Chicken Allergy

Post Edited By Moderator (Red_34) : 12/16/2006 5:37:33 PM (GMT-7)

First and foremost, definately stop eating chicken if you feel this is what is causing your discomfort. Has this happened before in the past or was this a one time thing? Your stomach pains can be from a variety of things and it may not be the chicken at all. You won't really know until you've had testing. My daughter, who's 11, just recently had a bad spell from a stomach bug. She thought it was something she ate too and it lasted for about 5 days, so I have a feeling it was just a virus. She had horrible stomach pains, nausea and diarrhea. If this happens again, you can have your mom try some Children's Pepto Bismol tablets, maybe Gas-X (your mom is going to have to read the label since I don't know if it's for people under 18), drink lots of water and avoid eating for a while until the pains subside. If you do eat, try to avoid spicy or greasy foods. Also stay away from sugars at least until your stomach feels better. Take care and welcome to Healingwell Serena!

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^{@--->--Sherry--<---@}

yes this has happened before. about almost a month ago when i ate chicken. when i was born the docters said i was allergic to chicken and milk the two most things i love! i know it isn't the milk because after my stomach pains, nausea , and vomiting went away i drank milk just fine. within nine hours after eating chicken i get sick.
P.S. waiting for a reply :)
~serena~

Hi Serena :) I know all to well about having to avoid foods that I love and sometimes it just kills me that I can't eat what I desire the most! But I know that if I eat it, then I will be paying for it later and to me, that's just not worth it. Keep an eye on your chicken allergy. If you go out to eat and you have similiar reactions to different foods at restaurants, keep in mind that most restaurants will prepare their foods in the same areas that chicken is prepared. Any reaction you get may be from that if you eat out. Do you have the same reaction with eggs? If so, avoid the flu shot when you get older.

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^{@--->--Sherry--<---@}

i do not have a reaction when i eat eggs at all. And i have already had my flu shot and my hpv shot.

Hello Serena,

What are the symptoms of chicken allergy ? I've got the "swollen face and eyes" thing this morning (it started during the night) and I'm trying to determine what caused it. I already am aware of a lot of other food allergies that I have, but I didn't eat any of those foods. The only possibility I can think of besides the chicken I ate before bed (which I cooked myself) is that I ate a salad in a restaurant for dinner yesterday, and perhaps there was some contamination from something I'm allergic to. But it seems more likely to be my bedtime snack, since I probably would have started to swell up during the evening if it had been dinner.

Thanks!

It's possible that it may be from the restraunt. Reactions can start at anytime, but to two days later. As for chicken allergy, there are no set symptoms... just like any other food allergy. If you are worried talk with your allergist about testing. What are your other food allergies? And how severe are your reactions?

I'm allergic to rice, gluten, milk, legumes (including peanuts), strawberries, soy. (Also some antibiotics.) Some reactions are severe, others aren't -- I get different reactions depending on the food.

I'm not worried about it -- food allergies are old hat for me, nowadays! :D Just trying to track it down and it seems odd that it would be chicken (since eggs are fine). So I think you're right -- it was probably something in the restaurant.

Have a great Christmas!

I have suffered from headaches for 50 years. Three years ago I decided to be tested for allergies and found out that I was allergic, among other things, to chicken. I had never heard of anyone being allergic to chicken. My symptoms start about 7-8 hours after eating chicken and are usually headache, cramps, sometimes vomiting, palpitations. I actually seem even more allergic to any kind of pepper (capsicum not black pepper). Mexican food is definitely out! And of course it is my favorite. Luckily my symptoms, while very unpleasant, are not life threatening, because chicken is everywhere and a favorite food for entertaining. But I have found if I avoid the foods I am allergic to I have many fewer headaches, and after all these years this is a real relief.

Hi. I am also allergic to chicken and poultry. I have no problem with eggs. I have lived with this since 1996. My allergists and doctors have advised me to stay away from all poultry MEAT for the rest of my life. I, like you, am a poultry fanatic.
However, unlike you, my symptoms start within 5 minutes of ingesting poultry. I go into anaphylactic shock (AS)--which means that my trachea and esophagus swell shut, cutting off air to my brain and causing me to pass out. AS is a life-threatening condition and people with severe allergies die from it often.
I have been advised by my doctors to keep a prescription-strength antihistamine with me at all times as well as an EpiPen injection in case the pills don't stop the reaction.
If you truly suspect that you are allergic to poultry, go to an allergist as soon as possible. You will need to have a skin test to confirm the presence of an allergy. If you are diagnosed as being allergic to chicken, or any other foods, you will need to check the label on everything you eat from now on. No chicken fat, no chicken broth, no chicken parts of any kind. You will also need to notify your family and friends of what you are allergic to so that they can help you avoid ingesting these foods.
It's not easy. In fact, it's very very difficult. If it does turn out to be a chicken/poultry allergy, you will be amazed when you start reading labels because there are numerous products that contain chicken ingredients that you wouldn't normally suspect (most baked beans, for example!).
Good luck....and let me know if you want any more help if it does turn out to be a chicken allergy because I've been there for the last 10 years!!!!

