*Weird* Patient Allergies

[cherrybreeze]

What are some of the weird allergies/reactions that patients have told you they have? I can't remember so many that made me go "hmmmmm.." but not long ago, I came across these two (on the same person!):

Caffeine: causes tachycardia (really?)

Cocaine: anaphylaxis (perhaps you took too much??)

[Ruthiegal]

My son breaks out in hives if he touches caterpillars. Who'da thunk it?

What kind of caterpillar, some are very toxic.

[Lacie, BSN, RN]

My son has had several instances at the MD and the Dentist office in which he gets extremely pale, diaphoretic, b/p drops, heart rate increases dangerously, eyes roll back in his head, and out like a light with accompanied respiratory distress. We finally narrowed it done to the epi in the lidocaine!! Now when he needs dental work or local anesthesia we know to ensure to use lidocaine WITHOUT Epi additive. He does fine but if they forget to check and use it we encounter the same symptoms everytime and end up in the ER. You might classify that as an "adverse effect" but we say allergy in order to ensure it is NOT used. His allergist classifies it as an allergy and not adverse effects. He also used to get extreme vasovagal response to solumedrol or any type cortisol injection for chronic asthmatic symptoms. His Pediatrician will not give in her office and he has to recieve them in the ER. Her first experience after giving it to him in office ensured she never did it again lol.

[weenursey]

i'm actually allergic to poinsettias. that's the oddest one i know.

i'm allergic to poinsettias too! get anaphlaxis with them

[weenursey]

just having read all the messages now, someone asked the other nurse with poinsettia allergy if she also had latex allergy. i don't.

only just looked it up on google today though i've had the poinsettia allergy for 10 years now and seen there is a link with latex allergies and poinsettias. there is also a link with childhood asthma and poinsettia allergies. i didn't have that either.

looking up my "weird" allergy is how i found this thread and joined this site!

i just need to be near a poinsettia to get rash and head fuzziness and confusion etc, and then breathing difficulties. the third time was so bad my antihistimines wouldn't stop it and ended up rushed to a+e. i now carry a epi pen during the poinsettia season.

i work as a theatre nurse and we do surgical pauses prior to anaesthesia commencing and i've seen lots of these strange allergies during them! someone also stated chlorhexadine as an allergy. when asked turned out she was intollerant topically, which is the same as myself (i can't use the alcohol hand gels etc or my skin just breaks down welts, cracks and bleeds really badly). this was relavent though despite the anaethetist and assistant not thinking so in the "it's not really an allergy" way of thinking, as the surgeon used chlorhexadine prep on the operative site... that sort of reaction could mean that they then get an infection in their surgical site.

i always find the potassium ones strange! and my clinical manager says about latex allergies "do they wear underwear!!" i think about the lots of folk who aren't really majorly affected my latex, but have it as an allergy.

i've seen the saline allergy too!

when i was training and admitting a patient they named about 10 allergies including dyes etc (which until i started working in theatre thought was irrelivant). then it turned out she had full blown latex allergy and had forgotten to mention it even when i read her list back to her... and had a reaction

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

Sorry if I'm diggin' up bones by resurrecting this thread, but I think it's pretty neat! :)

Although I've heard the "albuterol because it makes my heart race" answer, I've heard numerous times something to the effect of "penicillin, but that was when I was young so I probably grew out of it," when the patient had anaphylaxis previously. Yep, you're gonna grow outta that one...

I had a patient who gave me a laundry list of food allergies. (Including, but not limited to, pork, salad dressing, ketchup, mayo and "all sauces.") She actually kept ringing her call bell to add more allergies to the list. I felt bad for the dietary clerk the next morning, that's for sure!

I do sympathize with all of the "tons of food allergies" people. My worst offender is chick peas. Not crazy, but weird enough that people don't tend to tell me it's in food! (Especially since I love vegetarian dishes). I also can't take fresh pineapple (but when I went to the Dole factory in Hawai'i, I ate some...because I figured, hey, if I'm going to die, Hawai'i's the place to go, right?) I also sadly think I'm becoming allergic to peanuts.

But my absolute weirdest allergy? Dial soap. Seriously. It gives me Stevens-Johnson syndrome-esque skin. The smell just gives me this awful feeling and I start to sneeze like crazy.

My doctor also told me to never take decongestants because once I took a few Comtrex and hallucinated that I was paralyzed and my roommate had been murdered in the parking lot of our apartment complex.

A friend of mine claims to be allergic to malt beverages, like beer or Smirnoff Ice, because they make her thighs tingle. Umm, that's called having a buzz...

[redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m64cy1MMPg "Patient faking seizure in ER"

I am allergic to ibuprofen, aleve, toradol, ultram, reglan, zofran, fake leather, bee stings, chinese food, non-narcotics, steroids, wind, the direction east, non-fat food, and employment.

LMAO

[mustlovepoodles, RN]

I *am* allergic to Advil--had an anaphylactic right there in the New Orleans airport about 6 years ago. Therefore I dont' take aaaaannnnyyy NSAIDS. I also have several other allergies, including Imitrex, Maxalt,Codeine, and Ultram. I herniated a disc in my back a couple years ago and had to go to the ER. I told them I was allergic to Advil and Vicodin makes me terribly sick, but Percocet works well for my back(*this isn't my first rodeo--I have herniated discs before). The doctor and the nurse met eyes. He said, "Well, I doubt you are actually allergic to Advil. It will upset your stomach if you don't eat something." Uh, no. It makes me SOB and my BP plummets. I know what anaphylaxis is. In a few min here comes the nurse with my *one* percocet and a RX from the doctor for exactly *four* percocet pills to get me through Sat & Sun until I could see my own doctor. Yeah, thanks a lot doc. I know you think I'm drug seeking. Just because I know what works for me does not mean I'm a drug abuser. I only take narcotics when i can't sit, stand, or lie down due to excrutiating pain. If arthritis-strength Tylenol would have cured this, believe me, I would not have come to the ER.

My mother, brother, and sister are highly allergic to shellfish. I can eat seafood, but i don't handle raw shellfish because it makes my itchy. I am definitely allergic to betadine, since early in my nursing career. I had reconstructive hand surgery about 3 years ago. I told everyone I met that I was allergic to betadine--it makes whatever it touches swell up and itch. The doctor was aware, the OR was aware, the anesthesiologist...You know what happened, I bet. They scrubbed my arm with betadine. Then someone realized the mistake. So instead of scrubbing the betadine OFF, they just threw some Hibiclens over it. :mad: My arm was wrapped in a large bandage for 10 days. I cannot describe how itchy it was, 24hrs a day.Just miserable When I got the bandage off, I had 2nd degree chemical burns on my hand. :mad: I am due to have my foot reconstructed this summer. You can bet that I'm going to write it on my foot in magic marker--ALLERGIC TO BETADINE!!

[madfowl]

One pt. told me he was allergic to women.

Another said "Crustaceans".

Look up crustaceans. You will find that it is basically shellfish. Pretty important to know if you are going to give this guy some kind of contrast dye.

[Libitina]

We had a patient this week who told us they were allergic to pizza!!!!!

eta: Another recent one reckoned they were allergic to antihistamines!

[redraccoon, BSN, RN]

Had patient bring her own sheets because she was "violently allergic to chlorine" and we coudn't provide enough evidence that the hospital didn't use it in the laundry process.

btw... she was having day surgery

[redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN]

In a few min here comes the nurse with my *one* percocet and a RX from the doctor for exactly *four* percocet pills to get me through Sat & Sun until I could see my own doctor. Yeah, thanks a lot doc. I know you think I'm drug seeking. Just because I know what works for me does not mean I'm a drug abuser. I only take narcotics when i can't sit, stand, or lie down due to excrutiating pain. If arthritis-strength Tylenol would have cured this, believe me, I would not have come to the ER.

I also enjoyed how I was treated as a drug seeker in the ER. Hadn't gone to ER in almost 10 years, and I go in one night because I had numbness going down my left arm, which was much much different than my chronic left shoulder pain that I had been dealing with for 6 years, but of course I mentioned the shoulder problem in case it was related. Apparently the doc only decided to focus on the "shoulder pain," and decided he didn't understand WHY I would come to the ER in the middle of the night for this. Then they're talking about giving me Lortabs, and I'm like "don't bother, I have a ton at home I don't use because they don't do anything anyway." So of course I am a drug seeker!

[Meraki]

I have a ton of allergies...the strangest and most annoying for me is my allergy/intolerance of coffee, even the smell of coffee makes me start sneezing, makes my eyes and nose run, makes my eyes and throat itchy, and gives me a headache. Especially the smell of fresh brewed coffee or that flavoured (vanilla, toffee etc.) stuff. Try avoiding the smell of coffee - next to impossible!

I am also allergic to decongestants so there are some allergy/cold meds I can't take. they make me sneeze uncontrollable for hours - until it is out of my system.