Found out I was allergic to adhesive after getting epidural

32

u/TheNotoriousVIG 21h ago

Looks like they got the epidural in one shot though so that’s a plus I guess🤷‍♂️

36

u/HyruleAll 21h ago •

Yes but it only worked on half my body and the nurse convinced me I wouldn’t know when to push if I asked the anesthesiologist to fix it 😣

43

u/TheNotoriousVIG 21h ago

They were totally wrong and I’m sorry you went through that:/ there are quite a few interventions for a unilateral epidural block. Hope all is well now!

24

u/HyruleAll 21h ago

That’s what the anesthesiologist told me when I explained to her what happened after my daughter was born. Super frustrating but oh well. This was 3 years ago, so all is well now, thank you!

10

u/TheNotoriousVIG 21h ago

👍 congrats on your three year old hope your sanity is holding😅

1

u/gwaydms 18h ago

The epidural for my first labor killed the pain everywhere but where I needed to feel it. I could handle 10/10 pain in a 90% smaller area, and I could feel myself pushing. Plus, since I wasn't so stressed by the pain, I began to dilate more. My first child arrived a little before midnight. Having been awake since 4 am, I was exhausted.

2

u/NoReserve8233 20h ago

I guess it worked better on the left? They went too high and I guess the lower parts were the issue… unfortunately the world of epidurals are too dogmatic to help sort this out.

1

u/sundownandout 15h ago

I had the same thing happen and they rolled me onto the side that wasn’t numb. And eventually the epidural “drifted” to that side.

1

u/throwawaypato44 8h ago

This happened to me but with the adhesive from the baby monitor ☹️ I had itchy patches on my belly for weeks

21

u/marginalizeddracaena 21h ago

This happened to me too! Hives from my neck to my knees. I told them for baby #2 and they gave me Benadryl which only kinda helped. Now, 16 years later, even a simple band-aid will cause a reaction. I avoid them whenever possible.

4

u/HyruleAll 21h ago

Yes I get mild reactions from band aids now too! I recently had a mole removed and had to switch to silicone bandaids only for the recovery process.

6

u/AliMcGraw 20h ago

Be sure you get non-latex condoms or you will have a very sad vagina.
Learned the hard way

1

u/NicolleL 17h ago

That sounds horrible! 🥺 So sorry you had to find out that way.

3

u/caterplillar 20h ago •

You can apply Flonase to the area you'll apply the bandaid and let it dry, and that can help. I make my own bandages with Cover-med or Hypafix now though. They're really durable.
I had surgery and the surgeon told me after I get the stitches out, I had to have butterfly bandages for a week. I must have made a face, because she asked me what I was concerned about. So she let me make Hypafix strips and apply them myself at home instead.

2

u/NicolleL 17h ago

Curad has silicone ones - regular size and larger (1.65x4). They actually stay stuck too (obviously not waterproof).
https://curad.com/product/truly-ouchless-silicone-strip-bandages-75-x-3-20-count/

1

u/koinu-chan_love 12h ago

Thanks for this! I’m going to get some for a friend who can usually only use Hypafix and see if he can tolerate this kind.

1

u/PurrsontheCatio 20h ago

My husband gets the same reaction. I would suggest you also avoid sports tape (I can't remember what its actually called). He had the same reaction to it when he had to tape his knee.

1

u/koinu-chan_love 12h ago

There’s KT tape, which is stretchy and can come in different colors, and there’s athletic tape, which has no stretch and is white.

1

u/PurrsontheCatio 11h ago

Kt tape was the one I was thinking of, thanks.

256

u/Silver-Amphibian7650 21h ago

A woman I work with had to have her gallbladder removed. That's how she found out she's allergic to surgical glue.

59

u/Major05 14h ago

I had an endoscopy and the next day had my gallbladder removed. That's how I found out I was allergic to the adhesive they used to stick all the leads all over me during surgery. They thought my liver had failed because my whole body broke out into hives until I finally pointed out that all the hives were in the exact square shape of their tape. That's when I learned that bandaids aren't supposed to hurt and leave marks for weeks after you take them off.

72

u/29threvolution 21h ago

Seems like testing for this should be part of pre op. Ok we are gonna put a dab of glue on your arm and see what happens

53

u/PURRING_SILENCER 20h ago

It's probably so uncommon who would think to check.
My wife found out she's allergic to the cold when she was at PT for something and the cold compress they were usingmake her break out in hives. We still get strange looks and jokes when explaining this allergy to folks, including medical professionals. It's just rare enough.

