Women who are allergic to fruits and vegetables have not eaten one green for over 20 years. A bite says there is a chance that she could kill her.
Chloe Reisbeck, 27, was diagnosed with oral allergy syndrome (OAS), a 7-year-old, at age 7, in January 2005.
She first realised that something was wrong when a bite from a peach at school bulging her lips and making her throat itch.
After she felt “not being taken seriously,” she had an apple and began to show the same “painful” symptoms.
She was taken to a doctor, where blood tests confirmed she was allergic, but was referred to an allergist. After a skin prick test revealed an entire list of food reactions, OAS was diagnosed.
Chloe is currently allergic to 15 different fruits, vegetables and nuts, including bananas, kiwi, carrots, almonds and peppers, and has avoided eating her day for 20 years.
She has developed “Fear of Diet” and now relies on multivitamin supplements to get enough nutrients every day, carrying epipen wherever she goes into anaphylactic shock.
Chloe, a recruitment consultant from Solihull in the West Midlands, said: “My allergies have come from everywhere.
“I was usually able to eat fruits and vegetables that were symptomatically free of symptoms.
“But since chewing those peaches, my relationship with food has changed.
“Eating any of five times a day will cause swelling lips, itchy throat and lumps in the mouth.
“My symptoms aren’t that bad, but there is constant fear every time I eat.
“It’s become very difficult and I have to resort to giving them a multivitamin every day to treat my allergies.”
Before the age of seven, Chloe was usually eating fruits and vegetables and had no symptoms.
However, after a series of side effects from peaches and apples in May 2004, including puffy lips and itchy gums, Chloe initially claims that the allergies were “not that serious” and “don’t worry.”
“My lips started to swell, so I went to the school nurse and I could feel my throat hurt,” she said.
“They told me not to worry and dismissed my symptoms. It was never followed.
“That same week I had an apple, and that was when things started to spiral.
“My allergies have gotten worse.
“I started to develop bumps in my mouth and I could feel my throat starting to itch.”
Chloe rushes to her mother, Trisha, 56, and to her local doctor, where a blood test reveals her allergy to apples, peaches, nectarines, plums and cherry.
However, a few months later, Chloe began to discover other foods that gave him similar reactions, such as kiwi and almonds.
Chloe said: “My mom and I still didn’t know if they were causing these reactions, so we went back to the doctors and they introduced me to an allergist who had tested skin stabs.
“I found out I was allergic to a lot of food.”
Chloe was diagnosed with oral allergy syndrome (OAS) at Solihull Hospital in January 2005.
She is currently allergic to 15 different fruits, vegetables and nuts.
This condition affects only 2% of the UK population, and its causes and symptoms are generally related to hay.
“It was horrifying to hear my allergist tell me I could die from eating one fruit or getting into anaphylaxis,” she said.
“I was given Epipen and other antihistamines, which I was confused at age 7.
“My relationship with food has been very difficult since then.”
Chloe claims that she has not tried certain fruits and vegetables that she hasn’t tried since the reactions of strawberries, melons, mangoes and blueberries are so scary.
Chloe often brings her food to social events, “mistakes” avoiding fruits and vegetables, and skips “nasty conversations” about food choices.
In the more extreme cases, she asked her boyfriend to brush her teeth after eating something allergic.
She said:
“It can hurt me seriously, making me worry that they won’t take it seriously.
“When I go to supermarkets or restaurants, I often google and look up the ingredients to ensure I am safe.
“It took over a lot of my life and it made me somewhat of a terrifying thing.”
Chloe’s diet is restrictive and usually consists of “beige” foods, including pasta and rice, and she frequently spins for many meals between fish, meat and dairy products.
She relies on daily multivitamin supplements for lacking nutrients — because there are no treatments or specific treatments for disorders — without them, she can often feel tired.
However, this year, Chloe began introducing foods she had never had before.
She hopes to develop a healthy relationship with food and not eat it because she is afraid.
Chloe said:
“So I’m trying to reintroduce things that were so scary to eat.
“In the coming years I want to have a more diverse diet and hope to be able to eat more.
“But for now, I’m going to bite it slowly, at once.”
Food List Chloe is allergic to it –
apple
peach
plum
Nectarine
cherry
banana
kiwi
Carrots
spinach
green pepper
parsley
almond
Hazelnuts
avocado
Raw tomatoes
