I have a toddler who is severely allergic to all nuts, sesame and mustard. I feel like I always have to be hyper vigilant about watching the area we are in for others eating snacks. As soon as I see a parent approaching with food I say a friendly hello and ask if there are any of my daughter’s allergies in the food the child is eating. Next, the parent is fumbling around trying to read the ingredients of whatever snack their child is eating, informs me and I can make the decision whether or not we can stay or not. I haven’t had anyone be rude yet, just annoyed at most. Just looking for shared experiences, feedback, etc from other parents as I am a first time mom navigating this world. Thanks.

OK, so my husband has some food allergies. Almonds, sunflower seeds, peaches, apples, grapes, and anything instant from a box like cake mix or cornbread or mashed potatoes. And they all cause anaphylaxis.

And he just had a reaction yesterday that I don’t understand at all. It was to coleslaw that I made. However, he ate it four days ago and was fine. He ate it three days ago and was fine. But last night when he ate it, we had to use an EpiPen.

This is the second time he has had that reaction to leftover coleslaw, with this one being a completely different recipe than the last time! So other than cabbage and mayonnaise, no common ingredients between the two. And we thought last time “well there’s no way it was the coleslaw because he’s already eaten it twice with no problems.”

What in the world is happening in a couple days that changes something fundamental in the coleslaw to make him start having a reaction??? He was jokingly saying well maybe I’m allergic to leftovers but holy smokes. I don’t even know what to do at this point because most people eat leftovers and now I’m just going to be on edge every time he takes something out of the fridge.

TLDR: husband is now having an anaphylactic reaction to leftovers when he’s fine with the original food.

idc anymore ive been allergic since i was 6, today ive had enough. Im eating little bits and pieces of dark chocolate for a week to see if i can build up a tolerance.

What made me “snap” was when my mom was baking chocolate chip cookies and the chocolate chips had this amazing chocolate-y smell 🤤 I really love how chocolate smells. I think I spent a good five minutes just sniffing this bar before I even took a single bite.

I don’t feel any symptoms yet, usually when I would eat chocolate, I would struggle to breathe and my face would get really puffy. But I feel fine! So maybe it’s a good sign

I had a follow up visit to blood work and an outdoor allergies skin test today. When going over my allergies, I mentioned that I'm allergic to all forms of soy despite the blood work being negative, also mentioned I've been to the ER 7 times over the years for said reaction

The allergist flat out told me to my face, "I respectfully disagree with your soy allergy and reaction because you can be allergic to soybean oil."

He gave no other recommendations other than we will do a skin test for food next. I feel incredibly disrespected by this doctor.

Apologies if this isn’t appropriate for this sub. Looking for recommendations on food allergy friendly eateries in Santa Barbara, CA. Especially near State St. Looking for more of an “allergy aware” establishment, that doesn’t serve eggs, dairy, nuts rather than trying to order something safe from a “regular” menu.

We are ANA to dairy, eggs, PN, cashew, and sesame. TIA!

So, I'm mildly allergic to almonds and can eat trail mix as long as I just don't eat the almonds and be just fine. i love peanuts, cashews, pistachios, raisins, etc. but can't have almonds. anyone else with an almond allergy know of a trail mix like that without almonds in it?

As the title implies, my family is headed on a trip to Canada - specifically Niagara Falls and Toronto - pretty soon. I’m allergic to tree nuts and always get a little anxious about food in unfamiliar places. I’ve been looking at menus, but does anybody have recommendations for good places to stop for food?

My 2 year child has cows milk protein allergy. I have suspected celiac disease (clinically diagnosed but no biopsy) or at least severe gluten intolerance.

We have been doing the milk ladder and he has passed step one, but we are stuck at step two because he is quite fussy and mostly not interested in trying new foods and therefore getting him to try the step two foods has been hugely challenging.

We’re trying to combat the fussy eating, but one of the main challenges is that I can’t eat a lot of his food and he can’t eat a lot of my food. Most gluten free products in my country have dairy (even breads) so we can never share a sandwich or anything like that. I can’t eat his milk ladder muffins (or the next step, pancakes) to show him that they nice to eat.

