Yes...it is rather common. My nephew ate shrimp
many times, and then he had a life-threatening episode..
his throat even started swelling up. He won't even
get near the stuff anymore. Nothing to fool with.

I had a friend who has a peanut allergy...she ate
peanuts at different times in her life...and all of a
sudden she had a severe reaction.

Be careful , Marita. I've read that the second reaction can be more severe than the first. Maybe just have a nibble and wait and see what happens.

Happened to me with cantaloupe. When a cut one up for Harry the smell is so wonderful I'm tempted, but my tummy reminds me not to. I didn't break out but had flu-like symptoms. Two days in bed with chills and sweats, achy and many trips to the bathroom. I didn't relate it to the cantaloupe until a few weeks later we had it again and the same thing happened. Sure do miss it but not enough to go through that!!

When I was in my forties, I ate cold lobster salad from a deli. Felt fine all day,went to bed and woke up about two a m with my lips and throat terribly swollen. I had trouble breathing, I could inhale but not exhale. DH drove me to the Emergency Room, where they gave me a shot of adrenaline/epenephrine. The shot was HELL-my chest started to pound like crazy and I turned beet red. Stayed home from work the next day to sleep and take Benadryl. As recommended, I saw my family doctor, who did various tests and recommended seeing an allergist. Allergist did "scratch" tests and found I was allergic to all types of shellfish. And some of my favorite foods were lobster, crabmeat,shrimp. He prescribed an "Epi Pen" should it happen again. He told me eat no more shellfish ever again, a second reaction could be fatal. Six months later I had a stroke and found I had kidney failure, which led to four years on dialysis and a successful kidney transplant just this January. Was the allergy related to my kidney trouble? My internist says no, his tests had shown everything was normal. But I personally believe otherwise.

Allergies can change anytime in your life. Once had a severe hive reaction (ended up having to take steroids, and even then it didn't let up for about a week)--to a medication I'd taken many times before that. Just suddenly, I couldn't tolerate it. Next door neighbor never had seasonal allergies until she was in her 50's, then she was miserable every spring and fall as long as I knew her.

Important to keep in mind--Besides being careful about eating shellfish, you HAVE to tell the technician this before having any medical tests involving dye. You can't have those if you're allergic to shellfish.

This just came out last week, how timely! Don't try to just eat another brand of shrimp, don't eat ANY^ shellfish, but have this test done by an allergist.

Here is a link that might be useful: skin test for shellfish allergy

I was going to recommend testing too. You will know for certain and not have to 'guess'. Another reaction could be too dangerous to chance. Allergist will probably test for other stuff too. Could be it wasn't the shrimp after all!

Patti43-cantaloupe was recalled a while back for causing the sickness you describe. The news said it would take a while to make it thru the stores. I'd maybe-just maybe chance that again if you like it a lot. See if you can google and correlate that recall to when you ate it.

To add to what lisa says, the netting on the cantaloup skin is prone to hanging onto bacteria. Always wash the outside of a cantaloup scrupulously before cutting into it.

In my mid 40's I suddenly developed an allergy to shrimp which I never had the slightest issue with prior. My lips and tonque began to tingle and swell. I took Benedryl immediately and headed to the ER. Since then I have become allergic to ALL shellfish. I have had a skin test which revealed several allergies, some of which I don't have issues with, but am very careful just in case. I always carry an Epi pen with me. When I hit Menopause I became allergic to Soy which is in so many things.

If it turns out you are allergic to Shellfish and ever need a CT scan with dye make sure you let them know. They usually ask, but I've had some that didn't.

On August 28, 2000 the same thing happened to me Marita. I had enjoyed a late afternoon lunch of shrimp and crab louie with a friend at a seafood restaurant. Two hours later my palms started itching, then my ankles, and back of knees. I was out of town visiting my sister with my two kids. The 28th was my son's 13th birthday so sis had invited a bunch of people over to help celebrate.

