Acute Allergic Reaction

[Mother of Jibril]

I've become really paranoid about what I eat Today around 4:00 I had a meeting at a coffee shop, so I ordered hot tea... Republic of Tea, only three ingredients: black tea, natural blueberry flavor, and blueberries. It seemed like a reasonable risk.

While I was drinking the tea I started to have a strange feeling. I was lightheaded, my eye started twitching, and the muscles around my mouth felt tired (like when you're in a wedding and you have to keep smiling for a couple of hours while they take photographs). By the time I left I was feeling OK again. I picked up my daughter from preschool and everything seemed fine.

Around 6:00 I had some vegetable soup (make from scratch... plus I had been eating it the previous two days with no problems). About 20 minutes later, I suddenly noticed that my hands were ITCHY and red. I looked in the mirror and my face was bright red! My heart was beating hard and fast. I had some diarrhea and then I started getting nauseated... I felt like I was going to pass out... so I called 911. I called my husband on his cell phone, but there was no answer. I threw up a LOT and they hauled me off to the hospital. Some high-strength Benadryl did wonders.

Hives, severe flushing, nausea, diarrhea, feeling lightheaded... I've NEVER had a reaction like this It freaked me out. And the worst thing is... I don't even know for sure what I'm allergic to. The tea was the only new thing I had today. Natural blueberry flavoring??

The crazy thing is that I had some allergy testing (skin test) back in August, but nothing turned up. Maybe I need more testing... or the reaction just doesn't happen quickly enough. Has anyone had this kind of acute allergic reaction pop up as an adult? Maybe my immune system is hyper-sensitive now that it's not being bombarded with gluten and corn every day.

[codetalker]

I have additional food allergies and I think you have responded to a couple of my posts. Last weekend, I had a very unexpected reaction.

Corn was on my allergen list. Over time, the reaction was becoming less and less pronounced. About a month ago, I ate some corn chips (as a test) and had pratically no reaction (the usual reaction has been right-side neck swelling and hoarseness).

Last weekend, I tried another experiment and tried some microwave popcorn. It had only two ingredients: corn and palm oil. I figured if there was a reaction it would not be any worse than the extremely slight reaction to the corn chips. Just the opposite happened.

Shortly after eating the popcorn, my lips and cheek started going numb. My fingers had coldness and tingling. It was totally unexpected. Along with this were the usual symptoms (much more pronounced) of swelling on the right side of my neck and afterwards hoarseness.

I still have no clear understanding as to what is really going on. However, in response to your question: yes, I've had an acute reaction pop up unexpectedly.

[Takala]

You may want to start carrying your own teabags.

And artificial sweetener if you use it.

Call the shop and tell them you need the lot number of the tea, then call the manufacturer and ask them what the **** is in the so- called "natural blueberry flavorings."

That was quite a reaction. I have had some of those in the past, to medication, but none that pronounced for a while. It's a good idea to carry some antihistamines in your purse, also, and get into the habit of taking one as soon as you feel that funky reaction coming on. I start with Claritin and then if it

[dhd2000]

It's scary, isn't it? That happened to me once, before I was gluten free and the only thing I could connect it to was a medication. One that I had taken before and not had problems with. I never took it again and I've never had a similar reaction. Keep benadryl with you for awhile until you make sure it isn't something you're used to eating.

Dee

  Mother of Jibril said:

I've become really paranoid about what I eat Today around 4:00 I had a meeting at a coffee shop, so I ordered hot tea... Republic of Tea, only three ingredients: black tea, natural blueberry flavor, and blueberries. It seemed like a reasonable risk.

While I was drinking the tea I started to have a strange feeling. I was lightheaded, my eye started twitching, and the muscles around my mouth felt tired (like when you're in a wedding and you have to keep smiling for a couple of hours while they take photographs). By the time I left I was feeling OK again. I picked up my daughter from preschool and everything seemed fine.

Around 6:00 I had some vegetable soup (make from scratch... plus I had been eating it the previous two days with no problems). About 20 minutes later, I suddenly noticed that my hands were ITCHY and red. I looked in the mirror and my face was bright red! My heart was beating hard and fast. I had some diarrhea and then I started getting nauseated... I felt like I was going to pass out... so I called 911. I called my husband on his cell phone, but there was no answer. I threw up a LOT and they hauled me off to the hospital. Some high-strength Benadryl did wonders.

Hives, severe flushing, nausea, diarrhea, feeling lightheaded... I've NEVER had a reaction like this It freaked me out. And the worst thing is... I don't even know for sure what I'm allergic to. The tea was the only new thing I had today. Natural blueberry flavoring??

The crazy thing is that I had some allergy testing (skin test) back in August, but nothing turned up. Maybe I need more testing... or the reaction just doesn't happen quickly enough. Has anyone had this kind of acute allergic reaction pop up as an adult? Maybe my immune system is hyper-sensitive now that it's not being bombarded with gluten and corn every day.

