Shellfish Allergy

I am new to shellfish allergies. I recently started having reaction 24+ hours after eating shrimp. Supposedly this is too long, but this is what happens. I didn't know what the entire body rash (yes, head to toe of little itchy splotchy red bumps) was coming from. I always ate shrimp and remember getting a rash a few time in my life. After keeping a food log I realized that the only time I broke out was when I ate shrimp. So I stopped eating it. The allergist at Kaiser tested me and said I am not allergic. However, I have not broken out until I stopped eating it. That is until recently when I went for food tasting for my wedding...We had ceasar salad (delicious) but must have contained shellfish, because I know have a rash. Ahhhhh! I didn't even think.

So, I guess I am wondering, is there future advice for me. Is there other allergy testing to be sure I am not eating something I shouldn't? Fish doesn't seem to bother me. I was surprised about the dressing, because I only had a few bites.

Thanks and good luck to everyone!

...has anchovies in it.  Depending on the concentration, I can eat it too.  Had it at Wendy's fast food and fine.  The one at Outback makes me awful sick.  I have had food allergies since childhood.  Smell, taste or touch.  I only eat like 40% of the food on planet.  It sucks, dating was hard.  Thank the Lord my husband is plain finicky or we'd never make it!

No nuts, no green veggies, chicken, pork, turkey, beer, lanolin, fish, shellfish, pencil lead, dust.  The list goes on and on!  Just have to be religious about reading labels, taking a small bite and waiting to see what happens. 

I used to work in a grocery store in high school, got to the point I'd go home sick every day!

I had the similar problem, just now i came from red lobster, i had crab,cat fish, selmon fist and some shrimps,and facing swelling in my lips and throat, pleasue suggest what is the solotion for this.

This is the first time i was eating the sae food.

Hello my daughter woke up to swollen face from eatting shimp, i know she has allergies but not to shimp, i guess now she dose

Hello my daughter woke up to swollen face from eatting shimp, i know she has allergies but not to shimp, i guess now she dose

Yes, by all means you - and your daughter - should get tested. Why play a game with your lives? There are alternatives to how the tests are done. Some are skin tests, while others are blood sample tests. You should talk to your allergist about it.

Regarding your crab experience - there is a nasty trick in the food industry to replace crab meat with immitation meat made from Alaska Walleye Pollock fish. So... you may even be fine with crab, but might be developing a fish allergy.

As I have a potentially fatal allergy to fish - although not to shellfish - I have done plenty of research on the subjects. My allergist, however, told me the fact is that a fish allergy - once gotten - will never go away, and most likely will get worse. Also, to note, sometimes it may not appear right away. You could possibly even eat whatever you are allergic to a couple of times with no reaction. Then, the next time, you could drop dead (potentially). I've even heard of a nurse having an anaphylactic shock while on duty at the hospital. She swelled up so bad that they could not save her - even after having her prepped within minutes.

So the moral is - don't play around. Get tested and find out all the facts from your doctor. And that goes especially for your daughter. Good luck! 

I don't think a six year old would have any trouble with the allergy tests.

When I had it done, I was nervous (thinking it might hurt), but it didn't at all. Maybe there are different kinds of tests, but with mine they barely scratched the skin on my back with a plastic device. It was far less painful than having blood drawn or getting a shot. I could barely feel anything at all until the areas where I'd been scratched with things I'm allergic started itching--it felt roughly like mosquito bites and went away within a half hour or so.

My point is that NOBODY should be afraid of getting tested. It's not painful at all.

Hi;

I don't know if I can be of much help but I have a shellfish allergy too and it's very severe. I didn't know I had it until two years ago and I've almost died twice. The first time I passed out in a gift shop (3 times) I couldn't get up off the floor. They thought I was having a heart attack and rushed me to the hospital. They didn't figure out the problem. The second time I was on a cruise and passed out. The infirmiry worked on me most of the night and said they thought they lost me 3 times. Just be very careful because many things at resturaunts are contaminated by shellfish cooking on the same grill. Good Luck. Hope You do well.

