[ShariDCST]

Originally Posted by Dragonnurse1

Have you heard about Multi-chemical sensitivity(often simply called MCS)? Make a list of everything that causes you to react to and all the antibiotics that you are allergic to and go to a really good Dermatoligist. If you are lucky and you have a Dr. that believes in MCS he may be able to corralate the reactions. You said in your post that you have added another antibiotic to your no-no list. This proves that your intolerance for antibiotics is advancing and your reaction to chemicals in your daily life can also grow.

I had never been allergic to anything even poison ivy. My Dad and I used to pull it up by the roots bare-handed until one day (after I had become a nurse) I pulled some poison ivy and had a reaction. I landed in the hospital ER, my ER where I worked; epi, benadryl and steroids. My first reaction was so bad that the Dr. told me that I must never touch the stuff again because the next reaction might put me on a vent. Add an allergic reaction to neoprene and a dx. of latex sensitivity and I was a walking time bomb. I went off March 12, 2003.

How well can you eat bananas, canteloupe, tomatos, potatos? I am southern born and southern bred, that means that tomatos and canteloupe were foods that I grew up on and love. My last canteloupe was in 2005 - i itched for 48hrs non-stop even my eyes itched.

Avoid adhesives as much as possible as each exposure tends to be a little worse than the last Make that list and find an up to date Dr. and follow up with your reactions

Hope you figure out your trigger. Good luck

No - I hadn't heard of that until now! Thanks for letting me know about it. I have never had any reaction whatsoever to Poison Ivy and the like - and I know I should have! But nothing so far........
I, too, am from the South, and the foods you mentioned cause me no issues at all. I didn't care for tomatoes much when I was a kid, and don't eat them often now, but more than I did then. The melon thing I couldn't get into either - except for the "water" variety! Love me some good cold watermelon on a hot summer day - with a light sprinkle of salt........
As for the rest, I have been allergic to Penincillin since high school, rapidly followed by Sulfa, Keflex and E-mycin. NOW I have had to add Doxycycline to that list - I had it prescribed recently for a (potential) respiratory infection that was getting worse, but turned out not to be pneumonia, but by the third day on it, I was getting red, raised, itchy, almost scaly-looking patches on odd places here and there. I stopped taking it, and they started to fade some, but haven't retreated completely, and it's now been two weeks.
I will investigate the Dermatologists in the area, and see if I can come up with someone who can help me. Right now I'm dealing with healing/rehabbing a torn right rotator cuff, after 2 surgeries 6 months apart, and nine months from first injury. It's sort of taken precedence over everything else lately!
Thanks so much for the good information, and I'm glad to see that you have managed to remain amongst the living! Living like that "time bomb" you mentioned must be somewhat nervewracking, to say the least!

[Dragonnurse1]

watermelon and salt - just my cup of tea. Hope you find a good MD. Good luck with your shoulder.

[BeeSunnyRN]

With all respect to your anesthesia group, as a nurse and sometimes patient with a latex allergy I understand it is difficult to get a straight answer from some patients. I also understand how uncomfortable it can be to try to 'convince' care-givers that I really know what I'm allergic to.

I do not react positively to blood allergy tests. However I do react to challenge tests. If I have one more care-giver tell me it will all be ok because they aren't going to touch me with the latex gloves I think I'll scream. I don't have a contact allergy. I have anaphylactic reactions to airborne latex particles that float around when the staff is using latex gloves anywhere near me. I do not have asthma, rarely wheeze, instead I tend to just have some minor itching around my nose, lips, as it progresses my tongue and ears itch. All the while my blood pressure and O2 sat. is getting lower and lower. It is hard for me to judge for myself during a reaction but I have also gotten to the point of having a decreased LOC. For obvious reasons I don't know if that happens each time.

Your questions about underwear is valid as long as it is asked with respect. Personally, underwear can cause irritation to me if I'm hot, or the elastic is exposed. I try to buy the panties with covered elastic and such. I am more likely to react to things that I can smell such as athletic shoe stores or rubber tires in the auto dept. or bike stores. I just simply avoid all those areas as much as possible. Unfortunately most gyms are off limits to me with all the rubber mats, balls, and even handles on the equipment, I just start itching and feel SOB.

The idea of checking a spina bifida web site is the best! Large numbers of children with spina bifida have latex allergies. There are many foods that are similar in the protein structure to latex. Not all of us react to the same foods but most people with latex allergies are reactive to the top offenders such as kiwi, advocado, & banana. People known to be allergic to these foods should be assumed to also have latex sensitivities until proved otherwise.

