Mystery Reaction... advice needed PLEASE!

WOW! I'm sorry to say I don't have any great input for you. How scary. All I can say is that my extra sensitive PA 6 yr old (more sensitive so far it seems than the PA 3 yr old) has reacted before to inhaling steam (peanut oil in use???) from a Japanese or Chinese restaurant in a mall court. The doctor said that is all he could think of that happened since she had not been eating at the time of the reaction and we had just been passing through the food court of the mall while shopping. (He also suggested the slight possibility that she had touched something, like a chair or something, that had peanut butter residue on it, etc..)Her reaction was a full blown as any we've seen when peanuts have been ingested. Maybe you are just enormously sensitive to the fish or whatever the allergen is that is in the steak. Have you ever reacted that strongly to pets before? Joey

Joey,
I've never reacted to pets before that I know of but my friends cats do seem to bother me some. (My 6 yo PA son is also fatally allergic to cats... his 3 major allergies are to pn, cats and shellfish, so I am wondering if this may be where the reaction is coming from as the computer room in her home is where the family cat and litterbox resides, and is also where I spend most of my time when at her house). Hmmm, maybe this could be the cause... not sure though because each time it was when the Thai steak was in the house...

Cats bother me too. I feel as though I have cat hair all in my nose whenever I'm somewhere where cats live. My kids skin breaks out in itchy red patches along with the nasal congestion, etc.. It's extremely annoying for us but I didn't realize a person could have a dangerous reaction to cats though...that's the first I've heard of that. I have heard of it being a trigger for asthma. The nice thing for us is that we are not "cat people" anyhow so we aren't missing out on anything. It does make it miserable to have to visit my in laws though. They claim to never allow the cat on the beds or furniture but the hair is everywhere (including on the bedsheets which tells me they aren't really very honest about it). It is so gross. I couldn't stand having to work in an area where a litter box was placed. Could you work some other arrangement out? I hope your reaction is not from cats though considering how often we have to come into contact with them in other peoples' houses. That would be really inconvenient. You should find out every single ingredient in the steak and hope you can isolate something in it that's causing your reaction. Joey

It might be the MSG. MSG is a naturally occurring vegetable protein but is used in concentrated forms for the purpose of a flavor enhancer. How I discovered that my husband and son reacted to MSG was from mentally keeping a list of the restaurants that made them sick. Mind you the reaction was not to peanuts! Anyway a friend of mine told me that she was deathly allergic to MSG and had researched the restaurants in our town. The ones that made my family the sickest used the most MSG. Just so you know, Taco Bell does not use MSG. I think it is worth thinking about and taking the time to research. From the Heartlander

Is there any way that you could ask this friend not to serve Thai steak when you go over to her house? (I know that if I were the host, I would definitely want to be told if someone had a food allergy, so I could avoid serving that food.)

That way, too, you could tell if it's an allergy to her cat or to the steak.

Thanks for all of the suggestions! Timmy has had a near anaphalactic reaction to cats. He touched a kitten once then his eyes and they swelled shut (benedryl and trip to the ER). Then once he was at his friends house (they go to my church) and they took him to a rodeo even though his eyes were swelled almost shut and was having breathing problems from touching their cat. (He didn't tell them the truth about touching the cat, so they didn't know what he was reacting to... they brought him home but had him knock on the door and I did not hear him because I was vacuuming. I was in shock when I got their phone message and raced to where he was... screamed as I ran past the ticket counter that I had to get to my son, that it was a life and death matter and had the benedryl in my hand. This was before I knew as much about allergies. I only had one shot at the time and it was with him, but I don't trust this friend to know when to use it... obviously since she was comfortable with taking him to a rodeo in a full blown allergic reaction!!! YIKES! Anyway, he has not been to that friends house since no matter how much her son (and mine) begs for him to because I don't trust her. Also because his grandfather boils peanuts in their yard... so we just stay away.) So... all that to say that his reactions to cats are pretty severe if he touches them he breaks out in hives anywhere they have touched and his eyes swell shut and breathing problems. His allergy is to the dander and the allergist said most people are allergic to the hair, not sure if this makes a difference.

Thanks for all the help.
Valerie

My husband is allergic to shellfish. He has difficulty breathing if he is near shellfish that is cooking.

Well, I think I may have finally figured out what the mystery reaction is to... DUST!
Several times lately my lips have swelled or gotten itchy while I've been dumping the dirt cup on my vacuum or sweeping up dirt etc...

I've been doing some extra cleaning the last couple of days due to the fact that my parents are on their way to visit and had a horrible reaction last night. Really scared me but the worst part is that its still going on! My lips are swollen and blistering (and at times throbbing on the lower lip). One eye is puffy. Indigestion and bad headache and having a tough time breathing (it hurts to breathe, but not to where I can't stand it, feels like an asthma attack.) Not sure what to do or even if a dust allergy can cause anaphalaxis. I've tried looking it up but have found nothing that says that a dust allergy can be severe. (Although come to think of it my son's dust allergy was bad at the beginning of the school year till we figured out that it was caused by him sleeping on his mat on the floor, since we got him on a cot for nap time things have been wonderful : )

Any thoughts??? I'm DESPERATE! We really can't afford a trip to the ER and I don't have a regular Dr for myself that I can call. I can't take Benedryl because my DH is still working and it knocks me out (I'm here with the 4 children alone).

