# Anyone allergic to anything strange? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 4, 2001, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673 "2001-09-04T14:45:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kiki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kiki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiki)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/1 "2001-09-04T14:45:24Z")
Most people are allergic to certain foods or animals. What else can you be allergic to that’s different from that? I think I’m allergic to mosquitoes. Almost every time I get bit by one the area swells up and turns red and gets hot to the touch. I had a bite on the outside of my knee that was so bad it swelled up the size of a baseball. It was really weird. About a day and a half later it was back to normal. I got a bite on my elbow and a couple on my forearms and the same thing happened… they didn’t swell as big as my knee but the did swell up. Also, peppermint makes me sneeze. I’ll eat a mint from Pizza Hut and it never fails… about 30 seconds after I put it into my mouth I’ll sneeze 2 times and then it will be over. Same thing happens with peppermint gum. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/2 "2001-09-04T15:31:03Z")
I don’t know how unusual it is, but I’m allergic to Valium. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/3 "2001-09-04T15:54:07Z")
I have the usual pet allergies, as well as wool and feathers (even pillows), but I’m also allergic to metal. Any jewellery I have must be gold (at least 18k), sterling silver, or platinum. “Oh, thank you for the lovely bracelet, dear. I won’t be able to wear it, though [sub][sup]cheap bastid[/sup][/sub]” ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/4 "2001-09-04T15:54:24Z")
I’m allergic to mosquito bites too - but only if they’re on my face or my ankles. I’m allergic to shampoo. But only some brands. I haven’t figured out which ingredient it is that gives me a rash, but it’s like playing russian roulette when every other bottle of shampoo could be the one… I have other allergies that I may post as they come to mind… over the last few years, I’ve been getting allergies to more and more things. The shampoo thing is only about 5 years old, never had a problem with shampoos when I was younger. ---
**Author:** ![Pucette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/278dde/32.png) [@Pucette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pucette)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/5 "2001-09-04T15:56:21Z")
I’m allergic to novacaine and tetnis shots. ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/6 "2001-09-04T16:31:21Z")
My allergy is semi-odd: I’m allergic to the nightshade family, to varying degrees. Potatoes are the real no-no - if I eat 'em, I get the proto-anaphlaxis scratchy throat, swollen lips, and irritated esophagus and stomach (I don’t get real anaphlaxis, thank god). If I touch them and then touch any sensitive tissue (like when I was in first grade making potato prints and touched my eyes), the tissue will swell unbelievably (I was effectively blind for a day and looked like I had Down’s Syndrome). If I’m around them when they’re baking or boiling (but not if they’re frying, I guess that seals them), I get asthma. Potato starch and flour turn up in the oddest places, like dry onion soup mix, some low-fat pastries, and (at one time) the vegetable broth used in certain canned tunas, so I read a _lot_ of labels. I’m also allergic to the other members of the family, but it’s really more an annoyance than a health threat. Tomatoes and eggplant are OK if they’re fully cooked - tomatoes are almost ok if they’re fully ripened on the vine, and I love them so I overlook the slight discomfort. Peppers are kinda the same deal - raw red, orange and yellow peppers are OK, but green are bad. I’ve also had allergies to raw avocado, pineapple, and banana, but those seem to have gone away. Happily, yams and sweet potatoes belong to different botanical families, so they’re not a problem. ---
**Author:** ![EVO95](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@EVO95](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EVO95)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/7 "2001-09-04T16:34:10Z")
I’m allergic to large-breasted blondes wearing bikinis…every time I see one, my eyes break out…_parump pum_ ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/8 "2001-09-04T16:48:54Z")
Nothing really unusual, just annoying. I am rather allergic to codeine. Nothing life-threatening or anything, it just gives me an incredible all-encompassing headache [Farenheit 451]It’s a pain medication, what did you expect?[/Farenheit 451]. And according to my scratch tests, I’m highly allergic to silk. But I’ve worn silk ties and boxers without problems, so it might only be a problem if I cut myself and then rub silk on it (hey, it could happen). ---
**Author:** ![Rosebud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rosebud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rosebud)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/9 "2001-09-04T17:05:17Z")
I’m allergic to ivy. I wouldn’t have thought this was strange myself, but everytime it comes up somebody will respond, “You’re allergic to IVY?!” like it’s a new one on them. I discovered this the day a co-worker and I were sent to a theater on campus to retrieve several dozen pots of ivy that had been used as decoration during a memorial service for a former professor (a prof from our school, and our school had paid for the ivy-- so we weren’t just nickin’ it!). Moments into this little endeavor I started sneezing constantly, my eyes went all red, everything in my head started to itch. Whee, fun. When my best friend got married, we were joking about how if she put ivy in the bouquets, I might die on the altar. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/10 "2001-09-04T17:12:02Z")
