Talking Allergies

Hi All,

Picking your brain here for my dear cousin. He's had 4 or 5 anaphylactic reactions in the past few months to an unknown trigger. No family history of allergies or asthma (he is my cousin's husband so technically, we're not blood related). Went through all SPT with no positives. He gets complete body hives, swelling and dizziness. Docs gave him prescription strength anti-histamines and prednisone which helped but my concern is...you can never predict the severity of the next reaction.

Any ideas? He's not on any meds, so not likely a drug allergy. He's very active but doesn't seem to be triggered by exercise at all.

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Associate Editor at Allergic Living.
Allergies to all nuts and legumes except soy and green beans.

He's going to need to make an allergy diary such as this:
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/fo ... y-triggers

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Could be an ingredient. when I first developed ny allergies it took quite a while before I realized it was sesame seeds I was reacting to, because I was even reacting to trace amounts which were not usually labelled.

I would suggest going to as bland a diet as possible. It might be something like garlic, or a spice.

between the serious reactions is he havng minor ones?

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self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

Thanks guys. AnnaMarie, no just those serious reactions. It is so, so odd. I'm on pins and needles because I've lived with allergies all my life and know the risks.

Good tip on trying a simple diet to rule out small ingredients!

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Associate Editor at Allergic Living.
Allergies to all nuts and legumes except soy and green beans.

At least it make you feel empowered...

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

I had the same thing, about once a month, between June 2009 and March 2010. My family doc thought it was angioedema (swollen & itchy hands and feet, hives, swelling of tongue & lips, SEVERE abdominal pain ((felt like labour!!!!), vomiting & diarrhea). Actually had to have IV morphine & ondansetron for the 1st episode and they mistakenly diagnosed me with was norovirus. The nurses didn't listen when I told them about the itchy hands and feet, they just yelled at me to stop hyperventilating and they would be fine. Very sudden onset - no related scenarios - I went to an allergist after a 9 month wait, and he ruled angioedema out because you don't get itching, just the swelling and hives (??), and finally ruled it out with a blood test. I also tested negative for all foods, so came away with nothing. Because I often had headaches within a few days, he concluded that I must be reacting to anti-inflammatories, because my go-to was Advil. He didn't listen when I told him that on at least 2 of the occasions I took NOTHING because there was no headache, and I had no past history of reacting to anti-inflammatories. I didn't always get hives, either, it only happened twice. The itchy hands and feet were constant, as well as the severe and sudden abdominal symptoms. They were usually over within a few hours, and then I was perfectly fine. Not dragging my butt like I would have it if were a virus.

Triggers could be hormonal, and in my case, that may be it. There was some talk of possible exercise-induced because it happened once when I was running, and had eaten some mango an hour earlier, but the next few times it happened I was not in the middle of exercise. Had a mild version of it in December 2010, but it only lasted about 1/2 hour. I take a double dose of Reactine if I feel it coming on, I think it helps but it's hard to know.

I guess sometimes it truly is idiopathic, so he may never know. I had an Epipen when it was happening, but since it's been so long I don't bother anymore. Besides - I have enough around with my son!

If food has been ruled out, there's not much point in limiting foods.

Thanks momtobunches. Helps to hear from others who have gone through the same thing!

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Associate Editor at Allergic Living.
Allergies to all nuts and legumes except soy and green beans.

The trouble with food is that its virtually impossible to test for everything!-you can test for the major allergens and common ingredients but theres always other things that are ingested.
I like the advice of a food diary. It helped for us to pinpoint sunflower seeds. It can make it tricky when things like soy come up in virtually every food imaginable.
My son still has random episodes of lip swelling and hives and we are no closer to finding out to what....but at least we have identified the things that have caused anaphylaxis so that is something.
good luck to your cousin.

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twin boys-
c-eosinophilic oesophagitis
j-avoids peanut, sunflower, pineapple all ana-sensitised to maccadaemia.pecan.Passed barley (previous ana) last year...out grew egg ana and peanut at 3 years..became re sensitised with ana at 6 years to peanut.