Strawberry allergy getting worse?

[JBHunkamunka]

Hi, I'm new here.

Ever since I was a kid I've had an allergy to strawberries, both natural and artificial flavors as well as the fruit
As I got older it seemed to die down, but over the course of the last few months, it seems that the allergy has strengthened and made my reactions worse.

When I have a reaction I break out in hives all over. It used to be only when I would eat the food containing strawberries that I would react, but now if my fiancee eats anything strawberry or strawberry flavored she literally can't breathe on me without breaking out in hives; and the same goes for if something strawberry or strawberry flavored touches a food I eat without even leaving juice or a piece of it on it.

Is this something I should be heavily concerned about? Because I have a reaction close to once a week now and I'm only 26 if that makes a difference to concern and/or treatments.

[rebekahc]

It's difficult as an adult to have to change the way you've always dealt with a certain food, but it sounds like that's what you're in for. For some reason you've become more sensitive. That can happen for any number of reasons or no reason at all and you may never know why. Hormones, illness, other allergens like environmental ones keeping your body on high alert, more or less exposure than usual, etc. could all be factors. Unless you can pinpoint something that might have changed around the time your allergy became worse and change it back, you're going to have to live with this new normal.

First, if you're having so many reactions, you really need to achieve better avoidance. Read every label, avoid anything that might possibly have come into contact with your allergen and it sounds like your gf needs to as well (or at least avoid you for several hours or more if she chooses to consume).

Second, I would suggest seeing an allergist who is very familiar with treating food allergies.  Really bad hives may just be uncomfortable, but reactions can and do change so you need to be prepared for what to do if you have a severe reaction. A good allergist should give you emergency medication and guide you on when to use it.  It's better to have it and not need it than the opposite.

I hope you can get things under control - reactions are miserable!