Sudden allergy to macadamias?

I've never been particularly crazy about macadamia nuts, but I'll eat them on occasion and I've never had a problem before. My sister gave us some homemade macadamia nut cookies for Christmas. Just a little while I ago I broke off one very small piece of a cookie and that piece contained a nut. Within two minutes of eating it, my throat started to burn, swell and itch and I developed a VERY bitter taste in my mouth, it was almost repulsive and it made me gag. My scalp itches, my palms are itching like crazy and I feel like I have a mild case of heartburn.

This is really bizarre, it's never happened to me before (with the exception of when I was a kid and developed anaphylaxis from a shot of penicillin) and I wondered if anyone else has developed a sudden allergy to a food they've been able to eat their whole lives without any problems.

I took a couple of Claritin (antihistamine) to calm the reactions I'm having and they've helped a little. But I still feel weird and my palms are still itching. The roof of my mouth still feels raw, but it's not itching like it was.

What in the world is going on here? Is it normal to develop sudden food allergies? And should I avoid all tree nuts from now on just in case?

I should also mention that my heart started pounding and I felt a little dizzy, but that could just be from my anxiety because I wasn't sure what was going on and it freaked me out a little bit.

Re: Sudden allergy to macadamias?

Yes same thing happened to me,several christmas ago ,i was eating mixed nuts from a large tub ,my hands started to itch and before long my whole body was covered in a redness ,and swell ,i remember my lips swelled so much i could see them without looking in a mirrow , i became very drowsy and passed out ,the symptoms lasted a couple of days .I couldn't bend my knees or fingers very well for this time .
I didnt eat nuts for years after ,,then i would eat a few and i was ok .
Not had another reaction again ..
There was talk at the time that some nuts that are shipped in can have a germ in them ..perhaps i had a bad batch of them .

Re: Sudden allergy to macadamias?

Yikes, that doesn't sound pleasant at all.

I wonder if sometimes it's not the nut itself, but perhaps it's reacting negatively with something else you've eaten that day. Because at lunchtime I ate shrimp, calamari and avocado. I wonder if the nuts reacted with the seafood.

Re: Sudden allergy to macadamias?

I did wonder if it was the bath id just had ,if it was something id put in. But i discounted that,it was diffinatly the nuts.

Re: Sudden allergy to macadamias?

Seafood can be dodgy but if it were me I would have an allergy test just for peace of mind.

Re: Sudden allergy to macadamias?

Yeah, it was definitely the nuts. Before I even had it completely chewed up, it started. And it started with a HORRIBLE, bitter taste in my mouth and then my throat started to itch and swell.

That might not be a bad idea.

Re: Sudden allergy to macadamias?

The symptoms you describe are typical of an allergic reaction including the dizziness and heart pounding.

But is it possible that it could have been something else in the cookie being as you have eaten those nuts before without any reaction?

Having said that, it is possible to develop an allergy to something.

Re: Sudden allergy to macadamias?

I know it's possible, but that was just crazy with it coming on so suddenly and with a food I've eaten before without incident. That was the WORST reaction to any food I've ever had and I'm allergic to undercooked egg, or any type of undercooked poultry product. If I accidentally eat it, I get the little throat itchies and the insides of my ears itch, as weird as that sounds. But I've never had it happen this drastically. It first started with that horrible, awful taste in my mouth, then the physical symptoms started kicking in and my throat and roof of my mouth literally felt RAW, like I'd just swallowed a Brillo pad.

I'm pretty certain it was the nuts because I've eaten other cookies during the holiday season and none of them bothered me. But I sure as heck am not going to go eat a piece of the cookie without the nuts in it to find out

Now I'm half afraid to eat my peanuts, although peanuts aren't technically a nut and they're not part of the tree nut family... however, lots of people who are allergic to tree nuts are also allergic to peanuts.

Re: Sudden allergy to macadamias?

Sounds really bad Linda. Glad you feel a little better now.
We have a lot of news here in the UK about people being allergic
to peanuts and this is what happens
Anaphylaxis is a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction that can develop rapidly. It is also known as anaphylactic shock.
So if I was you I would keep off of the nuts. It could have been
too much of a good thing after eating all the seafood as well.
Or maybe the nut you were eating was somehow bad and that
gave you the reaction.
Best to have yourself tested and maybe get yourself a
anaphylactic pen which you inject into yourself if this happens.
Especially if it attacked your throat like it did. Good luck

Re: Sudden allergy to macadamias?

It's scary when an allergy suddenly develops, I went from having no problems to being allergic to so many it really changed my life. Now have to carry epipens, steroids and antihistamines at all times and have lost count of number of times I have been taken off in an ambulance with them trying to save my life.