Allergic to leaves/greenery of tomato plant?

[arlinek]

Is this possible? Our Sweet 100s and Better Boy were planted too close together so it is like a jungle, for sure. Despite many prior visits to the plants and picking the cherry toms, yesterday my DH suddenly, after brushing up his forehead (and his eyeball, he claims) and face several times to the tom plants, started feeling a tightness in his face. Within twenty minutes his face had swollen up, especially his eyes! Now, coincidentally, he had started new medication a week earlier and it was just doubled in qty. from the initial starting dosage. Are there people who can, suddenly, become "allergic" to the plants/leaves, etc.?

[Granny]

Yes, but tomatoes are not usually what they become allergic to out of the blue. My grandchild has a similar reaction to poison ivy (none of the rest of us are sensitive to it at all) and poison sumac has been known to put people in the hospital.

You don't say what medication your husband is on, but there are a number of them that make people very sun sensitive. I would read every word of the PDA on the drugs he is taking. You can find them all online.

He DID see a doctor, right?

[arlinek]

No, Granny; we didn't call the Dr. as my DH just "brushed" it off to take a wait and see attitude. I did a search of the medication's side-effects, but there are so many general possibilities that it's impossible to tell. We'll prob. just call the Dr., but as I said it's 80% gone. But, if it happens again when he's picking the toms, then we'll know for sure!

[dcarch]

Anything sprayed on the plants?

dcarch

[vegomatic]

Handling tom plants will make me itch and my skin a little red. I rinse off frequently and wash with dishsoap once back indoors. I sure don't try to spread it around by rubbing my face with my hands! So I guess I don't know if I'd react the way your hubby did.

I do notice any contact almost right away as a mild itch. A quick shot with the garden hose and I'm set to prune or inspect another.

At harvest end where I remove all the plants, I defintely wear gloves.

Fortunately, I'm able to enjoy the fruits without any noticeable sensitivity.

-Ed

[Granny]

arlinek, if your husband had that severe a reaction from the get go, then I would caution you to at the very least go buy a package of chlortrimiton to keep on hand. Allergies are nothing to play with. Every time that you expose yourself to something you are allergic to, you become more sensitive to it. Severe allergic reaction can even lead to death. A little bit of itching is probably ok to take a wait and see attitude, but severe swelling or hives is worth a trip to the doc pronto.

[arlinek]

Well, I'm going to make an experiment. I've rubbed his washcloth repeatedly with the leaves and stems to see what happens, but without telling him so he's not influenced ... okay, so I'm kidding. I don't think, now, that it's from the meds. As he's continued to take them without further incident. And, he's asked ME to pick the toms as now he's gun-shy. We'll prob. try and make some kind of face-covering, as suggested. I'll keep you posted. I just don't particularly want to stick myself in that incredible jungle that he created - you never know what's lurking in there. But, I certainly don't mind reaping the benefits after he's picked them lol! I think I'm next to go in there tomorrow. And no, dcarch, we've not sprayed ANYTHING whatsoever, but a good question! The swelling IS all gone now. Tune in for the next chapter.

[Vince]

I have about 100 plants now and prune vigorously. For 97% of the plants I have no rash or any other allergic reaction occurs, when I am in CLOSE(sap dripping all over me) proximity. However, when I prune the Coustrelle, Omars lebanese and purple calabash plants (1 of each) that I am growing a mild (but strongly noticeable)rash as well as swelling occurs on all of my exposed skin. I have never used any pesticide. I must be allergic (I have no other known allergy accept woman I have fallen for) to some trace compound these particular cultivars produce(possibly in abundance). Doesn't stop me from growing them. Cheers.

Vince

[carolyn137]

As Granny has said, some allergies can indeed be serious.

In order to be allergic to a substance a person has to have had prior contact with the allergen. That first sensitizing contact does not lead to symptoms, but subsequent contact does.Different allergies are mediated by different types of antibodies.

As long as the symptoms are limited to mild itching, etc., of the skin, OK, but if there are any systemic reactions such as wheezing, difficulty breathing, etc., get thee to the ER ASAP.

Most dermal allergies, such as poison ivy, soaps, etc., don't lead to systemic symptoms. But I think we all know folks who are allergic to bee or wasp stings and the allergic response can indeed kill them so they carry with them at all times epinephrine.

Allergies can thus be mild or intermediate re the response for a given individual to a given allergen and indeed some allergens can kill a person.

If a person has questions they should see an allergist and be tested in a clinical monitored situation. To not seek help and advice when symptoms are serious or are getting more serious with repeated contact is not a smart thing to do.

[tomatoguy]

Sounds like he's allergic to hybrids. Better not take any chances. Plant all heirlooms next year.

mater

[arlinek]

Well, here's the latest installment: Before I got out of bed late this a.m., he was up and Mr. Stubborn himself (he's a classic German) just plunged in, no covering, no protection, and picked about 100 new cherry toms again and GUESS WHAT: nothing! No rash, no swelling, no reaction. But now he's limping!! Ha, ha. So, nope - nothing. Isn't that crazy? The only thing that I can think of is that he did, indeed, slightly scratch or brush his eyeball, as he claimed, on the plant and THAT is what instigated the reaction. It's the only thing I can think of, and I'm sticking to it until ... next time. I thank all of you for your input and suggestions; they were ALL valid!!!

[vegomatic]

That's great news, but don't take it as immunity. Repeated exposures accumulate until he might once again become sensitized to the plants.

Today, I noticed just very mild itching when plants brushed my arms. I wore a long-sleeved shirt, but no gloves. My hands had some stains and I rinsed myself off a couple times while pruning, then washed well after.

By the end of this season and repeated contact, I may have to be more careful.

It probably wouldn't hurt to see if there's a known reaction between his meds and tom plants.

-Ed

[Fert1]

I have slowly developed a rash over the past few months. It started on the backs of my hands and now it covers my arms up to the elbow. I wasn't sure what was causing it, but I've about come to the conclusion that it is my tomato plants.

In previous years, I've had some itching after brushing against plants, but nothing like this. I can't think of a single other thing that might be causing it though. I've made no changes in soaps or detergents, and even if I had, i would expect a rash all over from that, not just my hands and arms. I've also considered it could be Daconil I've put on my plants, except that when I first developed the rash, (only on the hands), the plants were small and did not yet have anything on them. This has become very annoying, and now I'm concerned I might develop an allergy to the tomatoes themselves. Heaven forbid! I think it might kill me outright!

[dice]

Bet a bug bit him, and that's what the allergic
reaction was to.

I can see the headline:

MAN NEARLY KILLED BY STINKBUG!

[Fert1]

Well, if it recurs, I can offer some suggestions. A friend who has a daughter with severe allergies offered some suggestions to me that have helped quite a bit. She suggested that I bathe my arms in something that would de-nature the proteins causing my allergies, such as vinegar or a Chlorox solution (5%) - then to put Benadryl lotion or gel on them. I've been doing that for 3-4 days now, and I've seen a vast improvement. I also bought some latex gloves to use when working with my plants.