A few questions for those who have shellfish allergies.

[Christine]

My son (13) was diagnosed with shellfish allergies last year.

He has been peanut allergic since he was about 8 months old. Then he had egg allergies, which he outgrew.

The peanut allergy never went away. Over the years, he has eaten some shrimp here and there and taken a few bites of crab. He never really like it a lot and he's always nervous about the highly allergic foods anyway because of his predisposition.

Last summer, as he was staying at his grandparents house (my in-laws), they felt the need to *make* him eat some crab and crabcake. He only had a taste here and there but told me (a week later) that he felt funny when he ate it (he also came home with a weird rash on his neck). I didn't think much of it because the symptoms he described were burning in his mouth and throat, which is not unusual for crabs cooked with Old Bay Seasoning. Heck, your lips can burn for days after eating that.

Anyway, at his next doctors visit, I told the doctor and he ran the blood test. My son came back HIGHLY allergic to shellfish. There were certain subsets under "shellfish" that he was less allergic to (like clams) but he was worse for shrimp, crab, etc.

We just avoid it now and make sure he gets absolutely NONE. I would never try to tempt fate with eating just a little bit. You will probably continue to lower your tolerable threshhold if you do that. You want to keep some threshhold available for accidents.

 

[Disney Doll]

Different people react to allergies in different ways. For some, it might be an itchy rash. For others it might be full blown anaphylaxis with respiratory arrest. My general advice would be to not mess with it. If you are allergic to shellfish, eat meat.

BTW, chances are if you are allergic to shellfish you will also be allergic to CT Scan & other diagnostic test dye. So make sure if you are having any kind of medical procedure that you tell every single person you come in contact with that you are allergic to shellfish.

Most people's shellfish allergy is really to iodine.

 

[Cindy B]

If you are in your 40's, it could come up out of nowhere even though you have been eating them safely up to that point.

My SIL was in her 40's and got DX'ed with shellfish allergy even though she had been eating it with success her whole life.

 

[Lynn CC]

I had a really bad reaction to shellfish about 10 years ago that kept me swollen from head to toe to the point where I couldn't open my eyes for 2 weeks evenwith meds. At one point my feet were so swollen and red, well you can imagine the rest.
Blood test showed I was allergic to scallops and oysters. I don't like either but I must have eaten them in a seafood mix at a restaurant the night before.

I avoid them however I do eat small amounts of Lobster and shrimp, crab. As long as I don't overdue I'm fine. Have you had a blood test to see the exact allergy you have?
I will NEVER eat a seafood mix again. I never want to feel like I did when I had that reaction EVER, it was awful.

This was an adult onset reaction, I used to go scalloping and clamming with my Dad here on the Cape growing up and even though I didn't like the taste, I'm sure my Mom made scallops for dinner that I was forced to eat. I knew I didn't like them for a reason!

 

[minnieandme]

My DS9 was diagnosed with shellfish allergy when he was about 5. I had a crab meat salad that he ate a spoonful of just to taste it and by the next day he woke up with hives on his face, neck, and arms. His dr. gave him an epi-pen just in case he's out anywhere and may need it. I've never had to use it because I just don't give him any shell fish. Now he can eat regular fish and tuna fish, both of which he loves. I'm just hoping he'll out grow it one day so he can have some of the grilled cajun shrimp I make.

 

[PamOKW]

Lynn nice to meet someone who had a reaction similar to what I experienced. It was if I had poison ivy all over my body and even large doses of Benadryl had minimal effect. I ended up having to take Zyrtec and Prednisone on a regular basis (even getting up during the night) for 2 weeks before it subsided. I absolutely love shrimp and lobster but have touched no shellfish since that incident. One local seafood market suggested it might have been something used with the shrimp (i.e, cheap shrimp) since it was Chinese food. I think I'll go to an allergist in the hopes that maybe I can once again eat lobster....

 

[SC Minnie]

I am allergic to mollusks. I can eat shrimp with no problem at all but clams, mussels, and scallops are not fun. I not swell up but they do make me vomit for hours. The last time I had 1- yes 1- mussel from DH's plate at a restaurant. Within 2 hours it seemed like everything I had eaten for a week was back up and it didn't stop for about 6 hours. I won't touch them at all anymore or even eat anything that they are cooked in.

 

[stm61]

Different people react to allergies in different ways. For some, it might be an itchy rash. For others it might be full blown anaphylaxis with respiratory arrest. My general advice would be to not mess with it. If you are allergic to shellfish, eat meat.

