Oral allergy syndrome.....

[Prairie~Phlox]

I know there are people here with this, what fresh things have you found you can eat without any problems & what can't you:

 

I can eat:

Carrots

Oranges

Romaine lettuce

Pomegranates

Almonds

Potatoes

 

Know I can't eat

Raw honey

Garlic

Celery

Cucumber

Honeydew

Sweet potatoes

 

There's a lot that I haven't even attempted yet, but am working on it.

[Upward Journey]

I can eat lettuce: romaine & ice berg.  I can eat some dried berries.  Occasionally I can eat pineapple & pomegranates. That's my whole list. 

 

My hands used to itch if I peeled potatoes or kneaded bread made with sprouted flour  :tongue_smilie: That seems to have gotten better after I stopped eating gluten.  No idea why.  I am not celiac.

 

I react  strongly to apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, bananas, cabbage, strawberries, avocados, dill & all melons.  I can't eat seeds or nuts unless they've been roasted.

 

I'm anaphylactic to oranges, lemons & cilantro, borderline with latex, and I've started reacting to almonds & walnuts even when roasted/cooked.  I have to carry an epi-pen. Fun times.

 

I can't eat grapes or drink wine.

Edited January 31, 2016 by Upward Journey

[Tammi K]

I react to honey and eggplant. DS reacts to apples.

[The Girls' Mom]

My oldest dd has OAS.  Her list has grown over the years as she seems to be developing more food allergies rather than less.  

 

She cannot eat:

Pineapple

Melons (the worst OAS for her)

Cucumber

Kiwi

Mango

Bananas

Basically the only fruit she eats are grapes, apples, and oranges.  Even those occasionally bother her a bit.

She's also allergic to nuts, but her reaction to those goes beyond itchy/burning mouth.

[momof4babes]

It really depends on what your base allergy is.

My reactions vary from food to food.

Bell peppers/tart apples make my mouth tingle and itch a bit, the foods I avoid completely cause my lips to swell, and some like peaches have caused hives down my neck in addition to the other symptoms.

 

Look at the list under causes.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome

 

I cannot peel potatoes. I react strongly to apples ( but can sometimes eat very tart ones like Granny Smith with only a small reaction)

Carrots, any kind of stone fruit ( peaches, apricots, plumbs etc)

Kiwi,pineapple,eggplant,celery,pears, and almonds.

 

 

I can eat lettuce, cucumber, berries, grapes, and bell peppers with only a small reaction for now,

Edited January 31, 2016 by momof4babes

[Lolly]

My dd can only eat fresh raspberries. Those, she can only eat a few occasionally or she starts reacting. That is the only uncooked food she can eat. She even reacts to lettuce... Her worst reactions are to carrots and apples, but she also has true allergy to those (can't have them cooked either).

[Butter]

I can't eat storebought cantaloupes.  The ones we grow in our backyard I have no problem with at all.

[JumpyTheFrog]

About a month ago my dad ate some food including anise and fennel seeds. (Everything else was stuff he normally eats.) His tongue went and stayed numb for about a week. The numbness is gone now but so it most of his sense of taste. Could this be oral allergy syndrome? Any other ideas?

[kbutton]

Enlightening thread...had testing this week and am waiting on blood test results. 

 

Anyone have issues with coconut products or things cooked in coconut oil? (BTW, is palm oil something that I should avoid if I end up needing to avoid coconut?)

 

I don't skin test as allergic to much of anything food-wise, and my reactions seem to go along with my cycle. It's been hard to track because my anti-histamine use is very closely tied to the weather--we had a long, drawn out fall where trees were trying to bud again, and mold was high. We were almost mowing grass. I don't get oral allergy symptoms on anti-histamines as a rule, but I bet I could summon a good one for chamomile and echinacea teas/products!

 

How did you all keep track of what bothered you? Is it always immediate?

[prairiewindmomma]

I react to stuff from the latex and ragweed families when my allergies are out of control.

 

Have you seen this list?

http://oralallergysyndromenetwork.com/oral-allergy-syndrome-food-list/

[Prairie~Phlox]

 

How did you all keep track of what bothered you? Is it always immediate?

 

For me, I get a lump feeling in my throat that is almost immediate, I did an elimination diet to find out, but I'm also sensitive to corn, wheat & dairy and still have some vegetables to test.  I just hate the feeling, so have been avoiding it.

[Luckymama]

Dd20's OAS has grown and grown (pretty much everything raw except lettuce and berries ) since she was first diagnosed nine years ago. Last fall she began the drops version of allergy shots...and she was able to eat (packaged) apple slices last month for the first time in years! She desperately misses peaches and hopes she'll be able to eat them in the summer.

 

Her "real" allergies are to soy, almonds, and (slightly) peanuts, plus birch and about every grass you can imagine.

