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Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: ShokLaRok on 27/10/2006 09:20:12

Title: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: ShokLaRok on 27/10/2006 09:20:12
[???] I am bewildered as to why I am allergic to chicken and turkey.  I once ate it normally.  Ever since puberty I have had this problem.  I know within seconds if it is poultry and will fight horrible pain, vomiting, and anaphylactic (sic) shock for several hours.  I ate it once after it was boiled then BBQ'd.  Help me understand my "Chicken Affliction."

Sincerely,
Mike Picano
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Gaia on 27/10/2006 13:07:47
Firstly are you sure it is an allergy and not a food sensitivity/or intollerance, especially as you only developed it late? Do you really go into anaphylactic shock? Do your throat and face swell and block your airways? Do you need an adrenaline injection in order not to die? Has this been medially diagnosed? If not, you need to go and see your doctor.

It is not unknown to be allergic to meat. My sister-in-law is allergic to red (ie mammal) meat but is okay with poultry and fish.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: ROBERT on 27/10/2006 16:42:40
Quote from: ShokLaRok on 27/10/2006 09:20:12
[???] I am bewildered as to why I am allergic to chicken and turkey.  I once ate it normally.  Ever since puberty I have had this problem.

There is a gland which produces immune cells called the Thymus.
In most people the Thymus atrophies after puberty, in in a minority of people this does not occur:
the Thymus persists, which can produce immune disorders (e.g. severe allergic responses).

" Thymus continues to grow until the time of puberty and then begins to atrophy. "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thymus
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: ShokLaRok on 27/10/2006 18:54:09
Thank you for the insight.  To answer one question: Within minutes of me eating chicken and turkey, my mouth begins to stream saliva (so steadily that I can lean over and it will hit the floor), my throat then begins to rapidly close up.  The small airway that I do have is then clogged by the saliva stream and the rest is history.  I go into a panic attack thinking that I will suffocate.  I have blacked out before, but I usually wrap myself around the toilet bowl and get sick for hours. I will take a Benedryl (seems to help a little) and I have found that chasing cigarettes one after the other opens up some airways for me (why? I have no idea).  It feels, for hours, as though someone is taking a giant corkscrew and twisting it into my chest. No fun for me.

I do consider it a burden for people to have to be reminded that I am allergic when they make dinner.  But, I'm used to it now , but would love to be able to eat poultry at some point in my life.

Should I just give up hope. Anyone want a "thymus"?  It's free!

Thanks,
Mike
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: neilep on 27/10/2006 19:07:47
Shoklarok,

I am so sorry to hear of this.

As a poultry lover I can imagine it being so frustrating.

What about things like chicken soup ?  gravy ?...chicken falvourings (based on the real thing)...do you still have the same reaction ?

...and NO...do not give up...as there may be a solution out there for you.

Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: ROBERT on 28/10/2006 10:19:58
If you are having an anaphylactic reaction to foodstuff then you should ask your doctor about an adrenaline pen:-
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~aair/anaphylaxis.htm#SEC4 

As Neilep pointed out you could ingest this allergen accidentally, (e.g. some sausages labelled as pork or beef have some chicken in them). So you should have an adrenaline pen at hand, as it could prevent asphyxia.

PS
a Thymectomy would probably not affect your allergic response: the T-cells produced by the Thymus will now be circulating throughout your body, i.e. removing the Thymus would be shutting the stable door after the T-cells have bolted.

PPS
I found this PubMed article which may be of interest:-
" Food allergy with monovalent sensitivity to poultry meat.
Cahen YD, Fritsch R, Wuthrich B.
Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.

BACKGROUND: Allergy to poultry meat is only rarely covered in science. The few reports are usually related to patients allergic to eggs or bird feathers. OBJECTIVE: Two patients with a clear history of monovalent, ingestive allergy to chicken and turkey meat, without other food allergies, were analysed..."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9756209&dopt=Abstract
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: ROBERT on 30/10/2006 14:43:32
" Here is a recipe for a school sausage, given to us by a manufacturer who prefers to remain anonymous. It is for what he described as a "pork product" made "down to a price" to win a local authority contract. The sausage contents: 50% "meat", of which 30% is pork fat with a bit of jowl, and 20% mechanically recovered chicken meat, 17% water, 30% rusk and soya, soya concentrate, hydrolysed protein, modified flour, dried onion, sugar, dextrose, phosphates, preservative E221 sodium sulphite, flavour enhancer, spices, garlic flavouring, antioxidant E300 (ascorbic acid), colouring E128 (red 2G). Casings: made from collagen from cow hide. "
http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/focus/story/0,13296,951917,00.html#article_continue
[xx(]

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=4273.0
Title: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Jason2573 on 02/10/2009 20:07:52
I know this topic is a bit out-dated, but hopefully it can be re-opened with some new insight? I have very similar reaction to poultry/poultry flavorings as ShokLaRok. Yet I am able to eat eggs. The salivating, the throat feeling like its swelling, feeling the stabbing/burning sensation down the esophagus and the sudden urge to want to throw up to end it all. I am 23 years old and i developed this at 21 years of age. I ate chicken QUITE regularly and never had any issues. Suddenly for my 21st birthday I am not allowed to enjoy my Chicken Marsala? Not particularly fair, but i needed to learn to cope. I have spent all this time wondering if it was going to go away, but to no avail. Has there yet been any recent developments in this particular area anyone knows of? I havent tried anything to treat it, and dont feel i need an epi-pen for the severity of the reaction, but before finally becoming frustrated enough to go talk to a doctor about it, i figured i would check the Web.
Title: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: glovesforfoxes on 03/10/2009 08:29:58
Quote from: Jason
Not particularly fair, but i needed to learn to cope.

the chickens would disagree. [;)]
Title: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Stephanie on 15/03/2010 03:40:53
Quote from: Jason2573 on 02/10/2009 20:07:52
I havent tried anything to treat it, and dont feel i need an epi-pen for the severity of the reaction, but before finally becoming frustrated enough to go talk to a doctor about it, i figured i would check the Web.

I ate chicken for years, then started having trouble swallowing and breathing when I was about 12. Please get an epi-pen. Every reaction is different. I didn't think mine was serious enough until the day it almost killed me.
Title: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: sinker0000 on 16/11/2010 19:24:09
Try drug free chickens.  The US started using antibiotics heavily in 1980.  I have the same problems with my throat, saliva, pains in throat/chest when swallowing after eating even chicken broth.  A drug free chicken or egg yolk does not give me a problem.  But be ware - you're putting a lot of faith in those guys to stand behind their 'drug free' claim!
Title: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: aweirdfriend on 24/02/2011 05:06:42
I'm also allergic to chicken and turkey, but I'm not allergic to eggs. I used to eat chicken everyday, until I turned 16. I started having these allergy symptoms then my throat locks and I feel suffocated whenever I eat chicken, resulting to me being rushed to the hospital for an anti-allergy shot. My mom said it was always there, I had that very same reaction when I was four. It just became worse when I hit puberty. It's been several years since I last ate chicken, and I can say that I really missed eating poultry. I'm currently taking a premed course, and went on to investigate on some things concerning this matter. I learned that it's because of your hormones being in overdrive as a teenager and also in your maturing years. In most cases, especially to those with seafood allergies, the allergic reaction slowly subsides when you reach the age of 40 or when your hormones go really low because of old age. Give or take, we'd have to wait 20 or so years in order to eat poultry again. Sad, but yeah :(
Title: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: DrOckW on 28/03/2011 22:06:33
I too have the same symptoms when I eat chicken, or other poultry.

I could eat chicken when I was young, but began having problems with swallowing and choking.  I knew I couldn't eat chicken but was continually fed chicken by family members who did not believe me.  Listen to your kids about some things!

I was diagnosed as a teenager as having a severe allergy to all poultry and issued an epi-pen immediately.  I have not had to use it but have come close.  Benedryl can handle some interactions but will not relieve all of the symptoms.

Most recently I went to a national drive-in eatery (rhymes with colonic) to try thier new "Premium Beef" hot dogs.  I have had thier dogs before and can have a truely all beef, pork, or combo dog (not that weiner mobile company).  After inhaling the dog I realized my throat was going shut and took benedryl.  I was sick for 2 days and couldn't believe the marketing of Premium Beef hot dogs... the response is, Premium Beef is not All Beef.

I have been living with this for over 25 years.  My advice to you all:

Get an epi-pen, get tested to show everyone who wont believe you.

Read the labels, even my wife (who loves chicken) is disgusted by the number of products that contain chicken or chicken products that don't even make sense.  If you read the labels you will begin to understand just how often that upset stomach, headache, or other ailment comes from your allergy.

Get good with Pork!  I can make a pork roast that tastes like a rotisserie chicken, and that's as close as I can get, but it's good enough.  There's no Missing something that makes you this sick and miserable.

Open the windows.  If someone is cooking poultry in your house keep it ventillated, I thought I was having an asthma attack sometimes on thanks-giving, it was the turkey in the air... don't ask me how or why.  Same goes for chicken.

Broth is still chicken, say goodbye to hot and sour soup... heck almost any non vegitarian soup is out, they contain chicken broth, I'm suprized Coke doesn't contain some.


Overall life goes on, we can deal.. I am glad to know I am not the only one and I think we should get this out there, if the gov't thinks 1 or 2 people suffer from this, they are mistaken there's 4? (if I remember) right here.

Doc.
Title: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: pujims on 03/10/2011 16:33:02
I know this is an older post, but I just got here. First of all, not all food allergic reactions are the swelling, not breathing type. I am allergic to poultry. It causes cramping, sometimes vomiting, always diarrhea, and I can be sick for days depending on what I ate. Many well meaning folks will say are you sure you're just not poultry intolerant? I know I am allergic because it shows up on skin tests for me. I am also allergic to feathers so the allergist was willing to go the extra mile for my tests. For those of you who are also allergic I was wondering a few things. My cousin also has the same rare allergy we were both born in May of 1970 in the midwest. When were ya'all born? Anywhere near the midwest? Looking for clues......

Thanks,
 Pujims
Title: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Geezer on 03/10/2011 21:28:12
You are cooking it properly? Your symptoms sound a lot like salmonella poisoning.

