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Sudden onset (age 30) of random anaphylaxis episodes AND body hives
My daughter (30) has never had allergic reactions to food nor bugs etc., that caused severe body hives AND random episodes of idiopathic anaphylaxis.
Suddenly since August she had had to randomly rush to ER multiple times, was given Epi pen, asthma inhaler, sent home. Follow-up with an allergist said seems she is suddenly allergic to bed bugs and/or dust mites. She has had her apartment staff check, there have been no indications of bedbugs in her luxury apartment, quite new...she has always been very cautious about dusting, cleaning, etc..
She cannot see any evidence of bedbugs and/or dust mites. She is going to buy a portable air purifier.
It is strange because there is no noted travel variable (hotel stays bug bites etc) to blame since she can be sitting peacefully working at her computer, then start to feel diarrhea feeling, tightening of chest, then throat glands start swelling etc. Upon viewing the massive body hives the allergist stated it is not a food allergy, she had bed bug bites.
Her follow-up test with allergist showed some allergy to some seafoods (shrimp etc.), and apparently allergies to bed bugs and dust mites.
I told her to look into getting a second opinion, to explore other causes..since the allergist really seems to be not broadening scope of assessment...now my daughter has to constantly carry an epi pen, etc., since she never knows when she can suddenly not breath.
Her bloodwork at the ER did not indicate anything particular, it seems..I worry she will one day randomly suffocate. She lives on west coast and I live on east coast.
When I searched the internet and suggested maybe it's lupis all of a sudden, or some autoimmune disease all of a sudden, she became annoyed with me and told me to stop trolling the internet, so I stopped. She is under a lot of stress professionally, works long hours...so I am just trying to get more information for her to offer to her allergist as other reasons for unexplained anaphylaxis etc. at her age, when she has always been very healthy.
Any thoughts as to other reasons that could cause these life-threatening symptoms? Any recommendations for other doctor specialties to consult for second opinion?
Your assistance will be greatly appreciated.
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It’s certainly very frustrating to have such frightening symptoms and not know what is causing it. I wanted to share something that was similar to your daughter, I started with an outbreak of pink bumps that were causing itching and my breathing was laborious, I do have COPD and asthma but this was very different…the pink bumps were mainly on my chest and stomach and the constant itching was awful, I tried antihistamines and lotions but to no avail. My doctor also said it was bugs and that the pink bumps were a allergic reaction to this…I couldn’t come to terms with this diagnosis and he finally referred me to a dermatologist but the appointment was a while away so in the meantime I did my usual researching and one thing that came up was if I bought anything new like furniture but I had my sofa for a year or so, the only new thing I could think of was the Kurig coffee machine with the little coffee pods and eureka it was the culprit, I read that the pods were plastic and when I heated up it released a chemical that affects the endocrine system and it’s very harmful especially for females. I stopped using the machine and everything cleared up, I know that you can buy the pods without so much plastic but I packed it in and went back to my coffee maker. I hope that helps and maybe it could possibly help her to look into other options, best wishes.
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5 ReactionsWOW...THANK YOU SO MUCH DEAR FOR SHARING! I will send her your comments. Now we can think outa the box a bit..she did get a new sofa early this year AND there may be other objects that are new too that when heated release chemicals etc...
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3 ReactionsIn addition to the coffee pods and furniture that have been mentioned, she might also be affected by new carpeting or flooring that has been laid down with glue substances that are harmful when inhaled over a period of time. Lastly, cleaning products that contain chlorine and other agents can trigger plenty of breathing problems.
Regards,
Sagan
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5 ReactionsIt’s so tough to go through this. She might try finding an allergist/immunologist who specializes in these cases. They put a bunch of patches on your back with different potential irritants for 5 days and see what happens. New carpets, sofas, cabinets (and apparently coffee pods- I had no idea 🥹) can all off-gas. The list is endless so it’s trial and error. Took me years to figure it out and new ones still pop up. Good luck!
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3 Reactions@saganjames thank you so much, I had not even considered these things, nor did my daughter...will share with her today..wishing you peaceful day
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1 Reaction@drsharon thank you!