Pepper Allergy!??? OMG!!

[Risque Cakes]

( going to post here, but can be moved at mods discretion..don't know where to put this..lol)

Well, I found out a little over 18 months ago that I'm allergic to PEPPER!!!!!!!!!

We were in school, playing "GUESS THAT SPICE" and I had my nose in a couple of platefuls of spices and about 30 mins my nose started to run and my face ( under nose ) started to turn beet red...

I ended up losing 3 days of school while my face sloughed off the outter layer of skin!!

I always thought that I was reacting to PORK FAT..hehee, whenever my mom made fried pork chops, she always used a little extra pepper to season the fatty part! (my fav part!!) because everytime we had that for dinner my nose would start to itch and run.

It wasn't until I had the school incident that I had such a reaction that needed medical intervention..lol



The reason I'm so sad is that I just remembered this because I have a hankering for PEPPERCRUSTED STEAK from Las Halles...MY FAVORITE!!!

I absolutely LOVE anything peppery, pepper crusted salami, extra pepper on my fries...pepper, pepper..gimme pepper..! lol I wonder just how much pepper would it take to actually send me into shock? or can it?? or maybe it's not an allergy but an over sensitivity to the oils? mmmmmmmmm!?

My question is, how many of you guys out there have some sort of adverse reaction to an "UNCOMMON" or "COMMON" ingredient that you use or ingest?

[pgr555]

Hi,
I have never posted here before. I am a caterer and generally lurk in the catering/chef/recipe sectons. The pepper allergy title caught my attention. I have a question and some SERIOUS advice:

Question: What kind of pepper are you talking about? Black or other? I am allergic to NIGHTSHADES - these include bell, red, chili, cayenne, etc. Everything EXCEPT white and black which are a different plant family. If it is BLACK you actually have a bigger problem - read point two.

If your skin literally sloughed off - or you got a serious rash/redness/change in skin - then yes you are having a serious reaction. What medical people have told me is that these sensitivities only get worse & you need to avoid at all costs. You can see the implications for black pepper which is in EVERYTHING!!!! I would talk to my dr and see about carrying an epi pen.

Would love if you would clarify for us.
pgr

[pgr555]

people often crave what they are allergic to --

[Risque Cakes]

Originally Posted by pgr555

Hi,
I have never posted here before. I am a caterer and generally lurk in the catering/chef/recipe sectons. The pepper allergy title caught my attention. I have a question and some SERIOUS advice:

Question: What kind of pepper are you talking about? Black or other? I am allergic to NIGHTSHADES - these include bell, red, chili, cayenne, etc. Everything EXCEPT white and black which are a different plant family. If it is BLACK you actually have a bigger problem - read point two.

If your skin literally sloughed off - or you got a serious rash/redness/change in skin - then yes you are having a serious reaction. What medical people have told me is that these sensitivities only get worse & you need to avoid at all costs. You can see the implications for black pepper which is in EVERYTHING!!!! I would talk to my dr and see about carrying an epi pen.

Would love if you would clarify for us.
pgr

__________________________________________________ _______

Since we were playing "guess the spice" I'm not sure what type of pepper. All I know is there were many, many pie plates full of different types.

When there is pepper present, my reaction is this...as soon as we shake the pepper onto anything on the plates, even near me...I IMMEDIATELY start to sneeze and my nose starts to run.

I don't have any difficulty in breathing though.

When we were rubbing our noses into the plates, the skin under my nose and over my lip started to turn red, like a minor sunburn, then peeled like one. So maybe it's a reaction to something in the dried pepper...nothing happens to me when I eat the veggie though.

The Dr. didn't seemed to concerned, just told me to take a few days off since I looked so bad..( working with food and all..lol) Maybe it's time for a follow up...

[pgr555]

All I can say is if it were me I would be concerned... and avoiding black pepper as much as possible. Also, would probably seek an allergist or better yet a naturopath and check it further. imagine if your throat did what your nose did! Again I say "what does it cost to carry an epi pen?"

[DC Sunshine]

Originally Posted by pgr555

All I can say is if it were me I would be concerned... and avoiding black pepper as much as possible. Also, would probably seek an allergist or better yet a naturopath and check it further. imagine if your throat did what your nose did! Again I say "what does it cost to carry an epi pen?"

I agree with pgr...better safe than sorry!

Although it also got me thinking - such a high amount of exposure to so much pepper may have triggered it. That's not normal in the course of a day. Did your skin actually contact the peppers? I was thinking that if you rubbed hot cut chillis onto your skin that pretty much anyone would get a free skin peel!

Severe reactions need to be treated seriously - just imagine if the same thing happened to the lining of your throat.......

I'm allergic to sulphur - the first time before it was diagnosed I got a rash, next time it was major blisters. Doc said I can NEVER take it again - as I said, if if affects your throat and/or lungs - you're pretty much pushing up the daisies.

[Risque Cakes]

yepper, had my nose all up in it..lol and that's what I figured, aside from the severe sneezing that comes hand in hand whenever I'm around pepper...I thought that just about anyone would get a free facial when they come into contact with the oils...even with the dried herbs.

[AndyG]

Aw MAN that's unfortunate. But do take notice what pgr said, you need to know what type of pepper.

I was severely allergic to shrimp for about 10 years, one of my favorite foods. Now I'm not (I found out with an extensive food allergy blood test) and I'm so glad, but I also won't overdo the shrimp.

[canadiangirl]

Ok. First most people when sniffing peppers-sneeze, itch, eyes water and oils irratate skin, sniffinf enough that close to your nose can get the essential oils on it. If cayenne pepper is shaken in the same room as me I lose it! But I love it! If it doesn't affect breathing you should be ok.(I was seriously allergic to any animal that sheds when I was young-but my mom couldn't keep me away from ANY animal! I "outgrew" my allergy!TG)
You'd be suprised about how acidic oils can be from surprising sources. . My mom works for a plastic surgeon and they use amazing acids for peels. For Thanksgiving they do a pumpkin peel. Yes it works. I also do a honey peel that is strong.
canadiangirl