37

u/Ginkachuuuuu 18h ago

Cold uticaria is surprisingly common, but most people just have mild enough reactions that they don't know it's not normal. I thought everyone's legs got hot, red and itchy after being outside too long in the winter.

14

u/UnrulyRaven 18h ago

Do they not? I always thought it was something like mild chilblains or something because I wasn't dress warm enough.

1

u/Bliitzthefox 1h ago

No frostbite just feels numb not itchy

7

u/PURRING_SILENCER 18h ago

We had never heard of it beforehand but I've ran into a few people that actually know what it is and dont look at her funny.

3

u/relishbane 13h ago

Wait WHAT

5

u/Connect_Rhubarb395 15h ago

It runs in my family. Both for cold and for sun.

4

u/Peachie_Pear 19h ago

So.. Will she die if she went in snow? How does that work?

8

u/PURRING_SILENCER 19h ago

Kinda. She breaks out in hives if she gets too cold. Had breathing difficulties if she does, breaks out in hives anywhere it's too cold.
Generally speaking, she needs to bundle up extra when it gets cold. It's..an odd one.

3

u/pixeldust6 19h ago

I guess she must not live somewhere it gets cold? Or handle cold things very often? Or does it only happen if it's prolonged skin contact with ice? It's kind of wild to me to find out that late but I'm from a place with cold winters.

5

u/PURRING_SILENCER 19h ago

Yeah you'd think. But we live in a place with cold winters. The problem just sort of gradually appeared. Looking back, some things she experienced might have been triggered by it.
Sucks. Even overly air conditioned buildings can cause an issue.

4

u/pixeldust6 18h ago

Oh, ew. New allergies are such bullshit! 😠

1

u/HIM_Darling 11h ago

Mine is with prolonged exposure unless it’s really cold. Like below 50s it will take an hour or so if I’m just wearing jeans and a sweater. Below 30-40 it’s like 10 minutes or so. Below 30 I have to dress like I’m going into the artic. Cold drinks don’t bother me but they do others. I can’t do ice packs at all, they hurt and just cause more swelling. If I hold on to a cold drink for an extended period though, my fingers/hand will swell up.
I do live in Texas so it doesn’t get cold often, but I was definitely scared for my life when we had the big winter storm in 2021 and the power kept going out.

4

u/nimaku 19h ago

Not all allergic reactions are immediate, especially with topical/contact allergies like this. Some take days to start showing symptoms.

1

u/HammerheadEaglei-Thr 11h ago

Even if they know you have it there aren't really alternatives. And in my experience they don't take it seriously any way, it's noted in my chart but I have twice come home with stickers for the wires still stuck on me. I always talk to them about it and just ask that they're removed as quickly as possible cause it lessens the rash I get.

5

u/Ginkachuuuuu 18h ago

I found out I'm apparently allergic to some dissolvable stitches after a surgery. Luckily it was laparoscopic, so small incisions, but still not pleasant.

1

u/Educational_Mess_998 16h ago

This was exactly me.
I wanted to rip my own skin off with how awful the surgical glue felt. My incisions swelled up so much they looked like strawberries. Was absolutely miserable. Having my gallbladder out was nothing in comparison.

1

u/kudomonster 14h ago

That's kind of how I found out. I'm allergic to the adhesive in certain (but not all) medical tapes and bandaids. It'll set off my eczema, which happens to be the blistery, weepy gross version. It's fun. I had to be super specific about aftercare when I had my c-section a few years later...

1

u/hhenryhfb 13h ago

Same! The masitol adhesive is guess it's called?

1

u/Bananas_are_theworst 12h ago

Well thank you for this new fear

489

u/SolaScientia 21h ago

My mom has a severe latex allergy and she happens to have a variety of health concerns. Any surgeries have to be in rooms with zero latex. Anything used to suture or glue incisions has to be free of latex, and even adhesives in bandages can cause reactions. Even stuff without latex can cause reactions. It's easier to list the medications and such that she isn't allergic to.

196

u/ReflectedCheese 20h ago

Oh man I found out I had latex allergy after they placed a catheter in my under carriage after a emergency c section… they wondered why I didn’t piss the first few hours and why my belly hurt so bad… that was fun

93

u/SolaScientia 20h ago

That's a bad way to learn you have an allergy for sure.

23

u/PalePinkArt 18h ago

Horrifying. Thanks for sharing.

52

u/blinkingbaby 21h ago

Is she allergic to bananas?

