banana allergy?

[crayfishgirl]

My breast-fed 7 month old son has had two bouts of projectile vomiting since we introduced solids a month ago.  After this second time we're wondering if he could be allergic to bananas.  Both times he's eaten them, the vomiting started about an hour after eating, and lasted 6-8 hours (following each time he nursed). 

Would vomiting from a food-related reaction last that long (i.e. I would have thought it would be once or twice, and then done).  I loathe bananas, and could probably induce gagging by consuming one, but I have never heard of anyone having banana allergies.  How common is this?  Should I be worried about other things?

[LionessMom]

i vomit bananas if i eat them, i also have bad diarrhea until it is out of my system. i am fructose intolerant. it would be something to ask about. it is the only fruit that i vomit. 

[Vermillion]

I have heard of banana allergies. People with banana allergies can also have issues with avocados. Also, people with latex allergies can have issues with these foods, plus a few others that I can't recall right at the moment!

[34me]

I live with 2 people ( dh and ds1) that can't eat bananas due to latex.  Another associated food is kiwi (besides the avocado).  I can't eat them because they make me gag.

[cameragirl]

My sister had a mild allergy to banana as a kid and young adult. She seems to have grown out of it, though. Strawberries were also an issue for her for whatever reason.

[scsigrl]

Have you looked into FPIES?  It sounds more like that than an "actual" allergy.  You may want to try and find a GI or allergist who is knowledgeable about it.

[northerngirl]

My coworker is allergic to bananas. If she even smells banana her throat starts to swell. She is also sensitive to latex.

[HopefulJo]

DH is allergic to bananas, too. There are two sorts of banana allergies. The one mentioned is the latex-related  allergy, which will also often include an allergy to avocados, and result in vomiting/stomach pain. The other (which DH has) is a birch-pollen-related allergy. With DH, his throat starts to itch & swell and he can have trouble breathing. He has many other pollen allergies, too.

With bananas and avocados always suggested as a "first food", but with a family history of allergies, it made it harder to find a good way to start solids!

[crayfishgirl]

Originally Posted by scsigrl 

Have you looked into FPIES?  It sounds more like that than an "actual" allergy.  You may want to try and find a GI or allergist who is knowledgeable about it.

Holy crap!  I've never heard of this.  And you're right....it sounds like a more accurate description of his symptoms (although there were loose stools, no real diarrhea).  He doesn't seem to get hives or have trouble breathing....just fairly immediate and severe vomiting.  Admittedly, we're kind of afraid to feed him anything except breast milk now even though he wants to eat.  I'm going to call our pediatrician in the morning. 

Thanks mamas!

[scsigrl]

I will warn you that your ped may not know anything about FPIES.  Between 3 allergists, 2 pads and 1 GI Dr, It took a fourth allergist to tell me it was FPIES which I had figured out it was by that time.  

My DS1 has FPIES to bananas.  He didn't ever have diarrhea with his either.  He would get violently ill (vomiting) and then crash into a shock (which we didn't know when it happened, it was before he was dx and I had figured it out).  It is pretty scary and can lead to needing to get to the hospital.  

If you need support, try Kids with Food Allergies.  They have an area for FPIES parents!  It isn't common so it's nice to chat with people who get it.

Edited by scsigrl - 11/2/11 at 7:47am

[crayfishgirl]

Thanks scsigrl.  Without wanting to pry, is banana the only thing your son reacts to?  The link HopefulJo included (thanks, BTW....I didn't notice it until this morning) also cites vomiting as a reaction if you're latex-allergic. 

I went to kidswithalergies.org last night when you first suggested FPIES (first site on the google search) and it said that they typically vomit to bile...is that right away (as in continued successive vomiting)?  Both times Simon would hurl....violently and a lot of volume, but then he would stop for a while.  He would still nurse (and then vomit again, similarly violently and voluminously).  This would go on for ~8 hours and then stop.  He's not ever gone into shock that I can tell, although he has seemed listless, which I attributed to exhauistion.  By the end he's not nursing much and dry heaving/vomiting up very little, which again, I figured was because he was so tired he wasn't nursing. 

Admittedly I'm a little frightened about feeding him anything solid.  I hate for him to go through that, or potentially have an even worse reaction to something else.  That said, there are foods he doesn't react to, and he's growing fine, which I'm so thankful for.  I found a blog and the author's son could eat only peaches and a few oils/seeds without experiencing a reaction.  So frightening.

[scsigrl]

Not prying at all.  I will try and answer as best I can.

My DS1 has FPIES to banana and blueberry.  He doesn't have the "typical" reaction so I can not elaborate on the "classic" reaction.  His reaction starts much faster (onset is about 20 minutes after ingestion) and is vomiting only.  Lasts for a while then he crashes (the shock).  Again, the seriousness of the crash is the part that can land a child in the hospital along with the dehydration of an ongoing reaction (like you are describing).   From what I understand, it isn't really common to have more than one trigger so that should help you get over the It's scary hump!  Again, talk with your Dr. about all this!

My DS1 has a long list of "true" food allergies so I understand being worried about introducing foods. FWIW, having FPIES and IgE allergies is pretty uncommon as well, so you should have to worry about that ;)  

[LionessMom]

wow. FPIES sounds like what happens to me after i eat bananas. is it like any other allergy where it can get worse as you get older or even not happen till you get older? bc i cant drink milk much either and they ruled out a regular allergy and lactose intolerance. cant handle soy either. just curious. 

[crayfishgirl]

Thanks scsigrl.  I appreciate you sharing.  This is helpful to know, although blueberry?  Cry!  I'm honestly afraid to introduce anything else and I don't even know if that's Simon's issue!  For the past week he's been less focused on solids (I think because he's getting better at crawling and trying to stand) so has been nursing with a lot more focus, and I hope he continues to do so for a while.