[Lolly]

Enlightening thread...had testing this week and am waiting on blood test results. 

 

Anyone have issues with coconut products or things cooked in coconut oil? (BTW, is palm oil something that I should avoid if I end up needing to avoid coconut?)

 

I don't skin test as allergic to much of anything food-wise, and my reactions seem to go along with my cycle. It's been hard to track because my anti-histamine use is very closely tied to the weather--we had a long, drawn out fall where trees were trying to bud again, and mold was high. We were almost mowing grass. I don't get oral allergy symptoms on anti-histamines as a rule, but I bet I could summon a good one for chamomile and echinacea teas/products!

 

How did you all keep track of what bothered you? Is it always immediate?

Dd is allergic to coconut. Anything coconut. Soaps that have coconut  in them. Popcorn from the theater. She used to love those Almond Joys. She is now allergic to coconut and almonds... She has also noticed severity of reactions to go with her cycle. She is on continuous bc so that is no longer an issue! And, no, it is not always immediate. Sometimes, especially as she was becoming allergic to something, it could be hit or miss as to whether or not she reacted. With the oas, at first it mattered how often she ate something. FOr example lettuce: at the beginning, she could have a salad once a week without reacting. Then, once a month. Then, it was every single time she had a piece of lettuce. or carrot. or tomato.... She keeps track of what she can eat instead of what she cannot because the can eat list is shorter.

[1bassoon]

Oh, so THAT'S what I used to have!

I used to get an itching/tingling reaction to fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, and cantaloupe. Then I turned 30 and had dd4, and it went away. Still don't know if it was pregnancy or age, but so glad to eat those again.

[Mergath]

I can't eat any of the fruits or nuts in the tree pollen allergy list, along with celery and eggplant. And I do have a massive tree pollen allergy, so I guess that makes sense. Carrots, parsley, and potatoes don't bother me, oddly. When I react to something, my mouth, throat, and even my ear canals swell and itch. The severity of the reaction varies depending on which variety of produce it is and the time of the year.

[Mergath]

Enlightening thread...had testing this week and am waiting on blood test results. 

 

Anyone have issues with coconut products or things cooked in coconut oil? (BTW, is palm oil something that I should avoid if I end up needing to avoid coconut?)

 

I don't skin test as allergic to much of anything food-wise, and my reactions seem to go along with my cycle. It's been hard to track because my anti-histamine use is very closely tied to the weather--we had a long, drawn out fall where trees were trying to bud again, and mold was high. We were almost mowing grass. I don't get oral allergy symptoms on anti-histamines as a rule, but I bet I could summon a good one for chamomile and echinacea teas/products!

 

How did you all keep track of what bothered you? Is it always immediate?

 

I keep an epipen and Benadryl handy just in case, and try a bite of something to find out. Severe, dangerous reactions are pretty rare with OAS (though it is good to have the epipen around, because you never know) so the best way to find out if you react to something is to just try a bite. What an individual person reacts to can be sort of random, and there's no sense avoiding foods if you don't need to. I usually react in under a minute. so I know right away if I can eat something or not.

[Guest]

I can eat lettuce: romaine & ice berg. I can eat some dried berries. Occasionally I can eat pineapple & pomegranates. That's my whole list.

 

My hands used to itch if I peeled potatoes or kneaded bread made with sprouted flour :tongue_smilie: That seems to have gotten better after I stopped eating gluten. No idea why. I am not celiac.

 

I react strongly to apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, bananas, cabbage, strawberries, avocados, dill & all melons. I can't eat seeds or nuts unless they've been roasted.

 

I'm anaphylactic to oranges, lemons & cilantro, borderline with latex, and I've started reacting to almonds & walnuts even when roasted/cooked. I have to carry an epi-pen. Fun times.

 

I can't eat grapes or drink wine.

Wow, you're making me feel really lucky with my own allergies! Hugs to you!

[Upward Journey]

Wow, you're making me feel really lucky with my own allergies! Hugs to you!

 

Thanks :) It could always be worse. At least I don't have any meat or dairy allergies!

[Guest]

Thanks :) It could always be worse. At least I don't have any meat or dairy allergies!

Haha, and those are my primary anaphylaxes, but I don't have to worry about nuts or produce. Yeasts, shellfish, certain meats, those are bad juju. Every sensitivity I just ignore for the sake of my sanity but none are OAS - they're just plain old digestive and immune distress but no tingling or localized swelling at least.

 

Your list was impressively awful :lol:

Edited February 1, 2016 by Arctic Mama

[LisaKinVA]

DH: carrots, celery, all melons, blueberries, kiwi.

DD: all tree nuts.

Peas make me vomit immediately & violently. Not OAS, but...

 

Nothing else in our family.