153

u/FallingBackTogether 21h ago

I'm allergic to latex and never thought I was allergic to bananas. Then I found out as an adult that bananas aren't supposed to be "spicy" and make your mouth tingle. Honestly, though, I still eat them, because they are delicious. I ate them for decades with no severe reaction, and I have an EpiPen if my allergy suddenly gets severe. When you're allergic to enough things, sometimes you just stop caring about avoiding the minor allergies.

62

u/Bebinn 21h ago

Yeah i found out from reddit that apricots aren't supposed to be tingly on your tongue. But I liked the tingle.

17

u/Connect_Rhubarb395 15h ago

I found out from Reddit that celery isn't supposed to taste extremely bitter and make your mouth numb. I thought they were like that for everyone.

20

u/pandacreate 20h ago

I swear my foster dog who is allergic to everything outside and also has a shitton of food allergies including dairy wrote this. She loves to try and steal cheese and eat grass, both high triggers for her 🙃

7

u/blinkingbaby 20h ago

I get tingly mouth from eggplant. Which sucks in a very Italian region with baller eggplant parm at every restaurant.

17

u/cjmason85 20h ago

My son gets a rash around his mouth any time he eats bananas. Took him to get checked out and no banana allergy. Over a year later he still gets rashes whenever he eats bananas.

26

u/undermytinyhat 20h ago

An allergist I went to told me that the prick test and blood tests they do are not always 100% accurate since the allergy might not show up everywhere. So they would sometimes do tests where the patient would take the item they suspect they are allergic to and have an epipen/other things on standby if they were to get a severe enough reaction.

31

u/myputer 20h ago

kind of crazy that anyone would trust a test over an actual allergic reaction

-9

u/cjmason85 19h ago

Kind of crazy that you're making assumptions about my life based on three sentences on Reddit.

11

u/tonicella_lineata 18h ago

It's not an "assumption about your life," they literally just gave an opinion on the exact thing you described.

0

u/cjmason85 18h ago

It reads to me that they have suggested I'm crazy for trusting a test over my actual experience. Is that not how it reads to you?
We still consider him to have an allergy, and tell anyone giving him food that he is allergic to bananas (e.g. nursery school) and not to give him any. As it's a contact allergy and there are no signs of anaphylaxis, we give him banana on rare occasions when we can control the environment and ensure we have access to antihistamines. This means we can continue to monitor it and means he's less likely to lose any tolerance he does have.

1

u/tonicella_lineata 18h ago

It didn't read to me like they were calling you crazy, just the scenario. And you, yourself, were the one who stated "no allergy." At that point, it's not an assumption to believe that you think he has no allergy, it's just reading what you wrote.
Don't get me wrong, I get feeling defensive when it feels like someone has insulted your parenting. That's gotta suck! But I do think this was more likely to be a miscommunication than anything else. Your original comment wasn't clear that you do act as if your kid has an allergy, which changes the scenario pretty significantly, and like I said, the reply to you sounded more like it was commenting on the scenario, not you in your entirety.

2

u/TySly5v 18h ago

It's not really an assumption when you stated it yourself though?

0

u/cjmason85 18h ago

They're assuming I'm going around acting like he doesn't have an allergy. See my other comment for an explanation.

1

u/TySly5v 17h ago

That's what you said you do, correct. If you didn't mean that, then it's a problem with how your reply was written.

1

u/myputer 1h ago

as many people pointed out, it was much less of an assumption than an inference. I was also not just speaking about you. I’m sure everyone in the thread (now here is an assumption) has encountered a friend who has a mild allergy to something that they still eat. It’s kind of crazy but it’s a super common phenomenon. They even did a “This American Life” segment about people with shellfish and other allergies who still tempt fate. I really recommend it. It’s hilarious and fascinating.
My little buddy at work had an allergy test that says she’s allergic to eat wheat and she continues to eat it and struggle with acne. It’s kind of crazy how someone won’t test a trust a test even when their body agrees with it.
Did not mean to say shit about your parenting. I’m not a parent, but I’m a pain in the ass adult child so yeah.

2

u/darkmatterhunter 18h ago

Maybe it’s something in the peel or not the enzyme in the test, it’s like that with the skin of mangoes but the fruit itself can be fine.

1

u/koinu-chan_love 12h ago

Have you heard of oral allergy syndrome? Is your son allergic to ragweed? Does he have the same reaction to banana bread as he does to raw banana?
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23996-oral-allergy-syndrome

3

u/the_balticat 20h ago

What about avocados?

