Allergy To What?

[confusedks]

I don't have any "true" allergies where I get hives. etc. But tonight we bought some Trader Joe's Gluten Free, Dairy Free granola. I just picked out the nuts because they usually give me headaches. Well, about 30 minutes later...well maybe 15-30, I got hives on my legs by the creases and the creases in my arms are itching so badly they are now bright red!!! OMG....what is going on? My whole body itches like crazy! Do you think it was the traces of nuts?? This is so strange...I also had veggie chips (which I've had 1000 times before, never a problem) or I also had freeze dried mango, but the only ingredient was mango. Help....I'm so itchy!!!!! What could this be?

Kassandra

[Yellow Rose]

I don't have any "true" allergies where I get hives. etc. But tonight we bought some Trader Joe's Gluten Free, Dairy Free granola. I just picked out the nuts because they usually give me headaches. Well, about 30 minutes later...well maybe 15-30, I got hives on my legs by the creases and the creases in my arms are itching so badly they are now bright red!!! OMG....what is going on? My whole body itches like crazy! Do you think it was the traces of nuts?? This is so strange...I also had veggie chips (which I've had 1000 times before, never a problem) or I also had freeze dried mango, but the only ingredient was mango. Help....I'm so itchy!!!!! What could this be?

Kassandra

Go take some Benadryl. Was there anything else in the granola that you have had problems with in the past? If not sounds like your nut reaction is getting worse.

Yellow Rose

[CarlaB]

Ditto on the Benadryl.

Have you eaten those foods in the past with no problem?

What about new herbs that you might be taking?

[confusedks]

Omg...it's getting worse. I'm short of breath and I now have bumps on my mouth! I'm going to go find benadryl. And my hand feels like it's burning!!

Carla,

I have been taking the herbs for quite a few days with no problems. Also, the last time I took them was this morning arounf 8 or 9.

This was the ingredient list: Corn Flour, Water, Evaporated Cane Juice (Sugar), Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Raisin Juice Concentrate, Honey, Salt, Canola Oil, Dried Cranberries, Sunflower Seeds, Flax Seeds, Almonds, Sesame Seeds, Pecans, Natural Vanilla, Natural Maple Flavor, Sea Salt.

AHHH!!!!!!!

Kassandra

[Ridgewalker]

Omg...it's getting worse. I'm short of breath and I now have bumps on my mouth! I'm going to go find benadryl. And my hand feels like it's burning!!

Carla,

I have been taking the herbs for quite a few days with no problems. Also, the last time I took them was this morning arounf 8 or 9.

This was the ingredient list: Corn Flour, Water, Evaporated Cane Juice (Sugar), Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Raisin Juice Concentrate, Honey, Salt, Canola Oil, Dried Cranberries, Sunflower Seeds, Flax Seeds, Almonds, Sesame Seeds, Pecans, Natural Vanilla, Natural Maple Flavor, Sea Salt.

AHHH!!!!!!!

Kassandra

The shortness of breath could just be fear/panic. But for heaven's sake, definitely make sure someone else in your family is awake, just in case. Also, if you have any Benedryl cream, or other cortisone cream, maybe it will help the itchies!

-Sarah

[confusedks]

Everyone here is awake...it's 7.30 here. This is so strange. I hope this passes quickly. I have school tomorrow!

Kassandra

[CarlaB]

Kassandra, I have an allergy like that to raw honey. It took several days in a row of eating it for me to start breaking out in hives ... I would have a cup of tea in the evening with the honey ... every night at bedtime I'd have hives ... yeah, I know, honey, hives ... anyway, it was not easily traceable, so it could be something you've been taking that just took time to build up.

Though I must admit that it's suspicious that it started after the granola. I suspect the flax ... it causes me trouble.

It's NOT 7:30 here ... so I'll look for an update in the morning. Hope you can get a good night's sleep.

Edit: it's flax oil that has caused problems for me in the past, not flax seeds.

[mama2]

I have had that happen to me... still dunno why... nor the doc.

Anyway Ben... take 2 every 4 usually takes a few days to feel better...see the doc and they can at least give you something to help. Hope you feel better.

[Rachel--24]

It could be sulfites.

An allergic reaction to sulfites would cause that type of reaction. Sulfites are particularly high in dried fruit. You had dried dried mango as well as the dried fruit in the granola. I think the raisin juice concentrate would also contain alot of sulfites.

[mftnchn]

Kassandra, sounds like a pretty clear allergic reaction especially if you have some difficulty breathing along with it, unless that was anxiety as someone mentioned.

My husband had a strange case of all over body hives and itches, and we could find no cause at all. In my research I discovered that sometimes a virus can cause that.

Could be nuts, or if there was something in there that you hadn't been exposed to for a week or so but usually eat, it could be a food allergy that was unmasked.

