my lips swell when I eat ice cream

At first I thought I was starting to get a food allergy, but now Im starting to wonder.  When I eat ice cream (most flavors, but not all), My inner lips swell.  But the fingers/hand that holds the ice cream bowl get cold and itchy and kinda hurt.  The entire process lasts about 30 minutes. Since this process began, now even when i hold a glass with cold water in it, my fingers get red and itchy.  Do I have an allergy to ice cream? Or sensitivity to cold?  Or something else completely different?

[FurballsMom]

It sounds like allergy to me.  Ice cream is actually a complex mix of ingredients, so it's hard to say what the exact ingredient is that you're allergic to.  I would avoid ice cream.  It sounds like you are allergic to one or more ingredients in ice cream.  Most commercial ice creams are full of all kinds of artificial ingredients as well as the natural ingredients you would expect.  And, most are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.

Also, many people who are allergic to dairy products are unsuspectantly allergic to annatto.  I did some research on annatto when I was researching information about a recipe.  It turns out that a lot of people are allergic to annatto.  Annatto is a natural seed used as a food dye.  Annatto is what makes the butter you buy in the store the shade of yellow that it is.  It is also what makes cheddar cheese the orange color it is.  Although, who knows what else is in that fake orange coloring in the unnatural color of cheddar cheeses.  The white cheddar cheese is the true and natural color.  I'm not sure why there was some kind of ruling generations ago that insisted that this coloration was required for butters and cheeses and other dairy products.  I only know that there was some kind of out-dated and vague dairy law or code two or three generations back about adding this coloration to commercial dairy products.  It has been in commercial products for so long now that most people have no idea that the natural color of butter is a white color, because, well, milk and milk fat is white.  It is so ingrained that people think that butter is supposed to be this yellow color that we're all familiar with.

It may not even be an actual dairy allergy, but there are just too many ingredients in ice cream to be sure exactly what the allergy is.  But, this does sound like an allergy to me.

As far as the cold water, I'm not sure what that's about.  It could very well be a temperature issue.  But, the ice cream thing sounds like it's an allergy.

[FurballsMom]

It sounds like allergy to me.  Ice cream is actually a complex mix of ingredients, so it's hard to say what the exact ingredient is that you're allergic to.  I would avoid ice cream.  It sounds like you are allergic to one or more ingredients in ice cream.  Most commercial ice creams are full of all kinds of artificial ingredients as well as the natural ingredients you would expect.  And, most are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.

Also, many people who are allergic to dairy products are unsuspectantly allergic to annatto.  I did some research on annatto when I was researching information about a recipe.  It turns out that a lot of people are allergic to annatto.  Annatto is a natural seed used as a food dye.  Annatto is what makes the butter you buy in the store the shade of yellow that it is.  It is also what makes cheddar cheese the orange color it is.  Although, who knows what else is in that fake orange coloring in the unnatural color of cheddar cheeses.  The white cheddar cheese is the true and natural color.  I'm not sure why there was some kind of ruling generations ago that insisted that this coloration was required for butters and cheeses and other dairy products.  I only know that there was some kind of out-dated and vague dairy law or code two or three generations back about adding this coloration to commercial dairy products.  It has been in commercial products for so long now that most people have no idea that the natural color of butter is a white color, because, well, milk and milk fat is white.  It is so ingrained that people think that butter is supposed to be this yellow color that we're all familiar with.

It may not even be an actual dairy allergy, but there are just too many ingredients in ice cream to be sure exactly what the allergy is.  But, this does sound like an allergy to me.

As far as the cold water, I'm not sure what that's about.  It could very well be a temperature issue.  But, the ice cream thing sounds like it's an allergy.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
These symptoms can be due to cold urticaria. Cold urticaria is a disorder characterized by the rapid onset of itchiness, redness and swelling of the skin within minutes after exposure to a cold stimulus.
Diagnosis can be made by an ice-cube test. Place an ice cube on your forearm for 4 minutes and observe the area for 10 minutes afterwards. If you have cold urticaria, the area will become itchy and then swell approximately 2 minutes after removing the ice cube.

Treatment is avoiding exposure to cold stimuli, including swimming or bathing in cold water. You can take antihistaminics like zyrtec or tegamet. You should enroll with Medic Alert and always carry Epi pen (injectable adrenaline) along with you.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[jeannemp24]

Both of those answers make sense to me.  I wondered about food dye also.  I am going to the doctor to have some allergy testing and see what i am potentially reacting to.  I hate the idea of giving up ice cream!!!

I am going to try the ice test and see. I hope I dont have urticaria.

Thanks to both of you for your clear ideas and descriptions.