"Salmonellosis is an infection with bacteria called Salmonella. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment"

http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/
Title: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Reilly on 11/10/2011 11:51:23
Nice sharing.
I think you should try to eat drug free chickens...
because the US started using antibiotics heavily in 1982..
Title: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: aweirdfriend on 30/10/2011 10:47:49
pujims, I don't think there's any relation between this allergy and where you came from or when you were born. I'm from Southeast Asia by the way, and born in the 1990's. I think Geezer was right in saying that you might have Salmonella.
I don't go through "diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection". I just experience anaphylactic shock (after a few hours in my case, different in others), and suddenly become itchy all over, then parts of my body (arms, legs, especially the face) and throat swell, then the throat locks blocking the air pathways. I think the symptoms of this allergy are generally like that, either milder or worse :)
Title: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: goldengirl on 08/12/2011 20:25:41
I too am allergic to turkey. I can eat chicken products without any problems. My mother found it hard to believe that there was such an allergy until she too developed a turkey allergy several years before she passed away. She also had no problems with eating chicken products. I developed the allergy in my middle 20's. I am now 50 and have learned to be very cautious when eating food prepared by anyone other than family. I eventually had to carry an epi-pen until it was discovered what my allergy was. I had several trips to the emergency room with severe hives (some were larger than my hand) & a quickly closing throat. I had to receive epinephrine shots each time..sometimes more than one shot. It was a very hard adjustment to not eating turkey, especially in a time when turkey seems to be added to everything. Doctors believe in our case it may be some genetic issue because not only did my mother also develop an allergy, but 4 of my grandchildren show a sensitivity to it. We have been told because of the family history of turkey allergy and their strong sensitivity to it, to treat them as if they were also allergic. So needless to say we don't eat turkey during the holidays
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: corey on 25/01/2012 16:31:20
Hi there,

I have just came across this forum. I am from Northern Ireland and my fiance is allergic to chicken, turkey and fish. If he eats even chicken stock (which is in surprisingly in an awful lot of food) he comes out in a rash, his hand swells up, his throat starts to close over etc etc. I have never heard of this allergy before I met him. Even if Im cooking chicken and eating it at the table his eyes would start to water. Its incredibly frustrating. It used to be only chicken which started in his teens. Then it was turkey which was about 5 years ago, then tuna which was about 4 years ago. He is 31 years old. Unfortunately it doesnt look like an awful lot of research has been done on it, we just have to grin and bear it I suppose.

 
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Debpressed on 05/02/2012 15:25:21
I've been allergic to eggs my entire life, but only after a recent gastric bypass have I ever been uncomfortable eating chicken. After 5 weeks of heartburn type symptoms whenever I ingested it, I finally had the worst and final reaction. I ate about 1.5 ounces of roasted chicken and the heartburn turned into horrible pain. I started to salivate uncontrollably, then the vomiting started. This forum has been very helpful. I'd been warned many years ago that I might develop an allergy to chicken. Kudos to that dr. for being right.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: shntat on 28/05/2012 08:13:39
i went to hospital today with a rash on chest,stomach,elbows,and thighs.i got ate some turkey and rash intensified and stated burning.what is treatment
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: NomNomNom on 27/06/2012 03:22:18
Hi! I see this thread isn't exactly new or active, but I wanted to add my chicken allergy experience in case anyone else (like me) is scouring the internet for other people who have this.

A lot of sites have vague "allergy" symptoms listed for chicken like rashes, sneezing, watery eyes, etc. This is the only place I've found that has perfectly described my symptoms:

- Tightening of the chest/heartburn (the person who described it as a "corkscrew" sensation was spot on)
- Uncontrollable/steady stream of saliva
- Closing of the throat (personally I've never had breathing difficulties, which sounds contradictory, but for me it's just a really unpleasant tightening sensation)
- Occasional urge to throw up, less as an "omg-get-to-the-bathroom-now" thing and more as an attempt to get rid of what feels like a huge spiky ball in my chest/throat.

It takes a good hour or two for these symptoms to fully disappear. I used to eat chicken all the time when I was little, and then started having this reaction right around puberty. I react the same way to chicken, turkey, and duck, so it's safe to say this is a general poultry allergy. I'm not allergic to eggs.

I was especially interested to read goldengirl's description of how it runs in his/her family, because I've always had a theory that it's a genetic thing - my brother developed the exact same allergy, also around puberty.

Anyway, that's one more person verifying that yes, chicken allergy is a real thing. Maybe if we get enough anecdotes on here we can inspire some actual research!  :D
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Mamahula on 02/09/2012 19:48:43
Wow!  So glad I found this thread. I honestly thought I was alone.  I started having stomach problems in my later teen years.  I went to the doctor who had me do a food diary to detmine the cause.  It was turkey!

I have avoided turkey ever since and had only 1 - 2 instances per year.  Mine is always stomach cramps, sweating and intense diarrhea lasting several hours.  It is very different from any other common stomach issue, I can always tell when it is a turkey problem. It is very much like Salmonella poisoning, it just doesn't last as long.  I have ended up in the emergency room twice, the worst being when I was pregnant. 

I am in my 40's now and have noticed a similar reaction to eggs, I've begun to avoid those as well.  I've only had one reaction to chicken, that was a few years ago.  To the poster asking ages / locations: I too was born on 1970 but in California.

I've learned a lot about food ingredients.  I read labels. When I do get sick I always try to run down the events / food until I find the turkey so I can avoid it next time.  I am the annoying one at the potluck asking if there is any turkey in anything.  Eggs somehow are easier to spot. I am also the reason we have ham at the holidays.

I've always thought it might be the hormones they give the turkeys.  I live in Oregon now and there is a ton of organic / hormone free turkey here.  I've never been brave enough to try it to find out. (I think this could possibly be my egg issue too.)

To those of you just finding this thread, you are not alone, you are not weird, just allergic. 
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: carebear on 03/09/2012 00:10:28
i too have the same symptoms as you. I was in my mid twenties and had turkey for dinner and within 2 hours I was experiencing extreme bloating and bowel issues. I lost so much fluid from both ends I ended up hospitalized twice from turkey. I was advised to stay away from it. I also recently have had the same experience with onions. My stomach bloats so much that my pants have snapped open and it HURTS. Im a small frame 130 pounds and when i eat these food items I loose too much fluid, and so quickly I pass out and have to be given IV Fluids. I have had many years of radioactive iodine treatments for cancer so doctors are skeptic and maybe that has screwed with my intestines.
However, when I stay away from these foods I am OK.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Anita428 on 26/12/2012 01:33:26
I think I am allergic to chicken, turkey, and sometimes pork.  The symptoms are always the same, although they vary in intensity:  both my hands and forearms feel like I've got a bad sunburn.  They're not red, however, and no amount of washing my hands gets rid of the burning.  Two of my three sons, my mother, and my sister also have this reaction to chicken.  It doesn't happen *all* the time, but I would say 99%.  Has anyone had this kind of reaction? It doesn't last long, but it is very annoying and I'm only hoping it doesn't turn into something more serious.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Dex on 26/02/2013 02:54:50
I realize this is an old thread, but I may have an answer to people who have new allergies to chicken and turkey as my 23 year old son developed these in the last couple of years. We did our research, and, it turns out it was related to the new method of sanitizing poultry and preparing it for display.  Poultry used to be sanitized for salmonella by dipping it in an ammonia wash.  In the last few years, a sodium phosphate wash has become a more popular choice.  There are some who are allergic or sensitive to phosphates. Some will get a skin reaction, sore stomach, and for my son, migraine symptoms.  If you know the source of your poultry and how they wash it, this may be an answer if you want to eat it. As well, producers often plump up chicken parts with this sodium solution (sometimes listed as natural flavour). This makes the chicken more tender, adds weight and makes the chicken look more plump and appealing.  In the US, companies are supposed to legally list that they've enhanced the chicken meat.  An LA Times article noted that producers also enhance pork and beef with a saline solution.  Scallops in the supermarket are all enhanced with sodium phosphates otherwise they would spoil by the time they get to market. Be careful if the label lists natural flavors, as sodium phosphate is considered a natural product and remain hidden under this umbrella label.  My son can eat chicken parts that aren't plumped, but has to stay away from turkey or whole birds. Phosphates are also being added to many prepared foods, so if you feel ill after some meals, this could be the reason.  For those with a severe reaction, phosphate allergy is a true allergy, and medicines containing phosphates need to be avoided. It's really terrible how many additives are being used in our food supply! We're getting back to basics in cooking only fresh ingredients, but now have to watch for this enhanced meat.  As an aside to this poultry discussion,  one recent discovery was how baby carrots are prepared; seemingly healthy, but they are regular carrots shaved down to look small and then dipped in ammonia to prevent spoilage!  One other comment, if you ever feel sick drinking tap water, the added  fluoride is a byproduct of phosphate production, and for some, even in its small amounts, can cause stomach pain. Best of luck discovering what you can eat! We definitely need to shift our food supply away from using all these additives!  We're ending up with a generation of people getting sick for the sake of company profit with extended shelf life instead of a strong generation.           
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: rozmill on 31/05/2013 18:44:12
My daughter was 23 when she was hit with all kinds of allergic problems.  We had to investigate on our own and figure out what could possibly be happening to her.  She was reacting to everything around her.  Her worst reaction was to polyethylene glycol (anaphylactic response) which is in almost everything.   We ended up going to an environmental doctor in Dallas that truly saved her life.  She is about to be 25 and after 2 years of treatment, she is much improved.  Many of the foods that she was allergic to, she no longer is.  This doctor believes in finding the underlying cause to what the outward symptoms are.  Just like the post about the food being dipped in ammonia.  That could really be the culprit and not chicken itself.  Good news is, this doctor, with his treatment protocol, has allowed my daughter to be in the world. It has taken 2 years, and she is still not completely well, but the reactions she used to have are few and far between.  She hardly ever is anaphylactic anymore.  If anyone would like more information on this, I'd be happy to share it with you.  This doctor is a board certified Cardiovascular surgeon that himself became environmentally ill.  He has been practicing environmental medicine since 1974.  He saved my daughter's life.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: DrOckW on 28/06/2013 04:24:33
Good Information in the last few posts.

I wish I could say that this was a solution in my case.  My allergies date back to the 80s and the testing done by my allergist confirms that Poultry proteins contain the allergen.

Interesting post about the PG (propylene glycol), this is an ingredient used in SO many items in a grocery store.  It is also one of the options used to create liquid for electronic cigarettes.  There are a lot of people who use these smoking alternatives (known as vapers) who discover that they have been allergic to PG by using an electronic cigarette.  There are alternatives to PG, the most common is VG or vegetable glycerin.  Note that these ingredients are food safe and classified as GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) by the FDA.

There are a great number of undiscovered allergies and new ones popping up.  I find the allergy world fascinating, probably because I am directly effected by it.

Let's all remember we are not alone.  Us label readers (as my family and friends call me) are being joined every year by new dieters and folks with disorders that require special diets.

Stay strong.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: shagydeep on 29/06/2013 06:24:46
Hello,
Yes it happens with some people also with my father feels it. They just stopped eating chicken ...
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: charliebucket on 21/08/2013 01:44:03
hi guys. a few answers and a question. my son has allergies to egg and chicken, 1 below hives from contact. im wondering how closely related turkey is as we had is7ue7 with dairy and soy when younger. my 10.5 month old is having there facial swellings, throat closures with breathing AND the sunburn reaction jason described. this is a product of hives. 1 in 4 people with chronic urticaria suffer it, 3 in this family, its called angioedema and it 2N be, but is rarely life threatening and requiring of adrenaline.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: FLguyAllergicToPoultry on 20/10/2013 08:47:59
Hi everyone, I am a 31 year old male.  I started to notice around 5 or 6 that poultry would give me tightness in my chest narrowing of my breathing passages and drooling saliva.  At first I just said I don't like it cause it would make me feel this way, which as others have stated, I was ignored like "kids say the darnedest things" I mean who's allergic to chicken.  I remember when my Mom and step dad, even at this early age, would pick up a box of hot fried chicken just the vapor in the car would aggravate my breathing.

