Oral Allergy Syndrome

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  • deluxmary2000
    deluxmary2000 Posts: 981 Member
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    Oh, and I forgot to mention this (you probably already know), but be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after touching any food that triggers OAS. I rubbed my eyes once hours after eating a slice of a peach, and my eye swelled up in seconds.
  • rageginger
    rageginger Posts: 74 Member
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    My allergist told me if you avoid the allergen completely for a few years, you may become "un-allergic" to it.

    I know this is possible, but throwing my personal experience in the ring, that hasn't happened for me and I'm going on 14 years with this bloody allergy. I had testing done at 19, then again around 28 or so, and was told I was no longer allergic to cherries (hooray! One out of a list of 10-15 foods!), so that was exciting. NOPE. The very first cherry I tried (Benadryl in hand just in case), I reacted to.

    OAS can indeed be life-threatening, mine is. OP, I would really reccomend seeing an allergist if at all possible, and until you do, quit eating the foods that are triggering your reaction. My allergist told me that every time the allergen is presented to the body, the reaction is stronger and faster. I waited until I had a terrible reaction (and should have gone to the hospital but I was 18 and away at college and dumb, so...) and even then my parents practically had to drag me to see the allergist. Basically, with the reactions I described to him, the next time I would have "tested" my apple allergy might very well have been my last.

    You can call me alarmist or whatever you want, but food allergies are no joke, and the oral allergy reaction starts in the mouth and moves swiftly to the windpipe. OP, please consider seeing someone, and discontinue ingesting the trigger foods for now.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    I'm surprised so many people have this. Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them my daughter and I are allergic to apples (and peaches, and pears, and apricots). I've never heard of OAS being life-threatening - just varying degrees of uncomfortable, so I'm surprised to hear people mention EPI pens, etc. I think that may be a different kind of food allergy, but I'm not an expert so I can't say for sure.
    Anyway, if I'm really dying for some of the fruits that trigger my allergies, the following helps a lot:
    1 - Wash the fruit well.
    2 - CUT IT UP before eating and place small pieces in your mouth. If something gets on my lips (for instance if I bite into a whole apple) it's game over.
    3 - Regular, seasonal allergy medication eases symptoms. I take Allegra since it is the only thing that works for my seasonal allergies.
    4 - Drink lots of fluids inbetween bites.

    Also, I had read that when women are pregnant their allergies can go away. This happened with my first child. When I was pregnant, and for about 3 years after, my allergies magically cleared up. But then they came back with a vengeance and didn't ease up with the birth of my second child. Just a thought in case you had recently had a kid - you may not be as allergic as you used to be.

    This can be very dangerous. A life threatening reaction can occur out of the blue even if you ate it a million times before with only minor symptoms. The only thing that helps is cooking which breaks down the proteins which cause the reaction.

    ETA It is really scary watching your child's face blow up like a balloon and the hives just popping out all over. By the time the breathing problems started we were at the doctor. Yes this is OAS she has seen an allergist.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,300 Member
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    OAS. I don't know if this is part of my problem. I have major difficulties with Salicylate. This is the active ingredient in aspirin, in the past it came form the willow trees and there is a whole raft of problems which have been traced back to this over a hundred years or more. Salicylate is a toxin. This causes problems for asthmatics and they are advised not to use aspirin. Many vegetative foods also contain salicylate be it in the skins like apples or smells and pollen. Herbs, spice, tomato puree, cornstarch, vanilla, apples, oranges, and so much more that I could spend the day writing. Plants which produce salicylate do so to protect themselves from moulds and mildews.

    I am in my 60's and have had the problems I experienced in my younger years disparaged till I now have major problems with vegetative foods, personal and domestic cleaning products, and generally being out in the environment. I consulted an immunologist at the turn of the year who could only say, he thought my thyroid was not working properly. I have started on liquid thyroid medication and might be finding microscopic positive results, but two months out it is very early days

    I still refer to the Salicylate Sensitivity web site frequently. The basic food list used was defined by an Australian Dietitian and her colleagues many years ago now. "Food can make you ill" is another site it adds in other ways foods can possibly cause issues. There are other sites and books but these are the ones which I came across. These give symptoms which also appear on the thyroid sites too. Because salicylate is a toxin it can be putting the thyroid under more pressure. Why the thyroid connection? The thyroid regulates the systems responsible for our bodies "house keeping" activities, with the liver, pancreas and other organs, eliminating toxins, ensuring cells replicate themselves properly, regulating our digestive system, creates the antiseptic balance in our mucus membranes and so much more. If it starts to go wrong it can cause so many different symptoms that the medical profession would have their work cut out to make all the links. I refer to my national Thyroid support site. the USA and Australia have ones I have also looked at and found the same information there too, there is also the "Stop the Thyroid Madness" sites which is helpful too, they all have similar lists of related symptoms.

    Please read up for yourselves. The Immunologist I spoke of says much of this is at the "edge of science". All I know is our lives are very different to those lived by our ancestors only two hundred years ago when life was harder but food more simple. There is nothing cuddly or fluffy about salicylate sensitivity/toxicity, it can be a chronic situation just as life threatening as taking an aspirin overdose.

    All the best to everyone. I hope you find your own answers to your issues.

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