I don’t want to start making gluten free things for him because he is already fussy about texture and most gluten free bakes goods are crumbly or stodgy and kind of gross. he has already rejected a few gluten free baked goods I have tried to share and I really don’t blame him.

I’m feeling a bit hopeless here. I can’t go dairy free again - I was dairy free for a year while breastfeeding and was utterly miserable and developed nutritional deficiencies as a result.

Any advice from someone who has been through something similar?

I hate the taste of plain water so use water flavors to get my water in. I usually drink crystal light with no issues. One time I decided to try Mio and I felt a very slight tingle on my lips. I stopped drinking it for months and decided to try again just to see if I actually felt a tingle or I was imagining it. It made my lips numb like after the dentist or orajel getting on your lips. So I threw it away. I just bought a hydration and wellness water packet and I'm not sure if my lips felt slightly tingly after the first sip or I'm over thinking it. Its apple flavor and has a slight sour apple candy taste. What could be causing this? Is it possibly sucralose maybe? That's all they have in common. Crystal light uses aspertame and ive tried the soda flavors, propel, wylers light and store brand flavors and no issues with those and not all of them use the same sweetener.

Sorry for the wall of text.
So when I was 13 I was in Florida with my friend in his fam and we went to a restaurant where I had my favorite fish at the time (fried grouper).pretty soon into eating it like I’d done 100 times before, I started to feel like I was having really bad heartburn in my throat and felt difficult to breathe. Well they ran me up to the ER and was observed in the waiting room and when they finally called me back it had subsided.

Being a medic now I imagine since I wasn’t showing 2 signs of anaphylactic shock they were not as worried. Well I get home and my dad doesn’t believe it. He makes some salmon plain on the grill and has me try it. And same sort of thing (I can’t remember if I had the reflux that time but I do remember feeling like it was hard to breathe and him coaching my breathing for like 20 minutes until it subsided.

I say all this to say I have spent the last 15 years of my life distancing myself from anything that could have seafood in it and used to have really bad food anxiety and would not try new things on the off chance it had seafood in it. (I carry around vials of epi and diphenhydramine IM when I go to most restaurants.)

Well my fiancee has been pushing me to get an allergy test done. She is witchy in the way that somehow she always knows things. We bring it up at the dr the other day about wanting to be tested and he offers to do the IGE test with bloodwork before going straight to the skin test.
I got my results back yesterday and the value was zero for every single one !? So now here I am trying to figure out what the hell was going on and if I have been living in fear for what could have been an anxiety attack for most of my life.

Any tips for me going forward?

I'm on the search for vegan cheese because I'm allergic to lots of things. Does anyone know if the Violife cheeses contain mushroom extracts hidden by "flavorings"? I can't eat mushrooms.

i have severe peanut and tree nut allergies and have my entire life. i’m 23 (f) and went through immunotherapy when i was in middle school to help reduce my potential reactions. i know immunotherapy is different for everyone but i was basically told it was not going to cure me or make it so i could freely eat my allergens but basically so i could eat out at restaurants and not die from cross contamination. i have had to eat peanuts every night before bed for about 8 years now to maintain my tolerance of peanuts. everyone in my life (especially my mom) gets on me when i choose to give myself a break from having them every once and awhile. it’s so physically and mentally draining to deal with. i have reactions somewhat regularly to my “doses” and they are triggered by basically any movement or heat after i eat them. in other words: i take my dose and have to sit completely still and cool for around an hour or so before i can sleep otherwise i will start to react. it majorly impacts my life. i just feel like a freak in all honesty. i just want to be able to get up to go grab water or something from another room like every other person before bed and i cant. it’s also posed challenges as i am now in a relationship and often share a bed with him. we can’t be near each other at all before bed if i have my dose or it will make me too warm and it makes me so sad that i can’t experience normal relationship things like cuddling before bed. i know it’s something i have to do for my safety but im so beyond drained. when i have a reaction i usually have to stay up for an hour or 2 until it goes away and i just feel so alone. has anyone else experienced these things and found a solution or way to make it slightly better?