Then maybe around 8 years old I was at a local salad bar loading up my plate with all the fixings and what I thought was ham and if you asked anyone they would say "yeah that's ham" but in fact its turkey ham.  Around 11:30 - 12:30 I woke up and called out to my Mom to tell her my light was on, she came in my room and looked at me and her facial expression is still horridly vivid.  My lips and mouth and eyes were swollen up so bad, they rushed me to the ER.  The ER physician asked what have you had to eat, I told him salad.  To be sure they would cover a broad spectrum of allergens I was given 6 shots, epinephrine, Benadryl,  and many other antihistamines.  The doctor said when your outside starts swelling to that extent your insides ie: airways are already blocked luckily, I was still able to breath about 10- 20%. The ER physician said if I had not woke up, my parents would of found a dead son the next morning, this of course scared my parents. 

My Mom set up allergy testing (skin pricks) with a local doctor, he tested me for chicken, turkey, eggs and a few other more common allergens.  My skin within minutes bulged up where the chicken and turkey was but not eggs.  Finally confirmation I was allergic to poultry.  My parents were divorced and my Dad's side of the family, uncle/aunt, grandparents, still said "Oh you can eat chicken" and I would stand my ground and yell "No I can not!!!!!"  This has made me seem like a trouble maker, had to turn down many a offer to "stay for dinner", even if I didn't see the bird, I would ask what broth is in the soup oh chicken sorry.  Or most time to avoid a long drawn out explanation I will just say no thanks, many times starving to death..

 I have to check labels for chicken fat, broth, base, powder, mechanically separated chicken, chicken parts, and you would not believe all the foods that have these things in them, even at first glance you would say, "no way this cheese ravioli has any form of chicken in it" then you check the label and there it is chicken fat...just an example, believe me there are many more, way to many to list.

I thought at a Chinese restaurant one night I'll try the duck, bad call, got wings, poultry = I'm allergic. Flying in an airplane from Orlando to Washington D. C., they offered a ham sandwich, by this time I was wary about anything that I could not physically look at the label, so as not to be any trouble I ate this "ham sandwich" instantly I knew this was not ham.  I had to wait three hours in flight drooling in a coup, beating on my chest, which sometime kinda relieves the tightness, to get to D. C. my dad rushed to the car rental place, got a car, and asked them where the closest pharmacy is.  We drove through D. C. with my head out the window like a dog with a steady stream of saliva pouring out of my mouth to the pharmacy, got some Benadryl I took 4 within about 30 minutes my symptoms began to improve and I began to fall asleep.  Probably could of had a law suit against the airline.  We have learned if going anywhere, car ride, flight, to take Benadryl along.

Many other times at restaurants I will ask what something is made with, I have grown to know the culprits, the waitress either looks at me like I'm crazy or in a not so sure voice says oh no there's no chicken stock in that.  I order something else. Most waitstaff have no idea how the food is prepared, most of the time I order something else or If I really want it I will say "Go ask the cook!"

Even though this is pretty long, its just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my fight with my poultry allergy.
I now am married with a three year old son of my own, who can thankfully eat and loves to eat chicken.  My wife sometimes slips and says you want to try this or do you like turkey; then she realizes.  I know it's not common, my poultry allergy, which makes it that much harder to explain to people.  I am glad I found this thread cause I am sure you guys can relate to some if not all of it.

And yes the first thing people say is "what do you eat on Thanksgiving" the answer is ham, like i am sure it is the same for most of you all...

Hopefully one day i will be able to eat poultry, but I'm not holding my breath.
Title: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: blueheron on 16/12/2013 18:48:15
My son has poultry allergy with burning tongue & throat and anaphylactic response.  He does not consume turkey or chicken (or even duck), and he reads all ingredient panels.

I'll have him read this forum! There is a lot of good info on here. 
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Looneytune on 25/12/2013 05:41:30
I'm also allergic to poultry. Reading some of these posts is like reading my life story. I could eat chicken and turkey till I was around 10-11yrs old, then the chest pains, shortness of breath, severe swelling systems started. That was 25yrs ago. I've mostly just avoided it as much as possible, but of course that's not an easy task. I have had some severe run ins that sent me to the ER. Most times massive dosses of Benadryl will do the trick. It takes me a couple of days to fully recover now-a-days.
Of course people are bewildered by a person who is allergic to poultry. Some find it hard to believe, many of poked fun over the years. "chickenman" I've been called. The worse part is when you try to inquire of the ingredients, and the server blindly says "no it's not poultry" without even checking. To which I order a burger and fries as usual. Sounds tasty, but they get old.
Yesterday I went to my usual lunch location and ask the lady who I've spoken with many times if the meatballs were "David friendly" and she in turn ask the lady who prepared them and she said the was no poultry in them. There was also a store manager there getting a sandwich ( Ingles grocery store) So I bought the meatballs. Then a couple of hours later the tightness of breath and pain in my chest. Benadryl and prednizone for me, basically ruining my christmas. :-/
It's frustrating at times like these. I'm at a point now where I'm almost scared to eat anywhere. People put chicken in everything anymore, broth, base, flavoring.... Times are getting tougher
I've considered the farm fresh chickens without all the drugs but am too chicken to try.
thankfully/crazily I can eat the eggs.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: poultryallergy on 30/01/2014 14:42:24
I can't believe I found this forum with all these other chicken/poultry allergy sufferers. Whenever I used to mention to people that I'm allergic to all poultry, they would initially say something like, 'you mean, you just don't like it', a response I've had since I was a kid. There was a particularly unpleasant nanny, who would force me to eat the revolting chicken she made, thinking that I was just being fussy, and inevitably I would have to go to the sofa and lie down with the spittoon, drooling from the the mouth and beating my chest (which strangely enough, helps), hoping for sleep to come so I would wake up without the symptoms. This earned me a reputation as a bit of a weirdo, at home and at school. If only science had declared it a real allergy, I would have had a bit more sympathy. People would say 'well surely you can eat pheasant' or any other bird that was on the menu, but no, they all had the same effect on me.

It didn't start with poultry though; I initially had an allergy to peas and tunafish, allergies which then grew to include chicken. I'd be told to eat my peas, chicken or tunafish at school and not allowed to leave until they were finished (I was at a boarding school where they do that kind of thing). I'd sit there for sometimes as much as an hour after everybody had left, refusing to the eat them. And of course, being allergic to that many things, you wind up eating them sometimes and getting the usual symptoms; stabbing, burning pain in the oesophagus, swelling under the tongue and the mouth in general and tonnes of long, stringy mucous that I'd have to continually spit out. I'd spit that into a spittoon, sometimes getting as much as half a pint of the swill. Disgusting.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I got over it. I'd get hit with this reaction all the time, because as others have mentioned, chicken is incorporated into just about everything as it is particularly delicious and cheap as far as meat goes. Then, one day working as a tree-planter on the west coast of Canada, it'd been raining/snowing for 10 hours straight as we worked, and getting back into camp I found there was only chicken to eat. I was starving, and decided to hell with it, I'd put up with the consequences. I braced for the reaction, which I knew would have me in my tent in agony and running to a hole in the ground for relief. But it never came. I was so elated that I could now eat chicken. Anyway, for what it's worth, I was reading a story about a new cure for peanut allergy. Under hospital conditions they initially feed you minute amounts of peanut, which they gradually increase over repeated supervised visits, until eventually the immune/allergic response no longer happens: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25917272   I think this is what happened to me, eating it so many times by mistake so that gradually my sensitivity to it diminished over time.

Reading that article led me to google my old allergy again and find this forum. So nice to find that no, I'm not crazy when I start frothing at the mouth and beating on my chest to clear the pain, that there is such a thing as a chicken allergy.

NB:
I have found that boiled chicken, like you would find in a Coq au Vin has a much worse effect than other ways of preparing it.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: mindy scott on 04/02/2014 20:56:43
I have read this who thing several times and finally am going to comment. Before I start no she has not been diagnosed with the allergy yet but we will hoping start testing next week with that said here is what we are going thru -

 On january 21 my 12 yr old  daughter went into anaphlactic shock. The night before she had chicken. We have always been big chicken eaters . Well we didn't think it was the chicken because as I said we do eat alot of chicken. She ended up in the hospital for 4 days and her symptoms lasted til this past friday. She has had a migraine that lasted from the first reaction and finally ended friday, the redness throat closing and feeling funny , tongue going numb and swelling , lips swelling and going numb , massive hives that swell the surrounding skin its been a mess. Only thing nobody can figure out is why her legs go numb. her legs were numb from the knee down for the week and a half she was in the reaction. When she would have bad reactions she would go numb from the waist down. she has had chicken twice since the first reaction and both those times we almost had to use her epi. She has been on so many meds its been rough on her :(
 Today was supposed to be her first day back to school and she had done great since friday night when her last bad reaction was so i figured she would make it all day. I walked her to school handed over her meds went thru the whole ordeal again with the nurse and left came home took me a shower and by the time i stepped out they had called. There was a 2 hr delay today so whole they were making and serving breakfast they were preparing lunch and it was 2 different chicken options. Somehow her breakfast tray came in contact or just being in the area she breathed it in and her hands became red and she developed her migraine. This is becoming extremely nerve racking and scary. I know i can keep her safe at home but now school has to take extreme measures to keep her safe and healthy at school til we can get some answers.
  This site is the only site i have came across that has any kind of help or actual accounts of reactions not just listings. No we are not for sure she has a chicken allergy but any time she has consumed it in the past 2 weeks she has severe reactions that leave her feeling crappy for days after and her first reaction lasted 3 days short of 2 weeks. Right now her migraine gone thanks to emitrex but her stomach hurts and shes shaky all over and feels bad :(
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Loper on 12/03/2014 22:12:19
Like others have said, I have never met anyone else with poultry allergies.  Because there is so little information out there I will also detail my allergy history.  As long as I can remember I have been allergic to both chicken and turkey but not eggs (although I have sensitivity to raw eggs, think cookie dough).  The first time being at about 5 years old after eating KFC.  Symptoms include itchy mouth and fat lip for mild reactions (Rice-a-Roni type) to hives and difficulty breathing.  The worst reaction occurred at age 14 after eating beef and noodles at school (a turkey filler was used in place of beef).  After lunch I had P.E. where we were running.  In algebra the next hour I broke out into hives and had difficulty breathing.  I was given a shot of adrenaline and prescribed an epi-pen, which I have never used.  In college I was given a ham sandwich while working construction, soon to realize it was turkey ham.  This was treated with benadryl, after again having symptoms of hives and difficulty breathing. 

I normally can quickly tell if a food contains poultry and stop eating it and treat with benadryl (this is rare less than once about every other year).

