# I am itchin' like a man in a fuzzy tree! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 30, 2006, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486 "2006-03-30T01:14:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/1 "2006-03-30T01:14:51Z")
Fresh shrimp has attacked me again. I love shrimp, baked, fried, broiled, steamed. For the third time in as many weeks, I bought some fresh, ready to eat shrimp, baked it in a scampi sauce, and I am scratchin’ like a MF, right now. I’ve got hives on my chest, shoulders and back. This does not happen with frozen shrimp, just fresh. What up wit dat? From the past experiences, the itch calms down in about 30 minutes and I am good to go. I am assuming an allergic reaction of some sort, yes? But why? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/2 "2006-03-30T02:10:13Z")
Question-what was the source of the shimp? Farm raised or wild? Did it still have the shell on? ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/3 "2006-03-30T02:17:22Z")
> [@ltfire](#): > > Fresh shrimp has attacked me again. I love shrimp, baked, fried, broiled, steamed. > For the third time in as many weeks, I bought some fresh, ready to eat shrimp, baked it in a scampi sauce, and I am scratchin’ like a MF, right now. I’ve got hives on my chest, shoulders and back. This does not happen with frozen shrimp, just fresh. > But why? WAG IODINE maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/4 "2006-03-30T02:22:02Z")
Right about the time he hit 40, Dad became allergic to shrimp. It was either fresh or salt-water, I can’t remember, but it made a difference. When she hit 39, my sister swelled up like a puffer-fish from shrimp. One day, after I made a lover-ly shrimp and pasta alfredo dinner, it hit me. Guess how old I was? Called my sister (Dad having passed on by this time): **MBG:** So what’s this hives all over me shit? \*\*Sis: \*\*Yeah, that’s the family shrimp allergy, tag you’re it! **MBG:** So, what do I do? **Sis:** Run to the drug store, get some of the clear Benadryl, and a bottle of Merlot. **MBG:** Merlot? **Sis:** Yeah, Benadryl for the itch and hives, and the Merlot gives you a fabulous little buzz with the medicine. Haven’t touched a shrimp since. Kind of miss it, but not too much. There’s plenty of fish in the sea, you know. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/5 "2006-03-30T03:41:44Z")
Yup, it’s an allergy, and it’ll get worse. Mine kicked in when I was … yeah, come to think of it, about 40. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/6 "2006-03-30T04:06:55Z")
I get it from crab meat. Could have been 40 when it first hit. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/7 "2006-03-30T06:53:26Z")
Sounds like a positive allergy to shrimp. You should avoid not only shrimp but other shellfish. Don’t play around with allergic reactions to food - a dermal reaction one time can become systemic the next. My mom ate some peanuts the one day and it made the roof of her mouth itchy. The next time she ate some, her lips and tongue swelled up. The allergist told her that if she ingested them again it could trigger a fatal reaction. You should see your doc and get an epi-pen in case you experience another, more severe reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Clam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@Happy\_Clam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Clam)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/8 "2006-03-30T08:26:02Z")
> [@](#): > > There’s plenty of fish in the sea, you know. A-HEM! _Shell_fish. And, in all fairness…have you though of not eating shrimp? ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/9 "2006-03-30T14:01:16Z")
> [@Happy Clam](#): > > A-HEM! _Shell_fish. > > And, in all fairness…have you though of not eating shrimp? Shrimp, while yummy, is not indispensible. I had no problem giving it up. As **Twickster** and **AFG** both said, and my doctor pointed out, it’ll only get worse with each exposure. The first and only time I got it, my entire body was covered in hives. Who knows, the next time they could be in my mouth or trachea and who wants to go that way? By the way, you’d be smart to mention it at the doctor’s office that you had this reaction the next time they ask if you’re allergic to any medications. Without doing all the extensive sensitivity testing, Doc Beth said this could be triggered by the iodine in shrimp. Iodine if I’m not mistaken is used in some tests with injected markers or dyes. I question if there’s not iodine in a lot of things we eat, and why don’t they trigger me, but I say err on the side of caution, so when they ask, I tell. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/10 "2006-03-30T14:28:03Z")
I’ve got kind of a strange version of this, because my only allergy seems to be to shrimp – I can eat crabs and lobster no prob, and my doctor says there’s no reason not to, as long as I continue to not react. So, anyway, I say “shrimp” and not “iodine” when asked about allergies. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/11 "2006-03-30T14:47:53Z")
