Do you have first hand experience with a Latex allergy?

[Kareni]

Do you have first hand experience with a Latex allergy?

 

If so, how did you first determine that there was an issue? How did the allergy manifest itself?

 

Thank you for sharing.

Regards,

Kareni

[Isabella]

I only developed it when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I was trying to get rid of some plantar warts with tape, and it became red, itchy and lumpy around the area. Then I started chemo, and the clear dressings they used over my PICC line irritated my skin. It made the skin lumpy and red and angry. They changed to another dressing that was usually tolerated OK, but my skin didn't like that much either. Better than the first, but still not happy. I had to put up with it, as there was no alternative. After a while my skin really started complaining by weeping liquid, and as a result I got a staph infection in the picc line.

So, the reaction was not a terrible reaction, but it was just bad in my case, as it resulted in the infection.

 

Now that I've finished treatment etc, latex doesn't seem to bother me. I think it was mainly because my immunity was so low.

[Upward Journey]

I don't remember the first time that I noticed that my throat was getting tight due to the latex, because I have this same reatcion to other chemical smells, as well as some grasses and citrus smells in the air (i.e. if someone peals an orange near me). I deal with it by staying away from things that have latex in them and making sure that my doctors/dentists are using latex-free gloves. I seem to react more to the powder (i.e. what would be on/in a balloon or the gloves). It will also make my skin itch.

[Lolly]

Dd19 is allergic to latex. It took us a while to figure it out, but there were actually signs from early on.

 

1. She refused to wear underwear and socks.

2. Bandaids left a red rash.

3. Headaches after swim practice and a red ring around her forehead. (Latex cap)

4. When her bathingsuit would get old, white strings appeared in the fabric and left a really bad rash.

5. She inhaled the gas from helium balloons during a party (I was not attending). That did not go so well...

6. The straps from her paddles left marks after swim practice.

7. She started reacting to her fins.

 

We actually realized there might be a problem when Bandaids were leaving a rash after allergy shots. One of the nurses suggested it.

 

Even at this point, we don't know for certain that it is a latex allergy.(hasn't been officially confirmed!) She still just reacts when there is direct contact. We want to keep it that way and avoid latex whenever possible. Her undies have covered elastic. Any clothing containing latex (it is in almost everything) is replaced before the fibers start breaking down to where they are more exposed. However, she is having surgery next month and the dr wants to use latex gloves to have better feeling during the operation. (They are just far superior.) She is goign to go ahead since the allergy doesn't appear to be severe. The benefit of using them is tremendous. They will be watching dd for a reaction.

[RoughCollie]

DS2 is allergic to latex. He swells up wherever latex touches. Last time he went to the dentist, he had a reaction to the rubber dam. His lips and eyes were swollen and he felt very itchy. The dentist was careful not to use products that contain latex, but he didn't think about the rubber in the dam. Apparently, latex is made from rubber.

 

The first time he had a reaction, he had touched something and then touched his eye. The whites only of his eyes swelled up, which looks very strange. I rushed him to the doctor. Benedryl helps.

 

We try to keep items that contain latex or rubber out of our house. Luckily there are lots of products on the market now that are latex-free, and say so on the packaging.

 

I make sure that doctors and dentists have emblazoned in red across DS2's chart that he is allergic to latex. Of course, DS2 is old enough now to make sure he tells them.

 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/latex-allergy/DS00621

[Bassoonaroo]

DD17 is highly allergic to latex and carries and epipen and a supply of Benadryl. She wears a Medic Alert bracelet too...

 

There are various degrees of latex allergies. Often, it's a contact allergy (rash, etc. where the gloves were) but it can also be brought about by breathing in latex particles in the air, often from duct tape, balloons, or gloves being manipulated in the room.

 

She probably developed her latex allergy after a 10 week stay in the NICU as a preemie and since she's in year 11 of orthodontics (which now they are doing latex free on her). Without boring you with the long story, we pieced together things (like always having headaches when trying to wear rubber bands with her braces and reactions she had at places with balloons) and we talked to an allergist who did those prick tests on her back (typical allergy tests). The tests typically cover dust, molds, pollen, animal hair, but he had the nurse put the poker thingee in the finger of a latex glove and press it on her back (they don't have a serum for testing latex so this was the procedure to diagnose it). It swelled up pretty big. Taadaa. But we sort of knew she was allergic without the testing.

