Oh, OYSTER!
July 13, 2012 1:27 AM Subscribe
Oyster allergy question! TMI inside - please weigh in with your experiences or professional insights. Long story short, I have no other shellfish allergies, can I take a Zyrtec or similar and still have an oyster now and then? Can one grow out of this type of allergy?? It seems I might have!
Details inside.
The facts are:
*Sensitive to oysters since childhood. Finally realized this in my 20's.
*No other shellfish sensitivities.
*It used to be that handling oysters made my skin tingle, THIS IS NO LONGER TRUE 15+ YEARS LATER.
*Should I chance it??
My oyster allergy manifested as follows:
A feeling of "burning" in my throat and tummy, finally, I would need to throw up. That happened.
Professionally, it would be awesome if I could safely sample oysters. My understanding previously is that (a) shellfish allergies only get worse with exposure, this was my personal experience until I cut out oyster eating in 1998, and (b) handling oysters caused skin rashes until recently. Now, no rashes. I handle oysters almost every day, these days.
What gives? Can one outgrow this type of sensitivity? Can taking an antihistamine help??
The burning and vomiting used to kick in about 30 minutes after eating an oyster. My skin no longer reacts to touching oysters.
I'm curious if tasting an oyster is safe now, since touching them no longer stings.
Thank you.
Thank you.
The facts are:
*Sensitive to oysters since childhood. Finally realized this in my 20's.
*No other shellfish sensitivities.
*It used to be that handling oysters made my skin tingle, THIS IS NO LONGER TRUE 15+ YEARS LATER.
*Should I chance it??
My oyster allergy manifested as follows:
A feeling of "burning" in my throat and tummy, finally, I would need to throw up. That happened.
Professionally, it would be awesome if I could safely sample oysters. My understanding previously is that (a) shellfish allergies only get worse with exposure, this was my personal experience until I cut out oyster eating in 1998, and (b) handling oysters caused skin rashes until recently. Now, no rashes. I handle oysters almost every day, these days.
What gives? Can one outgrow this type of sensitivity? Can taking an antihistamine help??
The burning and vomiting used to kick in about 30 minutes after eating an oyster. My skin no longer reacts to touching oysters.
I'm curious if tasting an oyster is safe now, since touching them no longer stings.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Allergies can get better or worse over time. I am disinclined to suggest you taste one but I am less allergic to stuff than I used to be and I know someone with a sulfur allergy whose reactiveness varied over the years, sometimes better, sometimes worse, depending on how much exposure to sulfur they had been getting. In other words, after bad exposures, they were worse for a long time and after carefully avoiding it for a few years they would get less sensitive. During less sensitive periods, they remained allergic, but at the level of hives instead of potential death.
posted by Michele in California at 3:45 AM on July 13, 2012
posted by Michele in California at 3:45 AM on July 13, 2012
Just went to a presentation by an allergist about food allergies and anaphylaxis. Based on what he said:
It's possible to have a food allergy and then not have it -- this is more or less likely to happen depending on when it first developed.
You cannot prophylactically take allergy meds to fend off a food allergy, so no on the zertec.
You should not take allergy meds once you have a response an allergic response to food --like, don't take benedryl -- the proper response is epinephrine, every time.
Your response can change at any time. For example, you might have a mild response one time, and a life-threatening response the next.
Carry two epi pens, because the response can be biphasic (ie. you have a response to the first epi pen, and thirty minutes later you're in anaphylaxis again.)
Epi pens are incredibly safe. Anaphylaxis is deadly and is rapidly so.
posted by vitabellosi at 4:48 AM on July 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
It's possible to have a food allergy and then not have it -- this is more or less likely to happen depending on when it first developed.
You cannot prophylactically take allergy meds to fend off a food allergy, so no on the zertec.
You should not take allergy meds once you have a response an allergic response to food --like, don't take benedryl -- the proper response is epinephrine, every time.
Your response can change at any time. For example, you might have a mild response one time, and a life-threatening response the next.
Carry two epi pens, because the response can be biphasic (ie. you have a response to the first epi pen, and thirty minutes later you're in anaphylaxis again.)
