Oral Allergy Syndrome

Healthyby30
Healthyby30 Posts: 1,349 Member
edited October 3 in Food and Nutrition
Anyone have this? I think I do, going to see an allergist on Tuesday.

I've never in my life been allergic to watermelon, bananas, tomatoes...or actually any other food for that matter. The past few weeks when I eat these foods my throat gets all itchy, as does my lips and tongue. Sometimes my lips and tongue swell up and I get hives in my mouth! Also sometimes I start sneezing and my eyes get all itchy and watery. This is the same reaction I have around cats, which I am allergic to, and during ragweed season (August and September)

Anyway, it seems like everyday I am discovering this problem with foods that I love! I am almost afraid to eat any fresh fruits/veggies because of this. It's very frustrating and disheartening.

Does anyone else have this?

Also, does anyone know what an Oral Allergy Challenge is?

Thanks!:flowerforyou:

Replies

  • killerqueen17
    killerqueen17 Posts: 536 Member
    My brother has this!! It's exactly as you described, and his big triggers are bananas and watermelon.

    For him, it seems to get better at certain times of year... somehow, the body confuses the proteins of certain fruits with the pollens in the air during certain seasons. Oral Allergy Syndrome usually happens in people who have seasonal allergies to certain pollens.

    It's really weird, I had never heard of it before my brother started having problems with it-- and I have had major food allergies all my life!
  • khartley535
    khartley535 Posts: 151 Member
    My son has a slight oral allergy to bananas. They make the roof of his mouth and his throat itchy, so I don't allow him to have bananas anymore.

    <----obviously watermelon doesn't bother him.

    From what I understand, people who have hayfever and are allergic to certain types of tree pollen may also have the oral allergy to watermelon, strawberries, bananas etc. These fruits have the same basic protein in them as the pollens to which a hayfever sufferer is allergic to.

    This is just what I have found on the internet. Yes, I self diagnose. :tongue:

    edited for spelling.
  • Hoppymom
    Hoppymom Posts: 1,158 Member
    I have this as does one of my sons. For him it is bananas and swiss cheese. For me bananas, watermelon, cantalope, any cheese with blue mold, walnuts, raw carrots and raw celery. It is always worst during ragweed season. (Ragweed and melons are in the same family). Be aware that banana allergies should be closely monitored as bananas are in the latex family and latex allergies can be fatal. I did not eat bananas for about ten years and then when I started on this healthy eating journey I found out that my potassium was low so I did an oral challenge. one bite, no reaction two bites no reaction. Then later half a banana. I can now eat a whole banana with no reaction but I only eat one or two a week. I find that if I drink a glass of milk with eating these things that the milk neutralizes the protiens that I react to most of the time. I also get very nauseated when i eat just 1/4 bite of avacado, which is a food I love and it is full of heart healthy fats.:cry: Good luck.
  • Choltor
    Choltor Posts: 65 Member
    I have this, it is pretty terrible. Many fruits and raw vegetables cause the reactions. All of the follow-up posts seem to match my issue exactly.

    Here's a link to the topic in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome

    Take a look in there at cross reactions. In my own experience, that chart is pretty much dead-on. From what it sounds like on the other replies, this matches what others are seeing as well.

    The suggestion of a glass of milk works very well for me! If I add a bit of Nestle Quik powder to the milk, it seems to work better...but strangely, the pre-mixed milk does not work nearly as well. Also, try cooking your vegetables and see if you have the same reactions.
  • Choltor
    Choltor Posts: 65 Member
    Oh and how can I forget avocado and soy milk! Both of those cause extreme nausea for me, make me very sleepy, and if I eat too much (like if the guacamole is really, really worth it) causes splotches all over my face which last for days. And yes, I am stupid enough to still eat the guacamole, knowing how bad it is for me....
  • BackwoodsMom
    BackwoodsMom Posts: 227 Member
    Yes, my son and I have this but it is with northern tree fruits - apples, peaches, pears, etc. We can eat the fruit if it is freshly picked, therefore, we LOVE apple picking season here in NY. We also have the pollen allergies. If the fruits are cooked we don't have any kind of reaction. I'm pretty certain it all has to do with the breakdown of the enzymes/proteins in the produce once it's picked and starts to decay (although we might not notice its decay at that point).
  • terrellc1
    terrellc1 Posts: 231 Member
    OMG! This happened to me about two weeks ago when I ate some almonds! It had never happened before, so I am not sure why it came on all of a sudden. After the swelling and itching went away, I had severe stomach cramps/issues for about the next 24 hours. NOT FUN.
  • killerqueen17
    killerqueen17 Posts: 536 Member
    OMG! This happened to me about two weeks ago when I ate some almonds! It had never happened before, so I am not sure why it came on all of a sudden. After the swelling and itching went away, I had severe stomach cramps/issues for about the next 24 hours. NOT FUN.

