From the article: Oral Allergy Syndrome
As an allergist, I frequently see patients with severe pollen allergies. It always surprises me how often these people report symptoms of the oral allergy syndrome to certain fresh fruits and vegetables. Most of my patients have never heard of the association between these food allergies and their pollen allergies, but have figured out interesting ways to deal with these reactions. Share your story about how you've learned to live with your oral allergy syndrome. Share Your Story
Nice to tell the non-believers!
- I have had bad allergies (eczema, asthma, hay fever, food allergies etc) since I was a kid but I only developed OAS in my teenage years. I can't eat, drink, or come in contact(including cutting) with fresh fruit or raw veggies. I can however eat any that have been through a process (cooking, preserving, etc) I mostly come up in hives in the place of contact but with any stone fruit I have a severe reaction (anaphylactic). Like other posters, the only fresh veggie I can have is lettuce. I have tried many treatments for my allergies, but the cheapest and by far most effective way is by avoidance.
- —Guest alvos
Living with canned fruit
- I self-diagnosed about seven years ago. I thought I was going crazy when eating apples (my favorite fruit) made my lips itchy. Who ever heard of itchy lips? Then, like a previous responder, a bag of fresh Yakima cherries made my lips swell to the point of cracking. The allergiest at my local doc-in-the-box had never heard of OAS and said it was "plausible but I shouldn't believe everything I read on webmd" even though I had no reaction to the foods themselves on a prick test and my pollen tests were literally too large to measure. Needless to say, I haven't been able to enjoy anything but oranges and lettuce for seven years. I have an epi to be on the safe side, but I still dream about bitting into a cool crisp Washington apple this time of year.
- —Guest MirandaItchyLips
me myslef and OAS.
- i fist experianced symptoms when i was 7 years old, i felt sick when i ate an apple. then about two years ago i juiced a whole carrot and drank it. THAT WAS BAD. anyway scince then the list of allergies has grown and grown and grown. i can't even prepare foods now. i am now one of that two percent that experiance an anaphalactic shock when i eat and of the trigger foods, i even carry an epi pen now. :(
- —Guest myterious guest
Im so glad for the internet
- My son has had severe seasonal allergies since he was three. When he was six he started complaining that his mouth hurt after eating some of his apple. I thought that he was making it up, till one day I saw how badly his lip got swollen. Now his allergy has gotten so much worse. We find new foods everyday. He is now allergic to:peach,plumb,apple,watermelon, nectarines,banana,kiwi,carrots,cucumber,raw garlic and raw almonds. I finally looked it up online and we are both so glad that we have found some kind of answer to his symptoms and we both know now that he is not crazy. Thank goodness for the Internet and all the people sharing their information and knowledge.
- —Guest feltlikeabadmom
wow
- this is amazing, i've had the same problem and it all started with apples. then carrots. Then a bag of cherries almost killed me and after that a plum... some times strawberries but not always. im wondering if that has something to do with what Lzzz said about it being almost off.. I've found that for carrots, if i peel and steam them for just a minute I can eat them with no reaction and still get that crunch while saving some of the raw vitamins.. very interesting folks..
- —Guest roxy
OAS
- I have also sworn that I have a fruit/vegetable allergy, and like above my mom did not believe me! At first I noticed it with apples and carrots, then I began to try new fruits. How horrible it was to discover all the wonderful tasting things I am allergic to. When I ate a plum, my eyes felt as if they would pop out of my head. I get severe chest pains, and have considered going to the ER after eating new fruits. Let's just say I rarely eat fruit anymore unless processed or baked=( It's a horrible feeling!
- —Guest adp424
Severe case
- My sister has a severe case of this that was diagnosed when she was about 16. The only fresh veg she can touch is lettuce. She cannot even peel vegetables such as carrots or potatoes without a reaction. She has, however, found that if she cuts up fruit (with gloves and mask) and leaves it until it is just going off, she can eat it without a reaction. The strange thing is that she is a triplet with an identical sister who has no allergies. She carries strong dose chlorphenamine maleate as she does not wish to use an epi pen and copes by avoidance.
- —Guest Lzzz
oral allergy syndrome
- My youngest daughter suffers from this! I used to think she was making it up when she would tell me certain raw fruits or veggies made her tongue itch. Peeled and gave her a fresh peach one day and immediately her lower lip started tingling then some slight swelling. She mostly avoids fresh, raw fruit and vegetables, but we always keep benedryl on hand just in case. She has never had a "severe" reaction and from everything I've read about this, that is pretty uncommon. Thankfully, she is old enough and has had enough problems with allergies to know what is going on and it doesn't scare her.
- —Guest bewitched67
This sucks
- I first realized this when i ate a peach and got red sores all over the inside and the outside of my mouth. It happened again when I ate and apple and a carrot. Eventually I went to an allergist and she told me that I had OAS and a pretty bad case of it. She told me I had to stay away from many fruits and vegetables and I had to carry and epi-pen with me. Now it is very hard to eat fruits and vegetables and my family and friends are paranoid about my allergy. The only fruits I have eaten in the last 2 years are grapefruits, bananas and watermelons. I hate this allergy because I always have to be careful about what exactly I'm eating and I know there is no cure and nothing I can do to stop it. If anyone knowns anything that I can do to stop this please tell me.
- —Guest Swimmergirl
Im so happy i found this
- Omg! I have been swearing to everyone I know that I have an allergy to fruit and some vegetables, and I am happy to have been proven correct! Also I am very happy that I can put a name to my syndrome! Thanks a lot for the information.
- —Guest griffeygirl