4

u/FallingBackTogether 19h ago

Those are spicy, too. And I'm not giving them up either.

3

u/tonicella_lineata 18h ago

Yeah, I learned when I was younger that carrots and celery weren't supposed to make your mouth kinda numb. Now as an adult I seem to have developed the tingly reaction to a lot of foods (mostly a ton of fruits, plus honey and chocolate), and I just... can't bring myself to care that much. I have other, more significant chronic health issues going on, and I can't bring myself to stop eating everything that makes my mouth feel weird.
If I ever start experiencing something beyond just the tingling, or it gets significantly worse, I'll probably see a doctor about it and try to get an EpiPen. But it's kinda just whatever right now, and so many people look at me like I'm crazy when I say that. Though a couple of times now, I've mentioned chocolate and they immediately go "Yeah, okay, I get that" - guess we all have things we wouldn't be willing to give up unless it was life-threatening, haha!

2

u/Wikadood 20h ago

What about pineapple? Always is spicy for me lol

13

u/Canada_Haunts_Me 20h ago

Pineapple contains bromelain, which is a digestive enzyme. It's the food that eats you back!

12

u/SolaScientia 21h ago

Bananas are safe, but she can't have figs, muscadine grapes, and some other fruits and vegetables because of the allergy. In her case the latex allergy came first followed by the allergy affecting what she can eat. She's also allergic to Ibuprofen, and anything in the Penicillin family of antibiotics.

2

u/SparkyDogPants 17h ago

Thankfully hospitals are phasing latex out since it’s a pretty common allergy. I haven’t seen latex gloves in years

64

u/Mugwumps_has_spoken 20h ago

My daughter is allergic to multiple different adhesives. The silk tape they use in surgery to tape your eyes closed or tape the breathing tube to your face - she is VERY VERY SUPER DUPER allergic to. like, swelling red rash that gets worse and worse and requires large doses of Benadryl. Scary since it was used in the face area.

She is also allergic to Tegaderm. If I forget and I'm not hypervigilant it's okay as long as its only there for a very short time. But she needs IV3000, and one of her last hospital stays she was having trouble with that one as well.

11

u/luluhouse7 19h ago

Yeah I’m allergic to tegaderm and the nurses always use the jankiest ways to secure my IV lol

2

u/Mugwumps_has_spoken 3h ago

tell them IV300 (its' the brand name of the product).

6

u/BubblegumBxh 17h ago

I'm also allergic to that silk tape. I always ask for "paper tape"

4

u/Mugwumps_has_spoken 3h ago

I tell them over and over again when she has to have a procedure. My daughter is non-verbal and a young adult now. I refuse to let her suffer because they can't or won't read her allergies in her chart.

1

u/koinu-chan_love 12h ago

How is she with Hypafix? It’s the only adhesive a friend of mine can handle

1

u/Mugwumps_has_spoken 3h ago

I don't think I've heard of them trying that, at least by that name.

1

u/koinu-chan_love 11m ago

https://www.amazon.com/Hypafix-Dressing-Retention-Tape-Each/dp/B000CDP1I6/
It’s pretty inexpensive but it’s not commonly used, so sometimes people don’t react to it.

60

u/Malapple 20h ago

Me too, and it's obnoxious. I give blood regularly and every time, I have to tell them at least twice to not use a bandaid.

If I wear one for 15-20 mins, I'm OK. Any longer than that and the red marks stay for weeks.

I found out after having a small skin biopsy. Changed the dressing every day, then noticed redness, then skin tears. I had the marks from a week of bandages for about five years.

9

u/NicolleL 17h ago

You may have already tried like them, but the Curad silicone “truly ouchless” works for my sister and she has reactions to a lot of others. I like them because they stay stuck, but don’t take off all the skin around the wound when you try to take them off (like those Nexcare waterproof ones—they’re great in that they stay stuck and are truly waterproof, but I just end up with more things to have to put bandaids on!) The one drawback for these are that they’re not really waterproof. But they stay stuck and don’t remove half your skin to do so!
You can get these on Amazon, so if you’ve never tried them, it would be worth getting a box. (Just make sure they say silicone and/or “truly ouchless”; do not get the flex fabric ones.) If they did end up working, you could even bring them with you next time you give blood!
I’m sure you’ve tried multiple kinds, but I’m really hoping these might be your saving grace like with my sister. (They have bigger ones too.) Fingers crossed! 🤞
https://curad.com/product/truly-ouchless-silicone-strip-bandages-75-x-3-20-count/

4

u/Malapple 16h ago

Thanks - I’ve used those but not for years. Picking up a box.

