After I got diagnosed with AGS, I went to an allergist and found out I have other bad allergies. I started on Allergy shots about a month ago but I’ve been having some strong reactions to them. I get fatigued and can get GI issues (similar to when I accidentally trigger the Alpha Gal). I also get some other, more standard, reactions like stuffy nose, coughing, and itchy eyes. I had to go from twice to once a week to keep my digestion in check.

Has anyone experienced allergy shots doing this to them? I just hope it doesn’t get worse for me

This might be a long shot.

I'm traveling for the first time since my diagnosis last month. I've found that I can eat most dairy products, but meat or anything cooked in meat fat doesn't agree with me.

I'm headed to Savannah, GA. Southern food probably isn't the most alpha-gal-friendly. But hopefully there are some safe options. I'm not finding many vegetarian or vegan restaurants.

Can anyone offer any suggestions for restaurants in the Historic District? Or general pointers for finding places to eat when traveling.

Unfortunately, I'm going to be starting this journey. No idea where it'll take me, but I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here.

I had blood work done at my primary care doctor's office 7 days after getting hit by a tick bomb. About 80 bites, but only two were still attached, with a few others crawling around when I noticed them the next day. Funny thing is, I checked myself that night, but these things were so tiny I had no idea. I posted the picture, but I had taken pictures of the bumps on my legs and didn't even notice one between my toes.

I have an appointment with my allergist next week to get an opinion due to my history. Twelve years ago, I woke up with a swollen lip. Ever since then, I've had to take Allegra every day to keep from breaking out in hives. I had one incident in 2019 where I ended up in the ER after getting a colonoscopy. I was pumped full of steroids and liquid Benadryl for 14 hours to get it under control. It's only happened once, but I need to take this seriously because I cannot go through that again. After dozens of blood tests, the best they could tell me was that I have some unknown autoimmune issue causing histamine problems. I'm unsure if I was ever tested for alpha-gal between 2014 and 2020.

Being only a week in, who knows if the 0.27 was from past exposures or a buildup from these recent bites. I'm guessing the allergist will give me some dietary guidance given my history. Having to take Allegra every day concerns me because it could mask potential minor symptoms until things become more serious. I have a retest scheduled for 2 months from now to track the ige number.

Thank you all for sharing what you're going through.

Did anyone have insomnia as one of there main issues? I suspect i have alpha gal and will get tested soon, but i have cut out mammal meat the past few days and have less GI symptoms and no more weird heart beat after eating, but if anything am sleeping worse.

The Alpha-gal Allergen Inclusion Act (H.R. 1178) and its Senate companion bill S.5498 would add alpha-gal to the definition of major food allergens disclosed on labels, the way milk, eggs, and peanuts are already disclosed.

The current Congress has only a few weeks of work left after the election. This is the last chance for the Alpha-gal Allergen Inclusion Act to pass before this Congress ends. We need your help for a final push!

You can use this link below to automatically send a letter to your senators and house representative.

Please note that there is a section in the letter for personalization so read it before you send it off! The link is copying in very long, but it is a “secure every action” form that I use on a regular basis to send letters to Congress.

https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsecure.everyaction.com%2FtGiMDMXe9UWwdQVBcczeNA2&data=05%7C02%7C%7C5c003e0d1c624647dcba08df266752ad%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639271897336936468%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=eRivHpIhRXmK4xmMnh59WPLbsp%2FVvIIQz6AsslHjI9Y%3D&reserved=0

How long do your symptoms last? Late yesterday afternoon I ate a couple bites of the grands cheeseburger macaroni. I'm nonreactive to dairy, so I'm assuming its the tiny bits of beef I think I'm reacting to.

Before I was diagnosed I'd had random bouts for...years? where it just felt like tha air was heavy. Like I was trying to breathe thru the mist. Not a choking/throat closing thing. I'd catch myself taking deep, inhaling to the bottom of my lungs breaths. The doctors could find nothing wrong with my lungs.

I hadn't realized until today that I think I'd stopped doing that. Today the air feels heavy. Thick. And I also had stopped sleeping with my back scratcher. Today the little Leather loop is on my wrist so I don't accidentally lay it down.

Is all this a reaction? Has anybody else done this? How long does it last for everyone else? I'm still new and testing the waters, so to speak.

Is this a thing? And if so, where can I find them? Or any non mammal, dairy free style corndogs. Idk what it is, but about once a year or every two years I want those mini state fair ones that are in the freezer section, and I want them so badly right now. But I cannot 🥲

Any recommendations welcome

I looked thru the group posts and didn't see anything recent. I've ordered a grinder. Boneless chicken breast is $1.99 this week. I need to find some casings to make 'hotdogs' and italian type sausages.