[confusedks]

Hey all,

Well, I am feeling a little better, but still really itchy and still have 2 bumps lesft in my mouth. This is very strange. The problem with the benadryl, I took one last night at about 7.30 ish, and I fell asleep an hour later. I had so much homework to finish, I set my alarm for 3.00 am to finish it. I just wanted to give an update. I guess I'll call my doctor today and see what he says. It's strange though because I just had allergy testing (which I know is very unreliable.)

Kassandra

[gfgypsyqueen]

Hi Kassandra,

I'd be interested to hear what your dr said about the issues you were having. You listed that you are tree nut free. Not sure if that is an allergy or you just are skipping tree nuts for another reason. As an FYI, my child has a peanut allergy. Her 1st reaction was hives and swelling of her face and mouth area. She now has an TwinJect (epi-pen) that must be with her at all times. She had nuts before this without a problem. The allergy testing showed a positive reaction to peanuts. I was told that although she is not allergic to tree nuts, she needed to consider herself allergic to them because of the high cross-over rate of that peanut to tree nut allergy. Means that many people start out allergic to peanuts or tree nuts and end up allergic to the other as well even though they are from different families of foods. Over the years she now tests positive to some tree nuts too.

If your reaction involved hives, swelling, bumps in your mouth etc, you probably need to keep an epi-pen with you at all times.

[Mango04]

I have a friend who reacts like that to mango.

[confusedks]

That is interesting about the mango. I am also worried that it is a serious allergy, because I know that they get worse and worse every time you ingest the product. I am tree nut free because they give me migraines which we never knew until my allergist told me that I should take them out of my diet. Also, how many doses of benadryl must I take for it to go away? I am still itching a little bit.

Kassandra

P.S. Mango and I have always been fine, but then again I never reacted like this to tree nuts either!

[confusedks]

Ugh! I just talked to my Dr. and he was like...well just don't eat those things! DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How minimizing?! I don't know if I'm overreacting, but I think hives, etc. are pretty serious. And even he said, it WILL get WORSE!!!!

Kassandra

[loraleena]

I never had issues with mango either, but several months ago a friend gave me some mango. My mouth got very itchy and I felt terrible (similiar to gluten). I have also developed intolerance to avocado in the past 2 yrs. as well.

[Arpita]

I have a friend and her son that responds like that to corn.

Although I don't have that "type" of response, I am so sensitive to contamination that I would have a reaction to the granola because it says it is on "shared equipment" with dairy. I found that out back before they had such labels when I was eating several foods that bothered me. Later I learned that all those packaged foods had a U-D symbol which means possible presence of dairy protein because of shared equipment. Unfortunately this is an issue for almost any packaged sweet food such as granola, cereal, waffles, cookies.

Wishing you the best! I noticed you haven't been gluten free that long. Have you ever thought of just sticking with that (or gluten/casein free) and waiting? It takes 6 months to a year for some people.

[Mom23boys]

Ugh! I just talked to my Dr. and he was like...well just don't eat those things! DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How minimizing?! I don't know if I'm overreacting, but I think hives, etc. are pretty serious. And even he said, it WILL get WORSE!!!!

Kassandra

Yes they do get worse. Benedryl only works so far. My reaction took about a week to go away. Since you had a reaction like this you must DEMAND an epi.

Have you had the blood tests to determine exactly which nut you should watch out for?? I'd add mango and sulfites to the blood test too.

[tarnalberry]

are you working with an allergist or a regular GP on this one? if you're not working with an allergist, you need to get one.

[BettyL.]

I feel maybe it is reaction to sulfites found in the dried fruit you mention. Mango, dried cranberries and raisins all could have sulfites added to them in the drying method. Watch light color food for sulfites.

Betty L.

[confusedks]

I actually have an allergist, but he was such a jerk with the whole gluten-free thing we didn't want to call him. But maybe it's worth a call. I am still amazed at my GP's lack of concern!!!

Kassandra

[covsooze]

Kassandra, GPs generally know very little about allergies and intolerances, so an allergy specialist is a must. I've developed allergies over the past few months, so has my sister who is also celiac. My sister's oral allergies are so bad now she has to carry an epi-pen. thankfully I'm not that bad, but am concerned I might get that way and my GP has referred me to an allergist.

I'm battling with hives too. The thing with hives is that you can get them with pretty much any allergic reaction and they might take a few hours or even a few days to develop. It might be worth doing a food diary, if you're not already, and charting any reactions against that. Also, with allergies, things cross-react, so you might only get a reaction if you're ingesting a certain combination of things. This is why you need an allergist as it's so complicated.

Oh and do check the supplements you're on. I know my current reaction is to do with one of the ingredients in my medication, it's a matter of figuring out which one.

All the best

Susie x