Re: KI Inquiry

["Spell, Bill" <bills@deq.state.la.us>]

Franz, benadryl is an antihistamine, and it is probably the most effective 
remedy for those allergic to iodine, insect stings and the like.  You also 
can use it to dry up a runny nose, but the major side-effect I used to 
experience was that it made you very sleepy.

My guess is that less than 2% of the world's population is allergic to 
iodine.  Also, in the case of my son, he had eaten shrimp a number of times 
prior, but the allergic reaction came on suddenly, and I found myself 
rushing him to the emergency room in a strange town......which is where I 
now reside.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that it's an allergic reaction to 
iodine, not sodium or potassium or anything else.

Go ahead and eat the shellfish, and when you come to New Orleans, I'll meet 
you and show you how to eat crawfish.  You'll never want lobster again! 
 <GRIN>

CULater......

Bill
bills@deq.state.la.us

 ----------
From: radsafe
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Re: KI Inquiry
Date: Friday, October 18, 1996 4:55PM

At 13:10 18.10.1996 -0500, you wrote:
>
>I suspect in some cases they would, and then they would rush to get a shot
>of benadryl.  It may depend on the severity of their previous reactions to
>iodine.  There are some imaging studies in hospitals that use iodine prior
>to taking x-rays, and the patient is asked if he/she is allergic to iodine. 

> If yes, they probably use something else.  I've seen my son with his eyes
>swollen nearly shut from eating shrimp when he was about 9 years old, and 
to
>this day, 29 years later, he cannot eat any kind of shellfish, including
>crawfish.  And THAT'S bad in south Louisiana.  <GRIN>  The ones who don't
>would probably get their bicycles out and start to pedal.
>
>CULater.....
>
>Bill
>bills@deq.state.la.us
> ----------
>Bill,

Isn't Benadryl something for a sore throut! When I had an x-ray of my spinal
cord, to find out about the reason, why my left foot was paralysed, I was
not asked about an allergy and only later I found out by inquiries that
"some iodine compound" was used. Never mind, after surgery and two years of
intensive physical therapy I was able to play basketball again.

What I really wonder, is the allergy you describe attributable to iodine? Or
isn't it something else? We Austrians are far away from any ocean, but
whenever we are in San Francisco, France, England etc. we take the chance to
eat shellfish. Never had any problems, even when the children were at the
age of 6.

Franz
Schoenhofer
Habichergasse 31/7
A-1160 WIEN
AUSTRIA/EUROPE
Tel./Fax:       +43-1-4955308
Tel.:           +43-664-3380333
e-mail:         schoenho@via.at