I have been having allergic attacks to some food

Hello Yvonne

I am sorry to hear of your stroke in 2018, it sounds like you have been through a lot over the last year and a half.   It’s great that you have been seeing an allergy specialist, especially with the symptoms you describe.  I could imagine that is a very frightening experience, and feeling scared and upset following these attacks is very normal. I am sorry that you are experiencing this.

Are you still seeing any therapists, such as a Speech Therapist or Dietitian?  Changes to sensation, including taste can be affected after your stroke, but these wouldn’t usually cause a swelling of your throat.  If you are still seeing a Speech Pathologist it might be helpful to speak with them about the issues you experience when eating or drinking anything cold.  A Dietitian might be able to look at alternative food choices, especially around flavouring without using salt or spices. They might suggest options such as the use of lemon or lime (if these don;t cause you problems).

We often speak with stroke survivors that experience tingling lips or tongue, and this is as a result of their stroke. This can be exacerbated by certain foods such as spices or rough textured foods.  Usually there is no associated swelling of their tongue or closing of their throat.  I think you have done the best thing by seeking medical support through your doctor and specialists.

I think it will be good to hear from others on EnableMe to see what their thoughts are. You are also welcome to give us a call at StrokeLine and we can talk with you about strategies to perhaps help manage feeling scared and upset following these attacks.  You can reach out to us on Ph. 1800 787 653, or email us on Strokeline@strokefoundation.org.au

Let us know how things go.

Siobhan (StrokeLine)

Hi Yvonne,

Here are some more answers for you form Facebook!

Jennifer: I have a friend who had brain cancer. She loved chocolate. After healing from her brain surgery, she became allergic to chocolate. As for me, I used to love peanut butter and, after my stroke, I practically can't stand it. No allergy, I just don't like it anymore. It's very strange.

Cate: I lost sense of smell & taste post stroke too. Acupuncture helped me. It was quite incredible. But please consult your GP or specialist too.

Karen: Hi Yvonne, I'm sorry for your difficult experience. I don't think that my experience is THE answer to all of what you describe, but my stroke caused significant sensory changes, including altered taste and smell sensation. Ultimately my GP and I worked out that for me it was an uncommon side effect of the new medications that I had been put on post stroke. This may, or may not be the reason for your sensory changes, but it's worth looking at via online patient info sheets of any new medications and worth talking to your GP about. Beyond taking the enjoyment out of eating, my experience was that I lost around 20kg before I figured it out. Many people's response was 'you look great', when my holistic experience was the complete opposite and it made me feel invalidated and misunderstood. Much love XOXO

Karen: Hey Cate. You too! I had acupuncture post stroke too, but for pain management. For anyone not sure about non-medical acupuncture, there's GP's around who offer acupuncture as part of their services and it is covered by Medicare.