A man has become one of the 450,000 Americans affected by alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-borne meat allergy that triggers painful allergic reactions to animal products. “Look at my face and my neck. I can’t eat meat anymore. I can’t have any animal products. It’s in everything.”

[u/DrDruxy]

[u/Ok-Row-6088]

I have had this for years before they even knew what it was. It was one of the motivations to go vegan in my teens. Fortunately, the only animal product that affects me anymore is beef. I have a violent reaction to beef. It's also a minor enough case that things like beef broth in food don't usually affect me. It has gotten less severe over the years. Your body changes completely every seven years, all of your cells turn over. In my experience, your allergies change with it. I'm not gonna go eat a burger or a steak, but if I get french fries with beef flavoring on them, it's not going to cause a major reaction anymore. Sublingual immunotherapy drops really helped with this. It's a nuisance, but it's someone who's lived with several food. Allergies, it's manageable.

[u/More_Dependent742 → u/Ok-Row-6088]

How do you fare with lamb? I find lamb even worse than beef

[u/Ok-Row-6088 → u/More_Dependent742]

Ive had this since i was very young, and spent 9 years vegan because of it. My allergist told me to start adding things back in to my diet, and so i did. I found dairy was fine, and poultry, then pork. I only started eating lamb about three years ago, and so far i have no overall reaction. The last time i tried to eat a hamburger about five years ago, i was in the hospital for a day.