07/17/2026
Sooo, I know its been awhile since I posted here. Long story short, I spent much of one night in late May in the local ER. being treated for an anaphylactic introduction to Alpha Gal Syndrome. This is a condition whereby a tick bite transmits a sugar/carb molecule( galactose-α-1,3-galactose) that it carries after feeding on any mammal at some prior time. All mammals except humans and some monkeys carry this sugar naturally in their blood. When introduced into a human (other than by the normal GI system way) it causes the immune system to see it as a foreign invader and antibodies are produced in response. Thereafter, in a major number of those affected, the body treats any subsequent ingestion or sometimes any type of contact with mammals/mammalian components, as an allergen and reactions vary from mild to life threatening. I, myself was covered head to toe in hives with increasing signs of throat swelling and shortness of breath and had rather concerning, painful abdominal pain 2 days prior, and that is why I headed to the ER that night. I had actually already figured out it was surely Alpha Gal and when I told the Dr. that, he readily agreed. Blood test subsequently confirmed it.
Ticks have been trying to kill me for a long time, lol. Nearly 30 years ago I contracted Ehrlichiosis/Tick Fever from a bite and then again about 20 years ago I got it a second time. Both times it was very serious and I was hospitalized with extremely high fevers, hallucinations, Encephalitis/brain swelling, and critically low WBC, among other things. Because of this history I have kept up with current info on tick related issues and knew that Alpha Gal was a newer threat to many areas of the Country and Arkansas was on top of that list :/ . My County is a hotspot for this condition and it is advancing rapidly here and in many other places. Sadly, there is a serious lack of valid info, and much misinformation being spread by media, the public and many in the medical profession. To be fair, it is a VERY difficult condition to get a handle on. Symptoms vary from person to person and can even vary within an individual over time or even by the day! It does NOT play by the rules of other allergies. Even being very careful with diet doesnt mean you are home free. It is so much more than what you eat. There are even some that must give up their pets because dander and saliva cause reactions too :( . I, myself have not felt good since the ER visit. I have had head/neck pain every single day to varying degrees. My vision is often affected quite badly. Fatigue is common. Other stuff...
I am kinda fortunate in that I have dealt with serious health issues many times since I was young and had to figure out how to survive some very hard things on my own. So at least I have experience to navigate this latest set back. I meant to keep this shorter so will stop now. But here are a couple links to more info on Alpha Gal Syndrome for those interested. https://alphagalinformation.org/
https://www.tickbitedata.com/post/alpha-gal-is-not-behaving-like-a-red-meat-allergy-in-our-data?fbclid=IwY2xjawSY6O5leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF6T1NydVpTY0E4MVVBMEhQc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHj9ko8nHMTa277Ko1yThph1l165plaquKprqOtOtvMJYqpwCaGfXh3ZpZRSP_aem_IsKKaFEKZ_haUnmeWv44mQ
