Could someone explain this to me? (TMI, be warned)

[Andtototoo]

My sister developed a life-threatening allergy to shellfish in her 40s.

I started to get migraines from eating shellfish in my 50s.

 

[E&Cmom]

Wow ....old thread but I will reply anyways. Lol. Last year I went to one of my favourite restaurants for my anniversary and as I usually do ordered stuffed mushroom Neptune which is my favourite apples. I rarely order appies but always ordered this. That night I broke out in hives. Still not sure if it was the crab, shrimp or the combo. I am 45 and never had an issue eating this before.

 

[marthachick]

Not shrimp, but the last couple of times I ate seafood, I was violently sick. As in, vomiting all night. People say, 'oh, maybe it's the way it was cooked. You should try it broiled.' I didn't like it that much to begin with, so no thanks. So OP, I don't blame you for not trying it cooked another way!

 

[tvguy]

Are you making threats?

Yup.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Yup.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

This is what happened to me with raw onions. Cooked onions are fine. Red onions are fine. But raw yellow onions give me violent stomach cramps for about two hours. This started only about 2 or 3 years ago. I'm almost 40.

 

[Micca]

Yup. Nothing wrong with an old threat. If the topic is still current, it doesn't matter if the threat is new or old.

Well, in that case: Be afraid Mr. Lincoln, be very afraid!

 

[lovin'fl]

I was on a date, many many years ago when in college, at a crappy seafood restaurant. My date, who was a Cajun born and raised on shellfish, got shrimp (scampi like) and his lips blew up like a puffer fish and he had huge welts all over. He took benedryl and saw my campus medical center. They told him he developed an allergy to shellfish. Don't know what ever became of him. I felt bad. I chose the place and it was frozen seafood not fresh (kinda like Red Lobster) so I felt like that was why and it was my fault. He LOVED shellfish too.

 

[hsmamato2]

Jack (my almost 10 year old) started with the peanut allergy but December 23 he was eating almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts (all w/out peanut contamination obviously) when he said, "Mom, my lips feel funny." They were starting to swell. I gave him a benadryl and kept the epipen close by. We need to go back to the allergist.

This happened to my ds a couple of years ago...no apparent allergies/sensitivities, one day he's eating mixed nuts from a can,and boom- NASTY allergic reaction to something.... required a LOT of benadryl and careful watching that day....(I know the protocol for sever allergy,would have gone to ER if needed,but he didn't) It happens. A LOT of people have sensitivity to a lot of foods without realizing it. (the symptoms can range quite a bit) My whole family has developed issues as adults,to similar foods, so maybe a genetic link somewhere(?) not sure, but I no longer eat gluten,dairy or soy.(started up a few years back)

 

[hsmamato2]

Sounds like you have an intolerance, not an allergy.

I am the queen of allergies and intolerances and continue to develop food intolerances as I age. Lots of folks do. It's a sucky club, but welcome to it!

You might try buying it fresh and preparing it at home. Some stuff I can eat at home, but don't do as well with in restaurants. Good luck!

This is actually true..... and IRL, it doesn't make much difference which it is,if it causes misery in the body..... I have seen true allergies affect the brain,and gut btw, but most people have intolerances.(myself included,it doesn't matter what it is,my body doesn't like certain things anymore) I raised a son with severe and very real allergies,well before it became a popular topic. At one point in his life,he couldn't eat dairy at all. When he did,he developed SEVERE asthma issues. The doc insisted it had nothing to do with what he ate,and prescribed the steroids,etc as it escalated. I said thanks, and stopped the dairy 100%. His asthma issues disappeared,no meds needed. Good news is he outgrew this particular allergy over time(his other allergy,wheat remains the same;deadly)

 

[hsmamato2]

Also Intollerance VS allergy- the only way to really tell that is to be checked by a doctor- both can mimic the same symptoms and both can be minor or severe- I think though that for the general public- people use allergy because it is much easier to say "I'm allergic" to something than "intollerant" - it always amazes me that some people would want the food so bad that they'd try again after having a severe reaction... I just can't do it- Wheat is not an easy thing to be allergic to but I don't often miss the foods I can no longer have- although I do frequently miss the convenience of being able to eat anywhere and anything

This.

 

[Gorechick]

On my last trip to WDW we ate at Boatwright's on the first night. I had the dish that had crayfish. I was violently ill all night and I often wondered if I was allergic to whatever was in that meal. I wasn't sick the rest of the trip, no one else in the family got sick, and I can still eat other shellfish to this day. Strange.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I know this is an old thread, but it reassures me that my own issues are not just in my head! I had eaten scallops all my life, but the first time I ate them after having DS, I had a "stomach-type" reaction like others have described upthread. I just thought I got some bad ones, and didn't think anything of it. But the next time I had them, the same thing happened, so I assumed I had developed an allergy and I haven't had them since. (DS has never even tried them, because he thinks there may be a connection.)

 

[gwek]

I am no healthcare specialist, but I've heard multiple times that our bodies continue to evolve and change after we reach adulthood, generally roughly every 7 years or so, so it's not uncommon to develop (or lose) allergies, especially around 28, 35, 42, etc (give or take--every body is different).

Personally, as I hit my late 20s, I developed both lactose intolerance and seasonal allergies, neither of which I'd had before. In my mid-30s, the seasonal allergies pretty much went away. In my early 40s, the lactose intolerance persists, but seems not as bad as it was. I imagine more extreme changes, as the many noted in this thread, are definitely possible.

 

[Mrs Green]

my husband has many allergies, some only developed in his 20s and others he grew out of. Allergies are tough and when they change it is scary!

Anyway, the OPs story makes me realize that I need to closely monitor my daughter about lobster/shellfish. That is what she ate the ONLY time she has ever thrown up. I really assumed she had food poisoning but maybe not.

 

[powellrj]

Does anyone know what happened to Lindsey Dunn? I always enjoyed her posts.

 

[hollannc]

Does anyone know what happened to Lindsey Dunn? I always enjoyed her posts.

Maybe someone should PM her? Now that I've stumbled on to
This post I'm curious as well!

I get violently ill from eating avocado or guacamole and last year in my food testing, it didn't even register as a tiny intolerance. Very strange.

 

[ajjoplin1]

Some allergies last a lifetime.....me, I was allergic to peanuts as a child, then it went away as I grew up. Only time will tell, but there is hope!

 

[dashofsunshine]

I can eat fried shrimp in small amounts, but any other kind - grilled, broiled, in soup or pasta...I get HORRIBLE stomach cramps and spend the night in the bathroom. I've tried it many times at many restaurants, and at home. Absolutely no clue why it doesn't happen with fried shrimp. This has been happening for 3-4 years now. No issues with any other shellfish or seafood. I've been allergic to bananas for probably 8 years, but that's my only other food allergy/intolerance. Same reaction with bananas as with shrimp. Who knows? Bodies are weird. Haha!

 

[eeyoreandtink]

I know this is an old thread, but there seems to be some misunderstanding here of allergy vs intolerance. Yes, you can have stomach symptoms as PART of an allergic reaction, but most of what is being described here sounds like intolerance rather than allergy. Bottom line, with an allergy the body produces a histamine response, and that is what causes the symptoms. It is rare to have a histamine response that is SOLELY gastrointestinal. The vast majority carry other symptoms as well. Most strictly gastrointestinal responses are intolerance rather than allergy, don't involve a histamine response, and aren't life threatening.