Hi Bumbed out,

I too have a shellfish allergy and it is extemely difficult to eat out!  I nearly died eating a chicken sub at a famous  sub shop. Now I've got strict instructions to only eat where there is no shellfish, which is hard cause living close to the water in the summer months everything is Seafood realted. I suffer from anxitey as a result of this allergy.  If you look long and hard you can find a few places that may accomidate you. I can eat at a half a dozen places but I still feel like it holds me back from living a normal life. I hope you can find a balance that works for you I still struggle but my family is really supportive. I'm 29 now and have had my allergy since I was 5.. but have been forbbiden to eat out since 18.

best of luck. 

Unfortunately my son who is 6 is allergic to shellfish.  I feel so bad because I feel like I can no longer eat out with him because I worry every time his chicken fingers were cooked in the same deep fryer.  Are their any chain restaurants that you felt really are sympathetic with this allergy?  Also, are you allergic to nuts and peanuts because he is also. Hopefully he can lead a life without feeling deprived of everything. Sorry to hear of your troubles but hopefully someday their will be a cure.           Concerned Mom

Hello:

My name is Dawn and I have been diagonoised with a shellfish allergy.  I have eatten shellfish all my life.  Then one night I was eatting shrimp at home and turned beat red, like I had been scalded.  My lips and tongue began to thingle and they told me to carry an Epi-pen and stay away from seafood.  Then a few months latter I ate tunafish and made chowder for my husband and son, but did not eat any.  Within minutes I couldn't breath, so I know what you went through.  I have been tested by two allergist and both get negitive readings, so I don't get it, but they say it will kill me if I eat it again.  I don't go out to eat either.  I have lost weight do to begining afraid to eat and what will trigger it next time.  If you have any advice please pass it on.  Fish is in so many things that we don't even know about.

Hi, im 20 years old and about 2 or 3 three years ago i found out that i cant eat shellfish either. It first started with shrimp and i got rushed to the emergency room and stayed there for a couple of hours months later i forgot all about it and then came across some crawfish over my girlfriends house i at about 2 1/2 pounds of it and i'll say about 10 or 15 minutes later i started to get hot or you can say heat flashes throughout my whole entire body then my eyes started to turn red and i started to itch and my skin started to turn red and i broke out in hives all over and i barley could breathe. So i wonder what is the cause of this i have all sorts of seafoods when i was little and stayed in Miami, Fl. so what is the cause of it.

I had my first sever reaction to shellfish when I was 21. Like you I had eaten shellfish for years and never had a problem. I went to the Keys for Father's Day. I ate tons of shellfish. On the way back home, my hands started itching. I couldn't figure out what was going on. Later that night, I woke up and couldn't breathe. My face was swollen to about 4 times the normal size. I couldn't bend my fingers and I felt like I was on fire. I went to the hospital and they gave me Benadryl. Which took care of most of it. Since then I stay away from most shellfish. I can eat oysters and clams. I am 36 now.

Here's what I do when I eat out.

If I am going to a seafood restaurant I ask to speak to the manager. I then explain the situation to them. I request that my food be cooked in a clean fresh pan. I try to get food that is broiled instead of fried, baked or grilled. I've found that asking to speak with a manager is the best way to make sure that it gets prepared correctly. I also tell them what will happen should the slightest bit of shellfish make contact with my food. I have never had a bad experience.

Although, sometimes shellfish turns up in the wierdest foods. I went to a Chinese restaurant the other night and ordered won-ton soup. Have never had shellfish in it before. I am so glad I stirred it before I ate it. Because sitting right in the middle of the soup was a huge piece of shrimp. It ruined the whole meal, because I had to wonder what else might be hiding in the other food. I then proceeded to explain to the waitress that no seafood could come anywhere near my food.

