My brother nearly died from a wasp sting, he had been stung before but didn't react like that. He is lucky his son was around to help him. Now he carries an EpiPen when the weather warms up.

And we have to eat ... every day!

ole joyful

I am very allergic to tea tree oil and they are putting that junk in everything. I have to read tiny ingredients lists looking for it. Same with aspartame. I need Epsom salt lotion, mortons quit producing the one I have been using. They did not have any tea tree oil in it. Everything I am finding has tea tree oil in it.

Like Katrina-Ellen's brother, my husband had a scary reaction to being stung by several wasps, though he had been stung before with just minor swelling. He was tested and has to carry an epipen outdoors. The allergist said anyone can develop sensitivities or allergies to food or anything else at any time, pretty scary.

Last summer, I developed an awful allergic reaction to, of all things, mosquito bites! I haven't provided lunch for one yet this season, so don't know if last year's event was an anomaly or my fate from now on.

Added: That's a tragedy about the young girl and the toothpaste! I've often wondered whether or not doctors read a single thing on patient information sheets we spend time filling out. Clearly, her dentist didn't. Can you imagine how horrible the parents feel, knowing that they didn't check out the lable on the toothpaste?

Usually, if someone has a really dangerous, severe allergy to a common substance, they will know it and take extra care to avoid this substance. It makes dining out very difficult for those with peanut allergies as pans are not kept separate and even after washing, can be a problem.

One of my closest friend's husband has a severe peanut allergy. He only will eat a handful of restaurants that can assure him of their safety, and they never accept dinner party invitations. It's just too risky for this 75 year old man, who does always have TWO Epi pens with him at all times.

I've heard with bee and wasp stings that it's the 2nd sting that is dangerous if there's a bad allergy. I've never been stung so I'm a little nervous I could have an allergy that I'm not aware of.

My 20 year old daughter suddenly developed a multiple fruit allergy last year. It started with oranges and now pretty much includes all fruit except berries. She needs an epipen as well. She has found that most people won’t take a fruit allergy seriously and she has multiple accidental exposures because people are so careless and selfish around her. Her sorority chef included fruit in her food at least a dozen times, her roommates leave apple peels and dirty cutting boards and knives with fruit juice on it, the restaurant where she works wanted her to clean all the spilled orange juice without giving her gloves etc.

She gets facial swelling, hives and contact dermatitis from oranges And apples while the rest of fruits cause more oral allergy syndrome with swollen lips and tingling. It really is a stinky thing to deal with. She comes home next month so back to no fruit except berries in the house again.

I’ve been allergic to eggs and have had seasonal allergies since I was a teenager. Then suddenly at age 52 I started getting hives in my mouth and then my entire face. Spent a year on steroids and other such crap as no doctor I saw thought it was food allergies. Finally got tested and am allergic to nuts, sesame seed, green peas and multiple beans. My reactions have worsened bit by bit so now I have an epipen and am having to be one of those people at the restaurant. Sesame seeds and oil is in everything, it’s easier to just stay home, sigh.

Oh wow, that is so strange and scary, Cleo. I think it's hard with such an unusual allergy. I think even well-intentioned people can accidently contaminate the area without realizing it, especially with something as common as fruit.

My aunt told me about a woman in town who thought that allergies are in the head and not real. So when her son brought a girl home to meet the family and have Sunday dinner, the girl asked if whatever was in the meal as she was allergic to it. The mother said it was not, even though it was. It was all in her head. The girl dropped dead at the dinner table. That was years ago, before epi pens existed.

People can be so stupid!!!!!

Yes, allergies can start at any time. DH developed allergies toward pitted fruit in his forties. But, the weird one was when he ate two peas out of a neighbor's garden. Sent hi right to the ER.

He now in his sixties is also allergic to ibuprofen.

My sister is allergic to fire ants and other bug stings. But the weirdest is that she now is allergic to meet. Evidently there is a link to the lone start tick that causes one to become allergic to meat.

I sure can relate to every ones allergies. I have plenty of allergies and go to the allergist for shots. I have recently become allergic to perfumes, colognes, creams etc. It's the scent. One whiff in the nose and I can hardly see my eyes itch so bad. In fact, I got a new car last October and it is trying to kill me! Most people love that new car scent. Not me! Even today it bothers me.