I sat there at the party with my ankles in a pan of warm water and baking soda trying to calm the itch. I had taken 100mg of Benedryl. When my lips and face in general started to swell my sister called the hospital. She made me talk to the charge nurse whom I told I was just fine. Hey, I love a good party and didn't want to leave.

The nurse called back 5 mins later and insisted I get to the hospital. I told her again that I was just fine. She was not happy but what could she do?

Everything was great though the 'bongo lips' comments were tiresome - LOL - until all of a sudden the whole room grew quiet, though it was apparent people were talking. When I realized my ear tubes were closing, I decided perhaps it was time to head to the hospital. When I announced to the room that is was time to go, my voice came out like I'd been sucking helium. That certainly got everyone's attention! My best friend and her husband made a dash over to me, grabbed me under each arm and ran me out to their car with my kids tagging along.

When I walked into the ER, the look on people waiting and the staff was one of wonder. What I didn't realize at this point was that along with my bongo lips, puffy face and loss of hearing, I was glowing red with hives top to bottom. Since I was wearing nothing but a tank top and shorts, it was quite a sight. I was experiencing prophylactic shock.

I was admitted immediately and had five different things pumped into me to counteract the allergic reactions while my son spent the remainder of his birthday playing cards with my best friend. I was discharged three hours later with a prescription for an Epi-Pen and stern warning to forget about ever eating seafood again.

If you've ever seen any of my other posts you'll know that I travel a lot and really enjoy cruises. The food on cruises is always a big deal and wonderfully tempting seafood is offered all of the time. On one such cruise two years ago I made a decision that ten years without shellfish is enough. There is a doctor on board, he wasn't going anywhere and I wanted shrimp dog gone it! So, I had shrimp. Felt a little woozy but no further problems. Last year's cruise I went for it all shrimp, crab, lobster! Not a single problem so it appears I've outgrown my allergy. But I would have never tried it without a doctor within reach and never in great quantities.

So long story long :-) ... yes, a shellfish allergy can come on suddenly.

Jodi-

It can happen suddenly. My mother got a severe allergy to shrimp when she was around 65 yrs old. One time at a baby shower, she ate a salad, thinking there was chicken in it, and it turned out to be shrimp, and they had to rush her to the hospital. I myself, have a very severe allergic reaction to any kind of antibiotics. Last year for a severe sinus infection, the doc gave me an antibiotic shot, for it, and used an antibiotic that causes the least allergys for people like me. I came home, took a nap, and woke up solid red with hives, and my throat swollen and closing and hubby had to rush me back for another shot to counteract the effects of the antibiotic. Makes for a rough time, when something comes up, that I really should have an antibiotic for.

My doctor told me that if you were allergic to something you ate, your symptoms would normally be WITH YOUR MOUTH, LIPS, THROAT, etc. Not your arms, hands, legs.

That's why it is so dangerous to eat anything you are allergic to - your throat can swell closed.

Yes it can be sudden. With my garlic allergy, I probably had it for years just didn't know it. At least looking back at things and the way I would itch when eating certain things.

PLEASE, if you have these kind of allergies WEAR A MED-ALERT BRACELET OR NECKLACE!!!!!!!!! I can not emphasize this enough. Food or drug related! If you are unconcious, how can someone help you properly (not make you worse because they didn't know) if you don't? I wear one and carry an emergency medical info list in my wallet at all times.

Marita, PLEASE see an allergist.

Tami

I had food allergy testing done after having a mouth irritation that went on for several months and an episode of where my eyes swelled shut. Although most are mild to moderate allergies, I have a sensitivity to shellfish, nuts, oats, cauliflower. What is crazy is I am also allergic to nutmeg and celery (who is allergic to that!)

As far as the shellfish, it is the iodine that is the culprit. You should mention it whenever you have tests done that involve iodine but now they use a different kind that they used to use years ago. Still, they will add Benadryl to your procedure just in case.

