NHG: Seafood sensitivity question

[Deleted]

I apparently have nothing to offer in the H&G world these days seeing as how I'm asking about floppy beach hats and seafood lately! Seriously though, I have in the past couple years developed a slight sensitivity to shellfish, which stinks because I love me some shrimp. I'm not talking a full on tongue-swelling allergic reaction or anything - mostly my throat gets scratchy. I know Benadryl will stop a reaction but I can't take that except at bedtime. Does anybody know if Claritin or Zyrtec will do the same thing? We will be at the beach this weekend and I am NOT going to miss out on all the awesome seafood. I'm hoping if I take a Claritin maybe an hour before I eat then I'll be good to go. TIA!

[emjacobs]

I believe there is a non-drowsy version of benadryl, so you might want to look for that first.

That being said, Zyrtec will work for any oral eating allergy. Since you can take it 2x's a day I'd take it late morning / early afternoon and then again in the evening. You will want it in your system before eating shellfish.

Keep an eye on your shellfish allergy as most likely it is progressing into a more severe allergy, food allergies are no fun.

[Susie]

Don't those antihistamines work primarily on nasal/sinus symptoms? I'm not sure they'd do much for a scratchy throat.

If you seriously think you're developing an allergy, I'm not sure I'd plunge ahead eating shellfish without seeing a doctor and investigating more. With allergies like insect stings and foods, the reaction gets stronger after each exposure. My brother's allergic to nuts, and since he was reckless in high school/college about eating them, he has progressed from just getting tingly lips and a scratchy throat from eating those Little Debbie brownies with walnuts on them, to having a full blown analphylactic reaction to cleaning his lizard's tank and putting in shavings that have nut shells in it. When he actually eats a nut, now he needs two rounds of the usual IV meds in the ER or else he relapses. Obviously it's elevated to being really dangerous now, just because he pushed it.

He pushed it many times (seriously?! you ate your roommate's rocky road ice cream w/o reading the carton!?), so I'm not suggesting that you'd have that kind of reaction right away. Just suggesting that you might want to look into it sooner rather than later.

[emjacobs]

Also RE: nasal/sinus symptoms, Zyrtec is the only one that I know of that will also work on oral food allergies, many doctors suggest it for people that can't take Benadryl and for kids.

But yes I agree 100% with Susie, you never know how quickly a food allergy will progress. Speaking as a person with an allergy list a mile long you really don't want to be caught in an unfamiliar area not being able to breathe and having to find a hospital (or calling an ambulance).

I have a severe anaphylactic and dermatologic allergy to fresh tomatoes. If I get a burrito and it has one little cube of fresh tomato my throat starts to close up and I have roughly 15 minutes before things will start getting really dicey.

I have a hops allergy that will cause me to start violently throwing up after eating or drinking anything with hops in it (aka beer) immediately. Basically I turn into a light weight sorority girl that has drank 2 cases after two sips. I also get a minor rash.

Both of these have gotten much much worse over the years and change randomly. My mom has the same tomato allergy and hers has gotten less severe as she has gotten older.

[Deleted]

Jul 12, 2012 9:50:16 GMT -5 Susie said:

Don't those antihistamines work primarily on nasal/sinus symptoms? I'm not sure they'd do much for a scratchy throat.

If you seriously think you're developing an allergy, I'm not sure I'd plunge ahead eating shellfish without seeing a doctor and investigating more. With allergies like insect stings and foods, the reaction gets stronger after each exposure. My brother's allergic to nuts, and since he was reckless in high school/college about eating them, he has progressed from just getting tingly lips and a scratchy throat from eating those Little Debbie brownies with walnuts on them, to having a full blown analphylactic reaction to cleaning his lizard's tank and putting in shavings that have nut shells in it. When he actually eats a nut, now he needs two rounds of the usual IV meds in the ER or else he relapses. Obviously it's elevated to being really dangerous now, just because he pushed it.

He pushed it many times (seriously?! you ate your roommate's rocky road ice cream w/o reading the carton!?), so I'm not suggesting that you'd have that kind of reaction right away. Just suggesting that you might want to look into it sooner rather than later.

Thanks for the insight! I love seafood but it isn't something I eat regularly so that's likely why I don't have a severe reaction. Hopefully it won't ever get to that point. I can usually eat a small amount of seafood without a problem. I can eat fish just fine so instead of diving into a platter of shrimp I may just do a fish entree with maybe shrimp or scallops on the side, just to be safe. All I know is I'm not going to the coast to eat chicken and beef.

[sugardumpling]

i hope this does not happen to you but I loved loved shellfish. A former boyfriend's dad would go fishing and bring me 5lb buckets of mussels. Lived in Maine for a while and ate lobster daily...

And then the sensitivity started.... first it was a tickle/scratchy throat, then tummy issues and then swollen tongue etc. I played the "let me have a benadryl to be safe.... I now walk around with an epi pen and must let server know I have food allergy. In addition, must steer clear of potential food cross contamination at salad bars, parties, etc. Not fun.

Go get yourself tested.

[minniebee]

Ditto on the escalating reactions. Food allergies are not something to mess around with.

In her mid-30's, my mom started having small reactions to some fruits & vegetables. Her throat would get a little itchy after eating a raw apple, for example. Now, there's a whole list of fruits & veggies that she can't even touch if they're raw. Her throat closes. For her, the enzyme in the food that causes her reaction is chemically changed when cooked, so as long as things are cooked, she's okay. She can't have any fruits in the apple family (apples, pears, peaches, plums, nectarines, etc.) or any root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, turnips, yams, etc.) unless they're cooked. She has to wear latex gloves to peel raw potatoes, but once they're baked or boiled or fried or whatever, she can eat them. Touching a raw apple causes her throat to close, but she can eat applesauce or apple pie. It's very weird.

The point is, if you're experiencing food allergy symptoms, it's probably best to see an allergist and find out exactly what foods you should avoid and how to treat any symptoms if you start reacting to new things.

[Deleted]

You ladies are very wise. I never really thought about being tested for it but perhaps I should talk to my pulmonologist (I have mild asthma so I guess I'm really playin' with fire huh, ). I'm going to stick to mostly fish and eat shrimp off DH's plate. Shrimp and lobster are the only shellfish I've ever reacted to so hopefully I'm not going to develop a major allergy to seafood.

I went to Target during lunch and got Zyrtec so I will take that 2x daily as a PP suggested. I'll post on Monday to let everyone know I'm still alive!

[heygrey]

i wouldn't push it without an epi pen nearby. i probably eat something with shellfish once a year, more by accident than anything (damn crab dip at parties) and each time has escalated the reaction a bit. it's not about not eating it often, your body knows and it reacts. also, i take an allergy pill (claritain, zyrtex, etc) on and off over the years and it's never stopped a shellfish reaction.

sorry i'd just stick to the fish and try the shellfish again when you're home and closer to your own doctor.

[Susie]

Jul 12, 2012 13:04:45 GMT -5 heygrey said:

i'd just stick to the fish and try the shellfish again when you're home and closer to your own doctor.

:Y:

I get that it's disappointing, but it doesn't matter whether you plan to eat the shrimp from your plate or your H's. If you're allergic to shrimp, one is too many. You've apparently reacted to shrimp and lobster in the past, so why on earth would you plan to push it and eat shrimp? Order fish instead of shellfish - we're not talking PB&J here - and see your doctor when you get back. There are way safer ways to determine whether you've got a potentially dangerous allergy than to press your luck on vacation and hope that a respiratory allergy drug helps.