My last reaction was at a restaurant (about 2003) when I ordered Chicken Fried Steak, after eating about three bites determined it was  Chicken Fried Chicken.  This again was treated with benadryl after symptoms of itchy mouth, fat lip and slight chest tightness.

I am now 39 and went to an allergist for the first time.  My skin test showed negative for chicken and turkey, so a blood sample was taken.  Today I received the results for those test.  They were negative for both chicken and turkey but slightly positive for duck.

I am completely baffled by the results.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: chickenturkeyterror on 04/04/2014 00:10:39
Thank you all for your voice. I am a 32 year old male and have been dodging and weaving my way around my chicken and turkey allergy for 24 years now. I used to love McDonalds chicken nuggets and publix fried chicken as a kid and one day I remember getting very sick after experiencing major stomach pains and weird saliva side effects. Someone said it best on this forum, it's like someone is twisting a corkscrew into my chest (rusty steel corkscrew at that). My saliva becomes something from another planet, very foamy and then drool and then foam and then who knows what's next. I just yearn to throw up and the experience to be over. As I and then I pray that God sees me through the episode I wonder if this is the time it will go wrong and I will pass out or even die.

Growing up My body and mind knew I was allergic to chicken and turkey even when I wasn't sure. I just stopped eating it and dealt with all the naysayers along the way, "It's just in your head..it's a mental thing" WRONG. I finally got tired of questioning my subconscious instinct and told my mom I have to be tested. She arranged my allergy blood test and at the age of 18 my instincts were confirmed, the nurse says "I can't believe it but you are extremely allergic to Turkey and very much allergic to chicken". Ahaha I thought, I can't wait to tell everyone they were wrong and I was right! My parents felt terrible for the pressure and doubt they placed on me for nearly 10 years, however they were also relieved I was healthy and nothing serious occurred before we knew for sure. My friends still didn't believe me and when I would tell other people there is always doubt and followup questions like they are going to cure my problem after a little convo.

I have done a great job of avoiding chicken and turkey over the years but there are always those two or three episodes a year I come face to face with my allergy. Foods that have gotten me over the years are hotdogs, pepperoni, bacon, and soups. These usually end up having mechanically processed chicken/turkey or some other form of the viscous fowl hidden in the product. Also cross contamination at sub shops and Asian/Chinese places have gotten me. Today I had new food product get me, a meatball sub! I had to leave an important business meeting and could barely say bye because my jaw was on lock down and I had foam in my mouth. I drove carefully to a nearby hospital and went behind there dumpster to throw up, it was a loud aggressive scene that fortunately nobody had to witness. I found a hospital intentionally to hide behind in case things got much worse I could will my way to the front door and collapse, if need be. Thing started getting better so I got back in my car and drive down the road, then another painful episode came to me and I pulled into a gas station where I went to the back of the building and threw up more. All while in 90 degree heat and bugs crawling around me. The birds behind the building chirped for a while and then got real quiet probably looking at me thinking "it's probably just in his head".

I wrote an email to the sub shop asking them to disclose the ingredients in their meatballs. I'm tired of this. Companies that process or sell goods need to be required to keep products we assume beef or pork as just that. People that buy turkey-bacon and serve it like its bacon as we know it, need to be more informed. Handicap people get spaces right by the front door (as they should), items with seafood in them that usually may not contain seafood generally come with disclaimers or warnings. It's time that chicken/turkey allergies are treated with the same respect and accountability.

Your not alone and thanks to this thread I have known for years that Iam not alone. It was time for me to give back..please do the same.

One more thing, isn't it fun when your allergy comes up at a table full of people and you have to talk about it for the next 10 minutes and people start making jokes. I'm ok with the jokes but I sure wish people knew what it was like to be in a ditch area behind a BP in hot weather not knowing whether your going to make it through this one, and I need to make sure I keep my body visible just in case. Actually I don't wish that on anyone, but just saying.

It's time that companies bottom lines stop putting me in physical agony. This is what's actually " in my head".

Matt

PS. I can eat eggs no problem
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: chickenturkeyterror on 04/04/2014 00:31:15
I realized that I didn't give any advice from my years if experience.

Tip 1: Don't order anything that could contain poultry before or during a business event. The embarrassment will win out over your hunger, having to explain, or even the pain

Tip 2: NEVER eat good that has a chance to get you at an airport before a flight. Never had a reaction on a plane and I don't plan too. I once skipped my meal on a 9 hour flight even though I was starving. NOT Worth it.

Tip 3: Never be afraid to speak up

Tip 4: Never be afraid to speak up

Tip 5: If you will be part of a group feeding that is preordered (sports team on the road, work meal, Thanksgiving away from your blood family, ect..) speak up before hand or it's your fault and you you need to be willing to go without.

Tip 6: Never be afraid to speak up

Tip 7: carry an epipen (which I don't and I plan on fixing that)

Tip 8: When an episode starts make sure you tell someone or you can become visible to people if things start going way downhill

Tip 9: Your not weird. I am a successful athlete and now business person and I have a beautiful wife. You just unlucky.

Tip 10: Who wants to eat bird anyway

Bonus Tip 11: If your eating a lot of red meat, because well that's mostly what you can eat, make sure you run a lot.. all that red meat can't be good for the arteries, keep them clear. This is just my theory with nothing to back up my theory.

Anyone else have some. PLEASE share. If you can help just one person your time was worth it!
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: hurlburt on 10/04/2014 17:03:38
hello all,

I too suffer similar symptoms, an anaphylactic response if I have the term correct (tightness in chest, super itchiness on scalp, palms of hands, red blotchiness all over, excessive thick saliva).  chicken, turkey, SOME but not all tuna, tilapia.  I have some experience that may help people:


so I have a rather obvious question, based on Dex' research below, does anyone know of a reliable source for chicken and or turkey that is free of the anti-salmonella wash or the plumping:

Quote from: Dex on 26/02/2013 02:54:50
We did our research, and, it turns out it was related to the new method of sanitizing poultry and preparing it for display.  Poultry used to be sanitized for salmonella by dipping it in an ammonia wash.  In the last few years, a sodium phosphate wash has become a more popular choice.

it seems to me that part of the preparation for the fish, chicken, turkey and beans may have a common component, possibly the phosphate wash, that is causing the issue.  isolate that and maybe there's some help for us?
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: DeanK on 11/04/2014 20:29:48
My people! I too suffer from a dangerous poultry allergy. I'm 38 now and have lived with this since I was diagnosed at about 4 years old. I was very fortunate to have a pediatrician who had a son with the same allergy, so my parents took this seriously from the start. As many of you have experienced,  many others since have not.

My symptoms include the excessive salivation, throat closing, chest congestion, and an overall anxious and very uncomfortable feeling. The symptoms come on very quickly and last several hours. I generally get extremely tired afterwards and my appetite often doesn't return for 18 to 24 hours or more. I get the same reaction from chicken and turkey and I would assume other birds, but I'm fine with eggs and enjoy them regularly. A few years ago a friend wanted to make something different for me for my birthday. He made alligator gumbo and I had a terrible birthday night. He was well aware of my allergy and did not include any poultry in the dish, so we had to assume that the alligator caused the reaction. The symptoms were the same.

I am an obsessive label reader and going out to eat is always an adventure. I get very annoyed by waitstaff who don't take my dietary needs seriously and always do my best to educate them if they are willing to listen. I've had 4 fairly serious reactions in the last 7 or 8 years. All were from restaurant prepared food. I just helped a good friend out with opening up her own restaurant. She is an amazing chef and my allergy stories have made her very sensitive to allergies in general so she is very happy to accommodate and is very clear about ingredients.

I used to carry an epi-pen, but I never replaced it when it expired years ag. I kn ow I should get another, especially for when I'm traveling.

Just wanted to share a little bit about my experiences with my broken immune system. It truly is a curse, but one that we have to live with. Good luck to you all. Keep reading labels and keep askingquestions!
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: personary on 21/04/2014 16:13:20
So glad I found this forum.  I've had a poultry allergy for as long as I can remember (I'm 28 now).  I remember being about 3 or 4 years old, and telling my parents my throat hurt whenever I ate chicken, so they stopped feeding it to me for the most part.  I'd try eating chicken when it was the only thing around, but would get a horrible reaction to it.  I have almost identical symptoms to NomNomNom below.

Quote from: NomNomNom on 27/06/2012 03:22:18
- Tightening of the chest/heartburn (the person who described it as a "corkscrew" sensation was spot on)
- Uncontrollable/steady stream of saliva
- Closing of the throat (personally I've never had breathing difficulties, which sounds contradictory, but for me it's just a really unpleasant tightening sensation)
- Occasional urge to throw up, less as an "omg-get-to-the-bathroom-now" thing and more as an attempt to get rid of what feels like a huge spiky ball in my chest/throat.

It takes a good hour or two for these symptoms to fully disappear. I used to eat chicken all the time when I was little, and then started having this reaction right around puberty. I react the same way to chicken, turkey, and duck, so it's safe to say this is a general poultry allergy. I'm not allergic to eggs.

I was especially interested to read goldengirl's description of how it runs in his/her family, because I've always had a theory that it's a genetic thing - my brother developed the exact same allergy, also around puberty.

That last part about it possibly being a genetic thing is interesting.  My younger brother (25 yrs. old) started developing this same allergy in his 20's.  It doesn't seem to be as severe, but he complains about not being able to eat poultry at times now.  However, I do not know anyone else in my family that has had this type of reaction to poultry.

The absolute worst reaction I had ever had was when I only ate some mashed potatoes that touched turkey.  I didn't even eat the turkey.  I was in college at the time, and went to class afterwords.  I could feel the reaction coming on, but just hoped it wouldn't be bad.  I spent the entire class period in the bathroom.  My chest was torturing me, and my heart pounding out of my chest.  I had an endless amount of saliva, and my throat felt like it had a knife in it while it was closing up.

My fiance constantly tells me I need to get an epipen, which I know I should.  That's something I need to push myself to get.  I'm always just weary about going to the doctor since everyone always looks at me weird when I say I have a poultry allergy.

I also did the same thing as hurlburt and bought organic chicken a couple of years ago to test if it was the chemical's/hormones, and not the actual chicken.  I was amazed that I didn't have a reaction, and was so happy that I thought I found a solution to my problem.  However, the next day I ate leftovers, and had a reaction again.

I also remember a really interesting month in my life when I ate chicken the entire month without a reaction.  I remember going to Chick-fil-A and just out of curiosity bought some chicken when I was with some family.  Didn't have a reaction... tested it out at other restaurants, and ended up eating chicken for a whole month until the reaction came back.  That was probably about 10 years ago.

I too am not allergic to eggs, thank God.  I eat eggs a lot as a source of protein.  I have not tried duck, but am afraid to try it.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Don_1 on 24/04/2014 11:12:43
This is some ]fowl trick of nature, if you'll pardon the pun.

Its odd that your allergy seems to have taken a 1 month vacation and a separate 1 day vacation.

