allergic to her own baby

My pointless has reported stories of some pretty strange allergies: the girl who is allergic to water, the girl who can only eat tic-tacs, the girl who is allergic to the 21st century and others.

This week, Telegraph.co.uk reported another strange allergy: a woman who is allergic to her own baby.

Joanne Mackie, 28, started developing blisters and a burning rash on her skin shortly after she gave birth to her son, James. After doing a skin biopsy, doctors discovered that she has a rare skin disease known as Pemphigoid Gestationis (see picture). This disease developed in Joanne during her pregnancy and causes her to have an allergic reaction to contact with her own baby.

It is not a psycho-somatic illness. The allergy is physiological and Joanne's pain is very real.

Joanne said to the Telegraph, "At first, when I was told I was allergic to my own baby I thought it was some sort of joke... But when it sank in I was totally devastated. It felt like my world had caved in. It was such a heartbreaking time. I had to watch while my husband gave our son his first bath."

The allergy fist appeared when Joanne tried to breast-feed little James. She said that her hands started tingling... Then the tingling became a rash that eventually spread over her entire body.

Fortunately, steroid therapy for a month has been effective and Joanne can now hold her baby without pain. She said, "A cuddle from your own child is the most precious thing in the world and now I can cradle my little lad, it's heaven. I never want to let him go now."

http://snipr.com/okstw [www_telegraph_co_uk]
broken link? backupURL

for the other allergy stories mentioned above, click on the "allergy" label below or in the label cloud.

more strange allergies

Recently, Telegraph.co.uk reported two separate stories about strange allergies:

a boy who is allergic to sunlight
a girl who is allergic to the 21st Century

Jackson McIntyre, age 6, is allergic to sunlight. He has a very rare genetic disorder known as Erythropoietic Protoporphyria. This disorder is created by a deficiency in an enzyme. It causes Jackson to have a burning sensation whenever his skin is exposed to sunlight

Jackson's case is so severe that he is effected by both UV and visible sunlight. He experiences symptoms, at times, even standing near an un-shaded window.
http://snipr.com/k4tbx [www_telegraph_co_uk]

In a second story, a girl named Molly Harrand of Herne Bay, Kent, England is allergic to nearly everything that is 21st century. Doctors have not determined the cause of her unique allergies, but here is a partial list of things she is allergic to:

shoes, socks, carpets, pasta, bread, oats, eggs, soy, chocolate, cleaning products, soap, shampoo, deodorants, plastic and rubber surfaces, machinery, dust, pollen, grass, many toys, coins, pens, and even computer keyboards.

Doctors say that if Mary lived 100 years ago, she would probably not have had these allergies.

Molly's father Derek, is quoted as saying, "We have been to the best doctors in the land but no one knows what to do to help Molly. There has simply never been a case like hers. We want to free Molly from her terrible pain. If there is anyone out there who may be able to help then we would love to hear from them."
http://snipr.com/k4tmr [www_telegraph_co_uk]

careless man sues Burger King for being careless

You may remember the old Burger King jingle:

Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us... all we ask is that you let us have it your way.

Someone is pretty upset that he didn't "get it his way" and plans to make Burger King pay for it.

Two years ago, on April 10, 2007, Darius Dugger went into a Burger King in Virginia an ordered a burger. He asked that it not have any onions, pickles or tomatoes.

Unfortunately, it appears that the King wasn't as careful as he should have been. When Mr. Dugger bit into his burger, he realized it had onions, pickles and tomatoes on it.

According to Mr. Dugger, that bite (which for some reason, he chose to swallow) created a "severe allergic reaction." The incident kept him out of work and created large medical bills.

So, Mr Dugger recently filed a lawsuit against Burger King for $100,000 in damages.

http://bit.ly/uaTmT

He ate a fully loaded Whopper. Now, he seems to be telling one.

for supper again tonight: tic-tacs

Seventeen-year-old Natalie Cooper of Shepway, Maidstone in England has an unusual illness that has forced her to have a very unusual diet.

Natalie loves food. Unfortunately, food doesn't love her. It seems that whatever she eats comes right back up. Her stomach simply will not hold it.

Well, almost everything. There is one food that Natalie can keep down: mint Tic-Tacs.

You know Tic-Tacs: those tiny white breath mints that come in a clear plastic container… those little mints that make a big racket when you shake them.

Doctors can't explain why her stomach can only tolerate Tic-Tacs, but that is all she can eat for nourishment. That means that Natalie has to get her nutrition... and most of her calories... from a special formula that she is fed daily through a tube.

Through experimentation, Natalie found that she could almost tolerate mint candies. So, she kept reducing the size of the mints until she found one that would stay down. "I went from Trebor Extra Strong Mints to Polos and ended up with tic tacs. They give me a bit of energy but I eat them mostly to get rid of hunger; it’s a psychological effect," said Natalie.

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kol08/article/default.asp?article_id=38322

For similar stories, including the girl who is allergic to water, choose the unusual people label below or on the side bar.

some people have no luck

Dan Hill dreamed to be a carpenter. He loved to work with his hands. He liked the idea of creating beautiful things from wood. He wanted the stress-free life of working in a wood-shop.

So, Dan quit his $160,000-a-year job as an investment banker at UBS Bank in London and moved to the town of Bideford to learn carpentry.

Unfortunately, it didn't turn out as Dan expected. It seems he is allergic to wood.

"I had been fine just pottering around on my own but it all started to go wrong when I was doing it all day," he said.

"I was making my first professional piece - a workbench for myself - out of African hardwood when I started to notice this red rash all over my hands and arms.

"My eyes stung all the time and were really sore. They were always red and puffed up and it was really unpleasant."

Wearing a mask and gloves doesn't help. Fortunately, Dan has found at least one wood (Welsh Oak) that doesn't cause the rash. He has moved again to be near his allergy-free lumber.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2827153.html?menu=news.quirkies

allergic to water.

I didn't think that this was possible. In fact, when I read her story, I felt I should do some extra research. I learned that the situation is extraordinarily rare... and that this story is true.

Ashleigh Morris, 19, of Melbourne, Australia is allergic to water. As in H2O. As in the stuff that makes up most of our body weight.

Ashleigh can't enjoy a warm bath or a hot shower. She can't go swimming in the summer. She can't hug her sweaty boyfriend. She can't stand outside in the rain or snow. She has to stay away from any sport that would make her perspire. She has to avoid touching water of any kind... including her own sweat.

Ashleigh can drink water. The problem is that if any water touches Ashleigh's skin, she breaks out in very painful red rash. The rash subsides after a few hours, but the pain sometimes reduces her to tears.

She takes minute-showers to stay clean -- but after a shower, she often will not go out for a couple hours because her skin is so splotchy and painful. In the summer, she pretty much stays where it is air-conditioned. If there is a threat of rain, she stays home.

The disorder is known as Aquagenic Urticaria. It is so rare that there are only a handful of cases in the world. Ashleigh contracted it a few years ago when she had tonsillitis. The doctors prescribed penicillin. The penicillin cured the tonsils, but left her with this disorder.

In every other way, Ashleigh appears to be... and is... very normal.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=520329&in_page_id=1811&ito=1490
http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic628.htm