I'm allergic to poultry!!!

Holy c**p! I can't beleive I didn't look this up before. I think I may possibly have some sort of allergy or intollerance to chicken and/or turkey. I can eat eggs...not problem. Love those eggs. And I'm not so sensitive to where I have to watch for any cross-contamination or anything so I'm lucky there.

But anway, within minutes I will get these TERRIBLE stomach craps, VERY thick saliva that I just want to spit out. The stomach/chest/diaphram area has some sort of cramp or something that comes in waves every few minutes and I suddenly feel like I can't (or maybe just don't want to) ingest anything...solid or liquid. I become VERY lathargic (tired) for hours afterwards.

I had this reaction to the extreme after I ate spinach and my skin became very red from my chest on up. Started getting itchy and ended up in the hospital.

I have never had troubles breathing from any of these reactions, but I have never found anyone to share these symptoms. I feel like if I can just burp or hiccup, I would feel better. Sometimes it happens and I do feel better. I told that to an allergist and they have all looked at my funny. So I don't know whether it is a true allergy or just some sort of intollerance.

It is SOOO frustrating because I just can figure it out. I also had this reaction to bean from a chili I ate if my memory serves me right. I'm I alone on this? Has anyone else had any formal diagnosis to these symptoms?

I started to have a strange reaction to chicken in early 20's. (KFC honey barbecue wings, specifically) I have to use gloves if I cook chicken for the family at this point. Allergy tests were positive for chicken, eggs (although I can eat eggs with no reaction), and a multitude of other environmental allergens.

Started having trouble with food getting stuck in my esophagus that has progressively gotten worse in the past year. It hurts bad and it's scary. I can breathe but I can't swallow. Walking around eventually helps the food pass down.
Had an EEG ( i think that's what it's called) done yesterday and found out I have Eosinophilic Esophagitis. Evidentally, the docs are not positive but they suspect it's caused by a food allergy that I must be continuing to eat and it irritates my esophagus causing narrowing, white things, and these strange rings on my esophagus.

Just wanted to mention it, don't just blow it off like I have for well over a year and think your bites of food are just too big if it starts to happen. Evidentally, this feeling of food getting stuck is the main symptom of this disorder. It's relatively newly discovered and pretty scary for that reason. All treatments are pretty much a trial. ;-)

A lot of these symtom descriptions really nailed what I've been dealing with my whole life. The doubt and "all in your mind" attitude I've had to put up with to this day sounds familar as well. In my case, it's even worse to try to explain because my allergies are specific to the dark meat only, whether chicken or turkey. On one of the profiles I read, the poster said that they were allergic to white meat and not dark. I found that interesting since my allergies are similar but opposite. The thickening of the saliva and "lump in the throat" feeling along with the waves of pain in the chest similar to very painfull hartburn. Nausea with thick vomiting when bad enough. Wanting to spit out the thick saliva as you know that swallowing will only make the pain worse sounded very familar as well. I also noticed interesting similarities in allergy patterns. My worst and deadly allergy is fish. I just stay away from it all together. Well, almost; I can eat canned tuna and anchovies, but not fresh. As in a couple of other posts I read, I can eat shellfish, crabs, shrimp, crayfish, but Nooooo "uncanned" fish. I also tried turtle soup once and got the same reaction as dark meat, maybe a little worse. Could have been a lesser version of the fish allergy. Because of the turtle, I just assumed I'd be allergic to Alligator as seen on another post, I just never wanted to take the chance to find out. I've been digging on the internet trying to find out why anyone would be allergic to dark meat only and be able to eat white meat with no problem at all. As with, yet another poster, if my lips are dry and cracked, the dark meat will swell my lip in that spot where as the white meat will not. I just feel better already knowing that I'm not alone and facinated in the couple of read cases that my fish and chicken allergies may be somehow part a similar pattern as written by others. The only other thing in my case is yet another issue. Ham and certain cuts of pork also give me similar symptoms as dark meat chicken. Is there an equivalent to "dark meat" on a pig?

