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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Severe Reactions After Eating Carribbean Lobster. Eaten All Kinds Of Shellfish. Possible Reason?

Recently, I experienced severe reaction to eating Carribbean Lobster- twice. The reaction involved violent gastro upset, vomiting , sweating, shock symptoms, drop in blood pressure . It began about 3 hours after I ate the lobster and within 12 hours, all symptoms were gone. I was not the only one to eat the lobster either time, but was the only one who was ill. I have eaten all types of shellfish all of my life and actually had North Atlantic lobster within a month of these 2 events with no problems. Allergy? poison?
Fri, 18 Jan 2013
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Allergist and Immunologist,  's  Response
Hello,

You have had 2 anaphylaxis attacks with Caribbean Lobster and you are lucky to have pulled through without any treatment (if that is correct, since you have not mentioned any treatment that was given in the acute situation).

You must AVOID all shellfish, as allergic reactions happen after you have consumed foods and been sensitized; which if eaten again develops into allergic reactions and the most severe of these reactions is anaphylaxis.

If you have eaten shelllfish SINCE the two reactions with the Caribbean Lobster WITHOUT any reactions, I would have thought cooking was an issue, and what you mean by posioning.

Fish poisoning can present with the same symptoms, called scromboid toxin poisoning and happens with sardines etc.



You definitely need a specific IgE blood test against crab, lobster, shrimp, including house dust mite and any related pollens or nuts if you have had any reactions to.

You also must keep an emergency kit containing EpiPen (adrenaline) autoinjector [note: must get help if you have used it yourself], antihistamines and steroids. A salbutamol inhaler is also recommended if you have asthma.



Best Wishes.
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Severe Reactions After Eating Carribbean Lobster. Eaten All Kinds Of Shellfish. Possible Reason?

Hello, You have had 2 anaphylaxis attacks with Caribbean Lobster and you are lucky to have pulled through without any treatment (if that is correct, since you have not mentioned any treatment that was given in the acute situation). You must AVOID all shellfish, as allergic reactions happen after you have consumed foods and been sensitized; which if eaten again develops into allergic reactions and the most severe of these reactions is anaphylaxis. If you have eaten shelllfish SINCE the two reactions with the Caribbean Lobster WITHOUT any reactions, I would have thought cooking was an issue, and what you mean by posioning. Fish poisoning can present with the same symptoms, called scromboid toxin poisoning and happens with sardines etc. You definitely need a specific IgE blood test against crab, lobster, shrimp, including house dust mite and any related pollens or nuts if you have had any reactions to. You also must keep an emergency kit containing EpiPen (adrenaline) autoinjector [note: must get help if you have used it yourself], antihistamines and steroids. A salbutamol inhaler is also recommended if you have asthma. Best Wishes.