Tomato / cucumber allergy?

Gs whos now 5 seemed to have a reaction to tomatoes or any pasta tomato sauce etc, he went all red round his mouth within minutes of having any.

We reduced his tomato foods but then later started re introducing them.
Think he must have started when he was about 3 ish.

He still get the rash/redness but not as much, we tend to not give him tomato based food, trouble is"! he loves fresh tomatoes and picks and eats them at Grandads allotment in the summer. Cucumber he is ok with.It could be the acidy from the Tomatoes.

I think there can be a tendency to home diagnose "allergies" .

Occasionally I can get a reaction to eggs, slight blistering of the lips, which disappears after an hour or so. I refer to it as "sensitivity" not allergy, and as it's intermittent, wonder if it's more to do with the feed given to the hens?

Would you really consider using an epipen without prescription (as you put it) on a child because you have decided he has allergies????

Surely the sensible option is to first visit GP, or withdraw the foods in question for a while and then gradually introduce them in very small quantities.

Is it possible that it’s something the fruit is washed in or an insecticide rather than the fruit itself?
Epi pens are not available without prescription.

My daughter and grandsons have had times of being sensitive to different foods.

It usually rights itself as they grow older.

The symptoms you describe do sound like an allergy but it is not so simple to work out what it is.

His tummy is not ok, and he could be having a very sore colon which is very painful.
Tomatoes are in the nightshade family and is known to provoke problems in some people.
In me it causes extra pain, which is part of an inflammation response.
DGS's tummy could well be an inflammation response.
A GP should be willing to see him on Monday.......you cannot postpone this though he should be given bland food meanwhile.
When I have digestive issues my GP says no raw foods...they are harder to digest.
possibly rice would be better.

Then make sure that GP sees him.
A rash response on the skin is definitely an allergy response.

Can he be given warm camomile tea ? It is very soothing.

I would not use an epipen without knowing why it is needed and I don't know if you can buy one but you can buy ant allergy tablets which may also help.

Piriton is an anti-histamine and comes in a syrup form for younger people. It might be useful for his mum to keep some.

The doctor would need to prescribe an epipen, if it is needed. If he vomits after eating tomatoes I would certainly take him to a doctor to have him allergy tested. They can take a blood test and do this.

Yes, she is going to the doctors next week. BUT it will take a while to get a referral for allergy testing done.

When I looked it up on line, it weirdly came up with lots of the problems he has, so it may/may not be linked.

I had a partner 10 years ago who had allergies, hence have a little knowledge. I have a sensitivity to salicylic acid, can't take ibuprofen etc and also Phoenix, epi pens are ONLY ever used if a person is in anaphylactic shock and having problems with breathing. As a teacher, I have had training into how/when to use them. They are more of a comfort to have in case of emergency. No one would ever use one with a smaller reaction. JUST as a life saving measure.

Sorry! Last message sent mid edit.

I had a partner 10 years ago who had allergies, hence have a little knowledge. I have a sensitivity to salicylic acid, can't take ibuprofen etc. I also have some of grandson's health niggles (sinuses, digestion) as did my father and grandmother. So could well be hereditary.

A friend had a son with an allergy to tomatoes and other thing but can't remember what.
He had to go to see an allergy specialist in Belfast. He was a leader in the field, and doing a huge study.
This was at the height of "the troubles". My friend had to go with her son but was always worried about going.
My friend's son grew up, but still has to be careful with tomato products.

You could ring Allergy UK for advice, they also have a website.

@GagaJo, one of my sons can't eat any fruit without a reaction. It would be safe to avoid fruit until you see a doctor.

If it's inflammation from nightshade family plants it's best to avoid potatoes and peppers. Perhaps double check the family of other veg as well. My father couldn't eat anything with onion in it without being sick.

Phoenix makes a good point regarding the difference between an 'allergy' and an 'intolerance'. One of my grandsons has a very severe sesame allergy, which can trigger anaphylaxis if he ingests any form of sesame. On the other hand, as a baby my daughter was diagnosed with a disaccharide intolerance (equally serious and she spent long periods in hospital), however the treatments for these two conditions differ greatly.

There is still a shortage of Epipens in the UK at the moment, but Emerade and Jext pens are more easily available. I think you will need to get them on prescription once there is a confirmed diagnosis though.

Yes, I hope it is intolerance rather than allergy. But having looked it up, he has a lot of the symptoms of allergy. He has even seen the doctor more than once about some of them, but no one has ever put two and two together until now. The rash shortly followed by vomiting in a child in otherwise rude health was what sparked me to look it up.

But so far, since it mostly seems to be tomatoes and cucumber (no reaction yet to potato) it should be possible to keep him safe until he sees the doctor, although ironically these are two of his favourite foods.

And to think, daughter was very careful to eat peanuts while pregnant and breast feeding AND to give him peanut butter to ensure no peanut allergy. Who would expect a tomato allergy? I had never heard of it before yesterday.

There are all sorts of intolerances. My DGS now avoids tomatoes, which he loved when a toddler, as I think he’s naturally realised they make him feel ill.

DD1 spent all her youth not being able to eat tomatoes or any fruit with small seeds - raspberries, strawberries, etc - as a rash was guaranteed. But now, in her forties, is fine. I’ll ask her if she now eats tomatoes.

I’ve got a strong intolerance to garlic and have to be careful of the allium family. This one is getting to be quite a common intolerance. (Try asking for garlic free food in a vegetarian restaurant!)

Thank zou NfkDumpling, it HAD occurred to me this might be something he'd grow out of. Would be great if zou could ask your DD1.

Easyish to control while he's little and daughter has total control over his diet too. Once he's at school, less so.

I have an allergy to tomatoes, and struggle with cucumber, and water melon.

Strangely, I can eat Heinz Tom. Ketchup, and baked beans, and Tom puree but no other form of tomato or brands of ketchup.

In my case I start with itchy palms, then my mouth starts watering, and my tongue becomes inflamed and sore, finally, my throat becomes inflamed. I'm very careful, and yes I have an epi pen.

Are you ok to be around them, as long as you don't eat them SallyB392? Or do you react if they are near you?

I'd always eaten celery without a problem but after eating celeriac for the first time not long ago I itched and now cannot eat celery either without starting to itch afterwards.

I think people need to be aware of celery too and celery seeds which are in some processed products.

My youngest grandson rising 5 has some intolerences . DD is lucky to have a good teaching childrens hospital near by.

The little one was proud of his certificate for bravery at tasting peas. He is now able to eat them.
It can make life difficult though.

Not every allergy will be bad enough to need an epipen.

DGD was allergic to tomatoes when the same age as your DGS, Gagajo. As 12 the allergy has more or less disappeared, as has her allergy to mustard, but sesame, salmon and nuts remain on the avoid list.