[Mother of Jibril]

  Takala said:

You may want to start carrying your own teabags.

Definitely! I have learned my lesson

  Takala said:

Call the shop and tell them you need the lot number of the tea, then call the manufacturer and ask them what the **** is in the so- called "natural blueberry flavorings."

I just called The Republic of Tea. They said all their teas are gluten-free and the "natural blueberry flavoring" is just blueberries... although I'm still suspicious. For one thing, I love blueberries and I don't seem to be allergic (although I guess you never know). Also... why list "natural blueberry flavor" and "blueberries" seperately on the container? Just before I hung up the woman said they use "all natural ingredients" in their teas. Hmmm... corn is natural, but I can't eat it

  dhd2000 said:

It's scary, isn't it? That happened to me once, before I was gluten free and the only thing I could connect it to was a medication. One that I had taken before and not had problems with. I never took it again and I've never had a similar reaction. Keep benadryl with you for awhile until you make sure it isn't something you're used to eating.

It is scary!! I never want to experience THAT again.

I definitely need to stop at the pharmacy to get some Benadryl. I'm seeing my PCP on Monday and an allergist on Thursday... hopefully we can figure out what's going on. I certainly don't mind giving up another food! I hope it's that simple.

[maile]

my son's allergist told us that allergic reactions don't happen the first time you encounter the offending item but the 2nd. he said that the first encounter the body realizes it's a "bad thing" and the 2nd time (and thereafter) it mounts an attack or defense against the offender.

I don't know for sure if this is true but it seems to dove tail with the rain barrell effect. is there anything else you had eaten in the past couple of days that was new or infrequently injested?

[Takala]

Will they put it in writing? I'm suspicious of the "natural blueberry flavoring" being made of something else entirely, and this isn't a gluten reaction. Being "natural" means nothing, in fact, for the gluten intolerant/celiac, the word "natural" is a red flag for "ingredient list unknown or unwilling to be stated by manufacturer." For instance, it could have pomegranite or acai berry in it, grape, lemon..... anything.

I tried googling "natural blueberry flavoring" to see what ingredients I could come up with, and here's a sample of some things with this:

"propylene glycol, alcohol, and natural flavor. gluten free. "

oh, yum - yum ! still doesn't say what is in that "natural flavor."

here's another for blueberry flavored lozenges supposed to block viruses (what nonsense)

elderberries. maltodextrin, fructose, silica, citric acid, natural blueberry flavor, cyclodextrin and magnesium stearate.

mmm. elderberries. whoops.

According to the FDA, "natural" can be made of almost anything:

  Quote

Open Original Shared Link

Although food marketers can use the word "natural" with almost no legal restrictions, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does regulate the use of the adjective in the case of flavors. A "natural" flavor is one derived "from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf" and other--even animal--materials. This does not mean that reading the labels of products with natural flavors is without complications.

The end result is supposed to taste like whatever they intended, but they use whatever they can to get to that point.

[tarnalberry]

if you were in a coffee shop that sells baked goods, it's not impossible that there could have been just about *anything* in your cup or on the table. it might not have been in the tea bag itself.

[Mother of Jibril]

  maile said:

I don't know for sure if this is true but it seems to dove tail with the rain barrell effect. is there anything else you had eaten in the past couple of days that was new or infrequently injested?

I just started a food diary on Tuesday... what timing!

So here's what I had...

2/3: Silk soy yogurt (plain flavor) with sliced almonds, unsweetened coconut, banana, and pure maple syrup; omelet with bell pepper and fresh parsley; avocado; Endangered Species chocolate; walnuts; soup with carrots, parsnips, Westbrae canned organic chili beans (no preservatives), kale, a veggie bullion cube (an organic, gluten-free brand I've been using for at least two years), and onion (which I sauteed in coconut oil)

2/4: Same yogurt mixture, same chocolate, organic cinnamon apple sauce (no preservatives or sweetener), walnuts, Eden Foods spicy pumpkin seeds, dried organic apricots (no sulfur), leftover vegetable soup from the day before

2/5: Banana, spicy pumpkin seeds, same yogurt mixture, Chocolove chocolate, avocado, Republic of Tea "Wild Blueberry Fair Trade" tea, last of the leftover soup (which I threw up)

The tea was the only thing I hadn't eaten at least half a dozen times before. Cross-contamination is always possible, but gluten makes me irritable, constipated and gives me an itchy rash on my hands... no sign of that. I suppose with the "rain barrel effect" anything is possible

It also occurred to me that I might have a mold allergy. I was on maternity leave last semester. The first day I went back to my office I came home with hives on my face. They put an air purifier next to my desk... so far, so good. I wouldn't be surprised if that building is FULL of mold. It's an old building (built in the 1920s) and there was flooding in the basement this summer. What if the soup... at 48 hours old... was starting to develop mold and it was enough to set me off? I can hardly wait for that appointment with the allergist.

