What are you allergic to?

[voodoolily]

I have no allergies, but I grew up eating mud pies and shit (not "shit" shit, just random berries and stuff). I often wonder how this has affected my lack of allergies and general adult health. Share please?

[Samwise]

I think I'm allergic to cats, which is unfortunate since I do generally like them.  They don't throw me into sneezing fits or anything, but I tend to get red, itchy eyes if I'm around a cat for extended periods.

My dad's side of the family has tons of allergies (I'm pretty sure every single one of them is allergic to cats, and many of them have miscellaneous weird food allergies too), so I got off fairly light.  I've never been stung by a bee (I don't bug them, they don't bug me) so I'm not sure whether I'm allergic to them or not.

I didn't eat dirt or mud as a kid, but I did do a lot of berry foraging and so forth, and never gave much thought to washing stuff before eating it.  I almost never get sick, with the chief exception being throat infections, which tear right through my immune system for some reason.

[SurfD]

I used to be athsmatic (mostly diffuculty breathing after heavy exertion, triggered by various types of plant polen), had an inhailer and whatnot, but I seem to have outgrown it.

I think I'm allergic to cats, which is unfortunate since I do generally like them.  They don't throw me into sneezing fits or anything, but I tend to get red, itchy eyes if I'm around a cat for extended periods.

I actually have the same problem, however i dont think it is an allergic reaction, but rather just a natural reaction to excessive amounts of cat hair.  My Brother and his wife have 3 cats, all of them long haired breeds, and I get very dry, itchy, red eyes if i stay at their place for more then 24 hours. However, their cats shed like MAD (I mean, you can litterally go to any upholsterd surface in their house, rub your hand on it, and come up with a ball of fur.)

I also came from a family that rigourously believed that the best way to make sure your kids didnt become fatally ill was to make sure they were exposed to everything early.  None of this "oh no, little jimmy has the sniffles, better rush him to the doctors and get him on heavy antibiotics" shit that parents do now.   Nooo, my mother actually sent us over to play with the neighbours kids when she found out that they had chickenpox......

As a result, I have grown up as one of those people who believes that you dont visit the doctor unless you are pretty damn sure whatever you have is going to kill you.  I rarely ever get sick (the rounds of flu that put people at work out of comission for 4-5 days give me sniffles for about 24 hours), and try not to use medication unless it is really serious (i think the last time i took an asperin for a headache was 15 or more years ago)..

[voodoolily]

I've only had to go to the doctor for an illness once in my adult life (I had a tonsil infection). I took all my antibiotics and was fine. Sauced has struggled with bouts of sinus infections his whole life, and strong scents and pollens seem to trigger a little stuffiness. But my perfume doesn't seem to bother him. Dunno if it's because I just wear essential oil of fig (which is mild and not synthetic) or what. I went into a fancy soap store once and the scents were so strong that it felt like I had a dagger between my eyes. But it didn't trigger any allergic reaction.

I'm just curious about whether or not the stereotype about gamer nerdy-types being more prone to allergies and whatnot is accurate.

[Kenrick]

-Sulfa drugs
-Amoxicillin
-Cats
-Pollens and dust and stuff
-French people

[Rasix]

Highly allergic to most pollens, dusts, and other crap in our air. All my life. I used to play outside a lot as a kid.  Hell, before I was 10 and moved to Chandler, all I did was play in the acre of desert land we had.

Allergic to cats, and I have four of them. I used to be much much more allergic than I am now.

I think I have a beef protein allergy, but that has never been completely proven.  Pretty sure on the lactose intollerant part of it though and I grew up drinking milk and having milk in my cereal all my life.

I get sick a lot more now that I'm less physically active.  Taking a year off atheletics after major back surgery at age 21 didn't help much.  I can pretty much count on 2 colds, 1 flu, and probably a couple bouts of extreme sinus pain every year.

[Signe]

Raw coconut, Brazill nuts, Amonds,  potato skin, cardboard dust, styrofoam dust, all contact allergies so it's an itch thing.

Chocolate.   

[schild]

Ready for this?

Newspaper print makes me sneeze uncontrollably. Especially if it's humid. Hasn't been that bad in Arizona, but if I touch a newspaper and it gets ANYWHERE near my face - I can't stop. It's terrible.

[Raging Turtle]

Ready for this?

Newspaper print makes me sneeze uncontrollably. Especially if it's humid. Hasn't been that bad in Arizona, but if I touch a newspaper and it gets ANYWHERE near my face - I can't stop. It's terrible.

