Three days before seeing the Consultant in hospital, I ate frozen large prawns and became very ill. My abdomen became swollen by almost 7" within half an hour! Apart from all the other symptoms. I had to take my rings off as soon as I realised what was happening.
I was so furious, I emptied the bin on the kitchen floor only to find that on the wrapping it had I'm bold italic lettering, Mono Sodium sulphite.
I immediately researched it am came up with this.
It suddenly answered a lot of questions. This is something only recently discovered and as such, the advice is that older medical health professionals may not be aware of it as it is relatively newly discovered.
Aggressors such as the widely used Sodium Mono sulphite (used in mass produced non organic red wine, balsamic, Prosecco, and obviously shellfish but to name a few) provokes the Autoimmune Mast Cells to 'granulate' which essentially means they burst open and release huge amounts of inflammatory histamine throughout the entire body.
Is this the hidden source of some of the inflammation we also have to deal with along with all the rest from the Hashimoto's and the leaky gut food intolerances???
It makes for VERY interesting reading
I would suggest that if anybody reading this has food intolerances, is Hashimoto's and has issues with inflammation...please read this link below.
When I saw the Consultant three days later I told her what I feared, and she confirmed MCA syndrome. I finally felt listened to!!
Thank you for posting this, Poppy. I have histamine intolerance (only figured it out recently as I'd been having a lot of weird reactions to foods - prawns included, got red, itching hands and blotchy face/neck a few hours after eating them - normally am fine with them!). I don't know if they had sulphite in them as I buy them frozen in bulk from a supplier (or I did, don't buy them any longer!).
I get different symptoms from different high histamine foods. Nuts, for example, give me a stuffy nose and streaming eyes. I also get occasional hives and itching, dizziness and thumping heart. All very unpleasant.
I've taken prescribed NSAIDs for many years for back pain, and realise this has probably led to all sorts of problems. Thanks to recently discovering the anti-inflammatory effect of Boron, which I take in high doses daily, I am finally able to reduce and in time I hope no longer require any painkillers.
I will read the article with interest, am still figuring how to deal with this latest problem (let alone get my thyroid hormone dosage right!)
I feel like I have to dedicate a statue to a Prawn in gratitude for the discovery! It's all a minefield. Just getting through the day having been able to eat without getting sick is a victory!
At least knowing that sulphites do this to us is a help.
Everything is a path of discovery on this strange journey that is Endocrine imbalance!
LOL!! Yes it is better to know that not know. It was driving me nuts not knowing what was going on - at first I thought I was reacting to a new thyroid brand but I think not. Even after I stopped it, I kept getting reactions. One day someone said 'sounds like you have histamine intolerance' and I went from there! Yes it is a very strange journey indeed! I shall think of that Prawn statue when I am feeling stressed by it all, am sure it'll make me smile. Best of luck to you, too!
If you are on Facebook check out Healing Histamine by Yasmina Ykelenstam page. She has a lot of useful information and her personal history is fascinating and inspiring.
Is this the first time that you have eaten prawns?
I was told a long time ago that I have an allergy to sulphites, which are so difficult to avoid, but I don't know of the implications vis-a-vis MCA. Frankly, I know very little about MCA, but I've suffered severe abdominal swelling after meals for a long time. Maybe it's time I investigated.
Hi Poppy, hope you are still reading replies to this. I have recently had problems with severe oedema in my legs and suspected I had heart failure. I made an appt with my doc but when it improved a bit with exercise and improved diet I cancelled. Unfortunately though it is still with me and I have sucked it up and made a new appt to see why it is persisting. However, last night I stumbled over MCAS (I have NO idea how now!) and find that my symptoms not only fit that but fit it better than heart failure. I am being plagued increasingly with itching and urticaria but I also have a rosacea-type situation with my face which is flushed, sore and itchy and feels like it has been burnt. I also have very bad gastric problems, breathlessness etc. The only thing I'm missing is anaphylactic shock!
However, I am VERY anxious about suggesting this to my GP as it doesn't seem to be a very accepted diagnosis. Have you been taken seriously with this diagnosis with doctors? I almost feel like just sticking to 'I'm worried I have heart failure' when I see him on Thursday just so I don't get fobbed off, but I'm put off doing this because I could go down a rabbit hole of tests and hospital visits all to no avail when I suspect what the real problem is. How have you found the NHS, if that's who has been treating you, as regards treating this a serious problem?
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I have histamine intolerance (only figured it out recently as I'd been having a lot of weird reactions to foods - prawns included, got red, itching hands and blotchy face/neck a few hours after eating them - normally am fine with them!). I don't know if they had sulphite in them as I buy them frozen in bulk from a supplier (or I did, don't buy them any longer!). 
Yes it is better to know that not know. It was driving me nuts not knowing what was going on - at first I thought I was reacting to a new thyroid brand but I think not. Even after I stopped it, I kept getting reactions. One day someone said 'sounds like you have histamine intolerance' and I went from there! Yes it is a very strange journey indeed! I shall think of that Prawn statue when I am feeling stressed by it all, am sure it'll make me smile. 
If you have an Autoimmune Disease please read
symptoms of levothyroxine intolerance?
Hashimotos - anyone get gut problems - not constipation
New levothyroxin making me sick
If you do not have an active thyroid, surely your TSH level will not change?
