I Think I'm Allergic to Crenshaw Melon...Anyone Familiar with This?

[cm8]

Well, not such a long shot. I have a slight case of dermographism. By that, I mean you can't actually write letters or induce wheals when "skin writing" but I definitely get some sort of reaction to things on my skin. I have times where it's non-existent, and other times where it's worse. I didn't want to add that to the mix of my original post because it's all just too much. But I do think that something caused this to flare and it's more than just dermographism at this point. I had some significant hiving on my legs last night that was gone in a few hours and seems way more than what I get normally with pressure. I'm going to switch over to my phone here in a minute and post a picture.View attachment 519183

I really think you should make an appointment like yesterday. Even if not with an allergist, but your PCM. I hope you can fins out the cause of your reactions.

 

[Christine]

I really think you should make an appointment like yesterday. Even if not with an allergist, but your PCM. I hope you can fins out the cause of your reactions.

I'm having no hives at this moment and not since I woke up. I figured I'll see what happens later today and if it goes on again, I'll make that call to someone. Unfortunately, I haven't been to a primary care since 2018. They stopped taking my insurance and I haven't been sick at all, so no reason to find another one which is not easy in my area for some reason; there's a real shortage. Don't get my wrong, I do go to the doctor (endocrinologist, GYN, gastroenterolgist, dermatologist, and so on), but I don't really have a PCP at this point.

 

[DLgal]

So, with your latest updates, I'm pretty confident this has nothing to do with anything you ingested and is simply a case of either undiagnosed allergies or chronic idiopathic urticaria. I have had this condition on and off since my early 20s, but it flared up in a bad way about a year and a half ago and I finally took myself to an allergist for it. I would mostly get the hives after exercising or taking a shower, but they started popping up randomly and not a day would go by without some somewhere on my body. They happen often in areas of pressure (underwear and bra straps being particularly annoying places) or when I would get too hot.

Long story short, before going to this doctor I would have told you I have "no allergies." Well, turns out I had been wrong for YEARS. My blood work showed elevated allergy markers and skin allergy tests showed me highly allergic to MANY environmental things (no foods though).

The doctor put me on a daily Allegra regimen and that has kept the hives at bay ever since. He said if that didn't work, there is a shot you can get once a month that will take care of the hives.

Bottom line, go see an allergist. Don't bother with a primary care doctor. Your allergist will order blood work to cross check for other issues that can cause hives (thyroid in particular) In the meantime, go get some Allegra and see if that doesn't help the hives. It won't make you sleepy, and works almost immediately.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I'm having no hives at this moment and not since I woke up. I figured I'll see what happens later today and if it goes on again, I'll make that call to someone. Unfortunately, I haven't been to a primary care since 2018. They stopped taking my insurance and I haven't been sick at all, so no reason to find another one which is not easy in my area for some reason; there's a real shortage. Don't get my wrong, I do go to the doctor (endocrinologist, GYN, gastroenterolgist, dermatologist, and so on), but I don't really have a PCP at this point.

You really should have a PCP. They drive the bus of your healthcare; oversee everything.

My DD had something like you describing from strawberries vs a new plastic cup (that she had put strawberries and lemons in). She saw an allergist. Testing was negative but they recommended she carry an Epi-Pen.

 

[Christine]

Thanks for everyone's thoughts. I had already made a mental note to see an allergist upon my return from the beach. Guess I can use this week to find one and hope the wait to get in isn't too long. I won't be surprised if I come up positive. As a young child I had significant seasonal allergies and even took shots back in the day (that apparently did nothing). I also have a pretty severe cat allergy. I know I'm going to come up positive for something! But just what kicked off this latest bout of hives, I don't know. My hives I had a few years ago were not like this. They were pretty "stationary" on the upper body and once they formed they stayed there and got worse or better depending on if a took a shower or something.

This batch is not impacted by a hot shower or bath (had both) and mainly seem to flourish when I am sitting for a long period and I am "contacting" a body area. Such as last night with the TV watching. Ankles crossed, thighs touching. When they popped out, I also go singular wheals on other parts of the body like my arm or torso. Then they were 100% gone. Can't wait to see how today goes.

 

[Christine]

You really should have a PCP. They drive the bus of your healthcare; oversee everything.

My DD had something like you describing from strawberries vs a new plastic cup (that she had put strawberries and lemons in). She saw an allergist. Testing was negative but they recommended she carry an Epi-Pen.