    Be careful-- almonds are a common food allergen, and a standard food allergy is much different than oral allergy syndrome. Food allergies can be really serious and sometimes even life-threatening-- you should really see an allergist to evaluate how severe your allergy is, and to determine whether you need to carry emergency medication, like an Epi-Pen. Sometimes severe food allergies can cause anaphylaxis, which is extremely dangerous!

    Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network FAQ's: http://www.foodallergy.org/section/faq1

    Tree nut allergy info: http://www.foodallergy.org/page/tree-nut-allergy
  • reander
    reander Posts: 175 Member
    I was diagnosed with this and a nut allergy when I was 14, and it literally happened over night. At one point I was on an exclusion diet which left me only eating potatoes, cheese and milk and I was gradually allowed to reintroduce things. For me my biggest triggers were watermelon, mushroom, lettuce, cucumber and tomato. It was far too difficult having such little choice when eating, so I ate the things that gave me the least reaction.

    Luckily I seem to have outgrown most of the allergies now (including all but one nut). I do still have mild reactions to many foods, usually raw fruits and veggies and it's usually an itchy mouth and swollen and itchy lips. I know it's kind of silly to still eat them but I love my veggies lol
  • Healthyby30
    Healthyby30 Posts: 1,349 Member
    Thanks for all the responses! It is so strange to me how this happened so suddenly! I have always eaten watermelon and bananas and tomatoes, near daily. I have read that avocado could be bad too, and I love avocado.

    I also never had ragweed allergies until two years ago. I hate allergies! Everything you guys have said matches perfectly to how I feel. Thanks for all the helpful links, too. I should know more on Tuesday I guess.

    Thanks again! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • Healthyby30
    Healthyby30 Posts: 1,349 Member
    Be aware that banana allergies should be closely monitored as bananas are in the latex family and latex allergies can be fatal.

    I did not know that, I may be allergic to latex too come to think of it. I used to work as a phlebotomist and the latex bothered my hands! Hmm..all these things I never realized.
  • tmarie2715
    tmarie2715 Posts: 1,111 Member
    Me, me! I read about it on about.com.

    I've always wondered why my mouth / gums swelled and itched when eating melons (except watermelon), snow peas, some apples, etc. I now know it is linked to nasal allergies, as well. If you have nasal you are more likely to have oral. It is something about the foods being similar to certain pollens.

    I also know that depending on the pollen you are allergic to, the food intolerance (it isn't a real allergy) changes. Cooking will take away the symptoms.
  • BackwoodsMom
    BackwoodsMom Posts: 227 Member
    My son and I also take Quercetin & Bromelain (we get it from vitacost) which is a natural supplement that helps some with our allergies.
  • HonsKadon
    HonsKadon Posts: 1
    Yes, I have a friend who has that in addition to being allergic to cucumbers. Classic case of Oral Allergy syndrome. The bad thing about it is that we don't know much about it and the list of possible causes or underlying conditions is endless. Good luck!
  • LindsayInNYC
    LindsayInNYC Posts: 20
    I've been experiencing this for about 10 years now - since late high school. I finally saw an allergist this summer who confirmed 1. I have very bad allergies and 2. as a result, I have oral allergy syndrome. The wikipedia article someone linked to (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome ) is VERY helpful!

    Long story short, my allergist told me that food allergies are either deadly or annoying. Very very rarely are they both or do they cross over. So my fruit/vegetable issues are annoying but not life threatening. He recommended I take an antihistamine (Zyrtec, Allegra, Claritin, Benadryl) in the morning (if it's once/day) or before eating (like Benadryl) and any symptoms should be warded off. Since I saw him about 4 months ago, his advice has worked! I have not had any allergic symptoms since continuously taking medication.

    Hope this helps!
  • Healthyby30
    Healthyby30 Posts: 1,349 Member
    I've been experiencing this for about 10 years now - since late high school. I finally saw an allergist this summer who confirmed 1. I have very bad allergies and 2. as a result, I have oral allergy syndrome. The wikipedia article someone linked to (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome ) is VERY helpful!

    Long story short, my allergist told me that food allergies are either deadly or annoying. Very very rarely are they both or do they cross over. So my fruit/vegetable issues are annoying but not life threatening. He recommended I take an antihistamine (Zyrtec, Allegra, Claritin, Benadryl) in the morning (if it's once/day) or before eating (like Benadryl) and any symptoms should be warded off. Since I saw him about 4 months ago, his advice has worked! I have not had any allergic symptoms since continuously taking medication.

    Hope this helps!

    Thanks! I wish getting rid of mine were that easy! Antihistamines do nothing for me. I went on Tuesday...he said my allergies were as bad as they get. They were so bad the nurse was telling everyone to look at my arms to see how bad they were...it was HORRIBLE. My arms are still all swelled up and itchy! Anyway, he prescribed me Flonase and said I should start getting allergy shots if I want to be able to eat those foods again without reacting. Plus just feel better in general! I'm allergic to basically everything outside, dust mites and cats. Thankfully I'm not allergic to dogs, insect venom, or molds.
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