Epi pens are incredibly safe. Anaphylaxis is deadly and is rapidly so.
posted by vitabellosi at 4:48 AM on July 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Personally, I wouldn't even try. Your shellfish allergy is better than it's been in a long time because you stopped eating them. Now you can touch them without rashes, that's great! Why wake the sleeping beast that is potentially worsening and life threatening allergies if you aren't starving on a desert island?
The problem with "sampling" oysters is that even if one oyster is ok, it's tempting to start eating them again. If it took this long (since 1998?) to stop getting rashes from touching them, then you are very allergic. I understand it's tempting to start eating foods you're allergic to, especially if you like them or your job involves eating them, but the things that can happen from opening this can of worms can really worsen your health down the line.
Allergies can get worse very quickly with any exposure, and adult allergies are for life. Being able to touch a food you're allergic to is probably the best it will ever get, why give that up for rashes and burning and throwing up? Or worse?
posted by Aliera at 4:57 AM on July 13, 2012
The problem with "sampling" oysters is that even if one oyster is ok, it's tempting to start eating them again. If it took this long (since 1998?) to stop getting rashes from touching them, then you are very allergic. I understand it's tempting to start eating foods you're allergic to, especially if you like them or your job involves eating them, but the things that can happen from opening this can of worms can really worsen your health down the line.
Allergies can get worse very quickly with any exposure, and adult allergies are for life. Being able to touch a food you're allergic to is probably the best it will ever get, why give that up for rashes and burning and throwing up? Or worse?
posted by Aliera at 4:57 AM on July 13, 2012
Don't do it. I am not allergic to shellfish but am allergic to iodine. I can eat crab, lobster and mussels, all other shellfish sends me to the hospital. Even lobster is pushing it - I get red itchy hands from indulging very, very occasionally. Also: carry an epi pen. It will save your life.
posted by floweredfish at 6:23 AM on July 13, 2012
posted by floweredfish at 6:23 AM on July 13, 2012
Do not screw around with anaphalaxis. I carry an epi pen, it's lovely peace of mind.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:25 AM on July 13, 2012
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:25 AM on July 13, 2012
You can age out of a food allergy (you can also develop a food allergy you did not used to have.) The severity of allergies can also change over time.
The way to find this out whether your allergy status has changed is to go see an allergist and have the allergist do both a skin test (to see if your skin reacts to injected allergen) and a blood test (to gauge your level of antibodies to the allergen). If these tests come back negative for allergy, then the allergist may conduct a controlled food trial in his or her office.
The way to find this out is NOT to pop some allergy pills and randomly try a bite of oyster. Zyrtec / Benadryl will calm down a few hives from a skin reaction or a mild cross-contamination reaction -- they will NOT keep your throat from swelling shut during anaphylaxis.
While you are at the allergist's office, if they tell you your allergy has not disappeared, you should absolutely get a prescription for an EpiPen.
posted by BlueJae at 6:26 AM on July 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
The way to find this out whether your allergy status has changed is to go see an allergist and have the allergist do both a skin test (to see if your skin reacts to injected allergen) and a blood test (to gauge your level of antibodies to the allergen). If these tests come back negative for allergy, then the allergist may conduct a controlled food trial in his or her office.
The way to find this out is NOT to pop some allergy pills and randomly try a bite of oyster. Zyrtec / Benadryl will calm down a few hives from a skin reaction or a mild cross-contamination reaction -- they will NOT keep your throat from swelling shut during anaphylaxis.
While you are at the allergist's office, if they tell you your allergy has not disappeared, you should absolutely get a prescription for an EpiPen.
posted by BlueJae at 6:26 AM on July 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Everyone's comments are pretty spot on. Despite what Vita's allergist said tho - and I don't think they're 'wrong' as much as, they're trying to emphasize the fact that epi is almost certainly what is going to save you, initially, from an anaphylaxing event, so you should rely on that first and foremost - antihistamines are eventually going to be what even emergency folks are going to pump into you, after/coinciding with the epi. *Epi* tho, is what is going to help save your body from the temporarily life-threatening allergic freakout that is anaphylaxis. Epi works super fast. It cranks up your heart rate, thereby increasing the amount of blood flow/oxygen to the rest of you, and hopefully lets you breathe better. Antihistamines are what is going to stop the reaction, but they do not work fast enough in an emergency to quell an anaphylactic reaction by themselves.