One thing the Dr. told me to do was use Nasacort spray in the morning and that can help to block the scents. So far it is working, not perfect, but I can drive my car! He said NOT to use Flonase as that has a floral scent in it!

Kathy, I am not allergic (I think?) but I have always hated that new car smell! It makes me nauseous. I could never understand why so many people love it.

In order to experience an allergic attack you have to first be exposed to the allergen so that your immune system can be primed to react. That is why the second experience can be so dramatic. Any unusual reaction to a first exposure needs to be looked at by a doctor. Often people will think they are allergic when they are actually intolerant. Food is often an inability to digest instead of an allergy but We should never discount a persons self reported allergies. They could be right and who wants to kill someone. I don't need someone to convince me even if the allergy sounds weird.

Boy -- your replies are right on . It's surprising how many allergies just come out of nowhere . It's worse when people don't realize how serious it is. Many people probably think "oh ,she'll get a little rash - no big deal " . This poor girl's death really opened my eyes about allergies.

I had no allergies I was aware of until well into mid life. Then, pollen began giving me issues. Nothing scary, I just get stuffy and don't feel well. The first time I noticed it, I was walking through a field of tall grass that had flowered. The last several years though, I suspect trees. I don't know which trees, but whatever they are must be just about done with pollen because I'm feeling better this week than I have for a while now. Have not been tested.

A few years ago a friend who is a nurse went to her daughters sorority and had a long talk with staff, the chef in particular and explained her nut allergy. It was severe. The information was well received and I know professionally delivered, but her daughters very first week, that same chef cooked something in peanut oil and 'K' was rushed to emergency by ambulance. Mom and Dad were tearing up the freeway the 110 miles to be with her. She recovered with treatment but it was so very frightening.

Well here I was thinking that maybe the peanut study meant that allergies could be if not controlled at least made manageable. But it sounds like that's a long way off for many allergens. I wonder if this would apply at all to bug stings

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/immunotherapy-study-peanut-allergies-1.5102233

It must be so scary for parents of a child with a severe allergy to see their child leave the house.

In my thirties I developed an allergy to potatoes. I joke that it's un-American, but in fact it's pretty serious. I can't be in a room where someone is peeling potatoes, and years ago, before I knew how bad the allergy had become, I touched my lip with a hand that had touched raw potatoes, and it swelled up instantly. Scary stuff. Obviously, I don't eat potatoes. Potato flour is used in a lot of gluten-free snacks, so I do a lot of label reading.

For years I could eat the rest of the nightshades: peppers, tomatoes, eggplant. But no more. The reaction isn't as bad as with potatoes, but it's still no fun. I miss tomatoes! I used to grow a number of varieties, and they were so good. A few years ago I made kidney-bean spaghetti sauce, a family favorite that contains a canned tomato product. I thought maybe canned tomatoes wouldn't affect me as badly. So I served it to family members and had some myself. I woke up in the middle of the night in serious pain. Every joint was on fire.

Chi, I suspect many people like the new-car smell because it's expensive and they associate it with their beautiful new ride--not because the scent itself is so lovely. :-)

Watch out for Penicillin. People who have always been able to take it seem to develop issues with it after age 60. For some reason I was able to take Penicillin (before it became a generic) - now I am afraid to. First, I can't take generics and secondly two people I know were prescribed it after based dental surgery and they both ended up in the hospital in very serious condition (not the same dentist).

Alisande, I can't eat nightshades either.

I have an allergy to all tree nuts and it is about impossible to get some people to understand. All most all restaurants will happily provide a list of ingredients in a particular menu item, but will quickly tell you that they can't guarantee that there isn't any cross contamination in their kitchen. Well guess what? I can't eat there then. We do have a couple of local, non-chain places I eat, but the one has no items on the menu with nuts. The other occasionally has a dessert with nuts, but one of the owners will tell me immediately if that is the case. Even with 2 Epipens, I need to reach a hospital with 30 minutes of contact with nuts.