You might want to fix yourself a bag of meds to keep with you just in case. I have an epipen but the doctor told me to start with the liquid Benadryl, followed by the capsule and to also take my Allegra. This is for when I first feel the swelling start or if I break out in hives. If my lips, throat start to swell OR if I begin to have a racing feeling in my chest, then use the epipen and get to the hospital.

When I had the eye reaction, I did have a funny sensation in my chest, almost like heartburn starting. When I told them that in the ER, that kicked me into the cardic care center and I was actually hospitalized and ended up having several tests and a heart cath done. Turns out I really don't have a problem but my cholestrol was high and the potassium was very low. They think that is what was causing the fluttery feeling in the chest. They weren't really conerned about the eye swelled shut, which it took a week for it to go down. I was on Benadyl, Allegra and Predisone for a couple weeks and had to really watch my bloodsugar because of the Predisone. They had to slowly wean me off of it.

So - do be careful - the next reaction may be worse. I would be tested if I were you and keep meds handy. I keep a bag in my purse ALWAYS and have a bag at home.

Thanks for your replies. I will be sure to take this seriously and get an allergy test. Although I had no symptoms other than the rash and itch yesterday, today my tongue was a bit swollen and throat scratchy--very minor like athe beginning of a cold coming on and not enough to cause concern or slow me down. I am depressed, however, about not being able to eat shrimp! (if indeed this is what caused the reaction). It was one of my major "go to" foods, low in calories, always yummy. **SIGH** I would love to know what changes have occurred in the body that trigger sudden allergies, and I DO wonder whether menopause plays a role.

You should get checked out. It could be something on the shrimp you ate, or something in a combination, or something on another item. It could even be something in the air. There's so many possibilities.

When I was much younger I broke out from something. Itched like crazy, red blotches and more. To this day I have no idea what caused it. My mother tried to think of what was different in the previous couple days of food and the only thing she could think of was she used allspice in a recipe. It's fairly common in use so I'd guess I may have run across it sometime in my life but never reacted like that again. Although I don't buy allspice either! Possibly a "just in case" but probably more likely, haven't developed a taste for it so no desire for it.

Happened to me with KIWI fruit,i love that stuff and ate them for years,then one day after i ate one,i threw it back up and i got a rash and some swelling.Wasn't sure at first what caused it,ten a few days later i started to eat another one and same thing.Dr said it happens all the time,that something you've eaten forever can suddenly cause allergic reactions.That was over 30 years ago and as much as i love them and am tempted to eat them,i won't let myself go there.

My sister is highly allergic to pineapple.Why is it that we become allergic to things that we love???
Kathi

For all I know it could have just been a bad bunch of shrimp. . .here's hoping! Anyway, I will see my doctor for the test. I sure hated to throw away 3/4 lb of shrimp today!

I really hope it is something else. I would hate to give up a favorite food! It will really put you in a bind if its not the shrimp but they don't know what it was. My DD's BF is severely allergic to fish yet eats at the chinese buffet sometimes. Makes me nervous-so easy for a piece of seafood to get into something 'safe'.

Lisa, thank you--I sure hope you're right! I'll check it out.

Yes, allergies can happen like that. But maybe it's not an allergy to shrimp in general, but an allergic reaction to those particular shrimp? I won't buy shrimp or other seafood from China or 3rd world countries because of what I've read about how they farm them in whatever toxic brew they dream up. How shrimp is farmed in other countries with lax laws (or no laws) isn't a concern of our USDA. Yes, get tested. But maybe you won't have to give up shrimp -- only questionably farmed shrimp. I don't know where you live, and how your acccess is, but I ONLY buy US shrimp ---and can get that in my grocery store fresh (yeah, right, "previously frozen" if you read the fine print!) Woo-Hooo!