ALLERGIC TO POULTRY, CHICKEN AND TURKEY SEEMS MORE EXTREME WITH TURKEY. I HAVE THE EXACT SYMPTOMS AS DANWHITE24, FIRST TINGLING IN MOUTH THEN PRODUCTION OF THICK SALYVA THAT HAS TO BE CONTINUOUSLY SPIT OUT THEN THE WAVES OF TIGHT CHEST PAIN THAT GRADUALLY GETS WORSE . AFTER A FEW HOURS THEN VERY SLEEPY. BORN THIS WAY MOM SAYS I USE TO THROUGH CHICKEN OFF MY HIGH CHAIR.. CROSS CONTAMINATION ALSO GOT SICK @ HIBACHI WHERE THEY COOK ALL FOOD IN FRONT OF YOU.. I USUALLY GET HIT 3-4 TIMES A YEAR LAST TIME WAS A VERY THIN PIECE OF HAM, I MEEN TURKEYHAM!!! DOESNT TAKE MUCH FOR ME, JUST EVEN A PEA SIZE OF THE STUFF. PEOPLE THINK I'M CRAZY BUT YOU KNOW I,M NOT, HAPPY TO FINALLY SEE I'M NOT ALONE.. ONLY HAVE ONE HINT THAT CUTS THE AGONY IN ABOUT HALF BENADRYL ALLERGY TABS.
THANKS FOR SHARING.. JOE

I have been allergic to poultry since I was a baby. Iam 37 now and reactions seem to get worse the older I get. My throat swells, lips tingle and lately vomiting occurs. It is very painful almost like having a real severe case of heartburn and gas buildup all in one. I have also noticed that if I get nervous or excited the allergy intensifies. I have found that a few tablets of benedryl and remaining calm help to bring reaction under control. Occassionally an ER visit is necessary however.

I've got pretty much the same symptoms as most of you have described, and have had them my entire life. It wasn't very severe when I was very young, but now it's very severe. Even a small bite of a poultry-based deli meat or something made with chicken broth is enough to make me very uncomfortable, and I'm sure more than that would cause a life-threatening reaction.

Like one of the posters, I'm also allergic to penicillan, though I'm not sure if that's pertinent or not. I've wondered whether the allergy could be to antibiotics or something else they feed those those nasty birds because of my experience with fish. It turns out I can eat wild salmon and tuna with no problems, but farmed salmon and tuna give me similar symptoms to poultry. I assume it has to do with the c**p they feed these fish on the farms. I've never eaten a wild bird so I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has experimented. Once of these days when I've got my benadryl and epipen handy I'll try a small bite. I live real close to the ER. Maybe even sell my buddies tickets to watch me blow up.

I have an allergy to chicken that has progressively gotten worse over the years. At first I could tolerate it in small amounts when I was a young child but around the time I turned 10 I realized that I could not eat certian parts of the chicken. I found out later that it was white meat or dark meat. I could still tolerate white meat (wings, breast) but dark meat (legs thighs etc.) would make small painful sores in my mouth and my lips would swell noticeably. Two years ago turkey was added to this allergy. Now I am 34 and can no longer eat chicken, turkey or any other foul or products that use chicken like hot dogs, and other lunchmeats or I end up in the emergency room suffering from severe facial swelling and hives all over my body and a full blown asthma attack.

I also am suffering from a severe life-threatening fish allergy. I never could eat fresh water fish but I could tolerate tuna and other salt water fish until a couple of years ago. I can still eat shellfish but I limit myself because I don't want to develop an allergy to that also.
I have always kidded around with the idea of taking benedryl before I attempt to eat chicken again but I am afraid to. Some people suggest that I should try "free range" chicken but I am fearful of that also.

I also went to allergist and my test for chicken allergy came up negative; however my symptoms don't seem to appear until about an hour after I have ingested the chicken product. Drowsiness also seems to be an immediate symptom.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I like chicken it just doesn't like me.

