Baffling reaction

[notashrimpwimp]

Last night my friend invited us to hang out. He made piña coladas with frozen pineapple he cut a few weeks ago, Malibu rum, ice, and cream of coconut.

I hadn't had anything to eat for hours before tasting the beverage and there were no discernable smells. Within a few minutes I began to experience a flushing feeling that soon spread to my body, intense itching, and a super heavy chest that made talking and walking nearly impossible. I took my Benadryl and my inhaler but neither touched the reaction. My voice soon became hoarse and I decided that I needed to epi pen myself, which thankfully ended the reaction.

Do you think it is something in the ingredients? Can a dishwasher completely remove proteins?

[Macabre]

Lad you're okay. Are you just allergic to shrimp?

What kind of cutting board?

I would think if it's just shrimp the likelihood of cross contact with those things would be hard, but if you've got nuts, dairy or wheat, I'd say the cutting board or knife. I might say that even if it's just crustaceans.

Does he cook shellfish much? 

[CMdeux]

brand of coconut?

That's one possibility.

The other is that the alcohol made you super-reactive.  Sadly, that's a thing.  Alcohol + small exposure = big reactions.  It's like a force multiplier.

[notashrimpwimp]

A wooden cutting board.

He doesn't cook shellfish but he does eat peanut butter routinely. I was wondering if the blender might carry traces of fruit because I react very poorly to the presence of strawberries and bananas are no longer okay for me, toe fruits used in a smoothie made prior to my arrival.

Shellfish, fish, nuts, beans (especially green beans), sesame, strawberry, banana, and things involving egg whites have proven unsafe.

The coconut seemed largely chemical preservatives.

I feel confident that my decision to epi was correct in this situation.

[Macabre]

Well, we chop pecans and almonds on our cutting boards all the time. They are plastic and go through the dishwasher, but I don't think I could cut something on them for someone allergic to treenuts. I'm thinking is trust a wooden one less.

Oh, I'm sorry it turned a fun evening into a scary one.

Yeah, I think you did the right thing, too!

[notashrimpwimp]

Friend informed me that strawberries were in blender quite a while ago. He did say that he hand washed it after a protein shake.

They don't cut nuts on the board, apparently.

I wish I could scan food and receive alerts. It was all a blur after that.

Thanks Macabre and CM for your insights. Will proceed with caution.

P.s. aren't the days following difficult in their own way too?

[Macabre]

Yes, they are.    But you should find some comfort in knowing you did the right thing with the Epi. 

Sounds like the strawberries could be the evildoers. 

[nameless]

As soon as you said 'cream of coconut' I was wondering about traces of tree nuts in the cream of coconut. If he still has the label --- maybe call the manufacturer and ask? I've not found a cream of coconut made in the US or Canada --- it's all China, Thailand, and Singapore.

[notashrimpwimp]

Good lead Nameless! I will call Tuesday but he informed me that it was "bottled in America" so... And that probably means I should kiss any hope of figuring out precisely what happened..

[Ra3chel]

A wooden cutting board.

He doesn't cook shellfish but he does eat peanut butter routinely. I was wondering if the blender might carry traces of fruit because I react very poorly to the presence of strawberries and bananas are no longer okay for me, toe fruits used in a smoothie made prior to my arrival.

It seems seems INCREDIBLY likely that traces might have hung around the cutting board or blender--those are really common smoothie ingredients, cooked with / eaten frequently, and generally considered benign enough to not warrant hardcore cleaning (and even if so, there are a lot of things a wood cutting board can absorb, and LOTS of nooks and crannies on a blender.

And: good call on epi-ing.   

[twinturbo]

The hand washing + protein powder gets my vote. Sponge plus unknown protein megamix.

And a general.  Hope you're doing better. 

[notashrimpwimp]

Ra3chel, I decided that I would avoid further experiences with his concoctions for that purpose. Maybe buying a Magic Bullet would allow me to participate more safely 

You know how I occasionally waffle on whether to Epi, ever since the ER doctor advised me to never Epi myself and instead drive to the ER to allow them to assess whether I needed one or not. I am now of the opinion that I have to trust myself and my knowledge of my body to guide how I treat my reactions. This reflection makes me regret not using the Epi in several situations that could have proven disastrous, but this has been a learning experience. (For example, who would think that strawberries would be in tea?!)

Twinturbo, I should've asked how he cleaned the blender and now feel foolish for assuming he used the dishwasher. I am feeling better but the last couple of days proved itchy and twitchy.

He did say that the clerk upsold him a new formula chock full of "additives" and I am planning a trip to inspect the container.

Thank you everyone. I appreciate the kindness and guidance provided.

[CMdeux]

You know how I occasionally waffle on whether to Epi, ever since the ER doctor advised me to never Epi myself and instead drive to the ER to allow them to assess whether I needed one or not. I am now of the opinion that I have to trust myself and my knowledge of my body to guide how I treat my reactions. This reflection makes me regret not using the Epi in several situations that could have proven disastrous, but this has been a learning experience.



YES!!!!  High-five  (Which totally just autocorrected to hive-high... too funny not to share!  ) and definitely multiple gold stars to YOU!!   Well, well done.   NO worries about the past-- you lived to learn from it, right?

[krasota]

I've yet to see a "cream of coconut" which wasn't either cross-contaminated with other common allergens or which didn't contain soy. It often contains binding gums, so if you're having issues with legumes,  it often contains guar.

That said?  This sounds like cross-contamination from activity in the kitchen.