Crestfallen.nu

Oral allergy syndrome?

You learn something different every day. Today was oral allergy syndrome.

I was looking up something for fruit allergies because I’m allergic to a lot of fruits. It’s a mild allergy (scratchy throat, swollen lip), but it’s enough for me to avoid those fruits because of how much of an annoyance it is. Sadly, my allergies are triggered by common fruits. You know, like oranges, apples, bananas, mangoes, peaches, grapes (I can’t even eat one–and you see how small them things are?!)…in fact I think the only conventional fruit that I won’t have a reaction to and can stand to eat are strawberries.

I’ve also noticed that sometimes when I have strawberry-banana smoothies, then I’m okay; despite having bananas in there. Of course, my mom makes them so that there is very little banana in it, so that can be why I don’t have a reaction, but there’s also this:

Peeling or cooking the foods has shown to reduce the effects of the allergy in the throat and mouth, but may not relieve reactions in the gastrointestinal tract.

I don’t seem to have a problem when it’s in drink form, but in its natural state is not pretty for me. It wasn’t always like this. I remember when I was younger, I ate plums like no tomorrow. I love(d) plums. Then one day I felt my throat scratching after eating a plum and would never go away for a few hours. I didn’t know what it was, and then I ate another plum and had the same effect. That was the end of me eating plums. Eventually plums made my lip swell as well. Wonderfuckingful. Then everything else followed–first it was bananas, then peaches, apples, mangoes (which also causes my lip to swell), and eventually grapes. Like I said, I can’t even eat one.

Naturally, I prefer fruits over vegetables, but I’ve noticed that I don’t have too many adverse effects with the ones that I do eat. I noticed a reaction to almonds just last year, and that sucked, because I love almonds; especially ones in chocolate.

I didn’t know that they had a name for something like this. I know that allergies come and go. Maybe they will go the way of the dodo eventually. I hope so, because I’d kill for a mango right now.