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[Sappho]

I just went out for lunch at a nice restaurant with good food. Unfortunately it seems I was allergic to something in my burrito. This has happened before; I have a ridiculous number of allergies (and eczema and mild asthma and just general hypersensitivity). Fortunately the only life-threatening ones are medications, so I don't have to live in fear of accidentally eating or breathing in something. Right now the lilacs are starting to bloom, so this is the toughest time of year for me, but so far I've been doing much better this year than in past years.

Anyway, there was some spice or other in the burrito that made the skin on the roof of my mouth start to peel instantly. Again, this has happened before, and it's more of a disgusting inconvenience than anything, so I went ahead and finished the burrito (I paid for it, damn it, I'm eating it). It tasted good, at least until about halfway through when I could no longer taste. I then walked home through the park (it's a beautiful, sunny day) and within about ten minutes my stomach started to hurt. By the time I got home I had to run to the bathroom, my eyes were itchy, and the parts of the roof of my mouth that weren't peeling off were itchy and burning. I had to lie down for half an hour because of the dizziness. Now I'm on the computer trying to find a way to get these symptoms to chill out. I don't have any allergy medication (I used to take it regularly, until the side effects became worse than the allergies), but while I don't think I'm in any danger, I can't get anything done until this calms down. Generally, medications were developed from substances found in nature, so presumably there's something I could eat or drink or whatever that would help at least a little bit, but I'm not sure what. A Google search turns up so much contradicting nonsense that I figure it's better to just ask my Bay12 friends if anyone has any ideas.

I'm going to make a cup of fresh mint tea, since supposedly that's soothing. I've got some other fruit and vegetables and spices. I wish I knew what was in the burrito that caused this problem, but sadly I have no idea. It must have been something uncommon, since this hasn't happened in years.

[ChairmanPoo]

Talk to an allergologist, in order to run a test and undertake desensitivization in a hospital setting. It taks a while but it can be done.

[Sappho]

My insurance doesn't cover that sort of thing. Anyway, I'm just looking for something that would help right now, at least a little bit.

I'm starting to wheeze, actually, and my chest is starting to hurt a bit. I dug around in the bathroom and found that, thank the gods, the last time my mother was here she left some of her OTC allergy pills. They're expired by more than a year, but it's better than nothing. Fingers crossed...

[Yoink]

Man, I hope it doesn't get any more serious than it is.
I have no idea what to do in this situation, I'm afraid... I would have suggested drinking milk to combat whatever weird-ass spice caused the reaction, but for all I know that might do more harm than good. But you should definitely go back to that restaurant and discuss it with them, I would think they'd be happy to help if it meant retaining a future customer. You did say they made good food, after all.

[Sappho]

Haha, no milk, I'm lactose intolerant. : )

Actually it seems to have passed now. Still missing some skin on the roof of my mouth, but otherwise okay. Thanks to everyone who tried to help though.

As for the restaurant, they do make good food, but they do not speak English. I suppose I could go with a friend who speaks better Czech than me, but I don't know that it's worth it. Like I said, this hasn't happened in years, so it can't be a very common spice. I remember it used to happen whenever I got "potato" pizza at the restaurant my sister worked in as a teenager. But that restaurant said that their spice blend was SECRET so they wouldn't tell me what was in it.

If it happens again I suppose I'll have to investigate further. For now, I'll just avoid eating that particular menu item. I've never had a problem there before.

[Pnx]

There's a variety of over the counter anti-histamines that help with allergies. I know you asked for stuff without medication but it's really all I know.

[Vattic]

I don't know if there is any science to back it up, but I know people who claim to have cured themselves of food allergies by eating a slowly increasing amount with each meal. Worth noting they weren't severely allergic.

[Nycro]

We have honey bees here and alot of people swear by eating honey that they have way less allergy not sure if it will help for food allergy's but it does help with the outdoor allergy's if its local honey.

[Sappho]

Honey is only for pollen allergies, and it only works if it's unpasteurized. It's not enough for it to be local (although that is also necessary). To get that, you usually have to go to a beekeeper directly and ask for some of their honey before they process it. It doesn't taste the same as pasteurized honey and the texture and look are totally different.

If you can find that, it should indeed help allergies, but it's not so easy to find living in a city. : / And no, it's no good for food allergies. The idea is that the pollen gets into your system via the honey and sort of gets labeled "friendly" by your immune system, so it no longer attacks it when you breathe it in.

It can be possible to get over a food allergy by slowly eating more and more of it, but that can also be dangerous. It doesn't always work, and it can make things worse. Also, I think it works best for children and adolescents; adults usually don't "grow out" of their allergies no matter what they do (although they can get worse with time, as my pollen allergies have).

I do wish I knew what was in that burrito that set me off in the first place. I keep trying to figure out what it could have been. I didn't notice anything unusual in it. Tortilla, beans, rice, cheese, coriander leaf (cilantro), tomatoes, lettuce... There must have been spices in the beans, but which? This hasn't happened for years, and I use a lot of different spices... How rare and obscure a spice could they have put in there? Or could it have been the beans themselves? I eat beans all the time, but these ones were described as "Cuban" beans on the menu. Are they some special type I might be allergic to?

[Vattic]

Maybe a preservative or similar?

[DJ]

A popular theory about causes of allergy is not getting enough contamination as a child. I suppose that ship has sailed, but it might be worth a shot even at your age to try a bit laxer approach to hygiene. At the very least when you drop a piece of food on the ground you could pick it up again and eat it, what's the worst that could happen?

[Sappho]

I was definitely oversheltered as a kid (antibacterial everything!) and for sure that at least partially contributed to my current allergies. However, I am in no way a germophobe or neat freak these days. I happily chow down on food that has hit the floor. I ride public transportation and pick food out of my teeth with my fingernails, and I don't wash my hands very often. I'm constantly touching my face. I'm also a teacher of young children, so I'm exposed to endless bacteria and viruses. I rarely get sick anymore. My immune system is pretty strong these days. Allergies, sadly, are not so easily changed. Over the years they are just getting worse. (It is also worth noting that I'm hypersensitive in general. Photosensitive, sound sensitive, touch sensitive. Wearing tight clothes makes my skin itch. I get horrible eczema all over. And I'm allergic to everything. So it's probably a bit more than just "I was sheltered." I'm autistic, so it's likely strongly related to that as well.)

[SanDiego]

There's a variety of over the counter anti-histamines that help with allergies. I know you asked for stuff without medication but it's really all I know.

Over the counter stuff might not be enough to fight allergy this strong. I strongly suggest seeking proffesional help, as this sounds a bit more serious than just simple allergy.