My family member and I sat down to eat around noon. She sat in one room and I another. Within half an hour of eating she informed me that her lips were burning. I thought nothing of it until she called me to the bathroom and I first saw her rapidly swelling lip. It was doubled in size and she had a blister forming on her eyelid. Soon we noticed hives on her hands, legs, and other places. I quickly gave her two Benadryl and let her know she should see a doctor who agreed it was an allergic response but seemed baffled as to its cause since she only ate things she's had before and a diet Snapple.
She has no known allergies but has been waking up with hives for about a week.
What could have happened? We're worried.
In order of probability (IMO):
Adult onset food allergy?
Allergy cup full from something environmental leading to a food reaction that wouldn't normally happen?
Eating a high histamine food while allergy cup full?
Ongoing viral hives freaking out because of OAS or acidity or something about the food?
Eating in the same room where waking up with hives has led to an environmental exposure (to whatever) becoming ingestion?
That's about all I can come up with without more specific info...
She ate a salad from a grocery store. Items included: tofu, watercress, tomato, Asian dressing (oh the specificity), an egg, potato salad, macaroni salad, pasta salad, cauliflower, broccoli, and Thousand Island dressing.
The only adverse reaction she's reported prior: orange juice, which results in digestive upset, and sesame oil (but that's rich and potent so...), which is upset stomach if too much.
She hasn't changed any soaps, detergents, foods, etc. at all. I was brainstorming and asking if she experienced any bites, etc. The only thing she said is that the hives appear after her shower occasionally and she occasionally wakes with them too. She doesn't have them where sweat collects, etc.
:( when do they decide it is crucial to know the cause?
Was she given a rx for an epipen? Judging from your description of te reaction, she hours carry one. The reaction that made our doctor write one for DD seemed milder than what you described, and thank goodness she had it, since she might have died without it.
Asian salad dressing
Sesame
These jumped out.
Is she on medication? I had a similar reaction the day AFTER stopping an antibiotic.
Quote from: Macabre on March 14, 2014, 08:28:14 AM
Asian salad dressing
Sesame
These jumped out.
Was thinking the exact same thing!
Quote from: MandCmama on March 14, 2014, 11:40:42 AM
Is she on medication? I had a similar reaction the day AFTER stopping an antibiotic.
Last week she stopped taking a medication but it wasn't an antibiotic.
I wondered about that too, so found a new recipient for the sesame oil shampoo I accidentally bought.
We wrote down everything she ate so we'll have an idea of what happened if this occurs again. :(
To add to the mystery: she developed hives upon waking today, but only on elbows and the top of her knees. Her eye appears blistered too.
(Just as an aside: caring for someone whilst in the midst of your own reaction is a wee bit daunting.)
Viral hives?