Hi everyone,

I discovered that I was allergic to shellfish two years ago at the age of 20 after I ate seafood pasta which allegedly contained only scallops and salmon. I have never eaten scallops before however I had eaten salmon, shrimp, mussels, crab and lobster in large amounts prior to the reaction and I have never had a problem. Eventually my allergist had confirmed a shellfish allergy and assured me that I was not allergic to other types of seafood (I.e. salmon, tuna, etc). The reaction that I experienced was quite severe as I developed hives all over my body, felt nauseous, intense abdominal cramps and had difficulty breathing. Since this incident I have stayed away from all types of seafood in fear of suffering another reaction however I remain sceptical of having an allergy toward ALL shellfish (such as shrimp, crab, etc). A few days ago when I was on vacation, I went to the beach and experienced another allergic reaction. I did not swim in the ocean however I did walk in the water and got my legs and feet wet and picked up a few seashells. My hands turned red and began to itch, only my upper legs had developed hives that were burning, my face and ears became red, my heart was racing and I had difficulty breathing. Coincidentally, I had eaten Chinese food a half an hour before the trip to the beach however the food I ate did not contain seafood (although it is possible that it contacted shellfish). At this point, I'm not sure if it was the Chinese food or the beach that prompted my allergic reaction. I don't think I'll be able to contact the restaurant as it was in a foreign location but I was just wondering if there have been any documented cases of people with a seafood allergy that have experienced a reaction when on a beach? If anyone has experienced a reaction on the beach, please share the details.

Much thanks!!!