A woman in Minnesota has a rare allergy that makes exercise deadly.
Maggie Habashy can no longer go for a run or attend an exercise class because she knows that if she does, she will suffer a severe allergic reaction and life-threatening anaphylaxis. His torso and limbs itch until hives break out on his skin and his eyes swell.
When he tells people about his weird exercise allergy, ‘the usual response is, “Ha ha, me too! Good?”‘
she said Fox: ‘People love to say that; It’s a joke, I’ve heard it a million times. But no, it could literally kill me.
The ordeal began about 10 years ago, shortly after giving birth to her daughter. He was running for the first time in months when he suddenly started to itch more and more.
Before long, he realized that his entire body was covered in hives: red, itchy welts that appear when the body releases certain chemicals that launch an immune response against a perceived threat, such as pollen or shellfish.
Anaphylaxis during a workout is usually triggered by specific foods that a person may be sensitive or mildly allergic to.
For example, a person with gluten sensitivity who eats a protein bar containing wheat a couple of hours before exercising may be more likely to experience Habashy-like symptoms.
Today, Ms. Habashy cannot attend 20 minutes of an exercise class without experiencing swelling in her throat and itchy hives all over her body.
Maggie Habashy experiences swelling in her face and throat, as well as itchy hives all over her body when she exercises.
It is unclear how many people suffer from exercise-induced anaphylaxis (EIA), but the current estimate is that about 0.05 percent of people experience it at some point in their lives.
In between 30 and 50 percent of these cases, EIA only occurs when certain foods are consumed before exercise.
In addition to itching, hives and swelling of the throat, other symptoms of EIA include swelling of the face, lips, hands, feet and/or genitals, redness of the face, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, chest pain, fainting, profuse sweating, headache and gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea and nausea.
After that first test, Habashy said she assumed she was allergic to something in the air and didn’t think much more about it.
“And then it kept happening,” he said.
“But not only did it keep happening, it kept getting worse.”
The allergic reaction usually begins about 15 minutes into your workouts. He has undergone a series of allergy tests to try to identify a specific food or allergen as the cause, but doctors have found nothing.
He suffered a severe reaction 20 minutes into an exercise class. Her husband picked her up and they rushed to the hospital.
Dr. Micah Karasov, your allergist, performed a series of tests to identify substances, such as pollen, pet dander, and certain foods, that could be causing your reaction.
He said, “For most people, there’s a food trigger that, as long as they avoid the food, whether it’s wheat or soy or whatever, as long as they don’t eat it, say, two to four hours before exercise, they don’t. They are going to react.
“Maggie’s case is unique in that there was clearly no dietary trigger because she was fasting during that time.”
They were both reasonably sure from the beginning that food was not the cause, as she was in the middle of fasting for Ramadan when she experienced a similar reaction 20 minutes into an exercise class.
Ms. Habashy now carries an Epi pen with her wherever she goes in case she experiences anaphylaxis again.
This time the itch was in his throat. She called her husband Ali in a panic and they rushed to the hospital.
She said: ‘I could see my whole face was swollen. She couldn’t speak and the doctor asked her, “Has this ever happened?” She said she’s had allergic reactions before from working out, but definitely nothing like this.
“He said the doctor seemed very scared and she said, ‘I don’t know what would have happened if I had waited 10 minutes.’
When Fox followed her into an exercise class, only 15 minutes had passed before the itch took over and her mouth went numb.
She said: ‘Sometimes I do it in 15 minutes, sometimes in 45. It depends on the day.
‘Some days are more emotional than others. It frustrates me that I can’t finish it, but I do my best and keep going.’