Saturday, November 12, 2011

Is It Possible I Have An Allergy To Latex?

396545383 Today while in a lab we were working with chemicals, so we had to wear latex gloves. I have worn them many times before with no reactions so i didnt worry about wearing them. But after i took my gloves off, i noticed both my hands were covered in fairly large hives, and my eyes became blood shot and itchy (probably from me rubbing them with latex still on my hands). This is the first time anything has happened like this, and both the hives and blood shot eyes were fixed within about 2 hours with some benedryl. I dont have much time to go into a medi centre or a doctor this week, so does this sound like i have developed an allergy? is there a way i can test it at home?
Posted by at
Labels:

3 comments:

  1. rebesNovember 12, 2011 at 6:01 PM

    Hip-Hop Spike - I have heard of latex allergies, but I don't want to diagnose you, go to the docter for that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. rebesNovember 12, 2011 at 6:01 PM

    Katie - Latex is something you can avoid fairly easy, and it may just be a dermititis but regardless you definately seem to have an adverse reaction to it. Gloves are also available that are latex free (condoms too) so it wouldn't be too difficult to avoid it all together.

    ReplyDelete
  3. rebesNovember 12, 2011 at 6:01 PM

    JUST ME - yes you can be allergic to latex,also known as
    natural rubber,rubber & elastic.
    it is hard to stay away from it because
    it is used in so many products,not just
    in the medical field.It can be used in many forms
    from powder,liquid to solids.
    I have a severe reaction to latex & have had several
    anaphylaxic reactions that almost killed me.
    There really isn't a list of products that contain latex/rubber
    as a rule of thumb if it :
    sticks
    bounces
    stretches
    absorbs
    creates a water proof barrier
    if it smells like bananas

    The rubber tree & banana tree are in the same botanical family,hence bananas allergy
    is a good clue ,since it is a "cross food"

    The medical field has come up with some solutions to latex by using polypropylene
    to make products,non latex gloves (though they are made in the same factory as latex gloves)
    I have a great Allergist who has done a lot of research including contacting manufacturers about
    their products
    as for home testing,that could be risky.Best to have a simple blood test done

    I have dealt with severe allergies all my life,my son has severe allergies too.Thankfully we both have had great allergist with enough of a concern they have investigated it.They keep us updated when they find latex/rubber in a new product
    best of luck

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)