Perhaps it is not the chicken, but rather the cooking process or cooking additives.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: oneportal on 12/06/2014 22:58:55
Hmm. After nearly 20 years on the internet, I finally googled my food allergy. Yes - all poultry, but not eggs or feathers. Ostrich Jerky, duck liver (smaller reaction to poultry livers). I was born in '74 and the allergy was discovered at 7 months of age. Nearly killed me, as it has many times.
I have some lifelong lessons and an anecdote or two to share as well - and some of this will not be safe for conservatives.

A) The most severe forms of reactions for me are distinctly broths and fats. The anecdote here was during a cold wintery day (for Tucson) hanging out at a friends, I was unaware he was having a bowl of chicken broth sitting next me (we all colds, of course, we were teenagers). The wretched hives I suffered appeared in waves they exactly followed the path of the steam from his bowl. Hilarious, to my friends.

B) If you are as allergic as I, print a business card to give to the cooks whenever you go out to eat - in Spanish and English. Make it clear they cannot use the same cooking utensils or cooking surfaces as poultry in addition to the ingredient itself. A single spoon dipped into the kung pao sauce then used for your tofu dish should never give you a reaction.

C) Talk to the butcher at your local supermarket and get your ground meat immediately after a sanitizing of the grinder they use. You should not use a pound of organically fed chemical free ground beef for tacos that was ground immediately after turkey - which you purchased at an upscale health food chain.

D) Never trust a grill anywhere that you don't scrub clean yourself. Lazy friends!

E) When visiting your local farmer's markets - be sure to ask what kind of fertilizer they use! Especially since I've gotten reactions from many local producers who use bonemeal, household compost, or the scrapings of chicken droppings on their vegetables. It can get into the actual cellulose of the plant.

F) Finally, when sourcing your weed, see E, above. If you think eating poultry gives you an awful reaction, try smoking it. A whole new world of suffering I would not wish upon my worst enemy.

Additional anecdote: My teenage friends tested my allergy back in the 80's by feeding me a Louis Rich hot dog (remember when poultry hot dogs were top shelf?). Best hot dog I ever ate. Lazy, lying friends. They believed me after that night. At least they cleaned up.

Pain in the ass allergy. Thanks for reading.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: NoFowlNoHarm on 05/07/2014 19:48:01
Wow, like the last poster, I don't know if I never looked this up, or if there just wasn't anything around when I did. Nice to see I have company, I don't think I've ever met anyone else that has a poultry allergy.

I have a similar story, I had reactions to chicken when I was young, but wasn't believed until some chicken touched my face and it turned red. After that, my family went out of their way to give me alternative choices for food.

My reactions were always mild, relatively. Itchy mouth, closing throat/tight chest. I'm 44 now, and if anything, my reaction is even more mild. Still annoying, and I always avoid poultry. I've had mixed results with duck though. Sometimes it's fine, sometimes not.

Just for reference, I have a ton of other allergies too - lots of raw vegetables, nuts, honey, tropical fruit. Again though, my reactions aren't dangerous, just annoying. I just found something called Oral Allergy Syndrome that seems to describe it:
"OAS (also known as pollen-food syndrome) is an allergic reaction to certain proteins in a variety of fruits, vegetables and nuts. The symptoms include itching and burning of the lips, mouth and throat."
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: notarts on 04/09/2014 15:29:07
Like everyone else here, it is a surprise to see others are also allergic to chicken (poultry) and tuna.   I have read through this several times.  My experiecne is so similar.  I ate chicken and tuna and turkey since I was a child - I was born in 1962.    It was not until about 1987 that I started to get allergic reactions to the above foods.  Never had any allergies and am a healthy individual. Interesting reading, the sanitation method for food changed in the early '80's.   Dex said last year, that there is a phosphate allergy.  Perhaps I am allergic to the phosphate.   I too have had similar experiences - rushed to the ER with anaphylactic shock - a few times.   Always read labels for ingredients, to include chicken stock.  No one believes I can be allergic to chicken or tuna (surprisingly not turkey anymore).    But I can eat eggs.  My allergist states, that 'whatever' my allergy, it does not pass through the placenta, hence I can eat eggs.   I have my epi pen which needs a renewal.  Last night had a reaction to mahi mahi, so could it be the cleaning method.?.?  Was never allergic to mahi mahi before.  So I had the typical, tingling of scalp and hands, tighteness across the chest and general discomfort that lasts for about an hour or so.  I can tell when the reaction is coming on and I drink lots of water to dilute the reaction, if you will.  Took some benadryl.  My wife is after me to research this further, so here I am.    I plan to call my allergist and inquire about the phosphate issue.  Maybe this is it and could eventually go to free range chicken.  I have not knowingly ingested chicken for almost 30 years now.   The bufffet lines are scarey when the food I want to eat is next to the chicken dish - yes spoons get swapped - and yes I had the reaction.   Any way, good reading, I will respost if I can conclude anything re phosphates.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: arge on 05/10/2014 01:40:32
I used to eat anything without problems. One day at around 37 years of age I had same canned tuna (as many times before) and I could feel my lips tingling as if the tuna was super salty. Over the last 7 years I got more sensitive. I still have no problems eating eggs, steaks, burgers or pork meat.

For me, the most fast acting culprits are chicken broths and canned tuna. I feel my lips tingling within few seconds from contact. Within few minutes: Tightening of the chest and the very unpleasant closing of the throat resulting in highly reduced ability to burp/swallow and related trapped air bloating sensation. This typically lasts 2 to 4 hours. Sometimes there is a “second wave” after 3-4 hours in the lower stomach area that feels like a blocked digestion where the food is undecided which way to go. When this happens there are few minutes of cold sweat and heavy breathing while laying down trying not to pass-out.

So far I have identified these triggers: tuna, tilapia, chicken, turkey, other “fish” fried or raw (sashimi/sushi).
One Thanksgiving day I got a mild reaction from some white turkey meat. As a test, I went back for more dark only turkey meat from the same bird. The dark turkey meat seemed to have no allergic effect.

My last severe reaction has been to a shiny looking supermarket sashimi (I did avoid the tuna). Reading the label revealed the presence of “potassium sorbate” (preservative). This sashimi was particularly treacherous since the symptoms took 5 minutes to manifest. By that time I already did eat 4 pieces…
From time to time, if I find myself in a reputable (expensive) restaurant with my wife, I try to eat a small piece of “fresh” tuna steak or sushi, usually without any side effect.

I still cannot figure out exactly what causes the allergic reaction. If I have to guess: some poultry / fish protein and/or preservative. But this is not my field of expertise.
I hope this helps in figuring out this mostly unheard-off yet very real allergy.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Turkey_bah on 10/12/2014 19:36:04
wow ... " post was blocked for : YOU HAVE USED A BLACKLISTED" term  = COKE !
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: starbearr on 12/12/2014 09:22:24
I am like some of you. I start to feel the allergy about an hour and a half after digesting turkey, chicken or eggs. Strange I can eat eggs if they are baked into something such as cake etc. I can not eat ice cream that has eggs, nor fried eggs, scrambled etc.

As I sit here and type this I am on the end of my second reaction in 3 days. Will explain this more later.

I cannot eat any form of poultry, juice etc. My reaction is like a body migraine. I have IBS too and it just kicks this into high gear it seems. I start with severe back pain, my stomach is next, cramping, nausea, sometimes vomiting, severe diarrhea . I just feel like I have been hit with a major flu bug. I go to bed and sleep it off. I really do not know how bad the symptoms would get if I stayed awake. I have trained my body to go to sleep while in major pain, such as migraines etc. When I wake up I am exhausted. I will still experience the diarrhea, cramping, nausea and sometimes vomit, and I just want to go back to bed. I feel like I am on day 3 of a week long flu.

I am now 51 the first reactions started about 13 years ago. My husband was the one that figured out what it was.  I would eat and like I said hour and a half later I was sick as a dog. I can't remember now how many times I got sick in a 2 week period but my husband said, you know the last time you did this we had chicken. So just to see, the next night I made chicken, yep sick as all get out.

Each time it seems to be worse than others. Label reading is a MUST!! There are so many products now that you wouldn't think that has turkey, chicken, or eggs in them. Here is what I have found.

Pizza Restaurants there are 2 kinds of sausage. Italian sausage is made with pork. If it just says sausage ask, 99% of the time it is made with chicken. Pepperoni is another one you need to ask about, Ham as well.

Any restaurant you eat in, make sure you tell them no matter what you order that you have an allergy. Sometimes items you would not think would have chicken broth in them, do!!! My egg allergy is included.

Salad bars stay away from the ham. Again most of the time the ham is turkey ham, and a lot of the items have chicken broth, even if it says pork or beef. Yes, the meat is pork or beef but they don't say they added chicken broth to recipe.

Beware of any place that slices their own meat for sandwiches. I have been hit with my allergy from buying a ham sub, steak sub etc. WHY? Because they didn't properly clean the slicer between meats. This has been different places. Grocery stores, restaurants, deli's etc. Meat departments sometimes do not handle meat the proper way either. I have bought hamburger and gotten a poultry reaction to it. The last time I talked to the store manager at a meat market I had been going to for years because I trust them. No issues, I hardly buy meat anywhere else anymore. A couple months ago I bought some ground beef, cooked it up that night and wham. I talked to the owner the next day on the phone. He assured me they do not do poultry and the other meats even in the same sections of the departments. He did however tell me about how meats are transported on trucks. Sometimes boxes of meats are all stacked on top of each other, pork on beef, chicken on top. They leak etc. sounds extremely scary. Not sure how this would even be legal?

Now for my experience this week. I went to Little Caesars and bought one of their ready pizza's. We do this when I am lazy every now and again. Never had an issue. Well Tuesday bought a pizza and grabbed a couple of the buttery garlic sauces they had. Never tried them before. They weren't bad a good addition to the pizza.
Hour and a half later I was sick as a dog, I thought oh no, they now use chicken pepperoni like so many frozen pizzas now. I called them, the manager assured me it is still pork. It is 4am Friday morning, yesterday around noon we bought a quick pizza for lunch after a dr appointment. I took a little bit of the garlic sauce and put it on my Italian cheese bread, not as much as I had used Tuesday but enough to taste it. Ate one piece of pizza and it was not even a half hour later I started to get sick as all get out. I told my husband something is going on here. I decided to go to Little Caesars website and check out their Nutrition information. Well to my surprise in their allergy reaction section they say that the sauces all but the BBQ has allergy information  Egg, milk and soybean.
You can't read the labels on these things. I told my husband I bet you anything it has egg yolk for the coloring. He took a pic with his phone and enlarged the small print and low and behold the last ingredient, egg yolk. You would think with all the people that have egg allergies that they would have a sign up.

As I said it is 4am. I laid down about 1pm Thursday afternoon and woke up at 11:30pm. I have been throwing up, feel like I have been run over by a fleet of trucks. This is the worst reaction I have ever had. I know they seem to get worse as they go, but I think its worse because I was still recovering from the one Tuesday. I take Bentyl for my IBS, I took one after I woke up.. about an half hour later the cramping in my back got worse. So I am not sure if this medicine is helping or hurting during an allergy attack.