I’m allergic to sunlight (break out in hives pretty substantially); sulfa drugs; (bee stings are a common one). also developed an allergy to tetnus shot last time I had one. ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/11 "2001-09-04T17:19:16Z")
People think it odd that I’m allergic to chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![Skerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Skerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skerri)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/12 "2001-09-04T17:22:20Z")
I’m allergic to a lot of food. I am severly allergic to wine, feta cheese, bleu cheese, cucumbers, and Chambord (liquor). I found out that I was allergic to wine at communion at church. (Yup, we Lutherans use the real stuff: Maneschewitz! ;j ) In any case, by the time that I made it from the altar back to the pew, my face had started swelling, and I couldn’t breathe. Not a fun time. I found out about the feta in much the same way. I used to work at a pizza place with one of my best friends. He made me a calzone, just ham and cheese said I. Well, I mistakenly picked up the ham/feta that was for someone else. Can you say emergency trip to the ER by ambulance? (horse from Ren & Stimpy) No sir, I didn’t like it. (/horse from Ren & Stimpy) I also get the mosquito thing, though. I got bit on the shin yesterday, and it’s about the size of a tennis ball right now. (It sticks that far out off of my shin, too!) Ack! West Nile Virus! I was in Atlanta yesterday when I got bit! Ack! Ah… probably not. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/13 "2001-09-04T17:25:26Z")
I’m allergic to pewter. When I was 15, my boyfriend bought me a pewter necklace with my zodiac sign on it. I wore it overnight once and woke up with a HUGE rash on my chest. I can still wear it, but only for a few hours at a time and _never_ overnight. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/14 "2001-09-04T19:03:32Z")
Ivory soap. And canteloupe. Not together, mind you, each on their own. I always thought those were odd things to be allergic to. You know, what with Ivory being so _pure_ and all. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/15 "2001-09-04T19:09:20Z")
I’m allergic to nickel. I have to be extremely careful when buying jewelry, since most contains nickel. Earrings and watches with nickel seem particularly bad - breakouts in nasty itchy bumps. I’ve since found a good on-line source of nickel-free jewelry, however. This also means no metal handcuffs. Mink wristcuffs, OTOH… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/16 "2001-09-04T19:10:02Z")
I’m allergic to aspirin and ibuprofen. I once had a doctor tell me I was the first patient he’d ever encountered with those allergies, though he’d “heard of them”. A friend of mine could die within five minutes if she eats anything containing poultry. When a med student friend of ours looked up the literature on that allergy, she could find only five documented cases. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/17 "2001-09-04T19:11:44Z")
Oh, and my mother is allergic to hypoallergenic jewellery… ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/18 "2001-09-04T19:13:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scout1222 \* > **Ivory soap. And canteloupe.** They rhyme too! How cool is that. Sounds like it should be part of a song from a Disney movie. \*Ivory soap and cantaloupe, Gummi bears and kitty hairs, Little mites and bug bites, That’s what makes me itch! Dusty books and dirty looks, Lima beans and faded jeans, Doggy dander and salamanders, That’s whatm makes me itch!\* ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/19 "2001-09-04T19:47:58Z")
I’m allergic to Neutrogena, which is ironic when it is supposed to be a hypo-allergenic product. Also to Nitrous Oxide. Probably not a real allergy, but it causes dizzy spells for months and even years after a dose. I’m also allergic to something they put in most eyeshadows. There are still some I can use, but most make my eyes burn. Mom is allergic to melons - they make her drunk, and alcohol, which doesn’t! It acts like an upper, and keeps her awake. She’s also allergic to curry, which is one of my favorite things in the world. Right now I’m dealing with a mystery allergy. Something has caused me to break out all over my body. I’ve eliminated all of the recently introduced products, washed my sheets twice, vacuumed and mopped the entryway that I just stripped of wallpaper and I’m still itching. But it is better. Ginger and Silver Fire - you’re probably allergic to nickel, which is quite common; I’m moderately allergic myself. It’s used constantly as a filler and white metal in cheap jewelry alloys. It’s often called German Silver. (If I were German, I’d protest) ---
**Author:** ![khanada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3be4f8/32.png) [@khanada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/khanada)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673/20 "2001-09-04T21:07:57Z")
I’m allergic to tomatoes, bananas, papayas, kiwis, strawberries, cherries, apples, seafood, beef, wheat, milk, and latex. Exposure to any of the above (even cooked) causes major problems. I pretty much exist on peaches, orange juice, and chicken. Such fun! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-allergic-to-anything-strange/79673.md?page=2)