Finally, the best thing to do is when in doubt explain it to the server or the manager. Most are very willing to help and accomodate your needs.

Hey All,

I have been allergic to shellfish since I was 8 years old.  The one piece of advice I can give you is when you are going out to eat pay attention to your body.  I can honestly say your body will give you signs.  When you first eat something, especially fried foods, pay attention to your tongue.  It will give it away everytime.  The tingling usually begins within a few seconds to a minute if there has been exposure to an allergen, or it has been cross-contaminated.  I can tell and I will not eat it.  Hopefully, it's the same with most of you.  I have asthma, also, so it can be very ugly. I have had it happen on many occasions since then, but growing up with it and having very insensitive family members.. I learned how to keep myself from having too bad of a reaction.  When you're eating out just pay attention to your tongue and your body.  The more you eat or the longer you stay in that seafood restaurant trying to tough it out..the worst it gets!!  Good luck, All!!

Hi all.  I almost went to the emergency room yesterday for a severe allergic reaction that escalated from the day before.  The EMTs who examined me decided that I would be fine just going to my doctor, fortunately.  What I ate the day before yesterday was a salad with shrimp and peanuts, and while the hives started appearing on my neck and chin a couple hours later, the swelling in my neck, lips, face, and tongue got progressively worse overnight and into yesterday morning.  This is the first time in my life that I have had such a reaction to anything that I have eaten, and I will not know exactly what caused it until I get an allergy test in a couple of weeks.   But what's worse is that I also believe I have a wheat allergy (which seems to cause gastrointestinal problems)!  Aaaargh.

Anyway, the reason that I am responding to this specific post is that I did go for a run the night I had hives.  In my ignorance, I thought the hives would just go away on their own.  It was an unpleasant suprise to wake up at 4:30 AM because my neck was itching so badly!  In the end, though, I also do not know if running is connected at all to my symptoms, i.e., by exacerbating them.

Could you list the website?

-Thanks! 

It's good to hear someone other than myself has this strange reaction after exercising.

The allergist first advised me to not exercise after eating shrimp. Well, that makes sense.

But after the skin tests, the Doctor said I was allergic to shellfish and that I shouldn't consume anymore.

Can my allergic reaction worsen. I wouldn't want any life threatening reaction from ingesting shellfish. So far, it's only been hives outside my body and they go away quickly with Benadryl.

well, hello!

I didn't know that I was allergic to prawns until yesterday. I had a couple of prawns about an hour before working out in the gym and broke out in hives an hour into the workout. My face developed a couple of nasty hives which looked like big ugly pimples and felt like horrible mosquito bites. However my body wasn't really itching, just a slight itch here and there.

I immediately stopped working out. My friend gave me an anti-histamine pill. The hives went away shortly after I took it and I took a cold bath as well to bring down the itch. So I guess exercise do induce allergic reactions because I am a fan of all kinds of seafood and have been eating tonnes of them my whole life without getting any kinds of allergic reactions. I shall just be more careful not to eat any kinds of seafood before working out.

:)

Hello! ***UPDATE***

Well, last week I had shrimp cocktail and approximately 2 hours later, I broke out in hives....NO exercise this time. The hives were mostly facial - some on my chest and back. They didn't itch too badly. I took some benadryl and they subsided shortly after.

I guess it's official. Very strange, because in between my previous two bouts I was fine if I didn't exercise after consuming shrimp. This time, however, I didn't do much activity at all.

Are hives the extent of it for some, or can one eventually have life threatening systems?

Wow I had the same thing happen to me! It started on my 18th birthday, I went out to a super fancy seafood restaurant and I got this medly of seafood stew and came home, a few hours later I was throwing up. From then on though, it only happens randomly when I eat crab legs. Its not everytime, but sometimes...I ate crab last night though and I had the WORST gastrointestinal distress I've EVER had in my life! Cramping, vomiting, diarreha, hot flashes, dizziness and I am still not 100% and it's the next day. Even since this started six years ago I've always wanted to eat Crab and now I don't think I ever want it again. This sux. Why is this happening?