I am sorry that I have been just going on here. I hope it helps someone else.





Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: theARE on 06/01/2015 14:22:29
Another Chicken/Turkey Allergy sufferer here.

Again story is pretty similar - could eat it fine as a child, reactions starting from my late teens. Mid teens also started having Hay-fever symptoms. I can usually tell relatively straight away that I've had something - my lips tingle at the edges, then my lips, inside of my cheek, tongue and eventually throat will all puff up.

My grandmother nearly killed me one Christmas - made me a pork chop or something as a Turkey alternative - but it ended up with Turkey Gravy on it, and I was very quickly having to lie on the floor to try and breath.

As I've got older it has spread to other things, Eggs that are not cooked properly and strangely Parsley.

These have all been confirmed with a skin ***** test since, which also showed up a really bad allergy to House Dust Mites.

I also find that the hay-fever makes the food allergy worse. In the summer, on a high pollen day I'm far more likely to get a reaction from an egg that's slightly under cooked, but in the winter I'd tolerate it fine.

It's like the Hay-fever just pushes things over the edge.

I now carry an Eppy pen and I take Lorraine daily, year round.

I think taking the loratadine daily has really helped me and the frequency of my reactions has gone down substantially. I've also found my hay-fever to be less of an issue since I've been taking the loratadine daily - it's like it builds up in my system better.

So it's a pain to be sure, but for the most part I manage fairly well. Like others have said it is really surprising how much stuff contains chicken. Tinned 'Pork' Hot Dogs always used to catch me out, as has Sandwich Spreads.

So yeah I'd defiantly recommend the loratadine daily, year round. It's pretty inexpensive, I tend to either stock up when it's more easily available in the summer or order it online in bulk from one of the online pharmacists
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: momo4 on 03/02/2015 22:28:25
I just wanted to thank you all for posting about your poultry allergies... my son, who is now 9, started having a reaction to poultry when he was about 5.  Luckily, I made the connection between chicken and his illness about two months or so after the start.  He has never been tested for the allergy, but he has the same drooling, chest pain, bloating and vomiting that a lot of you have.  Usually, his symptoms start out as bloating or feeling like he has eaten too much... after a few hours (usually in the wee hours of morning) he wakes up and starts vomiting.  He is physically ill for most of the morning and doesn't get his appetite back until evening.  We have been very careful about what he eats, and I cook all our meals from scratch unless we eat out- at restaurants he orders burgers.  We also homeschool, so I know exactly what he eats during the day.  He has not had a reaction to any foods for at least two years.  I just hope he is as careful as we are when he gets older and on his own...

Like many of you, he can eat all the eggs he wants!  And, we used to keep chickens so I know he is not allergic to feathers :) 

I've had people (mostly family!) tell me I'm nuts for not feeding him chicken.  It is hard, as a mother, to see your child suffering!  I will continue to stand my ground with all the nay-sayers, including my in-laws :)
You have helped me understand that this is more common than I thought.  Thank you for all your posts!!
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: diethyl on 06/02/2015 03:11:17
I can't believe I saw this forum after search'New post'. Building Lord, are you still allergic to chicken?
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: JShipley on 06/03/2015 12:10:54
I doubt anybody is going to read all the way to page three, but if you do, I am allergic to chicken meat, eggs, and live chickens (among other things - soy, goat's milk, latex, nickel, celery...).  I also have food in tolerances, and chemical sensitivities which are both different from food allergies.  There seems to be a bit of confusion here about true chicken allergy, so I will do my best to clear things up...if you are reading this.  :)

Most food allergies are categorized as Type I hypersensitivities, usually to the protein molecule in the food, which upon exposure causes an immune response in which immune cells attack the body, releasing histamines and other substances that cause painful inflammation.  In the case of chicken and eggs, the inflammatory reaction is to the protein, and the immune cells attack the protein and cells that it came in contact with.  Proteins are proteins, made of chains of amino acids.  They are not tissues or cells storing foreign chemicals.  Chicken proteins do not differ from chicken to chicken based on what the chicken ate or was exposed to.  It makes no difference if it is organic when you are allergic to the protein. 

Now, there may be other substances present in the meat that can cause reactions in some folks, but this is not an allergy to chicken.  It is a sensitivity to another substance present.  There are also food intolerances, which can cause major digestive issues, but do not cause a histamine/immune reaction, so benedryl won't help.  They are not allergies.  Also, intolerances can be to anything present, not just the chicken protein.  And to further complicate things, some chemical sensitivities can cause immune responses.  In this case, the reaction is to the substance, not the actual animal, so organic/range fed would help.  BUT, for a TRUE CHICKEN ALLERGY (confirmed by an allergy test) RANGE FED ORGANIC CHICKEN WILL NOT BE SAFE, SO DO NOT TRY IT!!!!  All chicken has chicken protein and that is what you are allergic to.

And I hate to be the bearer of further bad news, but true food allergies in adults rarely go away completely on their own.  Intolerances change, food allergies are usually forever.  An allergy may be mild enough for you to be able to possibly tolerate small occasional tastes after you have gone for a period of time without exposure to amounts that are high enough to cause a reaction (keeping exposure levels below reaction threshold is key here.)  There are also treatments (both medical and alternative) that may lower sensitivities with some type I allergies, but once you've passed the age of 4, chances are pretty high that any food allergies you develop are Type I and will probably be with you for the rest of your life, and your sensitivity may even get worse with each reaction. 

However, do not give up hope.  Scientists are working on treatments.  Allergy shots have helped many folks with seasonal allergies, (also type I), and they are studying whether this can be done with foods as well.  There have been some promising cases of food allergies virtually "disappearing" after years of exposure to very small amounts of an allergen (not enough to cause reaction.)  However, the sensitivity can pop back up with a vengeance at any point, so it doesn't mean you are cured forever.  Scientists are working on developing other treatments too, and we are getting pretty smart, so we may still get to eat fried chicken again before we die...and not as an eccentric method of suicide. ;)

It is important to know without any doubt that what you have is a true allergy to a substance (and not an allergy to something in it, or an intolerance, OR a chemical sensitivity), because that will help you know what to do about it.  Doctors usually first perform a scratch (skin pr1ck) test for Type I food allergies.  A small amount of the protein/substance is "injected" (poked) into the skin, then the skin is observed for a reaction that looks like a mosquito bite.  Just because you don't test positive on a scratch test, doesn't mean you aren't allergic to something.  It could also mean your allergy is too mild to show up on that test, or it could mean that your allergy is another type (II, III or IV). 

If you are having an inflammatory response to something you ate (not just digestive issues) and do not test positive on the scratch test, the doctor can test your blood for the presence of antibodies (RAST) that your body releases when you are exposed to an allergen.  If you are negative in both tests, then chances are it is a food intolerance, chemical sensitivity or an allergy or intolerance to something that the food came in contact with (or in rare cases a type II, III or IV allergy.)  If you are having inflammatory reactions, get thorough allergy testing, even to the items you don't think you are allergic to.  Just check all of the boxes, because many times we have no clue what is making us sick.  This was true for me.  I never would have guessed soy.

My reaction to chicken?  When someone cooks it and I breathe it or the smell comes in contact with my body I have asthma and coughing, my nose itches and runs, my skin burns, itches, and prickles, my eyes burn, water and turn red and the next morning my eyelids are fat and my face has red spots.  Since I found out about all of my food allergies at the same time, I do not know what part chicken played in the slew of other symptoms which included dramatic weight loss, intractable migraines, development of rheumatoid arthritis, nerve damage/neuropathy, vasculitis, dyskinesia/movement disorder, massive weight loss, inflammatory bowel disease,.... BUT I've accidentally eaten trace amounts of chicken twice that I've known of since then and I got cramps immediately.  Later I had diarrhea, severe cramps, itching/prickling/creepy crawlies and few hives on my back, stomach, throat and face.  I don't go into anaphylaxis with this one. 

I think that soy and systemic nickel allergy played a much greater role in the development of my health problems.  They two substances are almost impossible to avoid.  I'll skip the nickel topic and just address soy, which goes by many names and is even in vitamins, teas, cardboard, skin care products, candles, fragrances, spices, natural flavors, artificial flavors, extracts, emulsifiers, tocopherol, mono and diglycerides, any ingredient with the word "vegetable" in it, and...it's a very, very long list that I constantly have to be updating.  This basically takes almost everything processed completely off the table, and most friends and loved ones can't learn all of the soy containing ingredients because they have lives, so it is unsafe to eat at anyone else's house, let alone a restaurant...or I end up feeling like a total pain in the caboose AND STILL MANAGE TO GET POISONED.  Even walking into a shop that has soy candles will cause me to react, sooo.... I do not know how to deal with the complications of nickel and soy allergy on my social life, but...

Chicken allergy?  Not so bad because it's not very hard to avoid it if you read labels...though there is no replacement for a fried chicken wing.  But you can fairly easily avoid a lot of suffering by just reading the labels.  Chicken containing ingredients (as far as I know) all contain the word "chicken."
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Tesura on 13/06/2015 23:07:45
As with many others, I am amazed to find this...I had to sign up for this site.

I have been allergic to peas since I was a baby. I had no issues with anything else for a long time, and for a short time was able to eat peas with no issues. Then, when I was about 11 years old, I ate chicken and had a lot of the same issues you all did - throat swelled up, bad acid reflux...I didn't, at the time, have any issues with fish...until I was about 15. I ate some Tuna helper, and immediantly had the same reaction, but about twice as worse...and I clamped myself over the toilet for atleast an hour, throwing up everything in my stomach and having a constant flood of slimy saliva draining out of my mouth and dry heaving when there was nothing left...ever since then I've been pretty violently allergic to any poultry or fish I have tried.

As with everyone else, I was always told that it was all "in my head" by my father, and sent many times to bed early for refusing to eat my dinner. Starving was a much better alternative to suffocating. I have since lived with my mother, who has had people on her side of the family allergic to various foodstuffs, as she herself suffurs from fibromyalgia...something else many people say is made up. I also had only know one other person allergic to chicken, although I think that was the only thing she was allergic to.

Something that really inspired me to look up things about my allergies was that I recently tried a new drink, recommended by a friend of mine. The drink I tried was a Cherry Bing drink, which I had a horrible allergic reaction...the same as my poultry and seafood/shellfish allergy. When I got home from work, and after relaxing a little, I looked up the nutrition facts of chicken breasts, cod and various other fish, and the bing drink...it may be coincidence, but they all had the exact same vitamin content. Some, such as the ryboflavin, I know wasn't the culprit as I consume other things with them in, however...everything else seems suspicious. I'm also planning to go to the doctor soon and talk about getting an epi-pen...I currently work in the produce department of a grocery store, and going into anaphylactic shock and / or vomitting all over the produce would not be good for business...heh.

I think part of the problem is that so many people have been doubted, told that it's all in their heads...and so they aren't going to constantly talk about it with people, for fear or expectation of, being told that again and again. Because of that, it seems like there's not many people allergic to these things...even though there are many many silent sufferers, and thus, no obvious need to do any research on it. That's just my theory though.