As to the question about protein- any allergy is the bodie's reaction to a protein in a given substance so the doctor was partially correct. I'm not an expert but off the top of my head I'd guess there are proteins in both shellfish as well as iodine or people wouldn't have those allergies.

Please understand this is a very scary allergy. One because natural rubber/latex is EVERYWHERE, two because my experience tells me there are a lot of misconceptions and that people don't always take me seriously or listen to what I tell them I have previously reacted to.

A little compassion and a little listening (which I know is hard to have the time to do) as well as a lot of vigilance will go a long way towards reassuring your fellow staff members as well as your patients.

be safe!

[Dragonnurse1]

Yah Beesunny RN Thank you if enough of us keep yelling at the wind someone will finally hear us. I had to give up my job because of latex allergy but I can eat shellfish but give my a canteloupe and I will be in the hospital and that is the last place I want to go,.

I was an ER nurse. 9+ years. I recommend to anyone with latex issues to go to Yahoo groups and look up LAforum. A group that had about 40 members in 2004 and now over 200 and climbing. There are people from all around the world, England, New south Wales, Australia, to name a few. Some are still early just diagnosed and some have had the allergy 10+ years. They have extensive libraries of crossreactives, links to other sites but non to help us the latex challenged to make the world understand.

When i was last in the hospital my husband made a no latex sign for my door and the first person in my RN wearing latex gloves asked me what does that mean? If I had not been on a continous racemic updraft at the moment I would have screamed. My hubby also medical (surgical scrub) informed her to follow him out of the room and I heard some very serious explaining being done.

Then I got the dreaded residents - their attending does not believe not believe in latex allergies. Yeah and I am the easter bunny. Now I carry a self made "How to take care of the latex allergic patient" I included the multi-chemicaled challenged as I have progressed past just the "latex" part. I have now added many other chemicals airborne and otherwise. I have to wear a respirator to go shopping.

My most embaressing moment to date was my reaction at my own mothers viewing. I pre medicated (100 benadryl and 40 pepcid) but I did not know that the embalming room was above the viewing areas and I have a very bad allergy to formaldhyde (it arrived before the latex reactions started). I had to leave her viewing and a the funeral I had to wear my respirator just to be at the service. Now that just ................

Keep up the fight it is all any of us can do.

Stay safe - check out LAForum support groups lists - there are some with alternatives for every day items that cause us problems.

stay cool

[BeeSunnyRN]

Dear Dragon,

It is a most inconvenient allergy isn't it? I used to be part of a web site but kind of dropped off. I'll check out the one you reccomend. I don't know if you are anywhere near Fort Worth TX but I could tell you the name of a hospital that is semi-latex safe. There is at least a level of awareness. I was on the committee to make it safe a few years ago when first diagnosed. The hospital determined that with a number of latex allergic employees it was just about as cheap to go 'latex safe' as to pay all the workman's comp claims.

It is impossible to be latex free but awareness is everything. However the last time I was there the awareness is slipping a little. Stairwells (with rubber treads) and elevators with rubber floor mats, not to mention the hand rail thingy on escalators are particularly hateful as once you are there, you are kind of stuck!

What a horrible thing to experience during your grief at your mom's funeral!

I am now a school nurse & can for the most part control my environment - I love it even though pedi was never my goal. It's like my own little ER as you never know what's going to walk through the door.

take care & keep breathing!

[P_RN]

Add me to the list. With me it was just blisters on my right ring finger after wearing gloves. That progressed until I thought I must have "Kaposi's" or something with the huge blood filled yukky spots on both hands and arms. Fortunately I had a great dermatologist who met me in his office and told me immediately that it was latex allergy.
I can eat and love bananas shrimp, lobster, tomatoes, kiwi, etc but the first time I had avocado I had a BAD respiratory/oral reaction. I live an hour from any hospital. My daughter happened to have an epi-pen from her allergy shot days. Now I carry one. However, I have never had a doctor doubt me when I list betadine, latex and avocado. Wonder why some docs are so disbelieving?

[nellie_nurse812]

Betti, I want to say that I agree with the surgeon. If a patient states shellfish allergy, we ask about iodine preps. If the havent had it before, we do a test site. I have never seen a reaction to both. Even better yet, now we have Chloroprep........

[eunurse]

as we all know a true latex allergy is not taken lightly. we ask patients if they buy their cloths "off the rack" or do they look at lables. also if they eat avcado's, banana's or kiwi's without problems. they only thing we have left with latex are the gloves and esmark bandages. as for the shellfish, the easiest thing to do is do a patch test on the inside of the arm while doig an interview. the patient usually gets distracted and by the time you check it prior to heading into the o.r. you can see if there is a reaction and/or ask if there is any itching.
just some thoughts