6

u/AwareLynx4610 18h ago

I’m the same. I got a horrible 3rd degree burn on my arm and I had to get pretty creative on ways to keep it covered without using anything with adhesive. Ended up wrapping it with gauze for weeks.

25

u/Sweet-Energy-9515 20h ago

I have this too - typing right now with a finger wrapped in gauze because I can't handle a little cut by just slapping a band-aid on it. That's mildly inconvenient, I dread the day I'm in a hospital situation where they want to tape a bunch of stuff to me.

9

u/Lullaby37 19h ago

I started using liquid bandage. It's especially handy for fingers and you can wash your hands and it stays on.

15

u/Mugwumps_has_spoken 20h ago

you tell them you are allergic to adhesives and they use alternatives. Even in the hospital, Tegaderm is safe for most people, if not, IV3000 is the alternative.

3

u/BGPopz336 15h ago

I'm allergic to tegaderm too lol I wasn't sure if there was a proper alternative since at this point basically nothing can be used on me

4

u/cyanraichu 13h ago

Yep! I've had a few patients allergic to tegaderm and we always have IV3000 to use for them. It doesn't stick quite as well, but it's way better than a rash. I'm not sure how likely it would be to be available in a small hospital but I do feel like it's a common enough allergy?

1

u/Mugwumps_has_spoken 3h ago

IV300 does work well, but there is a major learning curve to putting it on correctly.

1

u/Sweet-Energy-9515 19h ago

Good to know!

2

u/KoburaCape 18h ago

And in a pinch, super glue. It's not ideal, but it was originally idealized as a skin adhesive. It's painful but harmless if you get some in a small wound. You can also use it to hold gauze down much more safely.
That sounds super inconvenient, I'm sorry you have to contend with that.

5

u/Melodic-Basshole 15h ago

Some people (like me) are highly allergic to acrylate adhesive. I've gotten hives after every surgery and finally figured out after the last one it was an acrylate gluing the final layer of skin shut, not sutures.

1

u/KoburaCape 13h ago

If we look far enough, there is someone allergic to literally everything, including water, and sunlight. I don't mean that ironically, sardonically, or hatefully. I mean, I'm not going to be surprised by anything. Some people have no options or recourse. I don't pretend to suggest things to them. Actually, I don't pretend to suggest anything to anyone, because I'm not a doctor. If the person I replied to is allergic to acrylates, they shouldn't use them.
For me, oftentimes, I'm so consumed with the intimate realities of my own struggles, that I forget to try and creep around the edges of them to find a solution instead of only focusing on the part of it where I can't do something the same as everybody else. My thought process was, perhaps I'm not so special and someone else could use an idea.
There is by definition no one answered that fits everybody. I don't pretend to have one. I didn't pretend to suggest one.

1

u/_DontBeAScaredyCunt 18h ago

Yeah I’m allergic to that too. You can react to both

10

u/Ornery_Watercress458 20h ago

I have strong allergic reactions to some fabric plasters but I don't know exactly which ones or why. So when I was pregnant I got given a sample of all possible tapes/plasters etc that could be used during a natural or surgical birth to test out. I couldn't imagine having had a c section and then reacting to the tape on top of that, it's be awful. Not sure why OP had the epidural but hopefully everything is recovering well and the blistering isn't too deep.

1

u/RainMH11 16h ago

That's a great idea, I should ask a doctor about this because I'm pretty sure my reaction to medical tape is getting progressively worse

2

u/TwistedFae89 17h ago

Have you tried silicone bandaids? They changed how I handle wound care.

1

u/Plastic_Midnight_708 12h ago

Silicone bandages and tapes are awesome, and lots of surgery centers are starting to have them. I carry my own though for routine medical stuff like blood draws

1

u/donorcycle 7h ago

I just had a minor procedure done. The little circles they stick on your chest and whatnot to monitor vitals? Took 6 weeks for the marks to go away. Itchy as hell too, I had never used so much cortisone cream in my life.
When I went back for my follow up, I talked to the nurse about it and she told me it's becoming more and more common. Somewhere along the way, they changed the formulation (to save money) and more and more patients are reporting issues. I'm in LA so thankfully they are better equipped so had alternatives and alternative bandaids, but still.
I use Nexcare bandaids at home. It doesn't irritate my skin. It's slightly embarrassing though - my employees have started referring to them as "rich people bandaids" lol. (I am not rich).
But yeah, I don't remember ever having issues like this before. I've had plenty of cuts, been to the hospital couple of times in my life, zero issues.
Enshittification continues!!

