I’m allergic to nothing besides pollen

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[–] 15 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I'm allergic to milk. Every time I tell people this, they think I mean lactose intolerant, and I have to clarify that I'm actually not an idiot

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  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Alpha gal. It's a carbohydrate found in all mammal meat and products, save for humans and apes. Oh, also, you know "natural flavors?" So wonderfully vague. Most of the time, that means "carrageenan," which also contains alpha gal.

    You get the allergy from a Lone Star tick bite, as if Lyme disease wasn't bad enough. Wear pants while hiking.

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    [–] 10 points 1 year ago (4 children)
  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    How old are you?

    I was diagnosed as a child wiþ an anaphylactic reaction to penicillin. It's been on my medical chart since I was 11. It was on my dog tags, in þe Army.

    Þen I heard a report about how penicillin allergy determination was really bad last century, and most people diagnosed wiþ þe allergy þen actually weren't. So I went and got tested last year, and: I'm not allergic to it after all.

    If you were diagnosed before 2k, it's possible you were misdiagnosed.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    That’s really interesting, I hadn’t heard that before.

    I’m almost 60.

    I found out that I’m allergic to penicillin when I was a child (in the mid-70s) and had an anaphylactic reaction. I still remember being intubated by the paramedics because I couldn’t breathe.

    Five years ago I had tandem stem cell transplants to treat myeloma (blood cancer), which completely wiped out my immune system. I had to have all my childhood vaccines over again, and I was re-tested for penicillin allergy, (because they thought that might have been erased too); it’s definitely still there.

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  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    “Fragrances.”

    Boy do I ever wish ingredients lists would specify what fragrances they’re using, then I’d be able to learn which scented products are okay for me to use without testing them individually.

    It’s very mild but fuck is it ever inescapable. Everything I use can be hypoallergenic if I put in the effort but take one step into any building other than my home and it’s being cleaned with scented cleaning products and pumped full of air fresheners on top of that.

    Also I’ve got seasonal allergies that are stronger than my fragrance one(s), so the outdoors often doesn’t function as an escape, either.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I recently learned that I'm allergic to mosquito bites, it turns out it's not normal for them to swell up to an inch in a half.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    for me it depends on the type of mosquito but the other day I got attacked by them while doing some photography and I had like 1-inch sized bumps all over my arms. Fun times.

    Most other times they don’t get nearly as bad tho.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago (1 child)
  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago

    Besides being allergic to basically every seasonal allergen, I'm also allergic to fish. Not shellfish, regular fish. It sucks because it didn't develop until my 20s.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago

    I'm allergic to the sort of adhesive tape they use to attach IVs and such. They always use it anyway and I end up with annoying wounds because of it.

    Also, while not technically an allergy, if I were to be administered succinylcholine, it would cause malignant hyperthermia, rhabdomyolysis, acidosis, and cardiac arrest due to a genetic disorder. Luckily I didn't have to find out the hard way.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Yes, but I don't know what. There's a week in mid-Spring and a week in early Autumn (that we just passed) when I have to wear a mask outside.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    Pollen? Fall could be grasses or conifers, deciduous in þe spring.

    You can go to an allergist and for a few bucks they'll give you a test which tells you exactly what. Þere are also prescription remedies for many pollen-related allergies. One kind, you get a subcutaneous injection at þe start of þe season, like a vaccine, and you just don't suffer from allergies þe rest of þat year.

    Or, if a mask works for you, þat's cool, too.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    As a kid, I was allergic to everything. And lactose intolerant. Grass, trees, pollen, cats, some dogs, my allergy test had me wanting to scratch my back on the stucco walls.

    I hit maybe 20 and all of it went away. I can roll in grass and dandelions and leaves, I can rub cats on my face (thank gawd), I eat tons of cheese. It’s amazing.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I'm happy for you. It usually happens the other way around.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    Thank you! I am very thankful and do not take it for granted. I met my first cat when I was 16 or so, and my eyes swelled up to almost closed. I did not stop rubbing my face on that cat every time I went over, though. I was so astounded that cats just exist.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    None that I’m presently aware of.