So yeah. Carry a prescribed epi pen, and avoid foods you think might kill you without consulting a medical professional first.
posted by bitterkitten at 8:25 AM on July 13, 2012
So yeah. Carry a prescribed epi pen, and avoid foods you think might kill you without consulting a medical professional first.
posted by bitterkitten at 8:25 AM on July 13, 2012
Response by poster: I do not get an anaphylaxis-type reaction to oysters - ever ever ever. Ever. Nor hives.
I get an upset stomach, I get flushed, and then I vomit. Once the oyster is, uh, expelled - I'm fine.
Along with this, touching oysters used to sting my skin. Now, not so much. A few weeks ago, I even had a slight paper-cut that did not get irritated by oyster liquor. This is unprecedented! I'm really surprised!
Thanks everyone. I'll seek out an allergist at some point if I am still curious.
Since I specifically stated in my ask what my symptoms are/were, all of the answers about epi pens were noise and off-point. I'm asking about the mechanics of allergies and food sensitivities, especially specific to my reaction. If this sensitivity or allergy even once created breathing difficulties, I would not be here asking this question.
I'm curious about whether or not a sensitivity like this can go away, since it seems mine might have.
No benadryl or Zyrtec. Got it!!
Thank you.
posted by SockyMcSockyPants at 9:19 AM on July 13, 2012
I get an upset stomach, I get flushed, and then I vomit. Once the oyster is, uh, expelled - I'm fine.
Along with this, touching oysters used to sting my skin. Now, not so much. A few weeks ago, I even had a slight paper-cut that did not get irritated by oyster liquor. This is unprecedented! I'm really surprised!
Thanks everyone. I'll seek out an allergist at some point if I am still curious.
Since I specifically stated in my ask what my symptoms are/were, all of the answers about epi pens were noise and off-point. I'm asking about the mechanics of allergies and food sensitivities, especially specific to my reaction. If this sensitivity or allergy even once created breathing difficulties, I would not be here asking this question.
I'm curious about whether or not a sensitivity like this can go away, since it seems mine might have.
No benadryl or Zyrtec. Got it!!
Thank you.
posted by SockyMcSockyPants at 9:19 AM on July 13, 2012
Your sensitivity can change from a stomach issue to anaphylaxis without you having any clue that is what is going to happen next time. Allergies can, and do, worsen over time. I would not take a chance, go to an allergist and proceed from there.
posted by SuzySmith at 10:09 AM on July 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by SuzySmith at 10:09 AM on July 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Anecdote, no advice implied:
I did not eat much fish growing up. Dad was not fond of it so it wasn't served all that often. In my teens, I began eating shrimp once in a while. One year in my thirties when I was very ill, taking lots of medication and getting lots of medical tests, I began vomitting any time I had shrimp. I really didn't immediately make the connection. Then, I had a single piece of shrimp from my husband's plate, ended up in the ER and spent a week in bed feeling like I had been beaten with a baseball bat from head to toe. For the next year, the smell of fish made me want to vomit and being in the kitchen when someone else was cooking shrimp gave me hives. I gradually got better and could eventually eat a little fish once in a while. I have yet to try shrimp again.
Given my father's dislike of fish, I suspect sensitivity runs in the family. The year in question involved two contrast dye CAT scans. The intake questionairre asked if I was allergic to shellfish. My reply: "Not that I know of, but both times I tried crab I nearly threw up." I have since been told I was probably injected with iodine and that shellfish is high in iodine. On top of the dye injections, I was on a lot of medication all year. Then I took a chemistry class that fall. After our first wet lab, I ended up in the ER and had to drop the class. That reaction to chemicals in class was probably the final straw. Prior to that, I was throwing up shrimp every time I ate it. Afterwards, a single piece of shrimp led to an ER visit and week in bed.
posted by Michele in California at 10:22 AM on July 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
I did not eat much fish growing up. Dad was not fond of it so it wasn't served all that often. In my teens, I began eating shrimp once in a while. One year in my thirties when I was very ill, taking lots of medication and getting lots of medical tests, I began vomitting any time I had shrimp. I really didn't immediately make the connection. Then, I had a single piece of shrimp from my husband's plate, ended up in the ER and spent a week in bed feeling like I had been beaten with a baseball bat from head to toe. For the next year, the smell of fish made me want to vomit and being in the kitchen when someone else was cooking shrimp gave me hives. I gradually got better and could eventually eat a little fish once in a while. I have yet to try shrimp again.