BTW, chances are if you are allergic to shellfish you will also be allergic to CT Scan & other diagnostic test dye. So make sure if you are having any kind of medical procedure that you tell every single person you come in contact with that you are allergic to shellfish.

Most people's shellfish allergy is really to iodine.

I had my first reaction when I was about 32, to clam chowder. I didn't realize that was the problem, I'd always eaten clams, but knew it was some kind of allergic reaction and kept taking liquid benedryl until it eased up. I had the swelling, can't breath, choking feeling typical with anaphalactic (sp?) reactions. Figured out the next day, after talking with the friend who'd done the cooking, that it was the clams and noone else had been bothered so it had to be an allergy. I do seem to be getting worse with age. I avoid all shellfish, but have gotten a few surprises over the years. The first time was a Chinese buffet. I avoided anything that might have fish in it, but there must have been some cross-contamination (serving spoons mixed up or something like that) because I started reacting mildly. The next time was spring rolls that a Filopino (sp?) coworker brought in. It was a holiday tradition, his wife made them every year, and I'd never had a problem before. The next day I joked about him trying to eliminate the competion for the next stripe (military) and asked if his wife put any type of shellfish in the spring rolls. He said no, he'd helped her make them, but he called her just to be sure. Turns out she'd used oyster sauce to flavor them. Luckily, I've always been able to control symptoms with benedryl type medications. However, two years ago we discovered that I really am allergic to bee stings. (Hadn't been stung in over 30 yrs so we weren't sure) I know keep a bottle of benedryl in the car from Mar/Apr thru Nov. I have 2 epi pens, but they can't be stored in the car in hot weather. I also carry benedryl in pill form with me, and take the pens along on vacation, just in case.

I was originally told not to have any testing that involved idodine. I did have a few tests that absolutely HAD to be done, there was no alternative, so they had dr's standing by just in case, and I did not react to the dye. I've been told for the past 10 yrs that shellfish allergy's have been proven not to be iodine allergy's, in most cases. Additional research has proven it's not necessarily the same allergy and it is safe to have the tests.

 

[Papa Deuce]

Well, let me ask you this:

If you saw an allergist and they could specify which shellfish not to eat, how leery would you be to eat the ones that were not listed?

My allergic reaction was rather frightening, and I might be afraid to try shellfish.... Like I said, I can give it up 100% if I need to, but I *** REALLY*** don't WANT to give it all up.

 

[Cool-Beans]

1. Are there any shellfish that YOU can eat safely? No. I've even had reactions from cheeseburger or whatever that were cooked near or after shellfish.

2. Is it true that these allergies usually get worse than the time before when you have an incident? Not always. Once your body develops a hypersensitivity, it does. You may be fine with the thing one day and - BANG! - in anaphylaxis the next.

3. Does it matter to YOU how much you eat before suffereng an allergic reaction? Once you have a bad reaction, you won't want to repeat it. You'll just naturally stay away.

I'm the queen of food allergies and intolerances. I've given up tons of stuff I love. Could I slice up a banana put it itno Corn Flakes, pour in some milk and have a yummy breakfast? Sure, I could. And it would taste wonderful.

But I've done it and been sick for days. Really sick. I remember that and I don't want to go through it again.

I'm not sorry about the fish - I've been allergic to it forever. But there is a ton of stuff I was able to enjoy that I now can't eat, but would love to have. I know where you're coming from.

My son has a nut allergy and went into anaphylaxis in his Kindergarten classroom. To this day - and he's grown now - he remembers that and doesn't want to repeat it.

Food allergies are bad - they're really, truly, honestly, horribly bad. Once you have a serious hypersensitivity reaction, you'll never touch the stuff again. You won't want to.

I'm not one of those folks who asks to talk to the cook or demands that the rest of the world stop enjoying stuff because either I or my son can't have it. I took care of him and I take care of me and I don't need or wish to rely on anyone else to accomplish that. I do a better job than anyone else would, anyway (which I learned by trusting a Kindergarten teacher to protect my son's life.)

But allergies are serious business. If you play with fire, don't be surprised when the burn hurts.

Good luck!

 

[EMom]

I'm allergic to crustaceans but not mollusks. Try explaining THAT to most waiters. I just use the term "shellfish" or ask for the chef. I always mention it at a restaurant, lest cross contamination be an issue.

