I have always had odd episodes of my eyes blistering up but the attacks are becoming more frequent and nastier ie itchy throat, ears nose etc. Last year my doctor diagnosed hayfever (from tree pollen which starts Feb/March) and gave me an injection which is supposed to last a year. It seemed to last for a while but then I started getting attacks again throughout the year which to me suggests that it is something else/as well. I went back to the doctors last week and was given the injection again but now my eye has just blistered again! Sometimes it is one eye, sometimes both, it looks pretty horrendous and although I can treat the itching quite quickly with drops the swelling lasts hours, sometimes days. Last time the whole side of my face swelled up and my eyes looked like frog eyes the next day. It is really starting to get me down now as it makes me feel miserable. If I take anti-histamine (sp?) tablets they seem to really knock me out and then I feel very irritable - even the non-drowsy ones do this. Is there an allergy test I can pay for to find out what is causing this? At the back of my mind I am concerned that I may be allergic to Oscar :( He is 18 months old now and the attacks have been getting progressively worse since we have had him. I keep his bed clean, keep him groomed, we have wood floors and no rugs and I am very careful - especially lately - to wash my hands after touching him. I would be very grateful for any suggestions ???

Sorry about the long post.

[linl]http://www.allergy-testing.com/[/link]

Best way to find out is to get tested so that you know for sure; only then can you take appropriate steps.

If you think its an allergy to something then the best thing to do is ask your doctor for a referral for allergy testing - emphasise how miserable it is making you ;)

If you think it is your dog causing the reaction then follow this link for info on PetalCleanse  (I haven't tried it myself so I don't know if its any good )

http://www.bio-life.co.uk/

I do hope its not Oscar tho

Regards
Dill

Hi,
Sorry to unearth such an old thread - just wanted to let you know the root of my problems is........Apples!!!!
I know it sounds unlikely, apparently it's all linked with the hayfever, and is actually quite common.
It seems that everytime I touched an apple(I never felt it necessary to wash my hands after touching apples!) I was then touching my eyes at a some point and causing the allergic reaction. The allergy has unfortunately progressed further in the last couple of months and I can't eat apples now either - not without losing my voice (DH rather likes the peace and quiet!! :D ) and my mouth and lips swelling and itching. I am also now allergic to hazelnuts and there's a list of other things I may well become allergic to later on.
.....but at least it's not Oscar .....phew!! :)

Thanks for your help Tohme and Dill :)

That apple-thing interests me, Rachel; unless I take care to thoroughly wash a (bought) apple before I eat it, within a couple of minutes my lips, tongue and throat feel as though I have been eating a very hot curry. Home-grown apples, acrubbed apples, and organic apples are fine. It must be something they spray/coat them with. :(

That's the trouble with allergies Rachel - one minute you are okay with something the next - bang. I have had them for years and can eat an apple as long as I peel it - peaches nuts dried fruit and even a certain brand of gin :P  are all no no's. Yet some of the things I used to be allergic too I am not now. Hopefully in the end some of yours will go to. At one time I could not eat anything with MSG in it and that was in a lot of tinned veg. I have found now that if my eyes itch for any reason (even if an ordinary itch) I dare not touch them and find it best to just use eye drops or wash instead to get rid of the itch :D :D

Gina

Noooooooooo!
I really hope I don't get the gin allergy! :D
JG, it does sound as though you are allergic to the stuff on the apples rather than the apple itself. It makes you wonder what all that stuff does to our insides doesn't it?
Gina, what is MSG?  :O

My grandson  is allergic to apples, too ;) My youngest daughter is allergic to strawberries All the more for me :D My family in general are allergic to various types of nuts. I can't eat walnuts without my tongue swelling up. It's a pity too, as I love walnuts. (Used to eat several walnut whips a day :) )

Not sure if any of you suffer from hay fever but it is known that some may develop oral allergies to certain fruits, vegetables and nuts - pollen-food allergy syndrome.

Do you get itching and swelling of the mouth and throat on eating fresh fruit and vegetables?

Silver Birch pollen allergy sufferers can develop oral allergies to apples, peaches, cherries, carrots, celery, hazelnuts, peanuts and walnuts.

Grass pollen allergy sufferers can develop oral allergies to tomato, melon and watermelon.

Mugwort pollen allergy cross-reacts with apple, celery and carrot.

Ragweed pollen allergy cross-reacts with bananas, melon and honey.

In Latex allergy, people sensitised to latex also develop allergies to fruit such as avocado, banana, chestnut and kiwi fruit.

You can get homoepathic treatments for the particular pollen allergies which can help.

That's what bothers me, Rachel. I am an incredibly (for nowadays) unallergic person. None of my family have allergies. So for something to affect me I feel it must be a very unnatural substance. And people are swallowing it daily? Bad news.

MSG is monosodium glutemate. ;) Very popular in takeaway cooking, especially Oriental cuisine.
:)

Of course......monosodium glutemate! Thanks JG! :)
I would never have thought it'd be in tinned veg tho!
Tohme, hayfever is exactly my problem, apparently caused by the large number of male Birch trees in this country.

I got severe allergy overnight to Sunflwers about 12 yrs ago, took ages to find what it was tho. While waiting to see specialist I went on elimination diet but because I used to use s/flower oil & spread, they were eliminated at different times without the connection being made they were both made from sunflowers! Also used to buy frozen chips & of course they`d been par cooked in sunflower oil, same with tinned tuna. Since then I`ve had a few allergies, fruit/nuts, mouth tingles & throat starts itching, once even to nail varnish when I kept touching my face with my hands, rhinitis/allergic excma etc. Interestingly I`d been on steroids before the s/flower allergy started & they kept me on them till found the cause
I know since I stopped them, learnt more about immune system & took supplements for quite a while, over the yrs they`ve got much much better :)  Horrible at the time tho!

Christine, Spain.

Hi Rachel - neither did I until I ate some tinned peas (this was a few years back) and my lips and throat swelled up! Nowadays MSG isnt it so much of the take away food and some chinese take aways even advertise that they do not use it so I imagine a lot of people have this allergy too :p

Gina

Have you ever noticed how long the fruit/veg seems to last nowadays J/G?? I`d never had allergy in my life nor the rest of my family, but since I got one my mum & sister went allergic, both older than me & never had them before. Makes you wonder doesn`t it?

Christine, Spain.

That's a really good point about how long fruit&veg last these days.
About 10 months ago we started getting our veg through an organic veg box scheme - I was amazed at how quickly the veg goes off - which can be a nuisance but it's still better than eating chemicals every day.