Nausea, feeling very ill, even vomiting to oder. Allergy?

[crystalfresh]

I don't smell the garlic I feel it. It hurts physically like breathing in bleach or smoke (I have asthma). I am allergic to garlic if I eat it, also confirmed by allergy testing too. But I was told I had to come in contact with food allergy to have an allergic reaction to it.

The smell of it makes me very ill, triggers asthma, dry tight throat, mucus, even vomit. It's a brutal feeling. Very few odors hurt me like this. Bleach and smoke are the other two that hurt but only garlic makes me feel ill beyond breathing problems. Either way I need to stay away from it.

Would you say it's
A. Irritating  (if irritating why me and no one else)
B. Allergy

If it's an allergy the people around me will stop eating it. If it's an irritant their going to tell me to just deal with it and keep cooking with it, eating it, ect. I don't want to hear it's allergy just to get my way, please answer this honestly. But if it qualifies as allergy the people living with me will then remove it from the house. They just won't believe it coming from me. So I ask for your help in answering this honestly. Thank you.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Your symptoms of dry tight throat, uneasiness and asthma and difficulty in breathing are pointing towards the diagnosis of allergy to garlic, in any form. As you are allergic to edible garlic, so you can be allergic to its smell and touch or contact also.

Garlic-sensitive patients showed positive tests to diallyldisulfide, allylpropyldisulfide, allylmercaptan and allicin, all present in garlic. While cooking, garlic releases various essential oils and people who are allergic to garlic can show cross reactivity to these essential oils also.

Pls see that since you are allergic to garlic, you avoid being around when garlic is cooked or it may cause life threatening anaphylaxis.

Take care and pls do keep posting in how you are doing.

[dimension]

The others in your home need to understand that many reactions, whether an allergic reaction or a sensitivity, cause real physical discomfort.  Just because the cause for a pain is not known, does not make it less painful, in fact, in makes it more uncomfortable due to not knowing what can be expected to happen next.  I have read that chemical sensitivities (odor reactions) can be generated by items that may be a food allergen as well as by toxic or strong chemical products.  Someone with asthma must be especially careful of odor reactions.  Odor reactions are a first defense generated by your body to avoid that substance, usually for a very good reason.  Many asthmatics have asthma problems from "smells" in the air.   My asthmatic son can not stand (first he would get irritated, then he'd cough alot) me to use certain cleaning products.  If I continued to use those same products near his room, I'm sure he would have had severe problems.   I have some strong food allergies and sometimes the smell of those foods can make me nauseated.   As far as garlic odor being able to cause an asthma attack, I can only say that I have heard of onion fumes causing an asthma attack.  That threat should not be a requirement in a household where someone is made ill.  I hope that they can understand that you are not just being "picky" but that you have a real condition that requires avoidance.