My lips swell, I get blisters inside my mouth, throat closes, the whites of my eyes turn yellow and it feels like I'm having a heart attack. Not fun. I ate shrimp some as s child, but had my first allergic reaction at age 10. I was at a retaurant with my friend's family and couldn't even really explain what it felt like. That incident wasn't so bad....I had the heart pain and itchy feeling inside my mouth, but that was it. I just stopped eating and got better. The next time I ate shrimp, it was worse and that's when we figured it out. Eating a bite of lobster at 16 made me aware it was not just an allergy to shrimp. (People knew about shrimp allergies where I lived, but not lobster, as no one ever got a chance to eat lobster there. ) I've never had the nerve to try crab.

We realized just how severe the allergy was when my family had a shrimp boil and I had a reaction simply from being around the shrimp as it was boiled......I didn't even EAT it. I can be in a restaurant when they cook it, although I am never seated near an open air kitchen. I usually do carry an epipen. At seafood restaurants, you must mention the allergy, because many of their sauces have a shrimp broth base.

DD8 told me she is so sorry I cannot eat shrimp. I told her I remember it tastes good, but it's not good enough to die for and that there are lots of other foods out there that are delicious to eat. It's like a diabetic not being able to eat tons of sugar at will. If you know it can kill you, it loses its appeal.

 

[Jynohn]

We took DD into an allergist after she had three separate incidences of projectile vomiting after eating scallops. She was tested, and the allergist said she was "intolerant" meaning that she wasn't having an allergic reaction, but she lacked an enzyme that enabled her to digest shellfish. We've been careful ever since, but you do have to worry about cross contamination. One time she got sick after we ate at a seafood restaurant (she had grilled cheese). Turns out her fries were fried in the same oil as the seafood.

 

[Papa Deuce]

.... Turns out her fries were fried in the same oil as the seafood.

That one would get me for sure if I turn out to be that allergic.... I always take a few fries from my daughter's plate.

 

[EMom]

We took DD into an allergist after she had three separate incidences of projectile vomiting after eating scallops. She was tested, and the allergist said she was "intolerant" meaning that she wasn't having an allergic reaction, but she lacked an enzyme that enabled her to digest shellfish. We've been careful ever since, but you do have to worry about cross contamination. One time she got sick after we ate at a seafood restaurant (she had grilled cheese). Turns out her fries were fried in the same oil as the seafood.

Good point to make. An allergy can kill you or at a minimum, endanger your health. Intolerance of a food will make you misrable or ill, but not kill you or endanger your health. Either will make you avoid that food like the plague. An allergy to dairy products is not the same as my DD's lactose intolerance by a long shot.

I am allergic to crustaceans. Eating them can kill me. I am a bizarre intolerance to horseradish. I say "bizarre" because I just haven't heard about that one being common. If I eat horseradish, even when I am unaware it's in the food, within a few hours at most, I will projectile vomit in a fashion that would make Linda Blair proud. It's not going to kill me, but I avoid horseradish at all costs.

 

[NotUrsula]

Only ones I cannot eat are scallops and mussels; they give me hives. Oysters have never bothered me, though I never eat them whole because I don't like the texture (I do like them in sauces and dressing and such.)

I'm fine with crustaceans of all sorts, which is a good thing because IMO life would lose a lot of its joy if I could no longer eat crustaceans. Crabs, crawfish and shrimp are some of my very favorite foods, and are a staple of my family's diet. I'd give them up if I had to, but I'd be very sad about it, and tempted by the smell at every turn.

Papa Deuce, you have my deepest sympathies.

 

[stm61]

Well, let me ask you this:

If you saw an allergist and they could specify which shellfish not to eat, how leery would you be to eat the ones that were not listed?

My allergic reaction was rather frightening, and I might be afraid to try shellfish.... Like I said, I can give it up 100% if I need to, but I *** REALLY*** don't WANT to give it all up.

Dr's can't always specify exactly which shellfish are safe/not safe to eat. Once you're allergic to one, there's a good chance you'll develop an allergy to the rest of them, or so I'm told. I know I'm allergic to clams, oysters, and whatever else is used in sauces, I don't take chances with anything else. I think I got off easy though, I never liked anything but clams and scallops, I always hated any other type of seafood, so I don't miss it as much as other's do. It does kill me to watch the kids scarf down chowder and steamers, but it's just not worth it to eat them.

 

[Papa Deuce]

So, interesting turn of events.... I had a small reaction this morning. Now I know that I did not have anything with shellfish yesterday. I did, however, have some peanuts.... but again, I have been eating peanut butter all of my life.

Today was about only 5% as bad as last week, but it was all of the exact same symptoms.

I am getting a referral to an allergist. Hopefully she can see me soon, and nail this down.