are these crustaceans safe to eat with a shrimp allergy?

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rebekahc:
If you weren't having reactions, I'm surprised you were tested for so many foods since 'fishing expeditions' are not considered good practice except for some rare circumstances where it's really hard to pinpoint the most likely culprit(s) for a reaction. There are different types of blood tests for allergies, but the only legit one is RAST testing unless there's something really new out there. The results are usually a number and then each lab has a scale (usually 1-5) that they classify number ranges into. Do you know what your numbers were? With some allergens, those can help narrow down the likelihood of you having a reaction (called positive and negative predictive values). So below x you have a very high chance of not reacting and above y you have a very high chance of reacting. The PPV and NPV for each allergen is different and can vary widely. I'm not sure what those numbers are for shrimp, but your allergist should be able to tell you. I would want to explore all of that before taking the risk to eat any crustacean.

All that being said, though, if you have eaten shrimp and haven't reacted, then you're most likely not allergic unless you've developed the allergy between your testing and the last time you ate shrimp. Those numbers might help give you a better idea about that.

Teri1:
no I do not think I got a RAST test. the clinic gave me their own type with their lab in the clinic. they told me straight up
"well you don't seem to be allergic to anything except shrimp" I asked if it was a shellfish allergy
"no, you arent allergic to shellfish, just specifically shrimp, you can eat crab and lobster, but seriously stay away from shrimp"

that was the exact words the allergist told me.

I wish I could link you to my test results, but guests arent allowed to link.

rebekahc:
You should be able to log in and post a link to your results or you can post as a guest, but insert a space before the .com (or whichever type link it is) or write out dot com or something. I'm really curious about the type of testing you received. Was this from a board certified allergist/MD? Did your doctor offer any treatment for your allergies or advice on how to avoid reactions? Did you receive a prescription for an EpiPen or other type emergency epinephrine injector?

Teri1:
yes this was a board certified MD. I was given claritin prescription for my dustmite allergies and immunotherapy to treat it, and told to avoid eating shrimp to prevent reactions. epipen was not needed. 2 years doing the immunotherapy for the dustmite allergy Im barely sneezing at all anymore. so I know thats working. anyway heres the test results.

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rebekahc:
Ok, those results are from a skin prick test - not a blood test. I don't see where they tested you for shrimp, specifically, though?

The first page you posted shows that they tested you for some typical environmental allergens. Most of your results were smaller than the histamine control except for the dust mite ones which were the same size, so it's most likely your 'worst' allergy, but your wheal size was still pretty small. The numbers represent the size of the wheal (the hive like bump) and the flare (redness around the wheal) in millimeters.

The sheet they gave you about oral allergy syndrome is because sometimes when we're allergic to one thing (like a pollen or a dust mite), our bodies will mistake a similarly shaped pollen or a similar protein in something we eat and cause oral symptoms - especially during that pollen season when our bodies are already on high alert. So, for example, I'm allergic to ragweed. If I eat melons my mouth itches and my lips swell up. If you test me, I'm not allergic to melons, but my body mistakes the melon for ragweed pollen. There's a chance your dust allergy could make you have some oral symptoms when you eat shrimp even if you're not allergic to shrimp, but it's not real likely. There are a lot of people with dust allergies who tolerate shrimp just fine. It may just be something to be aware of, but not worry too much about unless you want to avoid shellfish if you're having a lot of allergy symptoms around that time. Of course that's assuming you don't have a shrimp allergy (basing that just on the skin test results you posted).

The last page you posted was the food allergy skin testing and the only thing measured was the histamine control. You did not test allergic to any foods. And they definitely did not test you for separate types of shellfish on that test - just a general shellfish mix.

Edited for added clarity.