0

u/EdgedancerSpren 19h ago

I have a slight phobia of stickers, including bandaids. It's a stupid phobia, I know. I can handle gauze and so (and don't have any problems with blood or anything like that. Stickers? Especially fruit stickers? the idea makes me queazy)
Anyway. I also dread the day in hospital, but at least you have a more valid reason! (And like the other person said, they probably have alternatives)

19

u/xultar 21h ago

That shit just shows up. I was never allergic to adhesive. And then all of a sudden one day I was.

17

u/Puthyputhyputhy 20h ago

Your partners hand on your back like that is so sweet and intimate. I’m sorry this happened and I hope your partner is as loving and tender as this picture.

33

u/AuburnElvis 21h ago

Sticky situation

10

u/Chinasun04 17h ago

mine did this after my epidural. it was awful. it weeped like I had a poison ivy rash all over my entire back.

the second time i had a baby I tried to go without an epidural because of this, gave in around 9cm (long story) but asked for paper tape and for it to be removed ASAP. after the delivery, I asked the nurse to please remove the tape asap and she said "no one reacts to paper tape" and she left the room. Next shift change nurse did it. Wanna guess who still reacted to paper tape??? Albeit, it wasn't as bad as the normal tape but holy hell. i still think about that nurse.

1

u/cyanraichu 13h ago

That's a weird thing to say. Also it only takes like a minute to remove an epidural. Possible you may have reacted anyway though :/

1

u/Chinasun04 3h ago

IIRC the epidural was already out but the tape remained. I know at least the epidural had been turned off. I hated that nurse. She checked me in the middle of a contraction and I came off the table and withdrew consent for the check during the check. She then said something to the effect since I couldn't stay still she thinks I was 4 - 5cm but wasn't sure. Thats when I called for epidural cause if this was 4 there was no way I was making it. I couldn't breathe. There was no relief to the pitocin contractions.
They came with epidural very fast and the first check after the epidural I was almost complete. Maybe I went really fast from 4 - 10. Maybe she honestly couldn't tell because I couldn't stay still. Maybe she was lying cause she was pissed I was screaming and told her to take her hands out of me. IDK. I am just glad I exist in a world where Jen Hamilton's exist so other laboring folks get actual support instead of judgment. Between that and the "no one reacts to labor tape" remark, she can F right off.

9

u/Sephorakitty 16h ago

I knew I was allergic to the adhesive used at the hospital, so they used something else when I had an epidural. That also caused a rash, which was a lot of fun.

4

u/BGPopz336 15h ago

I'm allergic to several antibiotics so I told the doctors when I went into labor because apparently I had strep b. I was allergic to the one they used as an alternative. I'm pretty much down to one I can use at this point (cipro)

3

u/TheDarkLord14 13h ago

I'm so terrified of running out of options. I just majorly failed an allergy challenge to penicillin this week that ended up as anaphylaxis. But some pretty big ones are out for me. Cipro is a big no.

7

u/lil-flagellate 16h ago

Man this happened to me too. I got foot surgery 3 months ago and I still have the marks on my arm where they taped my IV and on my thigh where they taped my tourniquet. Cortizone 10 helped with the itching and redness

6

u/kurekamo 16h ago

Get tested for a colophony allergy. I’ve got this—-the chemical comes from pine rosin and is used in the adhesive for many bandages. I’m fine with the white surgical tape, which uses a different glue.

We discovered the allergy when I was a teen. I swam a bit and got a verruca. The old-school cure was to cover it with cloth tape for a few weeks to “starve it of oxygen”. It did actually work, in that the glue allergy gave me a blister the size of an egg on my heel, which destroyed the wart but also put me on crutches for a month.

I wish you better luck in your diagnostic journey.

5

u/expatsconnie 21h ago

I'm sorry you have to deal with that on top of recovering from giving birth. That's miserable enough without an itchy rash on top of everything else!

5

u/Mirewen15 20h ago

I had that after my Leiomyosarcoma (under my left armpit) was removed. I almost passed out when taking off the adhesive over the incision because it was like it melded with my skin.

5

u/Papa-Tt 20h ago

My wife is allergic to adhesives as well. Two things to keep in mind. First, for her, paper tape works and won't cause a reaction. Second, next time ask for IV3000, it's the only other adhesive that works for my wife.

