I Have A Peanut Allergy.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Was that I would get skin tests to see what I was allergic to...
And then later... three shots in one arm... and two shots in the other...
And when I asked about Peanuts... I was told... in the early '70s...
That they had no tests for food allergies...
Oak pollen, grass, etc. etc. yeah... but back then.. FOOD ???
No way.
So I swelled up, and rode around in a wheelchair, souped up on some endocrine High.
And since I'd had a reaction to almonds and black walnuts... I should stop eating nuts altogether...
I asked why... and he smiled and said something like, "Son, there about 45 nuts out there, you could be allergic to ALL of them."
And that's why I joined DU.
It takes diligence, but it's worth it. 
The bright side is you can at least try and avoid them, and that's not nearly as hard as it used to be since they're supposed to disclose all the peanut related contacts products have now.
Me, I'm allergic to ant bites. Maybe not all kinds, but at least more than one kind. I have to carry an EpiPen at all times because ants can be anyplace, and they've almost killed me twice so far. It's me against the 10,000 trillion ants in the world, I know not where or when they'll strike next, I simply know there will be another attack. 
Edit: This may interest you! I knew I'd just read something on the topic.
Peanut allergy cured in children using immunotherapy
A potentially life-threatening peanut allergy has been essentially cured in nine out of 10 recipients of a new treatment which gradually escalates the amount of peanut protein the body can tolerate.
Other treatments such as vaccines and antibodies are also under development, but the new oral immunotherapy is claimed to be the first to successfully allow people to tolerate such a food allergy.
"We've shown fantastic results, with 80 to 90 per cent of children being able to tolerate eating peanuts regularly after treatment," says Andrew Clark of Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, UK, who co-led the team that developed the treatment.
"Before the treatment, children and their parents had to check every food label, but now they can go out anywhere without fear of accidentally swallowing and reacting to traces of peanuts," he says.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24968-peanut-allergy-cured-in-children-using-immunotherapy.html#.VNG06y5SJLo
Hang in there, they're working on fixing your problem!
burns me. I can tell from a distance when someone is enjoying a mint product because it burns my nostrils and sinuses instantly. I get an immediate rash when anything containing mint makes physical contact.
A couple years ago I had major dental surgery - I have to go to a clinic on a college campus where the rotation of practitioners is annual. So I don't have a regular dentist but the other staff are always the same. They have a sliding scale fee that is the best I can do... mind you the dentists are already graduated from their education and come from the very best as the clinic is the practicum portion of a post grad program for special extreme cases (only four dentists per year are accepted) prior to going into private practice so I don't mind that they change every year - but even after the hours in the chair I was given a bottle of rinse, Rx grade, that was flavored with mint but no info on the label identifying it as an ingredient. I live over 150 miles from the facility and was really poor at the time (nothing new) so I took it gratefully. After the first use I knew I had a problem because it burned really badly but I used it for a couple days due to the Rx quality... upon the second day the entire interior of my mouth peeled, gums, tongue... I called the dentist and he researched the ingredients and called me back an hour later so we could come up with an alternative rinse.
Several years back I made the mistake of trying a sample shampoo, it passed the smell test so I used it. Big mistake because not only did it burn my scalp on contact, it was now in the steam in the sower which burned every inch of my body exterior and my respiratory system. I thought I was going to die a couple hours later as I started vomiting uncontrollably and was ready to call the ambulance I couldn't afford but I couldn't get to the phone. I survived but was in pretty rough shape for over a week.
So I have learned some hard lessons regarding my allergy... I seem to get more sensitive to exposure as I age so I am hyper vigilant about it. Cinnamon is okay and I use it sometimes as a flavor in my toothpaste but I seem to do well with my experiments since the dental staff are always impressed with the condition of my teeth and gums during my sporadic visits... I'm still paying for the surgery and I qualified for 50% discounted service, maybe I can go back after I start my summer job where I get insurance this year.
Anyway, when the offending substance burns the crap out of you, you have to be very aware at all times.
Thanks for the link, I'll check it out, anything new is a blessing.
and thank god for the cinnamon products I've found.
Insist upon "something other than mint" and tell them you have a SEVERE allergy to mint.
Hopefully, they will listen.
As for the product I mentioned, you can find it for about 1/4th of the price elsewhere.
Will PM you with this info. 
Take care of yourself and I'm sorry to read about how much you have suffered from this nightmare of an allergy!
It's an allergy to all nuts and one has to be very, very careful. Overall it really is no big deal and I find most folks are very considerate. You learn to avoid homemade cookies and baked items at family gatherings.
has an allergy.