I became allergic to chicken 14 years ago when I was 37. After seeing many doctors, I finally spoke to a scientist. He informed me that beef and pork only use one enzyme to digest and chicken uses two different enzymes to digest. He said not everyone is born with both enzymes and also some adults lose their second enzyme.

Therefore, the chicken hits our intestines in whole form. Very painful and very dangerous.

Finally, people who share my plight! I've been allergic to poultry since I was about five years old, and its progressed on to fish. Shellfish, I have no problems with. Also, I have the same, albeit not as severe symptoms with avacado, and for some reason bananas, but only by themselves. It seems I've been able to eat fish on occasion with little trouble, but chicken and turkey, I would rather slam my foot in a car door than deal with the waves of pain I've often described as a violent heartburn, and along with the gummy saliva and the intense need to vomit profusely, I have learned to read every ingredient panel as if it were gospel...

For years i thought i was crazy. An irish lad with an allergy to chicken(it's staple diet over here along with spuds).

My reaction, fortunately, is not as severe as those mentined above. I eat a bite, 5 minutes later i get itchy ears, itchy throat very bad congestion and the feeling that someone is actually squeezing my windpipe. This feeling goes away after about an hour. I can eat food that has been cooked in the same oil as chicken etc.

Does anybody else share the milder reactions that i suffer from??
Peace out

I've been allergic to poultry for most of my life. I was allergic to poultry meat, eggs and feathers as a child. I've since outgrown the feather and egg allergies, but not the meat allergy. I originally thought it was scent induced as I was able to eat chicken wings without issue. At 30, I can't eat even chicken wings or any foods with chicken broth. Luckily, I don't run into issues with processed meats like beef hot dogs or other items with fillers. I also get hungry when I smell fried chicken, so luckily no reaction there. I suffer from the same symptoms as the original post (i.e. stomach discomfort and increased saliva.) after ingesting poultry. It's nice to know others suffer from the same symptoms.

I get the same symptoms too; basically extreme chest pain and the need to spit all the time. The pain comes in waves and takes a couple of hours to go away. The funny thing is that when I was a kid I had this reaction to all poultry, peas and tuna fish. When I turned 20 the allergy left and I can now eat chicken, but sometimes if it's broiled I get the same reaction. The other day I ate some carrots that had been processed to make them small (baby carrots I believe they call them) and I got a severe reaction. I've never found out what causes it, but it does seem that it has something to do with the way the food is prepared.

I have the same symptoms (heart burn, throat seems tighter, waves of pain, thick saliva, hard to swallow). I discovered my allergy in college, but realized it happened since I was a kid.

I remember my parents getting mad at me for only eating the skin on fried chicken as a youngster. Also getting sick shortly after my senior prom because they had served chicken.

As for ddawn98's suggestion to maybe try free range chicken, a friend of mine who hunts thought of something similar and had me try a turkey he'd shot. I still got sick but it seems the effects started later.

I am 42 and have lived with this allergy for a long long time. I think it is funny that I have never thought about searching on the internet for this allergy until now. But I have the exact same issues that most of you have said. Mine is more violent though. My throat swells and the whites of my eyes actually puff up so badly that you can actually see them sticking up past my colored part of the eye (iris) I agree that I can identify anything with poultry in it within 1 minute of it hitting my mouth. I however am not allergic to eggs. Thank the Lord.

Wow- I had to post because while my issue isn't poultry, I have the EXACT same symptoms and have had a heck of a time finding any reference to them as allergy symptoms. For me, it's beans- It started with soy and progressed to anything that grows in a pod. I went to an allergist and he gave me an epipen in case it becomes anaphylactic at some point, but he seemed confused by my symptoms. He didn't think it was an allergy, but when he did the skin test it went absolutely CRAZY with every type of bean he tested. And now I seem to be adding celery to the list, for some reason. Thanks so much for all the info, especially on Eosinophilic Esophagitis. I'm looking into that now!