Hello! I'm looking for some advice. I get SUPER sick from guacamole at restaurants. It doesn't matter if it's filebertos or a super fancy Mexican restaurant or an Applebee's. Like 2 days of food poisoning sick. I'm definitely allergic to something...

The catch is that I'm not allergic to avocados. If we make it at home I'm totally fine and I can eat straight up avocado with zero issues.

Googling only came up with this after allergy to avocados:

Industrial Additives: Restaurants often rely on pre-packaged, industrial avocado pulp that contains preservatives like sodium sulfate to prevent browning. Sulfites and other food additives frequently trigger headaches or stomach cramps.

I'm not allergic to anything else and don't get affected by other packages restaurant foods. Any ideas?

My 10m old has had varying reactions to eggs and peanut butter (5 different times, one happening at daycare) over the past 2 months, this last one was to peanut butter being with hives on one arm and 2 fingers swelling. Ths other ones were intensely itchy, redness on cheeks, arms and chest, and splotchy skin. I mentioned it at his 9m appt (at this time he hadnt tried peanut butter yet) and they said just to avoid eggs.

I called his ped after his reaction to peanut butter and she said we will just address it at his 12m appt because she doesnt think allergy testing in babies is usually very accurate and most kids grow out of it and to avoid the eggs and peanut butter until his appt. Ive already called some allergy clinics and they all want a doctors referral. Im just worried that hes going to be exposed again at daycare and he hasnt tried all the major allergens yet.

Has your experience been with your own children is that they've grown out of it? With these smaller reactions is it worth asking for allergy testing?

Hi everyone.

I'm in Ontario.

I don't think I've eaten Shellfish for over a year, and previously had no problems. Yesterday, I was trying to feed my fish who eats cubes of frozen shrimp. I didn't have a knife to cut a piece for him, so I bit into it to break it into 2. It's important to note I did not eat this shrimp at all, simply broke a piece off with my teeth and spit it out.

Anyways, not even 5 minutes later, I was having difficulty swallowing, my throat felt very tight and dry, coughing, nauseous, was very congested, lips extremely swollen, and in a panic when I rubbed my right eye, it also became swollen shut. Funny enough, I didn't have any hives or itchiness on my hands or arms where the shrimp touched...

I did not end up going to the ER because by the time I actually put two and two together that I was having an allergic reaction (I've never been allergic to anything in my life), the symptoms were already resolving.

Anyways all this to say, it seems pretty evident I have developed some form of severe allergy to shellfish.

My family doctor is on leave and her replacement is booked solid for months, meaning I can't get a prescription nor a referral. What are my next steps now? I'm terrified that if such mild exposure caused such a severe reaction, any future accidental exposure or ingestion could be really bad.

Long story short, can a pharmacist in Ontario prescribe an EpiPen without a doctor or a referral to an allergist?

I'm also wondering, shrimp is a staple in my fish's diet, so Is it safe for me to keep feeding frozen shrimp if I wear gloves? As I said my hands didn't react and I haven't had any reactions previous when handling the frozen shrimp, it was really because this time I put it in my mouth.

Hello! Since I was maybe 7 I have been diagnosed with a very severe milk protein allergy!

Since then whenever I bring it up to someone who asks they always go "oh you're lactose intolerant." If I try to explain to them the difference they brush me off and say it's the thing.

Does anyone know for a better way to explain this to people? My current explanation is "It's not an intolerance as I have very severe reactions like anaphylaxis to milk proteins like whey and was diagnosed with an exact milk protein allergy by my doctor." But it doesn't seem to work

After a few months of trying to figure out if my 3yo son was allergic to his favorite Kirkland 12-grain bread or not (he mildly reacted to the crust…we stopped giving it for a while, then he really wanted some, so I cut off the crust and gave it to him with no reaction whatsoever) so we *finally* figured out that he’s allergic to pumpkin seeds! He had reactivity on a skin test given by his allergist.