Yes, the PCP thing is an issue. When I went in 2018 I just paid cash for the visit and did all the submitting myself. Despite living outside a major metro area, my little town has a dearth of physicians. Or the ones they do have are horrible. I think I've tried most of them. For a PCP, I really don't want to drive up to the city for that; especially if one is not feeling well. And you can never count on the traffic. It's always been a a problem here and I often make use of an Urgent Care if I'm sick with something like a flu or other acute illness. I keep thinking "I'm going to move..."

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I'm allergic to pretty much everything and get hives all the time. My allergist, however, seems to have this theory that sometimes my hives are linked to my stress levels. For example, when I was going through the worst of my divorce I was basically a walking hive, and some of them were those really deep ones that are painful for days after you can't see them anymore. I'm mentioning this because you said you are on vacation and sometimes family vacations can be stressful! As long as you have access to Benedryl and a doctor or hospital nearby in case you need rescued, I wouldn't be too concerned because hives happen. Just try to enjoy yourself and avoid the delicious melon that maybe could have caused them.

Incidentally, hives run in my family. My mom has a condition where she's sort of allergic to cold, and she get painful hives. She can't go swimming unless the outside temps are in the 90s, and the pool water is heated. I am the opposite and I get hives when I'm hot. Bodies are weird.

 

[Christine]

I'm allergic to pretty much everything and get hives all the time. My allergist, however, seems to have this theory that sometimes my hives are linked to my stress levels. For example, when I was going through the worst of my divorce I was basically a walking hive, and some of them were those really deep ones that are painful for days after you can't see them anymore. I'm mentioning this because you said you are on vacation and sometimes family vacations can be stressful! As long as you have access to Benedryl and a doctor or hospital nearby in case you need rescued, I wouldn't be too concerned because hives happen. Just try to enjoy yourself and avoid the delicious melon that maybe could have caused them.

Incidentally, hives run in my family. My mom has a condition where she's sort of allergic to cold, and she get painful hives. She can't go swimming unless the outside temps are in the 90s, and the pool water is heated. I am the opposite and I get hives when I'm hot. Bodies are weird.

Thanks! I'm not yet on the vacation but it's coming this Saturday. And yes, I'm a little stressed about all I have to do before I go (I feel like we have to take the kitchen sink with us). The only other 'stressful' thing I've done was the day before the hives started, I helped negotiate a new car deal for my son and I found that stressful. So maybe you're on to something. I didn't overly feel stressed but I sure do now!!!

 

[tcufrog]

My allergist considers Benadryl pills to be the first line of defense for hives. Calamine lotion and aloe vera gel can help with the itchiness. If the Benadryl doesn't get rid of the hives he advises me to call him. I very rarely get hives but I once had them so bad that I had to have Benadryl and an adrenaline shot to get rid of them. That was not a fun combination, to put it mildly. I don't know what caused them but I suspect it was something I encountered at work. We got a very dirty shipment in and I had to help unpack it.

 

[Christine]

Well, I haven't had any hives for over 24 hours now. The last ones were the picture I took. I guess I'm back to thinking it was the melon versus any other syndrome.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Honeydew and very sweet cantaloupe (both relatives of Chrenshaw) will give me a sore throat and even activate my nasal allergies. No rash, though. Watermelon is never a problem. I don't know if they are related.

I would check with my doctor. First, cut out the melon, just in case. If you're getting rashes, that could worsen to your throat and cut off your airway. But make sure it's not something else that you haven't thought about. And hopefully, it's not a weird Covid symptom.

 

[Christine]

Honeydew and very sweet cantaloupe (both relatives of Chrenshaw) will give me a sore throat and even activate my nasal allergies. No rash, though. Watermelon is never a problem. I don't know if they are related.

I would check with my doctor. First, cut out the melon, just in case. If you're getting rashes, that could worsen to your throat and cut off your airway. But make sure it's not something else that you haven't thought about. And hopefully, it's not a weird Covid symptom.

Yeah, I worried about COVID for a second. But the last of the hives was Sunday night. I've had no melon at all since them. I did read that watermelon is more close related to the cucumber family than the same species of melons such as cantaloupes/honeydew/Crenshaws are in. Gives me some hope!

I never really did get one oral/nasal/breathing symptom at all. Which I think might be a good thing!

 

[FigmentSpark]

Yeah, I worried about COVID for a second. But the last of the hives was Sunday night. I've had no melon at all since them. I did read that watermelon is more close related to the cucumber family than the same species of melons such as cantaloupes/honeydew/Crenshaws are in. Gives me some hope!

I never really did get one oral/nasal/breathing symptom at all. Which I think might be a good thing!

While I hope you don't ever get an oral response, be careful anyway. My mom had something similar to you (rash on body), but hers was related to a medicine she was taking. One doctor told her it was fine and just take Benedryl, but her own doctor immediately took her off the meds and they found the rash was getting worse and making it's way to her airways. You just never know with these things, so maybe avoid Chrenshaws and it's relatives, like honeydew, at least for awhile.