    Although as a young kid, I used to claim to have bee allergy, as I simply thought anything I didn’t like would make it an “allergy.”

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (1 child)
  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago

    Cats, suddenly as of ~7 years ago. Had three cats at the time, still have two, my allergy doctor is appalled that we "let" them sleep on the bed with us.

    Dogs, also suddenly as of ~2 years ago. Pet a dog in the neighborhood, didn't think anytime of it and later rubbed my face while gaming. My eyeball swelled up painfully. Didn't make the connection until I pet another dog a week or two later, scratched my back and got a painful rash. We had just installed a fence to get a dog of our own

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago

    Mold. It's monsoon season here, on a good day I can feel the rain coming (due to spores lifted up and transported by wind before the rain arrives here). In that case I directly pop an antihistamine. On bad days I'm too late with that, which results in itchy eyes (mostly), sneezing, snotting, etc. Monsoon season is bad, rest of the year I have little issues unless I walk into a mold infested place.

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  • Most plants, mold, mildew, cockroaches, milk, and nickel are the ones I can think of. Was funny when I got a prick test, they were training someone, so they were sorta happy I was so reactive to so many things because it meant they got to show how to rate the severity of all the dozens of bumps.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    yes. maybe. I get congested certain time of the year and recently I have developed spontaneous hives which goes away with allergy medicine. not sure what any of it is.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    My grandfather has pollen allergies, my dad has pollen allergies, and recently I think I have it now bc I can’t stop sneezing when I spend more than 5 minutes outdoors.

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  • Same, just pollen.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    Main one is capsaicin. Causes inflammation in my joints, and bad digestive issues. But also have sensitivities to citrus and soy, and lactose intolerant.

    I honestly think many people get sick from food and ignore it.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    Milk, eggs, and cashews. Not lactose intolerant, and I always have to remind people that there's a difference. I haven't had an allergic reaction since I was 6 years old, mostly because I always avoid eating out. Too many people to trust!

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    Bees/wasps/hornets, fresh cut grass, and capscasin.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    Seasonal; not sure what, though. Oddly, it shows up around October and November, sometimes into December.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    I'm allergic to cold temperatures. AMA...everyone does.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    I know someone who is as well! They get a rash/hives. What about you?

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  • That's me too. I get itchy, deep red hives at contact points and exposed areas. Its annoying but manageable.

    If enough of me is exposed/come in contact with a trigger, I start to exhibit shock symptoms. Has only happened with swimming to date, but my allergy has gotten worse over time, so I expect I may experience some lightheadedness on a cold day in the future.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    Apparently, I’m allergic to a specific type of antibiotic. I was given amoxicillin at the dentist and then went back to work as usual. About an hour later, I started shivering uncontrollably and had to go home. I ended up curled in the fetal position in bed for several hours, trembling and freezing.

    My wife was understandably alarmed and mentioned it to my mother, who casually explained, “Oh yes, he’s allergic to amoxicillin—we found that out when he was a kid.”

    Somehow, no one ever thought to tell me that little detail. Definitely something that would’ve been good to know before I took it.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    Toxic coworkers

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    No allergies that show up on a simple blood panel.

    Except my sinuses are always runny so maybe I should get it looked into.

    And my identical twin is allergic to tree nuts so maybe I should be cautious with those.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    Lots of things. The main one is dust mites. Any clothes that I have in my closet or drawers that I haven't worn for a while will make me sneeze uncontrollably for an hour if I pick them up. Same if I get a spare sheet from the linen closet, if it's been in there for months, it will set me off. When I vacuum the house, I need to use one of those hypoallergenic HEPA vacuum filters. Dust mites are everywhere all the time, no matter how well you clean your house. Technically it is the shedded and disintegrated shells of dead dust mites that people are allergic to, it accumulates over time in places the mites live.

    Other than that, I'm also quite badly allergic to black mold, and have a reaction to pollen and grass seeds.

    I've never taken a proper allergy test, I've probably got others I don't even know about.

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