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Author Topic: Medicos, is the a latex allergy?
Tinros
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Medicos, I'm calling upon you again, with another weird problem.

A little background:

I had a mole on the area in between my underarm and my breast since I was a kid. No big deal, until it started bleeding and itching a few weeks ago. No worries, I had it removed, and it's benign. All is good there.

However, when it first started bleeding, my grandmother gave me a bandaid to put on it. Band Aid brand. Within 12 hours, the entire area was itchy, red, swollen, and cracked with a little bit of bleeding. I took the bandaid off, and it healed up in a few days.

After I had the mole removed, I mentioned the reaction to the bandaid(I've NEVER had a problem like that before), so they gave me some different bandaids, smaller ones. Still had a reaction, but it was significantly less. I ran out of those, however, and have had to wear the cloth bandaids- and the reaction is back, in full force. It's itchy, swollen, bumpy, and hot.

Any idea what could be causing this? Do I need to go back to a dermatologist?

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ClaudiaTherese
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Tinros, it sounds like you are reacting to something, but whether or not it is a latex allergy is a question that probably can be assessed quite well by any general medical practitioner (family practice, internal medicine, nurse practitioner). Likely the rash would be gone by the time you can get a dermatologist to look at it, as they are often booked up for months in advance.

Meanwhile, it would be a good idea to avoid whatever is causing the rash, as allergic reactions can get worse quickly. You should be seen immediately if you have voice changes like hoarseness, trouble breathing, swelling in the face, or anything like that. If the wound still needs to be covered, someone working at any pharmacy should be able to help you identify an over-the-counter product least likely to cause more problems. You can talk to a pharmacist about antihistamines, over-the-counter steroid creams, or whatever else may be helpful to make you feel better. [but this can make the rash harder to diagnose if it makes it heal up faster, so getting this looked at sooner rather than later is important -- another reason not to wait for dermatology, unless you get really lucky with an appointment]

Also, given that some people with latex allergies can cross-react with fruit (especially banana, avocado, kiwi, and chestnut, but also others), you might want to avoid them or be extra careful about what you eat until you have a better sense of what is going on.

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ClaudiaTherese
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PS: Take care and good luck! Let us know what happens.

---

Added: Anyone who deals with you medically should be told about this possibility of a latex allergy from the beginning. If you do get diagnosed with that, you really should wear a Medic Alert bracelet or neck pendant for your own safety. The brand name ones can be expensive but can look really cool. However, there are plain cheap ones, too, and any pharmacy should be able to help with that if needed.

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Valentine014
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When I had this happen, I was told I had a possible allergy to the adhesive on the bandaid. I have the same reaction to tape. Paper tape seems to be a little better, but still leaves a mild rash.
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ketchupqueen
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It could be latex, or the adhesive, or another substance (but the fact that cloth causes the reaction too, makes me think maybe the adhesive.)

There are tapes available with different adhesives, which you can use for your bandaging needs if you are indeed allergic to the adhesive.

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scholarette
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I react in a similar manner to latex bandaids. But if I use non-latex, I have no problems. Since I have had problems with latex gloves at work, I just assume latex allergy. I was shocked when I went to the dentist and the dentist was completely unprepared for my request to use non-latex gloves. He had none in his size and had to make due with small gloves. Which is part of why I stopped seeing that dentist.
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Eaquae Legit
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I sort of take it for granted that people use nitrile these days in medical situations. With the risk of a latex allergy, wouldn't it be simpler to just... use non-latex gloves as a matter of course? Problem solved.
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HollowEarth
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Nitrile gloves cost more than latex gloves.
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andi330
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quote:
Originally posted by ClaudiaTherese:
PS: Take care and good luck! Let us know what happens.

---

Added: Anyone who deals with you medically should be told about this possibility of a latex allergy from the beginning. If you do get diagnosed with that, you really should wear a Medic Alert bracelet or neck pendant for your own safety. The brand name ones can be expensive but can look really cool. However, there are plain cheap ones, too, and any pharmacy should be able to help with that if needed.

