Swelling around mouth and eyes

Leeann1979
Leeann1979 Posts: 1,090 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Last night, while eating supper, I noticed some slight swelling in my upper lip. It went away an hour or two later. Then around 2am last night, I went to the washroom and noticed my lower lip was swollen. It was gone by the time I woke up. Now my lip is swollen again but in another different place, and there is mild swelling around my eyes. I have been sick lately, but I dont think it has anything to do with it. Seems like an allergic reaction to something. I just can't think of what it could be, as I didnt eat anything out of the ordinary yesterday or today. The only thing I can think of is peanut butter, which I have been addicted to all my life. Can I possibly develop a food allergy at 33 years old?? I am going to see a doctor soon .

Any advice? Anyone with experience with this.
Thanks in advance :smile:

Replies

  • WhiteSage13
    WhiteSage13 Posts: 10 Member
    This has happened to me too. I was very sick and suddenly developed new allergies. In my case, I believe it was an immune response, since it went away in time. So it may be something like that. Going to the doctor is the right answer. It's best to be sure.
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
    Agree
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
    Most like food, and yes, you can get a food allergy whenever, age doesn't matter. See your doctor soon, if it keeps happening, call them back and tell them you need to be seen sooner than what they said
  • laylaness
    laylaness Posts: 262 Member
    Most like food, and yes, you can get a food allergy whenever, age doesn't matter. See your doctor soon, if it keeps happening, call them back and tell them you need to be seen sooner than what they said

    Yup. I developed an allergy to almonds about 10 years ago, what seemed like overnight. I get mild lip and tongue swelling, and my throat starts to itch. Worst part was, I was eating Rocky Road when I got the reaction. :(

    Good luck, and keep some Benadryl on hand!
  • Thesoundofwolf
    Thesoundofwolf Posts: 378 Member
    Remember kids, your body naturally changes every 5-6 years. So one year you may be fine with cats, the next year breakout from their dander.
  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
    First, talk to your doctor about it. When that happened to me, mine checked for the obvious allergens (shellfish, tree nuts, eggs, etc) If it is none of those, the doctor will likely have you look at what you ate that day, then eat it again and see if it happens again.

    I do the same with my citrus allergy, which BTW did not develop until I was well into my 30's! My lips will swell, sometimes my nose and eyes too. I will break out in hives and possibly have difficulty breathing due to asthma. The really fun part is that the reaction can happen immediately or it may wait a few hours!

    Good luck!!
  • margiea7
    margiea7 Posts: 8 Member
    It's not necessarily a food allergy - an allergic response to a huge range of other things (for example, simple house mold, a household cleaner or a medicine you've ingested) can have the same effect. I think if you have any swelling of the lips, it's serious enough that you should see a doctor now-ish. Perhaps get some antihistamine into your system straight away too.

    May be absolutely nothing, but best to be on the safe side. I have a daughter who has had serious allergic reactions in the past, and things can progress from minor swelling to a windpipe swelling closed rather unpredictably. (Hives don't appear to provoke much concern even if they look dramatic, but swelling does).
    Good luck and hope it's nothing to worry about.
  • Doodlewhopper
    Doodlewhopper Posts: 1,018 Member
    Swelling around the lips and eyes....same thing happened to me at church when I was a kid. My parents forced me to go every Sunday and I hated it; It was so boring, & try as I may, I just couldnt keep my mind on the service.

    One Sunday the air conditioning wasnt working and everybody was sweaty and irritable. I noticed that every time the lady in front of me would stand up, her damp dress clung to her and gave her a very pronounced wedgie. Well, being an eager to please 9 year old I couldn’t resist the urge to help my fellow Christian, so I reached over the pew and with a mighty tug, relieved the lady of her colossal wedgie! She turned on me like a wounded animal and popped me right between the eyes so hard I stuttered for days.

    After my head cleared I figured the lady had wanted the wedgie, so I leaned over and tucked it back in for her….
  • Ambermarigold
    Ambermarigold Posts: 47 Member
    Hiya,

    If you still have swelling and you can take anti histamine tablets (used for hayfever and other allergies), take 1 of the certrizine hydrochloride version. This will reduce the swelling and open your nasal and throat cavaities properly again. If your tonsils or tongue start to swell you should go to your nearest A&E department urgently.

    You should see your GP. Although anyone can have a reaction such as this, at anytime in their life it may never happen again. It's more likely if the person has been 'under the weather' lately. It can happen with foods we enjoy a lot ( my aunt became allergic to chocolate and had similar reactions for years.... she's now OK again.)

    I have had severe allergic reactions many times. At one time, I was allergic to pretty much anything..... Or that is, anything could cause a sudden and unexpected reaction! This happened for about 3 years and I had a reaction most days of the week during this time. I carried an EpiPen for several years (a device used to auto inject adrenalin into a leg in a severe situation, in order to open the airways in an emergency. It can occasionally be life threatening). Thankfully I never had to use it, but the reactions can be quite scary! My most recent reaction was a few months ago whilst having Herceptin treatment for cancer. So I think it waspossibly a one off due to feeling lousy.

    Hopefully your reaction will improve and never return, but as a precaution take a Certrizine Hydrochloride tablet, the antihistamine for a few days. It'll help prevent a recurrence. Just 1 tablet taken per day covers you all day, unlike the alternative. In a severe situation, I was advised to take a second tablet....... but check this with your own doctor first.

    All the best.

    Amber xx
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    Last night, while eating supper, I noticed some slight swelling in my upper lip. It went away an hour or two later. Then around 2am last night, I went to the washroom and noticed my lower lip was swollen. It was gone by the time I woke up. Now my lip is swollen again but in another different place, and there is mild swelling around my eyes. I have been sick lately, but I dont think it has anything to do with it. Seems like an allergic reaction to something. I just can't think of what it could be, as I didnt eat anything out of the ordinary yesterday or today. The only thing I can think of is peanut butter, which I have been addicted to all my life. Can I possibly develop a food allergy at 33 years old?? I am going to see a doctor soon .

    Any advice? Anyone with experience with this.
    Thanks in advance :smile:

    Write down EVERYTHING you ate or drank yesterday afternoon/ evening, every ingredient you used before you forget and note the exact brands so you can go back and check the ingredients later. If possible also write down all the products you used to wash your hands or dishes etc. Do the same IMMEDIATELY if it happens again. Research suggests the longer you leave it the more likely you are to forget. Don't assume the culprit is peanuts or that it is a food allergy, it might be it might not.

    Allergies can happen to any food or products at any time, it's actually more common to one you use regularly than to a novel compound. If you ever have this and the swelling is worse or in any way impedes your breathing call an ambulance immediately, read up on anaphylactic shock so you know what you are looking for (note that most allergies are not anaphylaxis, but it is life threatening).

    To calm the immune system from regular allergies (not anaphylaxis) start eating an anti inflammatory nutrient dense diet - plenty of oily fish, fruit and veggies, lose the sugar, white refined carbs, high glycaemic index carbs, excess intake of omega-6 fats. People have cleared hayfever symptoms simply through diet modification, it can be very effective. Being sick absolutely can have something to do with it, your body has been under stress, the immune system can become confused.

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