[YankeeMom]

Gah. I have food allergies...avocado, cantaloupe, honeydew, grapefruit. I also have an even longer list of foods that I can only eat a tiny bit of or they make me sick...bananas, apples, peaches, pears, figs, soy, eggs.

Now it seems mushrooms are going to be added to one of these lists. I always eat mushrooms. Usually on pizza or added to a casserole. Small doses, in other words. Today I made a big bowl of sauteed mushrooms (using pam spray, salt & pepper, and dried minced onion). About 45 mins after eating them I started to get stomach cramps. Two hours after eating I'm tossing my cookies

This is the same thing that happens when I eat avocado, cantaloupe, or honeydew (don't like grapefruit so that's not an issue). So now I get to go back to the allergist for more pokes. Gah!

 

[mauimagic]

YM - am so sorry that you are getting this allergies - not fun and not fair either. Take care.

 

[imagine]

:hug2:

My "can't eat" list is ever growing too.
My family doc has suggested that I might be able to halt the growing list if I have an allergist deal with the other allergies. What has your experience been at/with an allergist?

This sounds bad but hopefully you just got a bad batch of mushrooms and you won't have to add them to your list.

 

[monkeywrangler71]

I don't have food allergies by I have a lot of environmental allergies. I find that if I have constant exposure to something that is triggering me, then I start getting triggered by everything. Once I get away from the main cause, then after a little break none of the little things set me off anymore.

I used to get hives, it started gradually and went on for about 3 years, and by the end of that period anything would set them off. Everything I ate, everything I did, everything I touched, wearing shoes, touching my arm, everything. I ripped the old carpet out of my bedroom and after a few weeks I wasn't reacting to anything anymore.

 

[MomToTwoBoys]

That stinks! I don't know if I could do without mushrooms. They're a big staple for me in a lot of dishes.

I'm unable to eat anything spicy anymore, so I know how you feel. Every time I eat something spicy, my IBS flares up and I can't stop crying.

 

[MomsaBasketCase]

I'm sorry. I have a long list of food allergies so I feel your pain. The same thing happened to me with mushrooms. I am anaphylactic so I know almost immediately whether I am allergic to something as the back of my throat gets tingly and my ears itch. If I eat more of the same, the reaction gets worse.

One thing about my allergies is that I can eat some fruit if it's cooked. Apples, peaches and pears are okay as long as they are well cooked. The same with walnuts. Everything else is a non-starter.

I'm also wondering if you got a bad batch of mushrooms. They don't keep very well even under the best circumstances. In any case, I'm sure you really don't want to test that theory :lol

 

[2ndGenGranola]

From your list of items I would say that you are probably experiencing more of a cross-reaction rather than a true food allergy. It is very unusual for true food allergies to come in lists like that. You also have some very strong patterns in your list.

A cross-reaction is when you are actually allergic to a plant such as birch or ragweed. Some of the plants are so similar that you get a reaction from eating the foods. They can scare you to death like an ana reaction but rarely go that far. They even show up as positive on some methods of food allergy testing.

Environmental allergists understand this better and are better at treating this than the "average" allergist.

You may want to sign up for your area's pollen counts and track your reactions with what is high in your area at that time. You can also "google" and get the lists of what is cross-reactive.

 

[nuisance26]

~Oh that really stinks! Hope your visit to the allergist isn't too painful.
I have reactions to a lot of the foods you mentioned but I don't think I'm truly allergic. I've gotten sick sick a few times. I've read in many places that those foods trigger symptoms in those with strong ragweed allergies, which I have.~

 

[imagine]

From your list of items I would say that you are probably experiencing more of a cross-reaction rather than a true food allergy. It is very unusual for true food allergies to come in lists like that. You also have some very strong patterns in your list.

A cross-reaction is when you are actually allergic to a plant such as birch or ragweed. Some of the plants are so similar that you get a reaction from eating the foods. They can scare you to death like an ana reaction but rarely go that far. They even show up as positive on some methods of food allergy testing.

Environmental allergists understand this better and are better at treating this than the "average" allergist.

You may want to sign up for your area's pollen counts and track your reactions with what is high in your area at that time. You can also "google" and get the lists of what is cross-reactive.

Did you know that they are trying to change the name from cross-reactive or Oral allergy syndrome to pollen-food allergy?

They are trying to change it because people are not taking the cross reactive as seriously. I know I went until I was an adult not treating anything because my mother believed that it wasn't a "true allergy".
They believe that I'm deathly allergic, anaphylactic, to shell fish and bananas because I continued to eat them and ignore the the itchy mouth reaction as a child.

So I have a "true" allergy (will die if I eat them) and a sensitivity or cross reaction to many others. It doesn't change the fact that the doc told me not to eat them as they are bad for me, so sometimes it is just easier to tell others I allergic especially if they are cooking so you don't have to eat something you shouldn't or so you don't spend and hour or so explaining the medical definitions.

 

[YankeeMom]

So I have a "true" allergy (will die if I eat them) and a sensitivity or cross reaction to many others. It doesn't change the fact that the doc told me not to eat them as they are bad for me, so sometimes it is just easier to tell others I allergic especially if they are cooking so you don't have to eat something you shouldn't or so you don't spend and hour or so explaining the medical definitions.

Same here. I have been tested for various food allergies. I have a true allergy to avocado, cantaloupe, honeydew, and grapefruit.

The things I'm sensitive to are due to my ragweed & tree allergies. I take zyrtec every day for the environmental allergies (dust mites, rag weed, etc). I also carry an epi-pen because of my "true" allergies. I go into anaphylactic shock if I eat even the tiniest bit of avocado or melon. The reaction I had to the mushrooms was very similiar, although not as intense, as when I eat those foods. Extreme low blood pressure, cold but sweaty, stomach cramps that only go away if I purge myself. Then feeling like I've been run over by a mack truck afterward. The only thing that was missing was the feeling of "I'm going to die" that I get when I have any of my "true" allergy foods.

I'm going to ask for a referral to a different allergist. The one I saw last time specialized in "environmental" allergies and didn't seem to take my food allergies seriously. He didn't believe me when I told him my reactions to avocado & melons. He was shocked when the blood tests came back serious allergies.

I'll be avoiding mushrooms in the meantime. I don't like feeling like that at all.