I don't know about the generic ones, but the medic alert ones are also great because they have an 800 number that can be called anywhere in the world to get additional information that won't fit on the bracelet or necklace.
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ClaudiaTherese
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Yeah, but I think Tinros may be a college student. The minimal cheap ones are better than nothing, yet as you point out, there are definite advantages (beyond just appearance) with the brand name.
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andi330
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They have some pretty cheap ones at Medic Alert too, (some as low as 9.99) but you do have to pay the 39.99 fee. Still, I have enough stuff going on with me that the fee is better than not having all my information available if necessary.
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ClaudiaTherese
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I think I recall hearing that there may be a way to apply for a waiver of the yearly membership fee? (not sure whether that is for just the first year's fee or also an option for yearly fees thereafter) That rings a bell, but I don't know of anyone who went that route. I might be misremembering.

I purchased a simple alert bracelet with a notification of a penicillin allergy for $2 at a pharmacy when I was a college student. $40 was well beyond my means, and although the other information might be useful, it was the allergy that was the critical concern.

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ClaudiaTherese
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Ah, good to know. From their FAQ:

quote:
What if I am unable to afford Membership fees?

As a nonprofit, our mission is to protect and save lives. Thanks to the generous donations we receive each year from our members, we are able to offer “free” memberships for those unable to afford the cost of the membership and nonprofit organizations that are unable to afford the enrollment fee. For more information on sponsored memberships, please contact our Contributions department at 800-228-6222 ext. 2492. Or, by email at ContributionsCoordinator@medicalert.org.


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Tinros
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Yes, CT, I'm a college student. I turn 21 next month.

Today the rash is still there, but now parts of it are... well, crusty, and there are some... well, it looks like pin pricks- BRIGHT red(like blood, though I don't think they're bleeding), tiny dots around the edges of where the band aid was.

I've never had problems with band aids on any other occasion. I've never had problems with latex gloves, either(we use them in biology lab, during dissections, which I have tomorrow night).

And yeah, I'm on a very limited budget, which is part of why I asked if this is worth seeing another doctor over. I already have pretty high medical bills due to some illnesses and injuries over the past couple years, and now my parents are involved in two lawsuits- one involving the guys who improperly installed our septic tank, and one involving a lady who we commissioned to sell my piccolo who won't give us the money for it. (The money that came from MY savings account. That I need for school. That's $1200.)

I've seen the allergy bracelets in CVS and WalMart. My mom and sister insist that I had a similar reaction to the tape they used on an IV on me fairly recently, but I don't remember that at all. When I had an IV in February, there was no reaction to the tape.

Maybe my body's just... weird.

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Misha McBride
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I have a reaction like that to IV/medical tape of all kinds. I've never had a problem with bandaids (that I can remember) but every time I've had an IV the skin under the tape turned red and was burny, itchy and sometimes even blistered in a couple of spots. I assume its the adhesive they use, I don't know if there are any alternatives though.
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ludosti
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quote:
Originally posted by ClaudiaTherese:
Ah, good to know. From their FAQ:

quote:
What if I am unable to afford Membership fees?

As a nonprofit, our mission is to protect and save lives. Thanks to the generous donations we receive each year from our members, we are able to offer “free” memberships for those unable to afford the cost of the membership and nonprofit organizations that are unable to afford the enrollment fee. For more information on sponsored memberships, please contact our Contributions department at 800-228-6222 ext. 2492. Or, by email at ContributionsCoordinator@medicalert.org.


That's very cool! I know my mom sometimes jokes about having her allergies tattooed on her torso (not something that would reasonably work, which is why it's a joke) - when seeing new doctors she has an entire sheet that she brings with her allergies (another one for her surgeries, but that's another issue). It would be nice if something like Medicalert would work for her (between her metal allergy and issues with extremely fragile skin I don't think it would).

I had an adverse reaction to one of the pieces of tape they used after my c-section. It blistered and hurt more than my actual incision did.

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