Just want to chime in to reiterate that allergic reactions, especially those that cause [hives](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000845.htm) can be DEADLY, I’ve ended up in the ER a few times with [anaphylactic shock](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000844.htm) from allergies that started out with a simple case of hives. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/12 "2006-03-30T14:52:50Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > I’ve got kind of a strange version of this, because my only allergy seems to be to shrimp – I can eat crabs and lobster no prob, and my doctor says there’s no reason not to, as long as I continue to not react. So, anyway, I say “shrimp” and not “iodine” when asked about allergies. Me too. I’ve eaten crab and lobster. I haven’t tried scallops yet, are they in the same family? So i just say I reacted to shrimp and let it go at that. Now both Dad and my sister also developed a strawberry allergy about the same time they got the shrimp allergy. So far so good there, but THAT one’s gonna hurt. I loooooves some strawberries. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/13 "2006-03-30T15:16:54Z")
We’ve discussed this before, in [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=168387) thread. Here I relate how my patient’s desire for shrimp proved fatal (tho briefly) and some discussion of shrimp allergy (a protein allergy, not an iodine allergy) ensues. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/14 "2006-03-30T16:02:32Z")
Thanks for the link, **QtM**. Since I’d rather take medical advice from a complete stranger over the internet rather than my own doctor – do you agree with her that there’s no need to stay away from crab and lobster, despite the shrimp allergy, as long as I’m not reacting? Or do you consider that unnecessarily risky? ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/15 "2006-03-30T16:04:03Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > We’ve discussed this before, in [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=168387) thread. Here I relate how my patient’s desire for shrimp proved fatal (tho briefly) and some discussion of shrimp allergy (a protein allergy, not an iodine allergy) ensues. There you are! I was waiting for you to chime in. So, a protein, eh? Then would it matter at all the source of the shrimp? I distinctly recall Dad being careful if he was eating salt or fresh water shrimp. Of course, I was young, and even dumber than now, so that memory may be faulty. Is there even any such thing as fresh-water shrimp? Don’t answer that, I’ll Google… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/16 "2006-03-30T16:22:31Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Thanks for the link, **QtM**. Since I’d rather take medical advice from a complete stranger over the internet rather than my own doctor – do you agree with her that there’s no need to stay away from crab and lobster, despite the shrimp allergy, as long as I’m not reacting? Or do you consider that unnecessarily risky? Since you’ve talked to your doc about it, and since you’re not reacting to other shellfish, I’d say it’s okay to follow your doctor’s advice. Probably. You might want to carry an epi-pen just in case. I’m really sorry that the cautionary tale of the “Adventures of Shrimp-loving Man” was lost in our Winter of Missed Content. Dude was definitely dead by a number of technical definitions. All due to his love of shrimp. When he shuffled back to this mortal coil, it was with a tremendous headache too. He blamed me for that. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/17 "2006-03-30T16:25:20Z")
> [@Mr Bus Guy](#): > > There you are! > > I was waiting for you to chime in. So, a protein, eh? Then would it matter at all the source of the shrimp? I distinctly recall Dad being careful if he was eating salt or fresh water shrimp. Of course, I was young, and even dumber than now, so that memory may be faulty. > > Is there even any such thing as fresh-water shrimp? Don’t answer that, I’ll Google… I’d advise avoiding all varieties of shrimp to any patient who bore such a tale of woe to me as yours. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/18 "2006-03-30T17:43:35Z")
Lobster’s pretty pricey in most places, but you might try crawfish. A whole lotta cajuns and creoles say they’re mighty wondermous. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/19 "2006-03-30T17:54:48Z")
> [@Mr Bus Guy](#): > > Shrimp, while yummy, is not indispensible. I had no problem giving it up. If you’ve got a kosher market near you, you might be able to find fake shrimp there that don’t contain any shellfish products. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486/20 "2006-03-30T20:21:53Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > When he shuffled back to this mortal coil, it was with a tremendous headache too. He blamed me for that. Maybe you should have punched him where he fucks and said “How’s your headache now.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-itchin-like-a-man-in-a-fuzzy-tree/350486.md?page=2)