Strange Allergies: Do Your Allergies Seem Unusual?

Allergies is a word that plagues me all year. I've had sinus allergies since I was a child. I never had the test to determine exactly which outdoor allergies were bothersome for me. I just learned to deal with them and keep allergy medicine in the cabinet.

When we moved to our new home, a source of great pride and joy for our family, we discovered my daughter had a strange allergy. She's allergic to peppervine. Little did I know how annoying one plant could be. It can literally take over the yard and the nearby woods. She's had to learn to identify it to avoid trips to the doctor for shots. It causes a skin rash that rapidly spreads and itches. Over-the-counter medications give very little relief, serving only to provide some help until we can make it to the doctor's office.

Peppervine has also been called, "Cow itch." I've done research on how to get rid of this plant and have come up empty-handed. Except to physically pull them from the ground by the roots, which is also almost impossible because the roots travel underground and come up in various places all over the yard continually. That inconvenience makes for a never-ending battle with the plant.

Another strange allergy is my own allergic reaction to high fructose corn syrup. Now that one was hard to discover! It took me years and many doctor visits, including dermatologist visits and several to allergy specialists to figure that one out. I finally discovered the cause on my own after years of research and reading and the process of elimination.

I had discovered the kiwi fruit after meeting my husband. His family had lived in California, and he is part Hawaiian. So, he introduced me to some new foods, including the kiwi. I was a southern girl, so I had very little contact with strange fruits like the kiwi. Well, I ate the kiwi for years after I learned of its unusual taste. Then one day I noticed that after eating kiwi, my mouth began to itch, then my throat. It was annoying, but didn't cause much concern. I just quit eating kiwi once I realized that was causing a problem. I had, by then, learned that I could become allergic to things I had not before been allergic to.

So, a few years passed and one day I noticed another of my favorites had become an enemy. The wonderful, exotic taste of hazelnut could no longer be mine to enjoy. My husband had to make a late night run to the drug store while we visited family to help me through that discovery! Yes, that one scared me terribly. Not only did my mouth begin to itch, but it spread to my throat, which began to swell. Thankfully, my sister-in-law realized what was happening and was able to help my husband find a store that was still open that could sell us some Benadryl. It took 4 of them at once, and about 2 days more to recover from that attack completely. I was very much in shock and not wanting to believe that hazelnut was the cause when it had first begun to tingle in my mouth. So, I tried to ignore it, hoping it was just a fluke. Dumb move on my part. After that night of my throat swelling, I decided I would keep some Benadryl near at all times and would learn to avoid hazelnut flavors and anything else associated with the taste.

Food allergies have definitely taught me to expect the unexpected and not to ignore that itchy tingle. It's better to find the culprit as quickly as possible and learn to read labels more diligently.