Given my father's dislike of fish, I suspect sensitivity runs in the family. The year in question involved two contrast dye CAT scans. The intake questionairre asked if I was allergic to shellfish. My reply: "Not that I know of, but both times I tried crab I nearly threw up." I have since been told I was probably injected with iodine and that shellfish is high in iodine. On top of the dye injections, I was on a lot of medication all year. Then I took a chemistry class that fall. After our first wet lab, I ended up in the ER and had to drop the class. That reaction to chemicals in class was probably the final straw. Prior to that, I was throwing up shrimp every time I ate it. Afterwards, a single piece of shrimp led to an ER visit and week in bed.
posted by Michele in California at 10:22 AM on July 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: OMG - now I am worried. Vomiting absolutely can be anaphylaxis. You do not have to have throat swelling for it to be anaphylaxis. I was in the ER with anaphylaxis a few weeks ago -- my symptoms were low blood pressure and strong stomach pain. That was my first experience with it and I didn't carry an epi pen at the time. But I was alone and thankfully called 911.
It's considered anaphylaxis when it involves two of three systems.
I have no idea if you have an allergy or a sensitivity or if what you had was anaphylaxis -- but please don't take chances with it.
posted by vitabellosi at 1:16 PM on July 13, 2012
It's considered anaphylaxis when it involves two of three systems.
I have no idea if you have an allergy or a sensitivity or if what you had was anaphylaxis -- but please don't take chances with it.
posted by vitabellosi at 1:16 PM on July 13, 2012
I have had some time to think about this. I will say again I don't recommend you eating oysters. Is it "safe"? Possibly, in that it apparently wasn't life threatening previously and you seem to be less sensitive now. Will you still vomit from them? I have no clue, but I will suggest that whether you do or do not vomit, eating them again is likely to worsen your sensitivity. If you don't vomit, I am guessing it will worsen it faster because you will ingest more of it.
It typically takes a lot longer to make these things better than it does to make them worse. Why would you want to risk undoing 14 or 15 years of work with a single meal? You could find yourself back at square one quickly. Or even worse.
posted by Michele in California at 1:32 PM on July 13, 2012
It typically takes a lot longer to make these things better than it does to make them worse. Why would you want to risk undoing 14 or 15 years of work with a single meal? You could find yourself back at square one quickly. Or even worse.
posted by Michele in California at 1:32 PM on July 13, 2012
Best answer: Since I specifically stated in my ask what my symptoms are/were, all of the answers about epi pens were noise and off-point.
No, they weren't. One of the symptoms of anaphylaxis is nausea and vomiting. The only antidote is epinephrine. You want a way to try an oyster; if you previously had allergic reactions, you should have an epi pen if you are going to be in contact with them, particularly if you are thinking of closer contact. It makes perfect sense to point this out, especially since you asked about Zyrtec as a prophylaxis.
posted by oneirodynia at 3:16 PM on July 13, 2012 [3 favorites]
No, they weren't. One of the symptoms of anaphylaxis is nausea and vomiting. The only antidote is epinephrine. You want a way to try an oyster; if you previously had allergic reactions, you should have an epi pen if you are going to be in contact with them, particularly if you are thinking of closer contact. It makes perfect sense to point this out, especially since you asked about Zyrtec as a prophylaxis.
posted by oneirodynia at 3:16 PM on July 13, 2012 [3 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Most conservatively: no. As somebody who lives in a big oyster producing area I know several people who like the taste of oysters but who have had such strong reactions to them in the past that they dare not taste them again. A strong adverse reaction could hospitalise or kill you. Choose another item on the menu.
Next most conservatively: Talk to a doctor and get tested for tropomyosin allergy first - if you get an all clear than give it a go.
This PDF, which talks about when a shellfish allergy might not actually be such, could be helpful. Note that in some cases people confuse temporary allergy with one off poisoning.
posted by rongorongo at 3:06 AM on July 13, 2012 [1 favorite]