eczema from contact with squash??

[Arduinna]

I already have dx pollen allergies but no dx food allergies. Anyway today I was preparing a butternut squash and apple soup and after holding the squash and then the apple in my right hand while I peeled them after I put them in the pot I washed my hands and noticed my right hand felt really tight. Now I having peeling skin, dry scaly areas and skin tightness with some swelling. Washing my hands well isn't helping. I did 2 huge squash and 4 apples.

I'm guessing it's not the apples just because I use apples much more than butternut squash and never had a reaction. This is the second time I've prepared butternut squash in the last couple weeks. No reaction the first time. But I had not had butternut squash in a really long time, previous to these 2.

I don't know? What do you think? I had took my normal oral allergy meds for today previously.

[ASusan]

Yup. Totally possible. DH's hands react after handling foods that he responds to with OAS. Apples are bad for him; sometimes they bother me, too. It's totally possible that you reacted to the squash.

What allergy meds do you take for OAS?

[Chinese Pistache]

I was thinking OAS, too. That's oral allergy syndrome and it's common in people with seasonal allergies. The proteins in plant pollens are similar to those in some fruits and vegetables, so there's cross-reactivity.

[Arduinna]

Interesting. I talked about it with dh and he said he peeled the squash for me last time, so that explains why I didn't react then. I'm taking zyrtec, it's a bad season for me right now because I'm allergic to pine pollen, I also react to pine oils in the air and it's caused me breathing problems before.