Swollen lip hours after eating seafood - please weigh in

[Anonymous]

My husband has, for the past year or so, been breaking out in intermittent hives. Sometimes they seems to pop up after he eats seafood, but other times he eats seafood with no hives, and sometimes he gets hives with no seafood exposure.

This week, he ate a shrimp dish for lunch at a thai restaurant. About 3-3.5 hours later, he realized his upper lip was hugely swollen. No pain, no problems breathing, but an enormous lip. The swelling lasted about 24 hours. He looked ridiculous!

He went in today to see an allergist (at my insistence) and the allergist said 3-3.5 hours is too long after eating the shrimp for him to be concerned about a food allergy. He thinks the swollen lip could be from sun exposure the day before (though no sunburn) or my husband's once a day aspirin.

The allergist did no testing of any sort, just sent him on his way.

Smart DCUMs, does this sound normal? Can a food allergy cause symptoms after 3-3.5 hours? Can sun or aspirin cause a swollen lip like that?

On a related note, can you recommend a great allergist in Montgomery County (Silver Spring)? I think I'd like a second opinion if you DCUM folks agree with me that this all sounds weird.

[Anonymous]

I have a very strange allergy to fish, and yes, I have had symptoms show up hours later. At one point, I got hives from pre-natal vitamins hours after taking them, and I think it was the fish oil in them. I have also gotten hives and swelling after eating thai food, from fish sauce. I can eat certain types of fish like salmon and tilapia without incident. It's bizarre. I would recommend he either see an allergist who will take it seriously or just avoid seafood (and Thai food!) completely.

[Anonymous]

Yup, allergy. My brother get swollen lips.

[Anonymous]

Second opinion, definitely.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, sounds exactly what my dad lived with for 50 years (it began after he married my mother!) His lip or eye would swell after eating certain foods, and the reaction went through phases - for years he didn't eat tomatoes, but then found he could. Same with seafood. He has dementia now and treating his allergies has been a huge nightmare since they don't seem to show up via a regular allergy testing (but he has had life-threatening reactions.) Please have your husband get additional opinions, and definitely make sure he carries an Epipen.

[Anonymous]

I get this with oranges (eyes swell, not lips). It took me forever to link which food was causing me problems because it was hours later, sometimes the next day.

Now, I've never been tested because I haven't been concerned about breathing, etc. And it's pretty easy to avoid oranges. Time to time, I'll have a clementine or something just to see if I'm still allergic and yep... Still am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get this with oranges (eyes swell, not lips). It took me forever to link which food was causing me problems because it was hours later, sometimes the next day.

Now, I've never been tested because I haven't been concerned about breathing, etc. And it's pretty easy to avoid oranges. Time to time, I'll have a clementine or something just to see if I'm still allergic and yep... Still am.

That's funny. I'm the PP with the allergic brother. He still won't give up crabs (what he's allergic to) so he will stuff himself and then I make fun of his lips. Eats crabs, yep, still allergic.

[Anonymous]

Keep a log of what you've eaten when you get an allergic reaction. I have a friend who is allergic to shellfish but avoids all seafood dishes at restaurant because even the cross contamination of shellfish having been in the same pan causes allergies.

[Anonymous]

My husband is allergic to shrimp. The allergy didn't start until he was in his 20s and his first reaction was hours after he'd eaten it. He'd already gone to bed for the night and woke up in the middle of the night with difficulty breathing. He used to carry epipens but now that he knows it's ONLY shrimp, it's pretty easy for him to just avoid it.

A few years ago, he was eating a salad someone had made for a picnic and the second he swallowed, he could feel tingling as it went down his throat. He stopped eating right away and asked about the ingredients and found out there was shrimp in it. He downed a bunch of benadryl and was fine.

He was told by his doctor that sometimes allergies that come on suddenly like his did also disappear suddenly. No luck yet, though.

I would absolutely go get testing done.

[Anonymous]

My husband is allergic to shellfish, but can eat mollusks and fish.

[Anonymous]

I think this is possible. I finally figured out after 3 separate incidents that I am allergic to certain shellfish (not shrimp, but lobsters and similar shellfish). I have a delayed allergic reaction where I start throwing up several hours after eating something with shellfish. I haven't been officially diagnosed but I haven't had this kind of reaction since I've been avoiding shellfish.

[Anonymous]

My son got swollen lips, ears etc eating shellfish. It looked like someone too a bicycle pump to his head. His ears looked like sausages stuck to his head. Slits for eyes. Grotesque deformation.

We took him to the ER, and he was treated.

However it was Halloween so after the ER, he answered the door and handed out candy the rest of the night.

He was back up to normal the next day.

[Anonymous]

My husband is allergic. Symptoms show up immediately for him. Shellfish, not all fish.

[Anonymous]

Please see allergists , all of you people with allergies!! Allergies can escalate in intensity. As in, hives with jne exposure but anaphylaxis with the next one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please see allergists , all of you people with allergies!! Allergies can escalate in intensity. As in, hives with jne exposure but anaphylaxis with the next one.

+100!