Another allergic reaction

[SunlightShines]

I did it again. I bought some frozen yogurt. I know better than to ever eat anything without checking the ingredients, but it was yogurt! At first I thought that I was having a reaction to changing my products and now I'm covered in hives and eating benedryl to stop the burning, itching all over me sensations. What comes next is the worst part! My hair will start falling out again!! :( I should have seen the signs, but I didn't. :( I just want to cry!

[Aeris]

That sounds awful! :( What was it in the frozen yogurt that caused it? I had no idea that hair could fall out from simply eating something you are allergic to.

[SunlightShines]

It had calcium sulfate. I'm allergic to sulfa and sulfates and have a sensitivity to sulfites if I get a high concentrate. If I eat something with sulfate, my mouth & throat get blisters and my body gets hives. They are so bad on my head that if I even touch them they will blister up. Later on they scab over & when the scabs fall off, so does my hair.

[ravenreed]

Huh. I have a sulfa allergy too and never thought to look at my food . I have been getting food allergies for a while and now I have a clue of what to look for. I am sorry your allergies are so severe. I hope that you caught it before the hair falling out phase!

[TeaEarlGreyHot]

I'm allergic to Sulfa and my daughter is WICKED allergic to sulfa (hives in her mouth, on the palms of her hands). What you are describing with your hives sounds like a chemical burn as well- this also happens with foods you ingest and not just sulfa in shampoos or whatnot? Have you been skin tested for other allergies? I worked in Allergy and Asthma for years, they don't have a skin test for sulfa and it depends on the practice what drugs they test for but you can get a food panel done to see if there is something else you should be avoiding. As always, if anything changes with your breathing head to the ER at any point an allergy could get worse and cause Anaphylaxis.

[TeaEarlGreyHot]

Also you can take Zyrtec or Claritin in combination with Benadryl. If it lasts a long time (as in days) see your PCP as you might need a steroid with it.

[SunlightShines]

TeaEarlGreyHot- Thank you! I don't remember what foods I was tested for, but I did show reactions to dust mites, roaches and a couple types of pollen. I found out about the sulfas the good old fashion way. I turned into an itchy polka dot! Over the years it seems to get worse each time I eat something with it in it. When I use SLS shampoo's I get hives but nothing like the ones I get from eating sulfa. I can't even drink the bottled water with the minerals because of it.

I have been using Claritin with the Benadryl and I'm putting Caladryl on my scalp. My son is staying home with me tonight to keep an eye on me just in case. If it doesn't start getting better soon I'll go see my doctor.

What does your daughter do to relieve the hives in her mouth? I've been drinking a lot of cold water because it helps cool my mouth, but I feel like I've been scorched from the inside out.

[SunlightShines]

I've found that cold aloe gel takes a lot of the irritation away and I used jojoba oil on my scalp and it seemed to keep the hives from scabbing over as much as it usually does. So far I'm not loosing as much as I usually do. Today I had to clear my drain 3x's but still could have been a lot worst! I'm counting my lucky stars & considering my self on the winning side this round! :)

[DoubleCrowned]

I found that if I do not comb or brush my hair during a reaction, it does not fall out. I can finger comb, even wash my hair with plain water during a reaction without causing a fall.

There is a thread somewhere on hair care for people who have a chemical sensitivity somewhere on TLHC. Maybe someone there has some ideas that will help your hair stay put.

I hope you can heal quickly.