# What are you allergic to? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 18, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465 "2005-05-18T20:10:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/21 "2005-05-18T22:57:40Z")
Peanuts and assorted other foods (not sure what, but I’m so averse to trying new food that it probably won’t matter unless someone slips something into my bread.) When I was a little kid I ate peanut butter sandwiches constantly, but then I started refusing to eat it, and I only found out a couple years ago that I’m allergic. ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/22 "2005-05-18T23:02:46Z")
Penicillin, amoxicillin, keflex, and sulfa. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/23 "2005-05-18T23:07:33Z")
KITTIES! And I can’t stand it, because I absolutely LOVE 'em. In a cat-equipped home, I will try my darndest to get one on my lap and play with it. I have even been known to claw desperately at a red-rimmed, itching eyeball with one hand while _trying to coax kitty back into my lap_ with the other. I’m like a junkie! ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/24 "2005-05-18T23:10:05Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > Mozzarella cheese makes me projectile vomit. > > Eating large quantities of pineapple makes me break out in hives. You’d be just the thing to liven up my next pizza party… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/25 "2005-05-18T23:24:50Z")
I’m allergic to sunlight too! I have the photic sneeze reflex, but I was an adult before anyone thought to tell me that my “allergy” was a joke. I’m also lactose intolerant (and that’s getting worse as I get older.) And there is something in one kind of sunscreen with bug repellant that makes me break out in teeny little EXTREMELY itchy bumps - I haven’t figured out if it’s the sunscreen, the bug repellant or some other ingredient in that product. The only perfumes I have a problem with are Happy (which makes my eyes itch, my throat swell up and my nose run) and Eternity - but that’s not an allergy, it’s a carryover avoidance from when I was pregnant and EVERYONE was wearing it. It triggers an almost immediate gag reflex. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/26 "2005-05-18T23:26:50Z")
Let’s see… -Cat scratches -Asprin -NSAIDs -bee stings -wasp stings -babies -Tide detergent ---
**Author:** ![Carm6773](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2bfe46/32.png) [@Carm6773](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carm6773)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/27 "2005-05-19T00:27:05Z")
Aspirin (Salycylic Acid), which is the active ingredient in Clearasil and Stridex-thank God I didn’t have bad acne and was able to survive on just Noxema and Witch Hazel. Adhesives (think band-aids and tape) and certain laundry detergents and softeners make me itch. The only soaps that I have had luck with are Arm & Hammer, Surf, and Purex. Downy is the only softener that I do not react to. Do NOT get me near Tide, Gain, or Snuggle **(especially Snuggle!)** if you know what is good for you. I also have a bad reaction to mosquito bites. We’re talking welts the size of dimes or nickels here. Dust, freshly cut grass, ragweed, and pet dander make me sneeze. I’ve had miniature schnauzers and dachshunds as pets without any problem. I only sneeze when the fur is being shed. My mother is allergic to Aspirin, adhesives, makeup (including Almay), dust, grass, ragweed, and strawberries. My husband isn’t allergic to anything _per se_, but caffeine and alcohol will cause his gout to flare up, which in some cases is worse than an allergy attack. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/28 "2005-05-19T01:09:21Z")
I also forgot leaf mold. I’m just brilliant today. ---
**Author:** ![Landshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/77aa72/32.png) [@Landshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Landshark)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/29 "2005-05-19T01:26:16Z")
Pollen and dust. I find I am so sensitive to pollen that my nose reacts if I just walk past a plant that puts out lots of it (there are examples of such plants in my neighborhood; I’ve learned to take a wide path around them). And the dust allergy forces me to vacuum my condo at a fairly regular rate. I remember my childhood allergist told me I was also allergic to bananas, but I eat them now with no trouble. I can only assume that was stabilized by the allergy shots I got weekly for a few years during childhood. I am recalling the allergist also mentioned other allergies, but I am not remembering them off the top of my head. I’d assume the shots also stabilized those, because now my only real allergies are the previously mentioned pollen and dust. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/30 "2005-05-19T01:40:54Z")
Valium and penicillin. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/31 "2005-05-19T02:01:18Z")
Shrimp. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/32 "2005-05-19T02:21:22Z")
After 3 allergy tests at the allergist, the tests say I’m only sleightly allergic to mold, but experiences of the past 5 years have shown me that I’m allergic to dust, pollen, ragweed, AND mold. My sinuses go crazy and my right eye gets all puffy and swollen. ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/33 "2005-05-19T07:18:57Z")
Avocados. No guacamole for me! ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/34 "2005-05-19T14:57:29Z")
Dust mites. Penicillin, et al. And myself. (Chronic Hives since 1999) ☹ ---
**Author:** ![singersargent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/edb3f5/32.png) [@singersargent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singersargent)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/35 "2005-05-19T15:07:26Z")
Cats & some dogs Dust Mites Dust Pollen Penicillin Once when I was a kid I got hives from wearing a new shirt that hadn’t been washed first. I’m not sure what the cotton shirt was treated with, but I developed massive itchy welts. But that’s the only time I’ve ever gotten hives. My eyeballs will sometimes develop a pouch of fluid in the white part when dust mites get into my eyes. I usually just take a nap, so I won’t be tempted to rub my eyes too much while the pouch goes away. Okay, that taps out my worst allergic reactions stories. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/36 "2005-05-19T17:10:42Z")
I’m allergic to all detergents _except_ Tide, and all fabric softeners except Downy. I’m also allergic to whatever chemical it is that they put on new clothes to make them not wrinkle. I had to leave a job because of it. I was allergic to the sun for a few years as a kid, whenever I’d go outside, my exposed skin would break out in itchy hives. Also: mold (mild) and dust. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/37 "2005-05-19T17:30:41Z")
I’m allergic to mosquitoes. Or mosquito bites. It goes beyond itching and into massive, great welts all over my body when I get bitten. Nickel. General itches and rash. Certain soaps. Generally only the solid kinds, for some reason. There’s some hayfever of undetermined cause. Some sort of pollen I guess. And starch causes a skin reaction. Potatoes make my hands/fingers come out in a rash, and I could never starch my air training corps uniform because I’d end up itchy and rash-ed all over. Nasty. ---
**Author:** ![EarthStone777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@EarthStone777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EarthStone777)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/38 "2005-05-20T02:28:14Z")
Wasps - One sting on my wrist made my arm swell like a sausage all the way to my shoulder. I’ve carred an epi-pen ever since. Poison Ivy - One time so bad that 13 docters looked at me. 3 professionally, 10 just curious. Some perfumes and colognes - Make me sneeze up a storm. Cilantro - … Ah, I think I’ll start a thread about this… ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/39 "2005-05-20T09:16:19Z")
Birch pollen. Boy, did I move to the wrong country… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465/40 "2005-05-20T09:37:59Z")
Unjustified criticism (i.e. virtually all criticism), self-important journalists (i.e. virtually all journalists), and text messaging. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/304465.md?page=3)