Just been one of those days today I guess... not feeling good and trying to help a neighbor by taking her to pick up something she needed and the tire exploded on my truck in a very scary section of town. Had to have it towed because an impact wrench was needed to get the old tire off. UGH!

Sorry for rambling...

Valerie

Valerie --
Please post again and let us know you're okay! Could you call the neighbor for whom you did the favor and have her watch the kids so you can take the Benadryl -- and so that you have another adult aware of your situation?

I know your kids are young -- and I have a preschooler, too, so I appreciate your desire to be alert -- but under the circumstances I would probably put in the longest video I could find for the kids, take the Benadryl -- and call my DH. I'd honestly be inclined to call 911, too -- or a hospital hotline. I'm really concerned about your breathing difficulty.

I am NOT a doctor -- just a mom who really hopes things are better by the time you read this.

Sue

I'm not a doctor either, but I am allergic to dust, too. It usually just causes me to have itchy eyes and sniffles, but once I did go to the ER after we had our carpets professionally cleaned and I was wheezing. I think it was from all the dust and dander being kicked up. Benedryl knocks me out, too. What about prescription medications like Claritin, which is one of the few allergy medicines that does't knock me out. Have you ever been tested for asthma? There are medications like Singulair, that help prevent attacks.

I have made some slight changes in our home to help my dust allergy. We don't have hardwood floors, which are suppose to be better, but we bought a vacuum cleaner with a true HEPA filter, which is suppose to be the best for allergies. I bought a pillow cover that is especially made for allergies, as well as a mattress cover that is for allergies as well. We have a furnace filter that is geared for allergies. All these things we got a Wal-Mart for not too much money, except the vacuum, which my husband researched the web for the best price. Besides, isn't your comfort worth it?

I hope this helps, and that you are feeling better!

I am in the process of cleaning my house as well for my in-laws visit, yikes!

Back to the Thai steak, am I missing something here? Although my PA daughter is never allowed to eat any restaurant food (I always bring her food to the restaurant), I never take her inside a Thai restaurant because almost every dish has peanuts. Even if the Thai steak didn`t have peanuts, it could have been cross-contaminated. Or are you referring to something different when you say Thai steak? What I am thinking is that with two kids who are PA, maybe you have become allergic to peanuts. That would explain the reactions at your friend`s house. And probably since your kids are PA, you don`t keep peanuts in your house and so you probably are almost never exposed to it. Anyhow, what I am thinking is whatever the cause, with your severe symptoms, it really sounds like you need to have an Epipen (adult sized, not Jr.). Maybe you could get a friend to give you the name of a good doctor? Also, maybe you should see your kids` allergist (assuming he sees adults) and get tested (skin, RAST, CAPRAST, or something). It really seems like you need to know the cause of these symptoms and there could be more than one cause, one cause at your house and another cause at your friends. Keep us posted.

Thank you for your concern! I am feeling a lot better today. My lips are real chapped and blistery but the throbbing and swelling have gone away. My breathing is a lot better also, just feel like I have the start of a chest cold. I had asthma as a baby but outgrew it, then got it back when I was pregnant with my almost 4 year old. I don't have problems with it often. My daughters' (5) asthma was IMHO cured by the Singulair... hasn't had an asthma attack in over a year and hasn't taken it in about 6 months or so. My son (6) is currently on Singulair and I think it is a BIG help. I'll have to talk to the Dr. about Claritin or something the next time I go.

I have a Fantom Fury vacuum with a true Hepa filter... the problem is that it has a dust cup that you have to empty instead of a bag. It has saved a fortune in bags and I love it but guess I need to have my dh start emptying it outside for me.

Thanks Again!
Valerie

I forgot to mention that my husband usually does do the vacuuming as well as emptying the container, so that probably does spare me some allergy problems!

I am no expert & the little I know has to with my dog. This may sound stupid but I had to post anyway for what it is worth. I had a Dachsund that would puff up & get swollen eyes & lips, skin would sag & she would end up looking like a Sharpei. Very scary. My vet told me that these signs are a systemic reaction, which means something either ingested or something like a bee sting. I just brought this up because it doesn't sound like dust, cats to me, as I am allergic to both. This sounds like a food allergy, especially with the swelling & tingling, throat burning. I totally admit this is only an uneducated opinion.

I really wanted to post because I was a little worried about you. I would find out what was in the food or any correlation or bug/insect bite? I don't know-it might be worth a trip to the doctor or get an adult epi just in case. It seems like that reaction could turn serious. Just my two cents worth. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img] Hope all is well & you are feeling better!

love, Amy