That does suck; leafing through a heavy sunday paper is something I really enjoy.

Penicillin will kill me if I don't get to a hospital in time.    

[MuffinMan]

Only thing I've ever found is a reaction to a certain wood in pencils. It's usually the cheaper kinds and made in China.  Makes the tip of my fingers blister up. Before I use a Chinese pencil I have to smell it first to see if it's safe to use.

[Shockeye]

I'm allergic to work.

[schild]

I'm allergic to work.

The only cure is work. Ironic, that.

[Shockeye]

I'm allergic to work.

The only cure is work. Ironic, that.

So I was at a Toys R Us today and they had 3 Xbox 360 Premiums and 2 Cores. I had no desire to buy one.

[Pococurante]

My dad's side of the family has tons of allergies.

Same.  And my sis and my mom's side were hardly immune.

The only allergy I had growing up was skin reaction to chocolate and tomato sauce on my face. (Ugh - the only two things kids care about)  I outgrew it by age three.

At age six I developed a bizarre craving for raw meat.  Drove my parents nuts and they did what they could to keep it out of my reach.  Found it anyway, well into my mid-teens.  And until I was 26 I never got sick.  Not even colds.  This in a family (and extended family) of people who are constantly ill with something.

Then at age 26 I got hammered with mononucleosis and as I was used to being an ironman I never bothered to get it treated.  Ever since then I get pretty ill right around new years and then nothing.  Until next new years.  And that's how it has been ever since.  And I still like bachelor burgers (*) but now I'm more sophisticated and call it steak tartar.  Or as I learned in Belgium, American Fricasse (which I to the amusement of all in the hall freely translated as Fried Americans).

My private theory? Allergies are a body turning on itself because it has nothing else to fight.  So give it something to fight.  Clean freaks damage their children.  Guess a few million years of evolution still edges out a few generations of Sanitation. :P

(*) raw hamburger ground from lean steak bought from a good butcher, mixed with mustard seed and a lot of pressed garlic, served on buttered well-toasted bun with mayonaise and more mustard.  Serve with fruit, salad, and a few glasses of red wine just to make sure most of the "bugs" get pickled.  And me too. :)

[schild]

Raw meat is yummy. I always get sick around my birthday. Every year. Like clockwork.

[El Gallo]

Dust mites. Not so  bad with an air purifier in the bedroom, daily claratin, and a a cleaning service.  More of an issue back when I sang, but now it's no biggie.

[Paelos]

Pool Chlorine. I sneeze like a fiend after about half an hour in a pool.

[Nebu]

I was taught in medical school that significant number of people claiming to have an allergy actually just had a bad reaction (stomach ache, diarrhea, etc) and aren't necessarily allergic to what they claim. I encourage any of you that haven't done so, to get tested for your allergies or have a broad allergy screen done. 

That's my 3am public service message.

[Signe]

Well, I have to admit that I'm not actually allergic to any of those things in the traditional sense.  They just make me itch.  If I eat a bit of good chocolate, my gums and throat itch like mad for about five or ten minutes... I don't get sick or fall over or anything like that.  If I peel potatoes without wearing gloves, my turn pink and itch.   Cardboard and styrofoam dust give me a rash.  Nothing is life threatening... just annoying enough to keep me away.  Some antibiotics make me itch in unmentionalbe places that I won't mention. 

My aunt is allergic to bee stings.  If a bee stings her, her throat swells and she has to have medicine or she'll die.   It happened once in front of me and was very scary.  THAT'S an allergy and nothing like that has ever happened to me.

[Evangolis]

I'm allergic to poison ivy and dust.  I wasn't allergic to either, but I developed allergies to both through excessive expsoure when I was young and stupid. 

[stray]

Pollens, etc..

As a kid, I broke out in the hives twice from eating German sausage. I'm not sure what kind, so I stay away from all of it.

[Hanzii]

I'm allergic to poison

me too

[Sairon]

I'm not allergic to anything that I know of. However there's a strange thing runing in the family which I've inherited from my father. Whenever I go to hospitals I get dizzy and sweaty, if I spend upwards an hour or more in hospitals I generaly faint. Before I was born my mother was hospitalized and my father naturaly payed her a visist. Before he reached her he fainted and instead my mother visited him in his hospital bed :-D

[Hanzii]

I'm not allergic to anything that I know of. However there's a strange thing runing in the family which I've inherited from my father. Whenever I go to hospitals I get dizzy and sweaty, if I spend upwards an hour or more in hospitals I generaly faint. Before I was born my mother was hospitalized and my father naturaly payed her a visist. Before he reached her he fainted and instead my mother visited him in his hospital bed :-D

I think that strange affliction is called being a big pussy  :-D

[Fabricated]

Pollen, dust, general stuff like that.