Another thing to think about is that sometimes reactions come on that you might never have because your system is overloaded with stimuli. For example, I'm allergic to cigarette smoke and cats. One of the other might annoy me a little, but both in the same room might send me running for fresh air so I can breathe. Think about what other possible allergens you might have in your diet or your day that might have made this come on in combination with the melon.

 

[Christine]

Haven't had much luck today finding an allergist. The two that I called said that, for the time being, they aren't taking any new patients due to COVID and trying to maintain their current patient load and keeping the office not filled with people (allergy injections take up a lot of their "social distancing" room). I think the only way to get in with one is to have had an anaphylactic reaction needing hospital treatment to get referred in.

 

[Poohlove]

I have Oral Allergy Syndrome, verified by an allergist. I am allergic to ALL melons and raw tomatoes. Although I don't have any outward signs. Just the itchy roof of my mouth, itchy, scratchy throat and ears. And my lips & tongue will feel raw and they can get swollen depending on how much I've eaten. The symptoms show up within 2 minutes, usually less. I don't need to eat a lot. Less than a teaspoon full of the offending food. So, if I'm eating at a potluck, where I don't know all the ingredients and can't ask the cook, I eat a spoonful. Then wait 2 minutes to see if I'm allergic to something in the food.

You ate two different kinds of melon AND tomato. Maybe you had a reaction to eating all 3 at once, that became more severe than the usual symptoms?

Same here!! Tomatoes, melons, bananas, red onions and corn to name a few. Worst Jersey Girl ever!!! Can you eat those foods cooked without a reaction? I’m good as long as they are cooked, just can’t handle them raw.

 

[Poohlove]

I’m inclined to say that because of the duration of the hives in relation to the small amount of melon that you ate either you are pretty allergic to it or there is something else going on. Have you changed up your skin care products recently? Stress can exacerbate your hives for sure, maybe your primary response was an allergic reaction but was made worse if you were stressing over the initial reaction.

 

[Christine]

I’m inclined to say that because of the duration of the hives in relation to the small amount of melon that you ate either you are pretty allergic to it or there is something else going on. Have you changed up your skin care products recently? Stress can exacerbate your hives for sure, maybe your primary response was an allergic reaction but was made worse if you were stressing over the initial reaction.

Been wracking my brain over any changes, but I've been using the same body cream for years (CeraVe, no fragrance), same hair products. No makeup recently. Still using them today so I'm assuming still back to the melon. It definitely freaked me out so I'm sure i made them worse.

 

[monkeydawn]

Been wracking my brain over any changes, but I've been using the same body cream for years (CeraVe, no fragrance), same hair products. No makeup recently. Still using them today so I'm assuming still back to the melon. It definitely freaked me out so I'm sure i made them worse.

Why are you dismissing the Pepto as the possible cause? Your symptoms started before you ingested the Crenshaw but after the Pepto...did I miss something where you found that it wasnt the Pepto.

Dont take this as me saying I think the Pepto is more likely I just dont want you to skip over that part when talking to doctors since you have IBS and will likely need it again.

That gives me an idea. If you have a GI doctor, I think you indicated you do, and have reason to suspect the Pepto, assuming you still do, why not call your GI doctor and let him know what is going on. They might be able to get you into an allergist after eliminating Pepto as the culprit. Or figure out an alternative to Pepto if that is the problem.

 

[Christine]

Why are you dismissing the Pepto as the possible cause? Your symptoms started before you ingested the Crenshaw but after the Pepto...did I miss something where you found that it wasnt the Pepto.

Dont take this as me saying I think the Pepto is more likely I just dont want you to skip over that part when talking to doctors since you have IBS and will likely need it again.

That gives me an idea. If you have a GI doctor, I think you indicated you do, and have reason to suspect the Pepto, assuming you still do, why not call your GI doctor and let him know what is going on. They might be able to get you into an allergist after eliminating Pepto as the culprit. Or figure out an alternative to Pepto if that is the problem.

I mentioned the Pepto because earlier in the day I took it. Also earlier in the day, I the actual reaction started prior to the overt hives. I had some itchy redness on my neck and a few tiny hive bumps on my jawline and face. But they were really minor and I didn't think much of them, just noticed them. But that was before I ate the Crenshaw melon; however, I had cut the whole thing up earlier but never ate it. Same time I took the Pepto.

That said, I had another IBS issue yesterday and I took another dose of Pepto (which really helps me). And I had no reaction to it. So we are now down to watermeloon and/or Crenshaw.