Check this article Patti

Here is a link that might be useful: canteloupe recall

Bananas. Pineapple. Celery. Most recently, any vegetables or fruits that are artificially ripened with ethylene gas (I think that is what it is called). So I have to be careful with store bought tomatoes and tomato products, like salsas and pico de gaillo.

I react to some apples, but not all, and that could be the ethylene thing and how long they have been stored and at what temps.

I used to be able to eat offending items cooked but not raw, and now I can't have them at all. Tomato products without skins and seeds fare better for me but still a crap shoot (that was a funny pun there, in the interest of too much information ROFL).

It could be the shrimp, it could be the preservative soak they were treated with, it could have been one of the veggies. Definitely get tested.

Also, I have a mild latex allergy that is exascorbated by exposure to bananas, celery, and tomatoes. I got hives from a previously fine wrist rest, then realized a co-worker had thrown his banana peel into my garbage can. I was wondering why I had a scratchy throat all day. It was my first proof that even smelling a banana could cause a reaction.

Another time I got the bright idea to wear gloves to peel several bananas when preparing snacks for a Brownie group. When I took off the gloves, I was wearing "hive gloves" on my hands! It was a painful, itchy lesson.

Dances.

I am in my 70s, and have eaten shrimp all my life without a problem. Several years ago, I had a prawn salad in a restaurant, quite tasty. Within 8 hours I developed a remarkable sunburn-like red rash with hives. Within a few days, it was peeling, like a sunburn. It took over a month for the reaction / color to completely fade.

After a couple more months, not believing this was a real shrimp allergic reaction (usually more anaphylactic), I had a small lunch shimp louie at a local restaurant. The same skin reaction, same place, a bit less strong, occurred, and again took weeks to clear.

Not due to sulfites (they were present, but my husband is very sulfite sensitive, so I know a lot about sulfites, even have specific test strips.)

Upon reading about the current shrimp practices, I had to conclude that the prawns and shrimp most likely came from farmed waters, probably Asian or South American. I learned that is it very difficult to obtain fresh shrimp from local waters these days, and that overall the US shrimp industry has suffered greatly in the past decade.

Finally, I was able to buy some fresh "bay" shrimp (the little ones) from our local market where the dept head knew the shrimper, and could verify its history. I ate a good sized salad, and had NO reaction.

Bottom line, be very wary of farmed shrimp and/or shrimp from other countries.

Co-incidentally this just happened to me too. My husband is a commercial shrimper and I love shrimp and crab. I have been asking him to bring me some soft shelled crabs. He said he hadn't caught any for quite awhile....but then he caught about 8 in one day. He cleaned them and I fried them. I ate about four of them. In soft shelled crab, you eat the legs, claws, and cartilage. We remove the top shell....some people don't. I broke out in a terrible rash and my hands and the bottoms of my feet started itching like crazy. A few days later, I decided to "test" this, so I thawed out about a dozen shrimp I had frozen. Barely touching the shrimp made my hands start to turn red. I washed them really well, cooked the shrimp and ate them. No problem eating the shrimp...handling the raw shrimp was a problem. The reason I did this, I have a friend who can't handle shrimp, but can eat them....so I thought it might be the same for me. It never crossed my mind that I might have a severe allergy like mentioned above, where my face or throat might swell.

The shrimp were large white shrimp...premium quality. Caught on our boat. I would really hate being allergic and not being able to eat shrimp any more. A day or so later, I thawed out and cooked a flounder. No problem handling that or eating it. I also bought some snow crab....no problem handling that or eating it.

This caught me quite off guard. I have never been allergic to anything. Never have suffered from seasonal allergies like many people, live in an ocean of poison ivy....never had a problem with it, and was even attacked by a swarm of killer bees and didn't get sick or have a bad reaction to that....and I was stung all over my body, and they even chased me inside my house....from room to room. My dog almost died from the stings though. Shrimp! Of all things!!