There's some antibiotic I used to take a lot as a kid that I'm not allergic to, but I can't remember the name.

Oh yeah, and bee stings.

[Lt.Dan]

My wife has a severe nut allergy - a piece the size of the head of a pin is a hospital trip.  In much lesser degrees she's also allergic to dairy products (caseine to be precise), honey (and bee stings), orange, dust.  Apart from that she's totally healthy.

[Merusk]

I used to be athsmatic (mostly diffuculty breathing after heavy exertion, triggered by various types of plant polen), had an inhailer and whatnot, but I seem to have outgrown it.

I had the same thing, from the age of 10 until ithe age of 16.  Swimming increased my lung capacity, but it was still below most people's.  Then after puberty smacked me over the summer, it was gone and I haven't had a problem since.  It used to be so bad I couldn't even go into my Aunt's house without being on medication and keeping the inhailer close by (dogs and a smoker) Now, no biggie.

Alleriges these days are nil.  Unless you count runny nose and watering eyes if the ragweed count hits just below 'omfg don't go outside' levels.  I blame the pool chemicals that bleached my hair then made it so I could rip out clumps without feeling it, and turned my skin to scales junior/ senior year.

[Strazos]

Oddly, it seems my allergies cycle every few years.

When I was a kid, I was pretty susceptible to pollen (grass, etc) in the fall and spring. Also, cats. I use to get somewhat asthmatic if I was very active outdoors in the fall or spring, especially after someone cut their lawn.

As I got older, I also developed a case of lactose intolerance to a degree.

Now, my seasonal allergies have practically disappeared. I haven't taken pills for years, expect for almost 3 weeks in Italy (different pollen + urban atmosphere?). The lactose intolerance is practically nil.

Unfortunately, I've developed a severe allergy to crab, lobster, and shrimp. Hives, wheezing, and all. I even had a script for 2 epinephrine pens when I went overseas.

Seeing as how I believe allergies are not exactly a weakness, but a result of an overly-vigilant immune system, I don't really mind. I'm practically never sick, and the only medicine I ever take is headache pain relievers.

[Shockeye]

Seeing as how I believe allergies are not exactly a weakness, but a result of an overly-vigilant immune system, I don't really mind.

You go on and believe that but when you're on your mass-murder spree we'll all know how to stop you: with a gift certificate to Red Lobster.

[Paelos]

Seeing as how I believe allergies are not exactly a weakness, but a result of an overly-vigilant immune system, I don't really mind.

You go on and believe that but when you're on your mass-murder spree we'll all know how to stop you: with a gift certificate to Red Lobster.

That would kill anyone.

[Arnold]

I was taught in medical school that significant number of people claiming to have an allergy actually just had a bad reaction (stomach ache, diarrhea, etc) and aren't necessarily allergic to what they claim. I encourage any of you that haven't done so, to get tested for your allergies or have a broad allergy screen done. 

That's my 3am public service message.

When I eat dairy products, I get a runny nose and phlegm in the throat.  Same for my little brother.  It didn't start hitting me until I was almost 20, but my brother has had it all his life.  It's not life threatening, but very annoying, so I avoid dairy most of the time.  Still, I gotta have my cheeseburgers and pizzza.

Is that an allergy?

Oh, the other thing that used to get me was liquid soad.  When "Softsoap" (the brand) came out, my mom bought it and my hands broke out horribly.  My skin would crack, and even start to bleed.  Eventually "Softsoap" changed its formula and caused me no probs.  I can now use most liquids, but sometimes I run into some really cheap stuff that gives me the same problems.

[schild]

Oh, the other thing that used to get me was liquid soad.  When "Softsoap" (the brand) came out, my mom bought it and my hands broke out horribly.  My skin would crack, and even start to bleed.  Eventually "Softsoap" changed its formula and caused me no probs.  I can now use most liquids, but sometimes I run into some really cheap stuff that gives me the same problems.

Did you ever find out what it was? I mean, you could've owned softsoap if there were no warnings. :P

[Samprimary]

Cute, adorable, loveable kitties.

[Surlyboi]

Cats, dust, pollen, to a lesser extent, chocolate and onions.

[Signe]

So... this could kill you?