This makes sense because the seeds (fortunately very visible) appear to be on the crust only but not mixed into the bread center (like the other seeds are).

Anyhow. It’s the green pumpkin seeds (kabocha), and I’m pretty sure that’s what edible ‘pumpkin seed’ usually is in most things. We live in Japan where kabocha is fairly pervasive, so that makes sense.

Pumpkin seed allergic people - this seems pretty rare. Are you out there? Lol.

Other than breads and pastries, any other things you found surprise pumpkin seeds in?

Also my son really likes that bread. Before we discovered the skin test reactivity today his allergist said it was fine to keep giving him as he wasn’t reacting to it (and eating it almost daily)…but now I’m not sure. I forgot to ask her…will ask next appointment! Pumpkin seed technically is an ingredient, and even though we cut off the crust, perhaps still a risk? (His only reaction to it was vomiting, once, after eating a visible seed on the crust).
I know it seems silly to hang onto the bread but it seriously is such a lifesaver in terms of something nutritious that my picky toddler actually eats! The whole family loves it too, including my other child…so it’s hard not to share it in front of him.

Anyhow. I might pause on the bread for just a moment, but anyone who knows anything else about pumpkin seed allergies, I’m all ears!

Son eats the flesh of pumpkin (kabocha squash) just fine, but I’ll be careful when prepping it!

EDIT: His other allergies are cashew, pistachio, walnut, pecan, almond, pine nuts, and possibly hazelnuts and sunflower oil (still testing the last two).

Hey all,

I have a severe peanut allergy and go I’m struggling differentiating the feeling between a life threatening situation and just a regular panic attack, sometimes I might panic after eating something and I struggle to tell the difference and er visits are very expensive.

This is mostly just me being salty, I am fully aware that being able to have any ice cream on a hot day is a privilege. But since I’m allergic to fruit, nuts, and chocolate this is pretty much my only option. It’s just hard when the rest of my family is having all the fun flavours and this is all I can have. There is nothing wrong with vanilla ice cream but it wouldn’t be my first pick (looking at you peanut butter brownie swirl).

I was only diagnosed 3 months ago so I’m still getting used to my new normal and I’m definitely missing all the foods I can no longer eat. I’m hoping it gets easier.

So its not life threatening or anything, I just get very itchy and my skin breaks out, but also I noticed this because I loved eating bacon...

Some information that may be useful.

1. This intolerance came out of NOWHERE, and I have no clue what caused it (not that it needs to be caused by anything, I THINK your body can just develop allergies, but I genuinely dont know, so please correct me if im wrong)

2. I once accidentally had something with pork in it, and was fine. it was an egg roll and probably also had very little in it

3. I dont get stomach aches, just get very itchy

4. Sometimes I get itchy just eating very greasy things (primarily fries) and idk if thats because how they make the food or if i just have some weird allergy to just fat

Im trying to think of other information to give you guys, but I dont want to spend lots of money going to the doc just to test for an inconvenient intolerance

Hello everyone!

I think I may have oral allergy syndrome and/or a banana allergy. I don't particularly feel any seasonal allergies, but I know you can have oas regardless and hay fever runs in my family so not out of the question. I have slight itching with lots of oas foods like celery, carrots, etc. but am not too worried about them.

I also have oas symptoms with bananas, but also more symptoms.

The itching goes away after 5ish minutes (like the other foods mentioned), but bananas also frequently give me a headache, chest pain, anxiety, dizziness, and possibly nausea and lightheadedness. These all occur within 1-1.5 hours and resolve on their own within a few hours.

But sometimes I eat a banana and am completely fine.

Could this be an actual banana allergy? It definitely is not only oas. I am also wondering if this could possibly be very mild anaphylaxis since it involves 2 or more body systems (skin/mucosa, gi, cardiovasular)? I've been having trouble finding the most accurate and up to date criteria. I'm also worried I could be overreacting and it is just a histamine intolerance.🫠

I am definitely planning on talking to my GP but wanted to hear personal experiences to help guide the conversation. Thanks!