[Upward Journey]

Haha, and those are my primary anaphylaxes, but I don't have to worry about nuts or produce. Yeasts, shellfish, certain meats, those are bad juju. Every sensitivity I just ignore for the sake of my sanity but none are OAS - they're just plain old digestive and immune distress but no tingling or localized swelling at least.

 

Your list was impressively awful :lol:

 

It's not even the whole list  :tongue_smilie: As people are writing what they can/can't have I'm thinking "Oh yeah, I can't have that either." but it's been so many years since I've eaten a peach or a plum for instance, that I forgot they existed, lol.

 

The hardest to deal with are the orange and lemon allergies because they become airborne and LOTS of people use them (oranges) as a convenience food.  

 

The other thing to remember is that because we're talking about OAS here, if you cook it you can eat it. So I can eat a lot of these things if I want to take the time.  Usually I don't want to though.  I'm pretty lazy and I hate cooking,   :lol:

[Prairie~Phlox]

It's not even the whole list  :tongue_smilie: As people are writing what they can/can't have I'm thinking "Oh yeah, I can't have that either." but it's been so many years since I've eaten a peach or a plum for instance, that I forgot they existed, lol.

 

The hardest to deal with are the orange and lemon allergies because they become airborne and LOTS of people use them (oranges) as a convenience food.  

 

The other thing to remember is that because we're talking about OAS here, if you cook it you can eat it. So I can eat a lot of these things if I want to take the time.  Usually I don't want to though.  I'm pretty lazy and I hate cooking,   :lol:

 

Not true to everything, cooked celery and I've also read strawberries, cooking them does not breakdown the enzyme that causes problems.  I can not eat celery even cooked.  I have not tried strawberries.

[kbutton]

Dd is allergic to coconut. Anything coconut. Soaps that have coconut  in them. Popcorn from the theater. She used to love those Almond Joys. She is now allergic to coconut and almonds... She has also noticed severity of reactions to go with her cycle. She is on continuous bc so that is no longer an issue! And, no, it is not always immediate. Sometimes, especially as she was becoming allergic to something, it could be hit or miss as to whether or not she reacted. With the oas, at first it mattered how often she ate something. FOr example lettuce: at the beginning, she could have a salad once a week without reacting. Then, once a month. Then, it was every single time she had a piece of lettuce. or carrot. or tomato.... She keeps track of what she can eat instead of what she cannot because the can eat list is shorter.

 

Ugh. This sounds like what might be happening to me. I am not a candidate for hormonal treatment of any kind (migraines with aura). I think I reacted to a banana yesterday (very mildly), though it might have been peanut butter. It's not the right time of the month for a reaction, but it was toned down, which I think is because it's not that time. To complicate things, I have been solidly in perimenopause for a few years (a decade early), and now things seem to be normalizing (what the heck!?). So, my cycles are changing...again.

[kbutton]

I keep an epipen and Benadryl handy just in case, and try a bite of something to find out. Severe, dangerous reactions are pretty rare with OAS (though it is good to have the epipen around, because you never know) so the best way to find out if you react to something is to just try a bite. What an individual person reacts to can be sort of random, and there's no sense avoiding foods if you don't need to. I usually react in under a minute. so I know right away if I can eat something or not.

 

I don't react right away, but my reaction is much like yours--my ears are my most reliable symptom and usually my first warning sign. I always have an epi and benadryl, but I've not used the epi so far. 

 

I am finding it very random even compared to myself, but it sounds like it may get more consistent. The allergist thinks taking antihistamines all the time will help--I have had my weirdest reactions at times of the year when I've stopped taking them because things have finally stopped blooming outside. I suspect I would have those reactions year-round without the meds.

 

I keep clinging to the cooking idea. I prefer a huge chunk of my veggies cooked anyway. I like a lot of fruits cooked (GF pie and GF crisps). 

 

I am concerned about spices. It sounds like those are not things that respond to cooking.

[Upward Journey]

Not true to everything, cooked celery and I've also read strawberries, cooking them does not breakdown the enzyme that causes problems.  I can not eat celery even cooked.  I have not tried strawberries.

 

I think this depends on the individual.  I have a strong reaction to raw strawberries.  I can most definitely eat strawberry jam, no reaction at all.

 

I don't like celery, raw or cooked, so I can't comment on that one, since I avoid it either way  :lol:

[Serenade]

My son has this.  I used to think he was making it up because it was very minor, it didn't happen all the time, and because my younger son has life-threatening nut allergies (I thought older wanted to get attention, too).  And because he would keep eating the offending food on other occasions. :-) Last spring we were camping, and he ate a carrot, and he had the strongest, most painful reaction he had ever had.  It wasn't like the kind of reaction my younger son has to tree nuts.  It was kind of strange, like his whole body felt weird or something, and I could tell he was truly in pain, and not making it up.  I gathered that because he was eating the carrots during allergy season, that it magnified the effect?  He seems to do absolutely fine eating carrots in the winter, along with most of the other offending foods.