I am another one who had a reaction out of nowhere to shrimp. This was between 25 and 30 years ago. I never ate much shrimp but did enjoy it at Chinese restaurants and also shrimp scampi ordered out. I was with 5 other people, all sharing dishes. I had no reaction right away. Over night, I was really itchy but thought there was a mosquito in the room. The next day it really blossomed. I at first actually thought it was chicken pox. I went to the doctor who said it was not chicken pox but some sort of allergic reaction. It took me a while to even think of the shrimp. The reaction lasted several days and I was miserable- could barely wear clothing because it was so itchy and sensitive all over my body. Anyway, I have avoided shellfish since then. I did get tested a few years ago ( DH kept saying, maybe now you can eat shrimp scampi- let's find out for sure).....and they said I am indeed strongly allergic to shellfish.

I eat a lot of fish, just not shell fish. I am ok with people eating at the same table etc but I am diligent about not sharing ANY utensils when there is seafood around. So here is another story for it happening out of nowhere. I am not aware of any other food allergies - just shellfish.

As an aside, I have tried a kosher faux crab product and it tastes good and satisifies my craving- and it's totally safe.

Genetically Modified Organisms are also potentially the cause of a sudden allergy reaction. You may have consumed "X" all your life, but when a variety is modified and the protein altered, you may react to the modification. As our immune systems are attacked, anaphylaxis can occur in response to almost any foreign substance.

Funny that this post should come back up now. I posted originally about my allergy to iodine. Just last Friday, I had to have another heart catherization done. We got good results and no stents but they had me take 9 Prednisone tablets over the 12 hours prior to to the procedure because of the Iodine used as contrast. Then during the procedure, they pumped Benadryl into the IV mix. Fine, no problems till Sunday. I started getting a breakout of ulcers in my mouth and on the sides of my tongue,just like I did back in 2006. I have had a few mild breakouts over the 6 years but not like the first one and not like last night. It dawned on me that probably the Prednisone and Benadryl had worked its way out of my system but I probably still had some of the Iodine in me. In fact, the nurse had told me to drink lots of water as the Idoine is hard on your kidneys but I've slept so much over the last 3 days that I probably haven't taken in as much fluids as I should have. So I took another Benadryl and drank several glasses of water before bed last night. The ulcers are still there but they have calmed down alot. I didn't have any swelling of the tongue but when I noticed the ulcers on the side of it and on the soft palet underneath, it made me take notice. The ulcers usually start just inside my lips and that is what showed up first Sunday morning.

So just a warning to those with reactions, if you notice anything similiar, get Benadryl into you and get to the doctor. It doesn't always have to be with the itchy palms and feet. It can affect you in different ways.

OP here! I'm happy to say my allergic reaction to shrimp turned out to be an odd one-time deal. Soon after posting I had all the necessary testing done and it all came back negative. As a precaution I didn't venture near shrimp for months if not a year but then began to eat it again with no consequences. I'm just careful where I buy it now.

After the last few posts, I wonder if the handling is something for you to consider Cassandra. It's really interesting that it matters, but apparently, it can matter. I'm glad you're back to something you love to eat.

Rob, not sure what you mean about the "last few posts." Do you mean about the bad cold I posted about a couple weeks ago? Anyway, the shrimp allergy post was from 2012. It could have been handling but I sincerely doubt it. It was farmed shrimp from Thailand, bought at Aldis, and I'm 99.9% sure it was a tainted batch. Besides the summer cold a couple of weeks ago, now over, I don't recall being sick from anything--no colds or flu even--for the last several years.

lomccleary's and Marilyn's posts both said handling could've contributed to their issue, nothing more. Glad it's not affected you since.

You can suddenly develop a food allergy to just about anything. Growing up my sister's favorite fruit was bananas. She now has a life threatening allergy to them. My cousin developed out of the blue a dangerous allergy to raw fresh veggies. If she's prepping them before cooking them she has to wear gloves now. Salads and crudites are now out of the question.

