Allergic reaction... throat probs lingering

I generally don't have allergies but 2 days ago tried a new black tea and my throat immediately swelled up, was uncomfortable bordering on painful for several hours (no problems breathing) and ever since the very base of my throat has had a swollen sensation like a lump or obstruction. I feel it the strongest when swallowing. I also feel pain when applying light pressure to the base of my throat, just above the collarbone. Can an allergic reaction last this long, or is it possible that my throat was damaged somehow when it swelled up and will remain painful until it heals?

Thanks, - K

Hello! I doubt you could be allergic on the black tea, well, it would be more common if your stomach didn’t accept it instead of your throat swelled up. This is a bit weird! Didn’t you have some other symptoms? Is there a possibility that you burnt your throat if you were drinking the hot tea? I just can’t believe that you could be allergic to tea, I never heard of someone has a swollen throat after drinking a new brand of tea. Did you suck any tablets for the inflamed throat? Have you seen the doctor? What did he say? I am truly curious about this case, I wonder how the heck could someone be allergic to the black tea while it has so many health benefits, but on the other side, I have heard it increases the risk of breast cancer, have you also heard of it?

Hello,

Thought I would give an update. It took about 2-3 days for my throat to finally get back to normal after that cup of tea. I waited a few weeks and then decided to try a cup of chai spiced black tea, something I have been drinking on and off for about a year. After the first few sips my throat began to feel a little funny and there was a tingly numbness in my mouth, so I stopped. I have since given all my tea away, thinking that I've developed an allergy. The odd thing is, later on my husband tried a few sips of the new variety and said his throat didn't feel quite right after drinking it either.

Now today, I'm making rice pudding on the stove with nutmeg and I feel like my throat is starting to swell again. I'm sure there was nutmeg in the chai spice tea, but there was none in the first variety of tea. It was just black tea. Anyway, I'm reallly hoping that I'm not sensitized to nutmeg now (because I really enjoy some foods with nutmeg), I guess I will go slowly and see how I feel. All the other ingredients in the pudding are things I eat regularly with no problems (rice, milk, raisins, sugar).

To answer your questions, I don't recall any other symptoms besides my throat. I did not take any cough drops or anything for my throat. I did not go and see a doctor, but if it would have lasted a day more I would have made an appt. I did not have any food allergies that I am aware of before the tea and I'm also not generally allergic to things in my environment (pollen, dust etc.). This is a first for me. I made sure the chai spiced tea was tepid before drinking it, thinking maybe I had burnt my throat the first time.
- K

Actually I just looked up the ingredients of the chai spice tea and nutmeg is not one of them. So I am at a loss to explain why my throat is acting up this morning. All I can think of is the nutmeg because I have not had any in a long time, but I have eaten rice, milk, sugar, and raisins post-reaction with no trouble.
- K

Have you had your thyroid checked? I recently had an "episode" as I call it, where I had heart palpitations and was fealing anxiety. I went to the doctor (these symptoms not normal for me) and they checked my heart and my blood. All came back fine, even my thyroid. I went home, but weeks later I started having more weird sympotms: numbness/tingling in my arms and a feeling like there was a rubber band around my neck. I persisted and got my doc to order a thyroid ultrasound. They found a nodule (which is not uncommon) but still, it came back benign and it isn't affecting my thyroid production. I still feel like there is something in my throat and I have a constanst "soar throat" feeling at the base of my neck. I found your post trying to figure out was is going on with me. I am going to see a ear/nose/throat specialist on Wednesday. I will tell you what they say to me and maybe it can shed some light on your situation as well. BTW, so far, all the docs and nurses look at me like I'm crazy, but I'm a healthy woman of 35 and all I know is, I don't feel right!

~gina

i have the same problem but not caused by tea. i'm assuming that mine is most likely caused by a medication I received or maybe its something I had just picked up during my stay in the hospital. I was just treated and released for acute diverticulitis and the swelling in my throat, which feels like a lump in my throat, appeared almost immediately upon my release from the hospital. Don't know if its just a reaction to medications, something i picked during hospital stay not related to medications, or something not related to either. i think i'll wait a few days and see. what do you think ?

Yes you could be allergic to tea. I grew up with many allergies and although i grew out of many of them I still have a few. I used to be allergic to wheat, corn syrup, milk, and eggs. Now you tell me what is left on the list of things to eat. Yea it sucked, I great out of my allergies and now i only have a few allergies such as bananas, eggs still, nuts, apples. Crazy but yea, you could be allergic to anything as far as i know except for water. Don't sweat it.

I have had a similar problem which I went to the ER for tonight. I am a nursing student, and never get sick. I take my vitamins, exercise and eat well. I had a physical a year ago along with a pap and was fine. Then about 6 months ago I got a sore on the back of my neck that wouldn't heal despite me doing everything right. I finally went to the doctor after a month and was told it was an infected spider bite, and given antibiotics which cleared it up after a few weeks. Then a month later one lymph node above my left collarbone became swollen, and painful. I tried everything to make it better over the course of 4 months and nothing worked. A few weeks ago the salivary ducts under my tongue on my left side became swollen, and a couple of days ago I started sneezing, and got a sore throat. Yesterday I noticed that I had flesh colored bumps on in my throat only on the left side, and the uvula. Finally late this afternoon I could feel the pressure above my collarbone on my left side, and I had the constant feeling of something stuck in my throat so I went to the ER. They told me it was an allergic reaction to something. I showed them every bit of it (swollen lymph node, salivary duct, throat ) and the doctor said it was a classic allergy. They gave me a shot of steroids in my butt which made the swelling go down in abut 15 minutes, and i am now on Zertec and an steroid spray so we will see what happens the next few days.

You can be allergice to tea, I have recently found out that I am allergice to tea, I would reccommend seeing an allergist and having a full allergy test.

I have similar problems that many of you have described... it is going on 4 months now, that I have had mystery throat problems. One day I was driving down the road and my throat felt like it swelled up, I paniced b/c I could not breathe, so I stopped at the closest ER room. They treated it as an allergic reaction to Peannust - the last thing I had eaten was peanut butter cup.

I went to allergist and found out that I am not allergice peanuts, however I am allergic to apples, orange, rye, pork, lamb, green beans and potatoes - now tell me that is an easy diet! Anyhow, I have been off those foods ever since, but I still experience a constant feeling of a lump in my throat and swelling.. so I continued on to doctors.

First I went to an internist... she blamed it on allergies... I went back to the allergist, she blamed it on my acid reflux... so I went back to the internist who still thought it was from my allergies. I was getting nowhere with them, so I went to an ENT, I figured he could see in there and tell me what the problem is - I neglect to mention that I had a full physical and blood work done, and my first question for them, was how was my thyroid, both my dad and sister have serious thyroid problems - all my blood work said I was very healthy.

So I go to the ENT - he thinks I am crazy, says there is nothing wrong with me. I am desparate for answers - I describe my problems to my mother-in-law, who is a nurse and she reccommends I see a GI, she thins I have a hiated hernia. So on I go to the next doctor --- he does a colonoscopy and an endoscopy - the results show I have gastritis, but nothing else wrong which could be causing the feelings.

Now I wonder what to do next... no one can figure out what is wrong, but I know I am not crazy, as all the doctors are seeming to be thinking... but the not knowing is causing me great anxiety.

I just live day to day wondering if today is the today that my throat is going to close all the way, all I can do is carry my EPIPEN and benadryl with me...(they prescribed an EPIPEN, for "just in case", since they really don't know what is wrong.

If anyone has any suggestions out there, I would be so appreciative of your advice. I don't know where to turn to next...

many people are allergic to tea and ecspecially green tea.