WTF I'm allergic to calamari?

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: Locut0s
Last night me and the family went out for Greek. For anyone who knows Vancouver it was Stepho's Greek Taverna, known for their O.K. food, very cheap meals, and long lineups. The food is what I would call passably good Greek, certainly not bad but nothing special. The portions are huge for the cost.

Anyway I ordered the Calimari. Aside from being a bit too oily I liked the meal quite a bit.

2 Hours latter and I'm starting to itch. Several hours latter and it's obviously hives. Wake up this morning and it's all over my chest and arms. Go to the clinic just to be sure it's an allergy and he prescribes an antihistamine as I thought he would. Took the antihistamine and now I'm feeling better.

Strange I've had Calamari a dozen times in my life before and never got any reaction. The only thing I knew I was allergic to before this was cat dander. Which is fine by me as cats are evil It's possible that I'm allergic to something else like shellfish and this was cross contamination. There were a lot of shellfish being served to others. Which would be fine by me too as shellfish is evil too. But I like Calamari

Did you have sex before goin g out for dinner??
If you did --You could be allergic to sex!!

 

[BoomerD]

You can tune-a-fish but you can't call-a-mari...

With the reaction you had, Benadryl would have been my first response...WAY before going to a doctor.

If the Benadryl hadn't started reducing the symptoms in about 20 minutes, THEN, MAYBE I'd have considered a doctor visit.

I've eaten fish tacos for decades, (one of my all-time favorite foods) and we'd eaten in one of the local eateries for 15 years, and one afternoon, I had their fish tacos, something I'd had there numerous times, and within 30 minutes, I was itching all over, had hives like mad, and was starting to have a serious allergic reaction. We drove to the nearest drug store (no grocery stores close) and I downed 2 Benadryls before I even hit the cash register to pay for them. Problem solved, but the mystery continues. I talked to the manager and the chef in the restaurant to try to identify the cause. Nothing out of the ordinary in the food prep. Fresh fish, the same spices and ingredients as always. (I occasionally have an allergic reaction to mackerel for some odd reason, and wondered if that may have been the cause--nope.)
My wife is allergic to cilantro of all dammed things, so she USUALLY has Benadryl in her purse, but since we weren't going to a Mexican restaurant, she didn't check before we left the house.

AFAIK, other than the mackrel, the only things I've ever had that caused an allergic reaction is bee-stings, (animal protein?) and codeine/hydrocodone. (I can take oxycodone with no problem)

 

[D1gger]

Originally posted by: Locut0s
Last night me and the family went out for Greek. For anyone who knows Vancouver it was Stepho's Greek Taverna, known for their O.K. food, very cheap meals, and long lineups. The food is what I would call passably good Greek, certainly not bad but nothing special. The portions are huge for the cost.

Anyway I ordered the Calimari. Aside from being a bit too oily I liked the meal quite a bit.

2 Hours latter and I'm starting to itch. Several hours latter and it's obviously hives. Wake up this morning and it's all over my chest and arms. Go to the clinic just to be sure it's an allergy and he prescribes an antihistamine as I thought he would. Took the antihistamine and now I'm feeling better.

Strange I've had Calamari a dozen times in my life before and never got any reaction. The only thing I knew I was allergic to before this was cat dander. Which is fine by me as cats are evil It's possible that I'm allergic to something else like shellfish and this was cross contamination. There were a lot of shellfish being served to others. Which would be fine by me too as shellfish is evil too. But I like Calamari

Sorry to hear you may now allergic to calamari, but it can happen. A good friend of mine developed a severe allergy to dairy (has to carry an epi-pen and has had to use it twice) and he is just about 50 years old. He had eaten dairy all his life and suddenly now can't touch it or he may die. I would suggest you actually get tested for allergies.

PS: -- next time you want greek food, try the Appollonia Restaurant on Fir Street. Much better food than Stepho's and still very inexpensive.

 

[Locut0s]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
You're probably allergic to shrimp and scallops too.

Nope on the shrimp. I eat shrimp far more often than squid. I almost never have scallops so I don't know about those. Like others have said I might be allergic to something entirely different that just happened to be in the meal with the Calamari.

 

[Bulk Beef]

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: Locut0s

Originally posted by: spidey07
You might want to get tested. Shellfish allergies can be pretty serious.

Yeah I know this. However I don't plan on eating any actual shellfish any time soon as I hate all varieties of mussels, clams, and crabs. I've had these in the past and never had a reaction. Also this reaction was skin only. Never had any trouble breathing or swelling. With cats I can't breath after being around them for only a few hours. I'm reduced to an amusing wheezing, itching, sneezing, crying conversation piece.

You still should get tested because iodine is used in various medical procedures and you would probably want to know if any of those would kill you.

Shellfish allergies and iodine allergies are two different things, and an allergy to one does not mean an allergy to the other.

 

[sao123]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
it could be iodine, a lot of people that are allergic to iodine react to many types of seafood

can you eat other seafoods without trouble?

good thing you never watched star wars... you might have an allergic reaction too...

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Locut0s

Originally posted by: Fritzo
You're probably allergic to shrimp and scallops too.

Nope on the shrimp. I eat shrimp far more often than squid. I almost never have scallops so I don't know about those. Like others have said I might be allergic to something entirely different that just happened to be in the meal with the Calamari.

Maybe cayenne pepper? It's often on Calamari and a lot of people are sensitive to it.

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: Bulk Beef

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: Locut0s

Originally posted by: spidey07
You might want to get tested. Shellfish allergies can be pretty serious.

Yeah I know this. However I don't plan on eating any actual shellfish any time soon as I hate all varieties of mussels, clams, and crabs. I've had these in the past and never had a reaction. Also this reaction was skin only. Never had any trouble breathing or swelling. With cats I can't breath after being around them for only a few hours. I'm reduced to an amusing wheezing, itching, sneezing, crying conversation piece.

You still should get tested because iodine is used in various medical procedures and you would probably want to know if any of those would kill you.

Shellfish allergies and iodine allergies are two different things, and an allergy to one does not mean an allergy to the other.

Interesting. I looked this up to confirm. I'm a bid saddened as I've heard doctors ask this question more than a few times and it seems to be a totally bogus connection.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: Bulk Beef

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: Locut0s

Originally posted by: spidey07
You might want to get tested. Shellfish allergies can be pretty serious.

Yeah I know this. However I don't plan on eating any actual shellfish any time soon as I hate all varieties of mussels, clams, and crabs. I've had these in the past and never had a reaction. Also this reaction was skin only. Never had any trouble breathing or swelling. With cats I can't breath after being around them for only a few hours. I'm reduced to an amusing wheezing, itching, sneezing, crying conversation piece.

You still should get tested because iodine is used in various medical procedures and you would probably want to know if any of those would kill you.

Shellfish allergies and iodine allergies are two different things, and an allergy to one does not mean an allergy to the other.

Interesting. I looked this up to confirm. I'm a bid saddened as I've heard doctors ask this question more than a few times and it seems to be a totally bogus connection.

If I remember correctly, iodine allergies are usually associated with a metalic taste in your mouth.