Like many of you, I too have suffer from the "chicken allergy" (and enjoy eating eggs). Started when I was about 5 or 6 (am 32 now) although I do distinctly recall eating chicken before then. Very suddenly and without any notice, I could no longer eat poultry. I got a big bump on my lip, an itchy chin, and severe stomach cramps which didn't go away until I purged. Unfortunately, my parents and I figured it out by trial and error. Even after addressing it with an allergiest, he was dumbfounded (this was the early 80s plus information wasn't as readily availabe as it is today). I probably get "poisoned" once or twice a year now; I can generally tell within 5 minutes or so after eating something, and am able to stop the intake (resulting in a low dosage) with minimal effect (swelling of my trachea and esophagus starts and I produce a lot of phlem and spit a lot but no more vomitting and I'm fine in about an hour). The usual poison suspects include sauces made w/ chicken broth/stock at restaurants, soups (generally avoid b/c majority are made with chicken broth/stock), or given false information about hot dogs. Also, WINGOGIRL1 mentioned baked beans, but you also need to be suspect of those flavored rice packets at the grocery store. Furthermore, I recall being poisoned by a Swanson's beef pot pie once (that taught me to read ALL labels) and a bottled speghetti sauce once as well although I've never been able to find the offending brand since. Good luck, and as stated above, read the labels and ask when ordering at restaurant.

Post Edited (NCTitanfan) : 1/15/2007 7:54:18 PM (GMT-7)

I am not suggesting taking any chances with everyone's chicken allergies, but one thing I wonder is whether this IS a new thing and whether it has anything to do with how the chickens are raised. In otherwords would we have fewer allergies if we ate organically raised chickens with no hormones, antibiotics, etc. (and not chickens fed other chickens, by the way. It is something I could safely try since my allergy is really more of a sensitivity and I do not have all the horrible symptoms many of you describe.

Anyway if anyone has any facts on this I would be interested.

Shunka-Mato

I to would like to know i think it is somthing they started putting in poltry. I to remember eating chicken in the early eightys then one day i became suddenly allergic to it and turkey. I would like to try a chicken that was raised without anything being done to it to see if i could eat it. Ii love the tatese of chicken whats sad is alot of things are starting to have chicken added to it like red baron pizza ive ate it for years now thier putting chicken in the pepperonie.

First of all, you all have to make sure it's a true allergy. You may have an intolerant. Going to an allergist will determine this. Second, true food allergy to chicken is not caused by anything they are putting into the chicken. It is the chicken meat itself, the protein of the food is what you are allergic too. People who are allergic to peanut are not allergic because they injected the peanuts full of antibiotics and such, it's an allergy to the protein of the peanut. Every food allergy is like that.  It's your body, not the food.

I used to eat all the time when i was younger. so it has to be somthing they put in it.

I use to eat it for 19 years. Then ended up in the ER with anaphylaxis.. your body can change. Once again, allergist is the best to see

I have the exact same symptoms as winogirl1 here in the uk, ever since i was born, my mother tried feeding me various different types of poultry such as free range etc, but to no avail. It is deffinately the meat and not something they are raised on. I have put up with it for 26 years now, until recently when i ended up in hospital with a serious reaction.

Until now, i have never found anyone who has had the same reaction to baked beans, which i do and would be very interested in speaking via email to Winogirl1 about what it is that is also in baked beans that causes the reaction. If she reads this and can email me i would be very grateful!

Post Edited (zebbedi) : 2/1/2007 8:57:12 AM (GMT-7)

I have had chicken/fowl allergies as long as I can remember and I was born in 1974. My symptoms include swollen throat, tightness in the chest, and phlem. Sometimes my reactions are very mild, while other times they can be rather uncomfortable for long periods of time. There have been a few times when a trip to the hospital was considered, but felt better after vomiting.

I don't believe the how the chickens are raised today have anything to do with the reactions I have. Eating wild turkey, duck, pheasant, and quail all produce the same effects if not worse than store bought chicken.

One thing I have found over the years in dealing with this reaction is that dark meat doesn't affect me as bad as white meat does. Also it seems that the more processed the meat is, such as KFC dark meat, the less of a reaction I have.

I like many of you crave chicken since I can't really have it. I will test the waters about once every 3 months and indulge my craving. I get a reaction about half of the time. I am curious if anyone has found that dark meat doesn't bother them as bad.

Good luck to all of you who suffer from this unfortanate allergy and keep reading those labels and asking the cook if they used chicken broth!