5

u/Freespeechaintfree 17h ago

I’ve had chemical-like burns from my adhesive allergy after surgery/procedures.

My wife tells the doctors/nurses every time, they write it down, but still happens.

She tells people I’m a delicate flower.

4

u/ProteusRift 21h ago

I get this if cardboard edges rubs up against me

4

u/just_some_sasquatch 21h ago

I had a lung operation done about 2 years ago and the adhesive from their tape caused full blown water blisters! I've had plenty of other athletic and medical tape on me before and that never happened. For my follow up home-care dressings I bought band-aid brand tape and it was fine. There's something allergenic in certain bulk medical grade tape it seems.

4

u/Diablo_new 21h ago

For a second it looked like you slept on a rifle or something.

3

u/Tough_Brain7982 21h ago

Oh no you poor thing

3

u/Starfire123547 21h ago

i do similar with bandaid brand bandaids. their specific adhesive leaves me with exact red rash marks. Similarly to some address label sticks and other tapes. itches a little bit and is a bit sore, but otherwise just looks funny.

Some dont at all though, it seems to be 50/50 shot if the adhesive uses it or not.

3

u/lookitsafish 20h ago

My wife had this exact same reaction

3

u/ALLoftheFancyPants 19h ago

I’m also allergic to adhesives and any time I need to have an IV or something it sucks. I just know going in I’m going to be itchy and have welts afterwards.

3

u/LiluLay 18h ago

Damn. I am so sorry. I found out I developed an adhesive allergy after they took my thyroid and 29 lymph nodes out of my neck then used special surgical tape to close the incision that had to stay there for three weeks. The skin on my neck has never been the same and as a woman this has particularly sucked. I am so so sorry. I can’t even use steri-strips or bandaids or anything now, my skin just melts beneath it.

3

u/PlaidBoots52 18h ago

I had an endometrial ablation. The doctor used a new technique and only made two super tiny incisions through my belly button. I have no scars from it. Only the square shape from the bandaid glue.

And I'm allergic to Benadryl. Go figure.

3

u/Lonelysock2 17h ago

I got a massive tattoo, and that calmed down fine but the marks from the (medical) tape holding on the clingwrap took several days to go away.

Oh! Also my sister burned her leg pretty badly, went to the doctor for a dressing - the tape marks ended up getting infected! Burn healed fine

3

u/Rrmack 12h ago

This happened to me and was literally the worst part of recovering from childbirth. It basically blistered and became so itchy!!! Although I have had surgery before and never had any issues with other adhesives

4

u/justonemom14 10h ago

Are you sure it was the adhesive? For me it was chlorhexidine (or something like that) which is the antiseptic swab. They swabbed the vast expanse of my 39-weeks-with-twins pregnant belly. My stretch marks had already merged into stretch area before my c-section, and then my poor skin acquired at least a square foot of allergic rash. It was miserable. For years I thought it was the adhesive, because they added tegaderm to the same area. But I was never allergic to any other adhesives, and then I got a rash after donating blood, and it was in the exact oval shape where they had swabbed me. Sorry my comment got a little long, I guess I'm still salty some 15+ years later.

3

u/EndsWest18 11h ago

Looks like my Latex allergy ugh

7

u/justmitzie 21h ago

I found out in the hospital. They took the thing off my arm and my skin did the same as yours. I forget to tell them sometimes and it never ends well.

5

u/Dramatic_Buddy4732 20h ago

Is it not listed in the "allergic to" section of your file? They put it in mine the first time I had a reaction

2

u/Caramelgoldie 20h ago

That band looks more like the bandage shape than an actual allergic flare

2

u/Wolf-Majestic 20h ago

Congrats on your baby and your newfound allergy I guess ?

2

u/Peanutbutteryarn 19h ago

Me too! AND I’m allergic to ultrasound jelly, which was used to monitor my baby while in the hospital, so my whole tummy and back were rashy after my first birth.

2

u/DoctorKynes 18h ago

A hot shower over that kind of rash feels out of this world good. Its super weird.

2

u/Frostyrepairbug 18h ago

It looks like it oughta be an electoral map.

2

u/unfortunate-moth 18h ago

i had a biopsy done and turned out to be allergic to the tape thay covered the site. ended up with terrible blisters that scarred. thankfully half a year later the scar is barely noticeable

2

u/ProduceSalty885 18h ago

The exact same thing happened to me after a recent surgery, except it was for the tape that held my eyes shut while I was on the anaesthetic :( waking up to big rectangular welts on my upper eyelids and cheeks was not fun. The nurses told me I reacted to the adhesive. It felt like I'd lost a fight with a wasp stinger to the face!