  Takala said:

I tried googling "natural blueberry flavoring" to see what ingredients I could come up with, and here's a sample of some things with this:

"propylene glycol, alcohol, and natural flavor. gluten free. "

SCARY. I knew the "natural flavors" were suspect... but I didn't think I would go into anaphylaxis.

  tarnalberry said:

if you were in a coffee shop that sells baked goods, it's not impossible that there could have been just about *anything* in your cup or on the table. it might not have been in the tea bag itself.

Yeah... I've had tea at that place several times and never had a problem, but maybe I need to start bringing my own mug too. Or ask for a take-out cup.

[Mother of Jibril]

  codetalker said:

Corn was on my allergen list. Over time, the reaction was becoming less and less pronounced. About a month ago, I ate some corn chips (as a test) and had pratically no reaction (the usual reaction has been right-side neck swelling and hoarseness).

Last weekend, I tried another experiment and tried some microwave popcorn. It had only two ingredients: corn and palm oil. I figured if there was a reaction it would not be any worse than the extremely slight reaction to the corn chips. Just the opposite happened.

Shortly after eating the popcorn, my lips and cheek started going numb. My fingers had coldness and tingling. It was totally unexpected. Along with this were the usual symptoms (much more pronounced) of swelling on the right side of my neck and afterwards hoarseness.

That is really strange... maybe you can have a little bit of corn, but too much will set you off? In my son's case, just getting one piece of popcorn in his mouth (which I fished out before he could swallow it... he only eleven months old) was enough to set off his eczema again. One stinkin' piece!

[DinaB]

  Mother of Jibril said:

I've become really paranoid about what I eat Today around 4:00 I had a meeting at a coffee shop, so I ordered hot tea... Republic of Tea, only three ingredients: black tea, natural blueberry flavor, and blueberries. It seemed like a reasonable risk.

While I was drinking the tea I started to have a strange feeling. I was lightheaded, my eye started twitching, and the muscles around my mouth felt tired (like when you're in a wedding and you have to keep smiling for a couple of hours while they take photographs). By the time I left I was feeling OK again. I picked up my daughter from preschool and everything seemed fine.

Around 6:00 I had some vegetable soup (make from scratch... plus I had been eating it the previous two days with no problems). About 20 minutes later, I suddenly noticed that my hands were ITCHY and red. I looked in the mirror and my face was bright red! My heart was beating hard and fast. I had some diarrhea and then I started getting nauseated... I felt like I was going to pass out... so I called 911. I called my husband on his cell phone, but there was no answer. I threw up a LOT and they hauled me off to the hospital. Some high-strength Benadryl did wonders.

Hives, severe flushing, nausea, diarrhea, feeling lightheaded... I've NEVER had a reaction like this It freaked me out. And the worst thing is... I don't even know for sure what I'm allergic to. The tea was the only new thing I had today. Natural blueberry flavoring??

The crazy thing is that I had some allergy testing (skin test) back in August, but nothing turned up. Maybe I need more testing... or the reaction just doesn't happen quickly enough. Has anyone had this kind of acute allergic reaction pop up as an adult? Maybe my immune system is hyper-sensitive now that it's not being bombarded with gluten and corn every day.

The weird thing about food allergies is that usually foods won't show up if you are "skin tested." I was tested numerous times, as was my daughter and nothing ever shows up. The most accurate tests are when you are tested through the blood. Either way, don't leave home without benedryl.

[Mother of Jibril]

  DinaB said:

The weird thing about food allergies is that usually foods won't show up if you are "skin tested." I was tested numerous times, as was my daughter and nothing ever shows up. The most accurate tests are when you are tested through the blood. Either way, don't leave home without benedryl.

Thanks for that note! I have an appointment with an allergist tomorrow and I'm definitely going to ask about blood testing. I really NEED to figure out what's causing this

[whitball]

I had a similar experience two weeks ago. I ate a Clif bar, not realizing that there was malt in it. I just saw the wheat free on the package and went on my way. I have also found that rice and corn are a problem, but didn't think it was that big of a deal if I ate it occasionally. But that week I had Rice Chex almost every day. So, I was driving down and express way going to my next meeting and almost fainted. My heart rate felt like it was at 6,000. I was sweating, felt like vomiting, completely scared to death. I considered going to an urgent care, but changed my mind, but had several more episodes of near passing out. Took 45 minutes to get home. I saw my family doc, who did some blood work, and all was normal. I tested it yesterday with a small bit of cake, same thing happened today. Guess I'm done with rice and corn.