Thank you all for sharing your stories, and reading mine...it's wonderful to know you all are out there! And, to have my own confirmation I'm not insane....atleast, not completely!
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Tomr on 26/09/2015 21:54:21
I signed up after googling chicken allergy

I have exactly the same symptons to chicken turkey and duck although duck does not have such a severe effect.

It's like an acid reflux and terrible pain in contractions.

I also have a similar reaction melon bakes beans and other beans /lentils


I would love to underage not more

My friends can't believe it.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Pecos_Bill on 26/09/2015 23:23:18
Except for a West African Ju Ju man, I can't think of a worse place to come for medical advice. This forum is crawling with charlatans and mooncalves.

Here is the web page of the British Society of Immunologists where you can click on "Find a Clinical Immunologist" and get professional medical advice from a British Immunologist. [1.]

Which reminds me of my Russian Immunologist story.

It seems I had occasion to take the train to Yektarienburg and a Russian immunologist shared my sleeper compartment from Novosibirsk. It being Spring and the Tiaga being flooded with Birch pollen I was trying to cough up a lung. The Immunologist offered to treat me, and I told him that I had my doubts about desensitization treatments since my colleague at Santa Cruz public health nurses had almost died from an anaphylactic paroxysm in the immunologists office following a treatment.

The Russian Immunologist spoke very candidly of his low opinion of western immunologists in general. So you may take that for what it is worth. You must pay your money and take your chance, but I recommend personally insisting on seeing the epinephrine is on hand before each treatment.

No poultry could be tough. Can you eat Salmon?  How about Gumbo z'herbes or a mushroom omelet?

[1.] https://www.immunology.org/page.aspx?pid=1708
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Woodsman777 on 19/12/2015 20:27:37
I too have an allergy to chicken meat only, not eggs. I always thought I was unique. I won't reiterate what many have stated about symptoms.

I do have a strange question though and would appreciate some input:

Is this exclusive to birds or does this include all white meat? What about rabbit? I am a little afraid to try.

Just wanted to hear your thoughts!

Thank you all for sharing.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: blythe on 02/03/2016 04:50:21
I stumbled on this site a few days ago, so frustrated from ALL my food allergies (eggs, squash, cherries, mushrooms, spinach, avocados, bananas, cashews, pistachios, melons, paprika - AND I'm a Celiac). I grew up eating red meat, so in my 20s I switched to chicken, even when it wasn't on the menus at restaurants.

The poultry allergy started about 17years ago (I'm 61 now). I've been allergic to eggs my entire live ... except that I could always eat baked goods, or anything with thoroughly cooked eggs as a small ingredient.  My allergy skin tests on egg white & yolks indicated a severe allergy - the bumps lasted 4 days.  So I assumed this allergy might be a natural extension of the egg allergy.

My reaction is to stop eating if there is even chicken broth (undisclosed) within a couple of bites, my mouth/throat start to feel strange, but not in pain.  Then within minutes of leaving the table after the meal, projectile vomiting ensues.  I have had the tight throat, upper chest pain, weird foamy & runny phlegm/spittle from many of my other food allergies. I too have stood next to a ditch behind a BP to rid myself of the offending food.

I also understand what it's like to have your family tell you "how sorry they are for you" that you can't eat anything, or watch them roll their eyes as you give the grand inquisition to the server.  I sometimes feel that I'm about to have a panic attack going into a new restaurant, unsure of what I can find to eat. 

I can only say, thank you for speaking out. I don't feel so alone, and ridiculous anymore.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: spg2houston on 27/04/2016 00:50:38
I hadn't searched chicken allergy for years... My son had a severe allergic reaction during dinner in 2000.  He was only 3 years old.  He complained of a sore tummy, developed hives around his mouth, drooled uncontrollably and fell asleep quickly on the couch.  I called the pediatrician who told me to give him an antihistamine right away as it was definitely an allergic reaction to our meal.  Long story short, it was the chicken. And this was an organic chicken I bought directly from the farmer.  His doctor couldn't believe it was the chicken.  He actually said, that it was anything BUT the chicken.  I tried to give him chicken noodle soup a few weeks later just to test, and the same thing happened.  I searched online as search engines were starting to be commonplace.   All I found when typing "chicken allergy" were articles about how chicken was a good substitute for common allergen proteins (such as eggs, milk, etc).  I thought my son was the only one!  We had him tested at the allergist who found different results for blood versus skin tests.  His skin reacted to many things: pork, soy, salmon, chicken, turkey, etc.  Our allergists have basically all agree that allergy testing isn't an exact science.  The only true way to know if someone is allergic is by consuming all foods under direct medical supervision in hospital.  We never went that far.  He is 18 years old now and has a list of foods to stay away from :  TURKEY, DUCK, CHICKEN, SALMON (especially smoked!), and almost all other varieties of FISH - and we are too scared to try shellfish.

EGGS don't cause him any problems at all.  We have been too anxious to try rabbit or gator as they seem so similar to fowl meat. TUNA is a head-scratcher.  He has eaten tuna steaks in the past with no problem, canned tuna as well.  But recently he had a pretty bad reaction to a piece of tuna steak I served him - coming from the same store as one that previously caused him no harm.  He has, on occasion, had bad reactions to lamb meat and beef a couple of times.  I have a hunch that it must be animal feed-related when it comes to these red meats.  Just this weekend he had a terrible reaction to cheese enchiladas in a Mexican restaurant - which is most likely from chicken contamination in the ingredients. 

His reactions these days start with a bad feeling in his abdomen, esophagus and mouth.  We run for the Benadryl when this happens.   He always carries with him a supply of Benadryl.  It's a tough thing to live with, but he doesn't let it stop him.  He traveled to rural Asia this past summer with a summer camp and managed fine - just avoids all poultry and fish, keeping medicine handy.  He will be happy to see this blog and learn that he is not alone!  Looking forward to a better treatment for this problem one day and praying that his allergy doesn't become life-threatening.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Juels on 27/05/2016 18:26:24
It was heartening to find this post. I've only ever met one other person that had the same allergy and two people that knew someone with a similar allergy.

I'm 43 and have suffered with poultry allergies my entire life. Luckily, I'm fine with eggs. As a toddler, I would complain that chicken made my throat hurt. My parents thought I just didn't like chicken and ignored it. This went on for years before they realized I had an actual allergy. Over the years my symptoms have grown stronger. Within minutes of eating poultry, I have an anaphylaxis response and I'm no longer able to swallow. My upper back gets a strong cramping sensation.  Not to mention the thick, gooey, saliva-like spit.  I carry Benadryl and an epipen everywhere I go and have had to use them way too often.

I keep hoping for the day when restaurants will have all their ingredients readily available and learn to prevent cross contamination. How many of you or your loved ones had a reaction because their fries were cooked in the same oil as the chicken nuggets? Or the steak was grilled too close to the chicken? It is so frustrating.  I've learned never to eat soup in public, always send the wait staff back to check on the ingredients, and keep a sense of humor when someone offers me chicken.

 

Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: zealott on 24/08/2016 20:08:18
Hi,
Interesting thread.
For me, the chicken/turkey/fish allergies came suddenly when I was in my early 20s with the same symptoms as described by many of you.
One thing that helps me is eating sugar (somehow it shuts down the reaction) so I always drink a coca-cola before I eat and if I have any reactions during dinner, I order a sugary dessert (ice-cream does the trick) to help with the reaction.
Sugar is probably not good for you, but in my case, it helps with the allergic reactions...
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: TiffanySmith on 04/10/2016 22:47:10
Wow! I had no idea so many suffered from poultry allergies and I regret knowing I can now relate! My allergies have never been enough to send me to ER thank the Lord; but I have never been able to put my finger on what I am allergic too (A lot of things in a mild way I guess) but now I'm reacting to poultry!

Now growing up; chicken was my favourite food; I gobbled it up like candy and no reaction. I was however allergic to eggs since I was a baby (my parents caught on quickly.) My symptoms were excessive saliva till an eventual vomit; (Course it wasn't as annoying as my allergy to raw vegetables; who's going to believe a kid who's allergic to raw vegetables? Nobody!)

Now 21 I am actually daring when it comes to eating eggs that have been cooked in foods. Sometimes I react; sometimes I don't (One time I gobbled up over 15 mini egg quiches; had an omelette, threw up); but lately I have been reacting more severely to poultry after a life time of eating it no prob!

Since I was 17 I noticed that chicken soup was starting to make me feel sick; my symptoms are similar to what the people on here say; tight chest, excessive saliva, loss of breath, even vomiting; the biggest symptom however for me is the tightness I feel in my lungs and my throat aching. Whenever I ate poultry (Turkey included) I would start choking bad! I would downplay saying 'oh the meats just to slippery and it got caught in my throat. (Yeah I was my own enabler) but just this year my mom brought home a chicken for dinner and again I reacted; we thought the chicken had an egg wash even thought the deli said no. My mother turned it into a soup and I decided to try again; (Big mistake) After throwing up my family and I know both knew I wasn't just choking on slippery meat.

And even right now I am trying to get over a chicken reaction which prompted me here.
I' glad I came upon this thread becasue I'm now convinced that I'm not allergic to poultry or eggs; but what the big business manufacturers stuff into them. For four years I thought I developed an allergy to milk but when I moved out of the area, the allergy was gone; turns out it had to do with how they treated the milk.

So if an allergy comes and goes; my best bet is that it has to do with the area you live in and what they do to the food. Still haven't been able to get an allergy test but at this point; I'm not even sure if they know what to look for...
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: thenielsenuknow on 22/05/2017 17:19:25
Hello Friends.  I'm sorry to hear about your allergies - but I am glad to know that i am not alone.  as young as i can remember i felt 'bad' when i ate chicken and turkey.   in 3rd grade it got to the point where the saliva/pain/puking was enough to convince my parents that i was allergic.  i had my allergy confirmed through skin tests by an allergist as an adolescent.  My symptoms are identical to the ones that NomNomNom posted earlier in this thread.  While i have never felt like my airway was 'closed' about to stop letting 'some' air though.  the sensation of pressure and foamy saliva, starts to make me very light headed - like i might pass out at any moment -  and i am certainly in need of some medical supervision in that moment

typically - when i mistakenly ingest poultry) i have someone drive me to the ER parking lot and i sit in the car with a spit-cup and wait to see if i need to go in.  I've only had to do so once. they loaded me up with antihistimines, i slept for three hours and i was discharged.