Amen!

I hope your studies prove beneficial towards this type of research.

It would be so nice to be able to have shellfish again and with others too.

Thank you :) 

This reply is to you Tony and also anyone else who is interested.  Check out the website below.  In the past this allergy elimination technique has saved my life and greatly improved my health.  However, my chiropractor who used this technique in my town was killed in a car crash.  Last week I developed an allergy that sent me to the ER.  I suspect shellfish that was in the glucosamine product I took or possibly fish oil supplements.  I'm still having some symptoms 4 days later and knowing my drug allergies it may be to the steroid I am taking to counteract the allergy.  I turned as red as if I'd been lying in the sun all day and felt like I was on fire.  That was the most severe allergic reaction I've ever had and was very scary.  I am going to research NAET with a doctor that is in another town that is an hr. and a half away to see if it can eliminate something as severe as this.  I know that it has eliminated my cottonwood allergy that kept me coughing constantly for months every year.  I do have to re-do it about every 3 yrs. though so I'm not sure I'd trust it to still eat a food, but it would eliminate most of the danger I would think.  The way it works is you hold whatever you are allergic to in a vial in your hand and get accupunctured.  You do not eat or touch that substance for 25 hrs.  Then you get retested the next visit and if you passed you are no longer allergic.  It is an amazing thing.  The problem w/ me now is figuring out what I am having such a reaction to as it is happening nightly to a lesser extent and I can't identify what is the common factor yet.  However, the dr. does muscle testing which is not normal allergy scratch testing.  These drs. can teach you how to also do this so you can test things yourself before you eat them to see if you are sensitive.  There is also a man named David Hawkins who teaches this technique.  He has audio programs w/ Nightingale-Conant.  Keep me informed if you come up w/ anything else new at paulaantim@cableone.net.  Here is the website below.  I will also be checking it out in more detail as I've not had time to go there yet.  I just started researching shell fish allergies to know what to avoid until I can get treatment. 

NAET

Official site for Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Techniques, or NAET for short. A revolutionary and holistic treatment for the permanent elimination of food and environmental ...

• www.naet.com

Hi, I am 40 yrs old and recently have had mild reaction to shrimp but not all the time.  My husband was convinced it had to do with the vein that runs along the spine and inner curve of the shrimp.  I believed him because when he prepared the shrimp nothing would happen to me.  Last night he made a soup with shrimp.  I was fine for about two hours and then I carried my son to the car outside to go home and it was pretty cold.

While driving my scalp and ears started itching and I though "oh, Oh"

My face started burning and my ice watering.  My husband had to take over driving.  My tongue swelled and my chest hurt.  I took two Loratadine allergy tablets that I had.  When I got home I looked like I went through a couple of bouts with "Rocky" and lost.  The hives went down because of the Loratadine but the swelling didn't.  Even my fingers are swollen.  I am still swollen and it's eight hours later.  I am going to the doctor today.  I hope this doesn't last a long time.  But no more shrimp for me. 

Allergic reactions occur then Iodine is complexed (attached) to a protien, the way it is in some shellfish like oyster, clams, etc.  Iodized salt is not comlexed. Also, cooking reduces the iodine content in food by 60%. That is why I can eat cooked lobster and shrimp, but not raw oyster and clams. However, iodine allergy and shellfish allergy are not the same thing. Some people are allergic to a protein in the shellfish and can't have it cooked either, and some are allergic to just the complex iodine in the shellfish and some are allergic to both.

Hi Valarie,

I too have an Allergy to Shellfish.  I do eat cod and salmon regulary and have no reaction to it.  Love It!!  Shellfish means: shrimp, lobster, clams,scallops - any type of fish that have a shell so be careful when eating out as posted in many replys above. 

Barb