 

It's gotten pretty bad. Balloons are everywhere (stores, church, mall, fast food restaurants). She can be in a large room with just two or three inflated balloons and have problems breathing and get hives. Even with Benadryl, it takes about 2 days for facial swelling to recede. She simply cannot share a room with a balloon. And she cannot eat food that has ever been handled by a latex glove.

 

She cannot wear tee shirts with screen prints or most of those fuzzy socks that are popular with teen girls. She has problems with some shoes but we've learned that Nike and Danskin (Walmart cheapos) are fine, as are many dressy shoes. Some winter wear (knit hats, etc.) give her issues but not all.

 

We've learned what fast food restaurants are consistently safe (Subway, Burger King, Chipotle) and the ones that aren't (Wendy's and Olive Garden -- which I guess is not "fast"). Other restaurants, we must ask "Can we see your glove box" because often restaurant workers don't know what kind of gloves they use!

 

Her bike handlebars are taped up. Most sports grips on handles and racquets are latex.

 

We buy Ticonderoga pencils (latex free eraser) and off brand bandages (often they are latex free -- we check the box). We get nitrile disposable gloves (though some folks with latex allergies have issues with those), and Playtex now makes a latex-free (labeled "sensitive") gloves for chores and dishwashing.

 

She has not yet had food allergy issues but I figure since she has decades ahead of her, it's likely. Kiwi, banana, chestnuts are common cross-reactors: http://www.latexallergyresources.org/'>http://www.latexallergyresources.org/'>http://www.latexallergyresources.org/cross-reactive-food'>http://www.latexallergyresources.org/cross-reactive-food'>http://www.latexallergyresources.org/'>http://www.latexallergyresources.org/cross-reactive-food'>http://www.latexallergyresources.org/cross-reactive-food

 

Oh, and we've learned that latex paint (such as is on your walls) is synthetic and totally safe. The new latex mattress are supposedly safe too, due to the process, but we've not tried them!

 

Here's a helpful website http://www.latexallergyresources.org/ and Yahoo has a latex allergy support group, I think.

 

Common household items containing latex: http://www.latexallergyresources.org/

 

Kelly

Edited December 1, 2011 by Bassoonaroo

[ChristyB in TN]

My son showed no symptoms, that we are aware of, until football practice one evening. His lips were so swollen that he couldn't open them! He started itching all over and ran over to my husband and took his helmet off to show him his face. John (my husband) brought him home and we decided it was the grass or something (sometimes we aren't very bright) and gave him a benadryl and put him in the bath. Well, it got worse every second so we put him in the car and started driving to the hospital. On the way the benadryl started working and it got better, slowly, so we decided to stop and get a cherry limeade for him at Sonic so he would have something to drink while at the hospital. Everything just got better so our joke now is that cherry limeades are the cure. :D It was his mouth guard that caused the reaction. We have since learned that he reacts to red dye when presented in huge amounts. Now he has a latex free mouth guard and we steer clear of the cherry limeades because of the red dye! One of our friends is a dentist and is very allergic to latex. He didn't know until one of his finals in dental school and his entire face was "elephant man looking." Scary stuff!

[Unicorn.]

Wow! Great information in your post! I had no idea about the cross reaction w/ foods. Thank you!

 

OP, I can touch latex all I want, but if I get around a latex balloon, it's triggers an asthma like reaction and I have trouble breathing. Most of the people I know found out about their allergy because of band-aids and swim gear as mentioned by a pp.

[happyhomemaker25]

My mom has only shown signs that she is allergic to the tape. It gives her hives that stick around for months afterward.

[justamouse]

It was a slow, slow buildup of tiny hints, until it exploded.

[prairiewindmomma]

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Edited November 10, 2021 by prairiewindmomma

[LaxMom]

I noticed it when my hands were itchy, red and swollen from wearing exam gloves all the time. I also react to balloons, bandages (but not latex-free ones), undergarment elastic, and certain (latex containing) feminine products and barrier contraception. None of it is life threatening, but some of it is rather icky. ;)

[justamouse]

I noticed it when my hands were itchy, red and swollen from wearing exam gloves all the time. I also react to balloons, bandages (but not latex-free ones), undergarment elastic, and certain (latex containing) feminine products and barrier contraception. None of it is life threatening, but some of it is rather icky. ;)

 

That's how I found out. Not. Fun. At. All.

[Kareni]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences; it has been informative. (I had an experience after getting my teeth cleaned and wondered if it might be a latex allergy.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Spryte]

:iagree: We now have ds avoid kiwi and banana to try to keep his latex allergy from getting worse.

