics, they give me the hives. I'm allergic to pretty much every animal with fur, ironic that I was born an animal lover eh? Sneezing, itchy eyes and nose, and Springen's slobber gives me the hives! Doesn't stop me from loving them though :) I'm much more allergic to cats than dogs. I'm allergic to grass, weeds, and pollen. I was so allergic to dust that when I was little my parents had to rip out the carpet in my room and put plastic covers over my pillows and take away my stuffed animals. I hate allergies.
I take zyrtec/claritin and flonase (nasal spray) every day. Benedryl when it gets really bad.

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I have been taking Claritin and Bendyrl this last time. It is so weird
that I am not allergic to the usual things and then have a bad reaction
to PI.:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by lizbud

I have been taking Claritin and Bendyrl this last time. It is so weird
that I am not allergic to the usual things and then have a bad reaction
to PI.:rolleyes:

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Liz, don't feel bad. Lots of people who have food allergies are allergic to peanuts, or dairy, or wheat and gluten ... but not me! I'm allergic to things like celery and eggplant and beef!

When I worked in the hospital I was sensitive to the powder in latex gloves. I'm not allergic to latex, but the powder gave me red blotches on the backs of my hands and fingers. Unpowdered gloves helped but didn't solve the problem completely. It couldn't really be avoided which is partly why I left bedside nursing.

I get raised red welts when I get insect bites. A friend who's a dermatology nurse told me it's sort of a hypersensitivity reaction to the bite. I need a prescription topical steroid to get them to quiet down.

When I was little I had some sort of reaction to either Hi-C or Hawaiian Punch, but I can drink them both with no problem now.

My brother-in-law carries an Epi Pen because he's allergic to bee stings.

Glad you finally found out what the problem was, Liz. I never had PI so obviously I'm not allergic to it, however one of my brothers was severely allergic to it. All he had to do was walk near it, and he would be covered all over in huge, weepy blisters - even in his mouth! It would be so bad that he couldn't even go to school. Funny the way things run in families - some have horrible reactions, and others - nothing.

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Originally Posted by pomtzu

Glad you finally found out what the problem was, Liz. I never had PI so obviously I'm not allergic to it, however one of my brothers was severely allergic to it. All he had to do was walk near it, and he would be covered all over in huge, weepy blisters - even in his mouth! It would be so bad that he couldn't even go to school. Funny the way things run in families - some have horrible reactions, and others - nothing.

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Well I'm several years past retirement age & I used to think I wasn't
allergic too, but I guess not.:D

I didn't get the blisters at first, just large welt like swelling on my face
and neck. One eye was nearly swollen shut.:( It looked awful.

Liz, be aware that because you are allergic, you need to be even more wary than ever before, because from now on, every reaction will tend to be more and more severe. My brother-in-law ended up hospitalized a couple times because of poison ivy allergies. He was the reason I was so diligent about ripping to out - by the roots - whenever it appeared in our yard at the last house.

Penicillin, and selected Amway products.

FOOD : allergic to musscles

MEDS : allergic to Primperan, which is a fluid against nausiness; it is usually always given after an operation

I'm sorry to hear so many folks suffer from scary (or downright annoying) allergies.

When I was pregnant with Quinn, I had to be rushed to the ER after suffering a severe allergic reaction to Advair (that purple discus thing). My eyes swelled shut, both of them, face swelled, and more scary still, my throat began to swell shut. I was struggeling to breathe. I was pregnant and had to be given a shot of epinephrine, which is a HUGE no-no previous to the 3rd trimester. Thankfully I was just days into my 3rd trimester but I was terrified until I saw that she did, indeed, have 10 fingers and 10 toes. I guess it's known to cause many birth defects, including webbed digets. I had an epi-pen to carry around in case I ever came into contact with Advair, but the epi-pen expired and I never bothered to get a new one. I know I should, but I don't know anyone who uses it.

I was allergic to my Goffin's cockatoo bird and had to find a new home for her. It was like adopting out a child and it's a pain that still hurts to this day. I loved that bird and it shattered my heart to find her a new home. She made me have to use my rescue inhaler ALL the time, and I ended up having to use my rescue inhaler about every 4 hours, even after I re-homed my bird, her dust lingered for quite some time before my asthma became under control again. Stooopid allergies :(

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Originally Posted by AdoreMyDogs

I'm sorry to hear so many folks suffer from scary (or downright annoying) allergies.

When I was pregnant with Quinn, I had to be rushed to the ER after suffering a severe allergic reaction to Advair (that purple discus thing). My eyes swelled shut, both of them, face swelled, and more scary still, my throat began to swell shut. I was struggeling to breathe. I was pregnant and had to be given a shot of epinephrine, which is a HUGE no-no previous to the 3rd trimester. Thankfully I was just days into my 3rd trimester but I was terrified until I saw that she did, indeed, have 10 fingers and 10 toes. I guess it's known to cause many birth defects, including webbed digets. I had an epi-pen to carry around in case I ever came into contact with Advair, but the epi-pen expired and I never bothered to get a new one. I know I should, but I don't know anyone who uses it.

I was allergic to my Goffin's cockatoo bird and had to find a new home for her. It was like adopting out a child and it's a pain that still hurts to this day. I loved that bird and it shattered my heart to find her a new home. She made me have to use my rescue inhaler ALL the time, and I ended up having to use my rescue inhaler about every 4 hours, even after I re-homed my bird, her dust lingered for quite some time before my asthma became under control again. Stooopid allergies :(

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Leslie, I'm sorry about your bird.:( I was afraid my DR would find me allergic
to dog or cat dander & I'd have to think about rehomeing my furkids.:(
Didn't happen but still that's a sad thought.:(

Did you ever try Spirva for your asthma? It's a once a day inhaled med.
I use Advair 2x per day for COPD. Tried the Spirva first & it worked fine
for better breathing but messed up my vision. Couldn't see clear enough
to drive. I too, have a rescue (albuterol) inhaler. & don't need to use it much
except when this PI reaction happened, then used it every 4 hrs too.

When I was about 10 I ripped my knee open on piece of rusty metal. I had to have about 10 stitches and at the time they did a test to determine if I was allergic to tetnus. I had a violent reaction to the test so they told me to never get any shots that have an egg serum base. It turns out just about all shots are egg based. I spent 6 years in the Navy traveling the world and escaped getting any of the normal shots required for foreign travel. In fact I recieved no shots while in the Navy.

I found I was allergic to Novolcane at about 7 so I had to have all dental work done without any deadening. That was back in the day of the old slow drill too. Today my dentist uses lidocaine that I tolerate well.

I have found as a adult that I am very allergic to Augmentin antibiotic. I spent several days in the Hospital after Augmentin treatment. It caused "C diff" which is something you don't wish on your worst enemy.