If you do develop one you need to carry with you an epi-pen and Benadryl. If it's a mild reaction Benadryl may be enough but it isn't always. Once when I was working the temp job from hell during a college break I was exposed to something at work that caused me to break out in hives all over my body. My mom took me to an urgent care place because we didn't know they were hives. They gave me a large dosage of Benadryl but the hives kept coming so they shot me with an Epi-pen. The combo of the two was awful and hit me like a ton of bricks. When it was safe to go home I slept for 24 hours. Some people see a difference in how quickly liquid and pill Benadryl works. You can't use both though. According to my allergist if you put topical Benadryl on hives you can't ingest it as well because you're double dosing.

If the food allergy is proving to be a big problem you might want to consult your allergist to see if you're a candidate for desensitization therapy. It's an in office treatment to help either remove your food allergy or make the potential reactions less dangerous. I know of a few people who have done it for their peanut allergy. It's usually done for allergens that are difficult to avoid because they're hidden in a variety of food you wouldn't think they'd be in.

Shellfish allergies are no joke. This is the one allergen that is " Adult onset". I grew up on the ocean; and have eaten lots of shrimp. In 2005 I had my first reaction to shellfish. After 2 bites, my throat started to close up.

Last night 2018 was my last exposure; and it was more severe. It was cross contamination. I had a steak where a lot of shrimp was on the menu. My steak was cooked where shrimp was cooked. I was in the ER within an hour of exposure via 911 ambulance.

Vomiting, sweating out of every pore and blacked out twice. Once hitting a wall so hard everything fell off and broke on the opposite side. The EMTs kept asking me if I have been drinking.... None of my family told them I just ate at a local restaurant and had a severe shellfish allergy. I could not communicate this as I was in and out of consciousness.

I am now going to an allergist, getting a medical alert bracelet and an epipen. I guess my family was too freaked to communicate what was going on.

Some doctors recommend a rotational diet to prevent the development of allergies to new foods. As many have stated previously, oftentimes foods that are eaten repetitiously can cause a sudden attack. It's similar to the phenomenon of bakers developing an allergy to flour due to constant contact with this substance.

http://www.food-allergy.org/rotation.html

This is an old thread, but I just wanted to add to it, that I no longer have any problem handling shrimp and never did have any problem eating it. I don't eat shrimp that often....sometimes going for nearly a year, and the next time I handled shrimp, my hands did not turn red and I didn't start itching. So, that is good....I still love shrimp.

Sorry you had such a severe reaction, HU 3124. That is indeed very, very scary.

Wow, these are scary stories. I eat shrimp almost every week. It's scary how allergies pop up suddenly. This year I was knocked for a loop with poison ivy and never before was I allergic. I grew up an hour from here and played in the woods all my life and suddenly get this reaction from my own backyard. Just plain weird and now I'm paranoid because prednisone was even worse for me.

My husband broke out from poison ivy even tho he had handled it a lot over the years (he was always working in the yard). Why then? Dr said eventually everyone, after enough exposure, would get sensitive to poison ivy. Same with everything - repeated exposure. It seems to hold true.

I had contrast dye in the ER, no reaction other than a metal taste in my mouth it’s not exactly the same. I have heard of people having major reactions. One man in Florida lost his life.

Just wanted to add, there is a partial but not a total correlation between seafood allergies and iodine contrast reactions. I have severe anaphylactic reactions to shellfish. I completely avoid eating shellfish and carry an Epipen. I have had several CT scans with contrast. The first CT facility I used mandated prescan proactive treatment with Benadryl. I found myself in a different hospital ER with suspected diverticulitis- this facility did not follow the same procedure. I wasn’t in a state to argue and figured, well I’m in an ER, they will respond quickly if I react. I had no adverse reaction at all. When I recovered from the original complaint, I did some research, there can be a connection but definitely not always.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/20045605/

You need to see an allergist pronto. You just never know about cross contamination.

I have an appointment