 

 

Yes. Be careful with banana and kiwi. DS is anaphylactic to bananas now. Latex allergy was confirmed by blood test years ago. He wears a medic alert bracelet listing all allergies (he has many). With latex, I would definitely want a bracelet.

 

At a recent medical procedure for DS, the anesthesiologist re-confirmed for us that future reactions cannot be predicted by prior reactions. So just because one has not experienced anaphylaxis due to allergen exposure... doesn't mean one won't experience it in the future.

 

Please do consider seeing an allergist and getting an epipen, if you haven't already done so.

[amey311]

MIL has found she also reacts to carba- chemicals which are apparently used in latex products to keep the latex soft?

 

So, butyl carbamate and similar things are also irritants for her. They show up in hand lotions and similar products (including most flushable wipes and baby wipes).

[TravelingChris]

Ok, new question by me. Both of my daughters are allergic to kiwi. Since it is in the same family as rubber, what specifically should I have them do or not do? As far as I know, they haven;t had any rubber or latex issues and since they both have eczema, I would think that would have shown up easily.

 

Kiwi makes their lips itch and swell a bit and one of them becomes bright red. The one that becomes bright red has now been determined she is also allergic to citrus fruits. She has a few other allergies too.

[Coffeetime]

My oldest son is allergic to latex. The first time he had a reaction his lips became hugely swollen. We couldn't figure out what had happened, he hadn't eaten anything or been around anything new or odd. We doped him up on benedryl but it took 8 hours for the swelling to go down. The second time it happened we realized that both times he had been...blowing up a balloon. He'd played with a million latex balloons in his lifetime and never had any reaction until then so it was completely out of the blue. Since then we've just kept him away from any obvious latex- he is fine with balloons in the room but can't let them touch his lips. I've considered taking him to the doctor to find out exactly HOW allergic he is and if we need an epipen considering his reaction is in the mouth/face area. It's a scary allergy because it's EVERYWHERE.

[TexasRachel]

I call mine a sensitivity. With my 2nd csection I got a huge blister around my incision. It caused so much pain, that I mistook for incision pain, I was unable to move. 4 years later I still have a scar from that blister. My last csection they didn't use latex and it was so much better. I don't do a lot of things for it though, mainly no latex gloves.

[keptwoman]

I discovered that I was allergic to latex when my airways started to swell blowing up balloons for our engagement party, at that point I put two and two together and realised the same thing had happened at DS's 1st birthday.

 

I react to gloves, bandages, adhesive tape, and balloons, I've had issues with medical things at times, but that is getting better as awareness improves.

 

I can be around balloons, but only a couple. If there are more than 5 or so balloons in a room, I start to get wheezy. If my mucous membranes are touched with latex, it's not good.

 

I've never seen an allergist or been tested. I considered wearing a medic alert bracelet until I did a first aid course, where the trainer said that standard procedure was to treat first and then check bracelet if time. Well if I was unconcious and they treated me with latex gloves on, by the time they checked the bracelet it would be too late anyway. I'd be heading into anaphalaxis if they touched my mouth or raw flesh with the gloves. And if I have breath then I tell people. I'm very careful to have it on my hospital preadmission, and always tell the dentist, doctor, blood sucker etc every single visit. A few years ago it was a real headache, I had to leave a dentist once and drive down the road to get gloves from a pharmacy so they could treat me! I had an IV in once for antibiotics and it hurt so bad and swelled so much that I insisted they take it out and put in a new one each time for the ABs then remove it again. These days most places are well prepared.

 

I have always found bananas a bit funny tasting, they leave the same taste in my mouth that having a balloon in the room does. But they are fine if they are very very ripe, no idea why.

 

My biggest fear is beginning to have issues with food that was prepared with latex gloves. I think about people at factories making canned, frozen and pre-made food, and how many of them wear latex and it gives me the willies.

 

From what I have been able to read, it was probably the multiple surgeries as a child that caused it.

[Spryte]

I have always found bananas a bit funny tasting, they leave the same taste in my mouth that having a balloon in the room does. But they are fine if they are very very ripe, no idea why.

 

 

That is so interesting! When we had DS tested (via skin prick) for banana, they had us bring in unripe and very ripe banana. They tested both in different areas, and though he reacted to each, one was clearly more of an issue than the other. They actually repeated the test, and used one of the doctors as a control subject, to be sure (doc did not react at all).

 

The doc speculated that DS *may* be able to eat cooked banana, but after an anaphylactic episode with a regular "ripe" banana - I just don't have it in me to experiment.