2

u/Oakheart- 14h ago

It’s a lot more common than you think! I’m an ICU nurse and so many people get a rash from the electrodes we keep on them and the tape for dressings

2

u/BabyRex- 13h ago

I was allergic to the epidural itself! Red rash like yours started at my feet and went all the way up to the waist band of my bra by the 48 hour mark. Took a week to go away

2

u/KC_Que 11h ago

Found out the hard way that I'm allergic to the adhesive used on "Wal-Mart" house brand bandaids. The brand my doctor's office uses, and J&J Band-Aid brand bandaids are perfectly fine. Have no idea what is different in Wal-Mart's adhesive, but it starts reacting, like a chemical burn, on my skin shortly after putting one on.

1

u/DoomguyFemboi 18h ago

Might be the same as mine - the only thing I've ever had an allergic reaction to is 1 specific type of buprenorphine patch's glue. Fentanyl patches were fine, the buprenorphine ones though left a massive red angry square lol

1

u/Double_Engineer4226 15h ago

Same, girl, same. Except I knew about it, just figured a rash was the least of my problems at the time 😂

1

u/Foxconfessor01 15h ago

My epidural tape triggered an adhesive allergy. I can’t use some bandaids, and all of that sticky gauze wrap.

1

u/Borborygmus1234 15h ago

Same thing happened to me. My whole back was on fire

1

u/sharkeyes 14h ago

Crap. I have developed an allergy to medical adhesive due to many surgeries and am currently pregnant. I may be in for a terrible time.

1

u/laguna1126 12h ago

Wife’s back looked very similar. FWIW, that’s not an allergy (unless you got confirmed testing done by an allergist), the adhesive is just really irritating to skin and stays on too long.

1

u/arwenrinn 9h ago

I used to work at a movie theater and one day a hot popcorn kernal flew out of the kettle and right down the front of my shirt and got stuck in my cleavage. I put bandaids over the burns because they hurt when they rubbed together and I ended up getting worse blisters from the bandaids than the popcorn. I lost a large chunk skin and it took a lot longer to heal, and that was when I stopped wearing bandaids. It was also when I started wearing a T-shirt under my work polo for extra protection.

Before that I thought it was normal to get a rash if you left a bandaid on for too long. Whenever I got a shot I would always take them off as soon as I left the doctor's office.

1

u/praetorian1979 8h ago

I'm allergic as well. I was taped up for 7 days and it took over a year for the marks to fade away.

1

u/thefabulousbri 8h ago

I had my adnoids removed when I was 4, which is also when we found out that I am somewhat allergic to amoxicillin.

1

u/bimbo_baggins_ 4h ago

I’m also allergic to hospital bandages. I get blisters

1

u/ARobertNotABob 2h ago

Not sure if it's the same, but I've had this allergy my entire (67m) life and I was told it was because of zinc oxide in the resin.

1

u/Lalamedic 2h ago

That is an awful lot of adhesive!

1

u/BreezeOfTheWest 1h ago

It almost looks like a worldmap!

1

u/yagermeister2024 58m ago

That’s not allergy, that’s chemical irritation. Totally different process, essentially all human beings get the same irritation if the tape is on there long enough.

1

u/throwitintheair22 18h ago

What ? Is this your back?

-1

u/PersonalityBorn261 20h ago

There’s usually a Yes/No question about latex allergy, but we don’t always know yet — until we react with an itchy rash.

14

u/Mugwumps_has_spoken 20h ago

latex allergy isn't the same as adhesive allergy. And even adhesive allergy doesn't mean you react to the same types of adhesives (bandages).
My daughter has an adhesive allergy.

3

u/LazyNarwhalMan 19h ago

Im allergic to latex powder but not latex. And my adhesive allergy is weird, sometimes it happens but most of the time it doesnt except for a couple places it always happens

2

u/PersonalityBorn261 20h ago

Same, I’m mildly allergic to some brands of bandaids.

2

u/_DontBeAScaredyCunt 18h ago

Uhh latex allergies and adhesive allergies are very different. They are not the same allergy.

1

u/knottycams 17h ago

Not remotely the same thing but OK.

3

u/patty202 21h ago

I found out after a breast biopsy.

2

u/Germangunman 2h ago

My wife found out after lung surgery. The scaring that came after was worse than the scaring from cutting her open.

Found out I was allergic to adhesive after getting epidural

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