Anaphilaxis - Processed red meat?

birchley2002Wed 03/10/07 13:03

Two or three years ago I suddenly developed an allergy to something. A process of elimination has lead me to believe that it is some sort of additive or preservative added to processed red meat products.
The first couple of attacks were after eating kebabs, (though i had no idea what was causing it at the time!) I am apparently unusual in that it can take a good while to happen, unlike other anaphilactic reactions eg nut allergies which can be immediate.

When eating out I now stick to white meats such as chicken, fish or vegetarian. I can only eat red meat when I am sure it has had nothing added and am lucky to have a local butchers that can assure me of this. This policy seems to be working as I haven't had a reaction and been in hospital for over a year now.

I just wondered if anyone else had experienced the same? The hospital were worse than useless.. George Elliot in Nuneaton. The dermatologist (the dept that has been lumbered with allergies there) basically didn't even believe it was an allergy to food?? and dismissed me as a case that would never be solved!?

Anyway I am sure I have bored everyone enough!

satyr_zaWed 03/10/07 13:20

Could it be a MSG allergy? I go bright red and my throat tightens if
I eat MSG.

#162445Wed 03/10/07 13:35

tight throat? hmmmmmmmmmmm ;-)

tristanhughWed 03/10/07 13:36

quoting > "The first couple of attacks were after eating kebabs, (though i had no idea what was causing it at the time!) I am apparently unusual in that it can take a good while to happen, unlike other anaphilactic reactions eg nut allergies which can be immediate. "

I had exactly the same thing a few years ago as well. It happened with some take outs and with some generic cook in the oven foods as well. And it was only red meat.

I would eat and be fine. However, after I had gone to bed I would wake up in the middle of the night and vomit quite badly and then get a rash.

When to have some tests done with the allergy people who found nothing. So your not alone in not knowing what actually caused it. However mine stopped after a year and ive been fine since.

I initially thought it was an intolerance, rather than an allergy to MSG because of the delayed reaction. However the rash and the swelling didn't seem to be explained and how they reacted in a way to anti-histamines and epi-pens.

I will admit I was quite stressed at the time which could have been a contributing factor.

birchley2002Wed 03/10/07 13:53

Sounds identical to me tristanhugh! Mine is always in the middle of the night or most often anyway.. and it doesn't stop me breathing but seems to make my digestive tract swell.. so its painful to swallow not breathe.. though i have sometimes had a breathing rattle. The epi pens, antihystamine and steroids on occasion have cured me fine.

I don't think it can be MSG as I eat that in chinese all the time i am sure.. I thought it was added by default to that cuisine?? I always stick to veggie, chicken or fishy dishes though and am fine. I had a reaction after a chinese buffet once before I knew what was going on, but i ate red meat dishes and all sorts then.. since then by steering clear of the red meats no reactions in chinese buffets?

So you put your reactions down to stress then?? I don't think I was particularly stressed when mine started??

tristanhughWed 03/10/07 14:04

quoting > "So you put your reactions down to stress then?? I don't think I was particularly stressed when mine started??"

I did at the time. Allergys are funny things though. They can come and go. Its the old saying you can grow out of them. And like any immune related reactions stress can be a contributing factor.

quoting > "I thought it was added by default to that cuisine??"

Oh you are right there!! But like I said i never found out what actually caused it all.

Yours could be that your body just got to the point where it couldn't take any more red meat. I have heard allergies can be strange in that prolonged 'contact' to something can cause a reaction to suddenly start. So if you ate a lot of red meat that could explain it