Quote from: NomNomNom on 27/06/2012 03:22:18

- Tightening of the chest/heartburn (the person who described it as a "corkscrew" sensation was spot on)
- Uncontrollable/steady stream of saliva
- Closing of the throat (personally I've never had breathing difficulties, which sounds contradictory, but for me it's just a really unpleasant tightening sensation)
- Occasional urge to throw up, less as an "omg-get-to-the-bathroom-now" thing and more as an attempt to get rid of what feels like a huge spiky ball in my chest/throat.

stories:

Other Allergies
 - i have had much milder reactions in the same 'style' or 'form' as my poultry reaction to runny eggs, and for a while rare beef.  the rare beef allergy seems to have come and gone - was mostly bad durring my 20's (i'm 31 now) and i haven't had to deal with it for a couple years now, as i have been slowly introducing "medium" and "Medium Rare" back into my steak orders. 
- my second allergy test was for a whole slue of allergens (~60 skin pricks,  food + environmental)  90% of those pricks swelled up to the highest size (4+) the allergist had never seen anything like it.  he had all the nurses and docs in the office come look at what had happened to my back.  they were all gobsmacked  - his advice to me was just "identify the foods that make it hard for you to breath and stop eating those foods" . . . gee thanks doc - glad you went to med school!

Genetics:
My son (5) is also allergic to poultry - (bummer for him).  i had no idea allergies like this could be passed genetically.  i don't know anyone in my family history with this allergy.  Our son's allergist told us that this shared allergy is many times more conclusive than a blood-paternity test. 

Thanksgiving:
i have heard some people on here say that the eat ham at thanksgiving.  WHY?  grab a T-Bone or a Ribeye and LIVE A LITTLE  ;D

thank you for sharing your poultry allergy stories;  i was glad to learn that my son and i are not alone. best wishes to all of us out there reading the ingredients on our hot-dogs, frozen pizza's, and sausage
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: deallfordii987 on 26/06/2017 03:52:24
Most people are allergic to the soy and corn feed used on most chickens nowadays. A lot of feed contain GMO grains, which in turn, disrupts one's digestive system. When you eat the animals, you are ingesting the enzymes from them. Poultry today is not grown nor fed the same way it was over 20 years ago. Our bodies are becoming intolerant to all the chemicals used in the foods. The reaction to the meats is now becoming a reaction to what the animals are fed.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: eczemaliving on 11/08/2017 06:13:14
Symptoms of meat allergy can vary from person to person, and you may not always experience the same symptoms during every reaction. Allergic reactions to food can affect the skin, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, and cardiovascular system. Meat allergies may also develop at various ages.

If you suspect that you have a meat allergy, see an allergist, who will decide which tests to perform, determine if a food allergy exists, and work with you on managing your allergy.


Once a meat allergy is diagnosed, the best treatment is to avoid the trigger. Carefully check ingredient labels of food products, and learn whether what you need to avoid is known by other names.

Be extra careful when you eat out. Waiters (and sometimes the kitchen staff) may not always know the ingredients of every dish on the menu. Depending on your sensitivity, even just walking into a kitchen or another place where food is prepared can cause an allergic reaction.

Thanks,
Nav
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: toinfinitiandbeyond on 05/08/2018 23:31:13
I'd like to tell a little story about some of the experiences you all are having and maybe the solution that I've found. |

My chicken/turkey allergy has been with me my whole life, and it wasn't until I turned 30 that I found the underlying issue.

My whole life I have experienced the salivating and needing to throw up to get the 'spikey ball' out of my chest and to stop my extreme chest pains after eating chicken and turkey. Then, it wasn't until I was 20 years old that I was stationed overseas in Italy where I said to myself 'maybe it was an allergy that I grew out of', so I attempted to each some local chicken in Italy... and it seemed as if .. wow, I could each chicken again without any issues! For the few years I was stationed in Italy, I could eat chicken just fine. It wasn't until I returned back to the states that I experienced the issue again when eating chicken, but after endless hours of research I couldn't figure it out, nor did I correlate what the underlying issue was. Then, one day, a thought crossed my mind that maybe it was related to the 'hormones, antibiotics, or something they were given' so I tried organic, antibiotic, hormone free chicken in the US.... Guess what? The problem went away.... the issue was that I wasn't able to nail down exactly which brands or what the underlying cause was, so at some point I did have a different brand of 'organic' chicken and experienced the same issue. Now, we stick to chicken brands that we know are missing the ingredient that causes this issue... it most definitely seems to be something that is added to the chicken... for those with the salivating and chest pain issues, I recommend trying various brands of 'organic' chicken.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: Nika2003 on 06/08/2018 21:31:40
Despite the fact that the turkey and chicken are in the poultry group, you may be able to eat turkey, even if you are allergic to chicken. Allergic reactions are the result of hypersensitivity of the immune system to proteins or carbohydrates in meat. The proteins and carbohydrates found in the chicken differ from the turkey and can not cause an allergic reaction. Before using a turkey, talk to your allergist and go through allergy tests to determine in advance if you have an allergic reaction. :(
Allergic reactions to meat are not as common as other foods, but are possible.
 An allergic reaction to a chicken occurs when your immune system breaks down and reacts to proteins or carbohydrates in the chicken as a threatening substance. This causes a chemical response throughout the body, with immunoglobulin E antibodies, histamine and other chemicals. These chemicals cause inflammation in the soft tissues, which leads to symptoms of a general food allergy.
If you eat a turkey and develop symptoms of a general allergic reaction, stop eating a turkey and consult a doctor. Common symptoms of food allergy include wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, abdominal pain, skin rash, hives, eczema, nasal congestion and dizziness. Severe symptoms of an allergic reaction include increased heart rate, inability to breathe, swelling of the face and swelling of the throat. If you experience one or more of these symptoms, immediately call 911.
Some food groups, such as peanuts and shell, are more likely to cause allergic reactions, so it is recommended to take part in testing the allergy before eating a turkey if you think you may have an allergy. Proteins and carbohydrates from turkey will be injected under the skin. If your skin becomes irritated, red and inflamed, your doctor will take a sample of your blood to determine if your body produces immunoglobulin antibodies E. If both allergy tests are negative for turkey allergy, you can eat the turkey without fear of an allergic reaction. >:(
The allergic reaction that you experience from eating chicken can be the result of other ingredients or side dishes with food. The most common food allergens are fish, nuts, peanuts, milk, eggs, soy, wheat, strawberries, pineapple, tomatoes and melons. Food allergies do not cure and are effectively treated, avoiding foods that cause an allergic reaction.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: meshane on 09/01/2019 06:16:19
I just want to echo the sentiments of toinfinitiandbeyond.

I also have suspected the hormones as the cause for quite some time.

I've also had this allergy my entire life. Intense chest pains, headaches, and the feeling that blood pressure is rising in my head. I feel like the veins in my head are bulging out, but they aren't actually visibly anyway. For me the reaction starts almost instantly. After about 24 hours I'm back to about 95% normal and within 2 days the reaction is gone. I can't swallow well when it happens but not to the point of needing a spitting cup as some here do. I've never had a feeling that it was impacting my ability to breathe. I've never gone to the ER but there are a few times I probably should have now that I understand more about the reaction and the risks. I now carry an Epi-Pen but have yet to use it.

I had hundreds of allergies as a kid. I was allergic to literally everything they skin tested me for, which didn't include poultry. (Early '70s) I took weekly injections for my allergies and outgrew most of them. This one is one I never outgrew. My father always encouraged me to try once a year, in part because he never really believed me and thought I just didn't like poultry and was using it to get out of eating it, and in part because he hoped I would outgrow it. So I've had this reaction at least 50 times or more I would guess throughout my life either accidentally or through trial. (My alergest tells me I'm toying with death by trying this and that I should never do it, so I don't anymore and I don't advise it.) For those who suggest Salmonella poisoning, no way, that wouldn't happen literally every time (with a few exceptions accounted for below) that I've eaten chicken or turkey my entire life. This is an explanation I've seen on this thread, and we all get from people who haven't heard of this allergy and don't believe it. Please take it more seriously.

Here is why I suspect hormones.
1. Occasionally but almost never I get a slighter form of this same reaction to ham.
2. In the late 80's I lived for a year in Guyana, South America. There I discovered that I could eat the locally raised chickens without reaction. If I ate an imported chicken, I did react.
3. In the early 90's I went fishing in a lake in Kansas that was experimenting with some automatic fish feeders that fed pellets with growth hormones to the catfish. When I ate the catfish we caught, I had this same allergic reaction to fish for the first and only time ever in my life. Luckily it was a fairly mild form like I sometimes get from ham.

So I've suspected hormones since that time. But here is my experience since then.
1. In the late 90's I was living in Berkeley, California. I tried some chicken from a local shop that sold "Free-range, hormone free chicken." I tried it and got just as sick as ever. Very strong reaction. I pressed the merchant and he swore up and down it was hormone free. I never tried another brand of "hormone free chicken" after that and figured I was perhaps wrong. I'm glad to see from toinfinitiandbeyond's post above some brands of hormone free really have been reaction free.
2. I later found out that most free-range, hormone free farms don't raise their chicks from the egg but still buy live chicks from factory farms, so perhaps some exposure to hormones from an early age is a factor. I haven't tried hormone free from a farm that hatches their own chicks.
3. I now live in Ethiopia, and again, I can eat the locally raised chickens without problem. No reaction at all. (My allergist advised me to stop this too, and again said I'm toying with death, so I almost never eat it anyway, but on very rare occasions now I still do and have yet to have a problem with it.)

So anyway, sorry to re-raise an almost dead thread, but I don't think there's a better discussion on this topic anywhere on the internet, and there are enough people here looking for the solution that I wanted to add this data to the discussion. It would be wonderful if we could all find chicken and turkey that was truly hormone free and it really provided an answer to the original question "Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?" Problem is, it's pretty dangerous to experiment with this so I don't know how we find out. My wife and daughter are far more fearful of this than me and it causes them both a lot of anxiety if I try it now.

toinfinitiandbeyond, if you end up seeing this, I'd be curious to know what brands have worked for you that you now stick with.

One side note, I once dated a girl whose father had invented a disease inoculation for chickens that are used in farms across the US. He never liked me much, so even though I had the allergy before his invention I suspected he was trying to kill me. In all seriousness, innoculations may be another distinguishing characteristic between US raised and foreign raised chickens.
Title: Re: Why am I allergic to chicken and turkey?
Post by: isakh on 08/07/2019 23:58:52
Hi my fellow chicken-allergy friends, it's very nice to see that I am not alone with this allergy.

I noticed this allergy somewhere around the age of 5-6 and I have been allergic since.

I am 20 years old and I am from Sweden. I experience the same symptoms that have been been mentioned earlier such a chest tightness and thick saliva. I have never had trouble breathing or having to vomit.

I have been tested for chicken allergy by skin ***** test which turned out negative, then they tested by blood which also turned out negative. So they wanted to provoke my allergy by me eating some chicken and for some reason I did not react that time so I thought maybe it had gone away and ate chicken without problems maybe 2-3 times before it returned. The doctors think that maybe my body had "forgotten" the allergy since I hadn't eaten chicken for some time but when I started eating it again my body created antibodies.

To the age of 13 I had trouble eating most fish as well, but these days I can eat most fish but I have reacted to tuna so I stay away from that mostly.

I am also allergic to apples, bananas, pears, most fruits with a big seed in them. And I also react to turkey.

It has been fun reading that more people have similar symptoms, I wish there was more research in this.