I recently developed an anaphylactic reaction (tongue swelling, throat tightening) to shellfish and, it appears, dairy. I'm 38 and this all developed within the last year. Does anyone else have experience with developing this type of food allergy as an adult? I'm feeling a little lost - all the allergy info is for kids.

I think the general rule with food allergies is that each time you are exposed to the allergen, your reaction gets a little bit more severe than the time before. So chances are, you were allergic to shellfish and dairy all along, but the reactions weren't severe enough for you to recognize. And it can go very quickly from one time having a little bit of an itchy throat after eating the food, to the next exposure causing the throat and tongue swelling.

Having food allergies is no fun, and there is no cure for them. The only thing you can do is avoid the problem food. Sorry, I wish there were more options for you...(and for me)...I would love to have more freedom in my food choices. I have some pretty severe reactions to certain foods, too.

An anaphylactic reaction can be fatal if it's severe enough...so please be careful. About the only proactive thing you can do, besides avoiding the food, is to carry an epi-pen with you. It's a little bit of a hassle, because it's one more thing to haul around in your purse, and they expire so you have to keep buying a new one every nine months to a year, but someday it could save your life. You might not need to carry an epi-pen around all the time if your only allergy was to shellfish, because it's easy enough to recognize and avoid any foods with it, but if you are having an anaphylactic response to dairy, that is much harder, because dairy can sneak into LOTS of foods you wouldn't even expect.

Thatnks for your response - it's all new territory to me. I have an Epi-Pen and now a steroid pack, too. The shellfish was scary but, yeah, I felt I could avoid it. The dairy is way more scary. I am without my Epi-Pen alot because I run. Sometimes I pick up something to drink at a store or a restaurant. That's my real vulnerability. Do you know of any websites that specifically are geared towards adults with new allergies. I keep talking to people who are severely allergic but they don't carry the pen but their last reaction was when they were one years old. It would be nice to know the effects of the Epinephrine (risks, etc.) when to use it, risk of having a really severe reaction (beyond anecdotes - one doc I know told me about her friend who coded with the first ever reaction to shellfish). I had given up dairy due to intestinal distress and the reactions were to very small amounts mistakenly ingested which doubly concerned me.

I don't know of any sites dedicated to adult food allergies, although there could be some out there. There really isn't any money to be made anywhere for this condition. The only solution is to avoid the food. So who would sponsor and pay to keep up a website? Just my thoughts.

Yeah, food allergies are a drag, but my reactions if I accidentally eat something I shouldn't are more than enough to keep me on the straight and narrow forever!!! You mentioned wondering when to use the epi-pen...I would only use it in life-threatening situations. Here are the two most common ones, for me at least. One, when your throat starts to swell up so much that you can't breathe because it blocks your airway...there isn't time to wait for an ambulance because you would suffocate by then! The epi-pen will help the swelling stop and go down a bit so you can breathe and stay alive, but of course, then you still need to get to a hospital immediately. Two, some food reactions can cause a severe drop in blood pressure. It happens by first feeling really sick and awful, but then you will start to get really lightheaded, and your head and arms might start to buzz or feel like they are floating...you are starting to hallucinate...if you go on like this much longer, the severe drop in blood pressure can cause you to have a heart attack. The epi-pen will dramatically raise your blood pressure and save your life.

Both of those times, an epi-pen can literally save your life. But I wouldn't use it if i just had a little bit of throat swelling and itchiness, or if I just got really sick and was vomiting (violently) from eating something I'm allergic to, but that didn't progress to a life threatening situation. I think you will know when to use the epi-pen....when you are having a really bad reaction and you suddenly realize that you could die within the next couple of minutes---that is when you use it!!!!

Using the epi-pen has risks when you are not in a life-threatening situation...it will increase your blood pressure really high really fast, could cause you to have a seizure, etc. It is basically a strong shot of adrenaline, more than the body could make on its own. The risks are definitely worth it if you need to use it, though! I don't carry my epi-pen all the time, but I throw it in my purse if I am going out to eat somewhere, since I came pretty close to dying a couple years ago due to cross-contamination at a restaurant. But since my only allergies are from food, I don't carry it all the time...usually only if I'm eating out or have the possiblity of eating out. Yeah, it's a hassle, though.

This thread of mine is really old and I've since developed some new allergies, used my Epi-Pen three times, found groups for adults. I wanted to look back at things I posted early on and I found this very nice post from Mrs. Skip that I never responded to, rudely.

It was very helpful at the time, as I recall, BTW!

If you are around Mrs. Skip, a belated thank you!

My daughter developed allergies to shellfish in her 20th. It started very mild and a Bendryl would do. Now she can't even go to a Japanese steakhouse because they cook shrimps on the same surface. She has an epi-pen with her at all time. She has started a desensitizing treatment 3 month ago. It will take a year and it's not sure it will work.

Really, are they offering desensitization in the UK to adults? Here there are just a couple of clinical trials and I think it's peanuts only (which I am not allergic to). Can you tell me more about the treatment and what it entails? I think I'd be a good candidate for desensitization because I'm highly sensitive to cross-contact and trace amounts, but I've never had to have fluids or been intubated when I've gone to the hospital (both exclusions for the current U.S. trials in adults).

My daughter lives in Switzerland and the doctor propose a treatment about 18 month ago. Before she could start they had to find out , of all things she was allergic too. I really don't know how many little dots she had on her back for several months .different stuff every month. But now she is on a gluten free diet and I really don't know what this desensitizing treatment consists of. One good thing her insurance is paying for it

Interesting, thanks for responding. I used to live in Switzerland and the health care is good. It's great that they are trying it. In the US, there are no such therapies, at least not safe ones under medical supervision. I don't find it hard to avoid shellfish but nuts are really hard. Recently I was in the hospital from chicken that was handled in the same facility as spiced chicken where the spices were not safe for me. Even though I was eating plain chicken, I had to use two Epi-Pens to control the reaction. I think maybe the spices were adulterated with almonds or something because how could I be that sensitive?

I developed a tongue swelling and throat tightening reaction to kiwi fruit at age 60. I had eaten it with no problem all the years I lived in Florida. It scared me so much I'll never touch kiwi again. Yes, it's weird to develop allergies suddenly.

It must be really frightening to eat something you think is safe and get a huge reaction. It's a good incentive to do all your own cooking with as much clean products as you can get.

Oh, I do. But it still drives down deeper sometimes, or I develop a brand-new allergy.