[Upward Journey]

My son has this.  I used to think he was making it up because it was very minor, it didn't happen all the time, and because my younger son has life-threatening nut allergies (I thought older wanted to get attention, too).  And because he would keep eating the offending food on other occasions. :-) Last spring we were camping, and he ate a carrot, and he had the strongest, most painful reaction he had ever had.  It wasn't like the kind of reaction my younger son has to tree nuts.  It was kind of strange, like his whole body felt weird or something, and I could tell he was truly in pain, and not making it up.  I gathered that because he was eating the carrots during allergy season, that it magnified the effect?  He seems to do absolutely fine eating carrots in the winter, along with most of the other offending foods.

 

Yes, this is true.  

[Cindy in FL.]

My ds can't eat:

 

Kiwis

Apples

Peaches

Nectarines

Mangos

Plums

Grapes (not positive about that one)

Edited February 1, 2016 by Cindy in FL.

[jenn-]

I'm pretty sure I have OAS, but I'm determined to ignore it until I can't.  That said, kiwi is off the table for sure after a pretty bad response (nothing like half your face feeling numb).  Others that I suspect: sesame seeds, oranges, tomatoes, bell peppers (occasionally), and possibly mangoes and peaches.

 

ETA: after looking at that link, maybe I should be getting tested for a latex allergy.

Edited February 1, 2016 by jenn-

[Ellesmere]

I keep an epipen and Benadryl handy just in case, and try a bite of something to find out. Severe, dangerous reactions are pretty rare with OAS (though it is good to have the epipen around, because you never know) so the best way to find out if you react to something is to just try a bite. What an individual person reacts to can be sort of random, and there's no sense avoiding foods if you don't need to. I usually react in under a minute. so I know right away if I can eat something or not.

That is a good idea to have emergency treatment. Anaphylaxis is rare but it does happen. I started out with *only* OAS symptoms due to my raging birch pollen allergy (among other pollen issues) and most of my issues with just itchy ears/mouth after fresh fruits/veggies. But in my late 20s I started having anaphylactic reactions (to other foods).

 

To the OP, I was able to learn a lot when I had my allergy testing done and my allergist & I went over my history of reactions. So much of it was related to my birch and grass pollen allergies, so it helped narrow things down.

[Ellesmere]

I think this depends on the individual.  I have a strong reaction to raw strawberries.  I can most definitely eat strawberry jam, no reaction at all.

 

I don't like celery, raw or cooked, so I can't comment on that one, since I avoid it either way  :lol:

Cooking helps with certain foods but it depends on how it is cooked and what protein the person is allergic to.

 

For anyone really interested:

 

General info on OAS (PFS, on the UK site)

http://allergicliving.com/2010/08/19/fruit-vegetable-about/

https://www.allergyuk.org/oral-allergy-syndrome/oral-allergy-syndrome

 

These discusses peanut and which proteins are most likely to cause a severe reaction, which would cause OAS symptoms, & which break down under heat:

http://www.carolinaasthma.com/news/so-someone-in-your-family-has-peanut-allergy/

http://www.pediatricsconsultant360.com/article/peanut-allergy-diagnosis-simple-ara-h-1-2-and-3

 

I always said I could deal with all my allergies (there are many) as long as I could have dairy. Go figure, I developed a real allergy to cow's milk, But I did testing and food challenge to confirm I can have it as long as it is cooked enough.

http://www.phadia.com/en/Products/Allergy-testing-products/ImmunoCAP-Allergen-Information/Food-of-Animal-Origin/Milk--constituents/Cows-milk/

 

This Q&A uses banana just as an example:

http://www.aaaai.org/ask-the-expert/heat-labile-heat-stable-allergens.aspx 

[Guest]

It's not even the whole list :tongue_smilie: As people are writing what they can/can't have I'm thinking "Oh yeah, I can't have that either." but it's been so many years since I've eaten a peach or a plum for instance, that I forgot they existed, lol.

 

The hardest to deal with are the orange and lemon allergies because they become airborne and LOTS of people use them (oranges) as a convenience food.

 

The other thing to remember is that because we're talking about OAS here, if you cook it you can eat it. So I can eat a lot of these things if I want to take the time. Usually I don't want to though. I'm pretty lazy and I hate cooking, :lol:

I didn't realize cooking helped - that's interesting! Mine are equally severe regardless of the form of food and actually cooking can make one of them worse because it tends to suspend the protein in the air (steam) and trigger my immune system at a distance.

 

Allergies are so weird and individual aren't they?

[Tanaqui]

Zombie thread.