And this is my new life, trying to make chicken taste like pork buttholes and beef lips. 😂

I love gummy candy and so happy I found some really good ones with no gelatin! Sourboys for the win.

So I've got to take a cross country trip by air. About 12 hours total will be in the air (6 each way). I have to stay in a hotel for several days. Luckily my destination is very vegan friendly and a friend of mine is a vegan herself and will show me all the good spots.

It's for a conference and I requested a room with a mini fridge. And I plan to stock up and just kind of eat like a squirrel for most of the days that I'm there and hopefully get a few vegan dining options. And maybe a really good sushi place that I can trust.

It's not really being in the other city that's going to be so hard-- I'm used to roughing it and going to bed hungry every once in a while, etc. Just for a couple days.

It's the flying that I'm worried about! I have had fine reactions before when I was first diagnosed--microwave vapors from brisket reheat.

If the flight were just an hour or two, I would pretty much hold my breath and hope for the best. But this is the first time I'm traveling since my diagnosis and I'm already a nervous flyer. And the longest flight is 6 hours. I got advice to sit in coach where there would be very few microwave vapors and I'm going to wear a N95 mask. I also have a letter from my doctor requesting reasonable accommodations when appropriate. So for example I might need to change seat assignments if possible if someone next to me brings a hamburger on and sits next to me and starts chowing down. I have my epipens. I have my rescue inhaler for asthma. I have a med alert bracelet on the way. And I have compression socks (for something else). I have my safe benadryl. And my safe antacids.

What else am I not considering? What are y'all's experiences and what advice do you have? I still have a few days to make adjustments before my trip. Oh also I got an alpha gal safe very small dose of Ativan to help with my nerves.

Thanks in advance!

Have not been tested for Alpha-gal, but recently had an allergy test and says I’m allergic to beef. When you google beef allergy it comes up with alpha gal.

-been taking ferritin from a brand called “cardiovascular research” in the form of bovine spleen on and off for 6 years
-yes, while mainly from the west coast we have camped in some of the most western states and or counties, that have the tick, not often, but a couple of times
-no I don’t remember ever being bit
-have read it is a possibility to get it if you ingest the blood meats of an infected animal

I know all of this is a long shot, but I figured someone would be able to point me in a direction. I do have symptoms similar, like nausea, hives, itchy, bowel issues, but I haven’t been able to tests it they are directly linked to beef, since I just found out today

Bart, or a spin on "don't have a cow" would be amusing ...

Hey y'all, it's the Tuesday ~*^MeGaThReAd^*~ for sharing AGS-safe meals and snacks!

Folks regularly describe frustration and big feelings about dealing with their dietary restrictions related to Alpha-Gal Syndrome.

Some long-timers are bored of the same meals every day and craving inspiration, while some newbies are just plain shell-shocked and not sure where to turn for safe ideas.

What this thread is for:

• Tell us this week's AGS-safe meal plan, or a summary of what you ate last week. Inspire us! Sometimes simple is king, sometimes it feels good to treat yourself to a fancy meal, but you never know when you'll give someone stuck in a rut a great idea.
• That's literally it.

What it is NOT for:

• Yucking yums
• Product advertising
• Promoting consumption of anything that contain alpha-gal
• Arguments about dairy/gelatin/etc, or arguments in general
• Medical advice

My family has requested me to make gumbo. I made some during covid times before the alpha gal diagnosis.

Are they're any with non-mammal casing? Costco and Kroger both carry a chicken version brand, but has beef casing. Target has another brand but it's pork casing.

Help?

Has anyone ever tried the medication suzetrigine?

My husband was prescribed it for his broken foot and is terrified to take it.

Anyone gone on a cruise since being diagnosed? Appreciate any tips or recommended lines. TIA!

Not exactly what I was hoping for with this years test. But I was bitten by about 20 nymph ticks a little over a month ago so I’m not exactly surprised. I’m just so sick of all this. I guess any dreams of eating steak again are done

When I was first diagnosed with alpha-gal in 2024, my level was 11.4. Very symptomatic, especially to the smell of mammalian meat cooking. In 2025, I went down to about a 7, and still experienced symptoms—but I was heavily practicing avoidance so my exposure was very limited. This spring, my levels went down to a 3.84, so I’m steadily dropping by 4 every year.

Recently, I smelled beef being cooked, and it smelled good. I didn’t feel nauseous, and I didn’t feel like I needed to run away. I didn’t know it was beef until I saw it.

Do I want to risk eating it? No. Do I really even want to be around the smell? No. But it’s just got me wondering. I know some people say that their alpha gal has “gone away,” and my allergist seems hopeful that mine will too, but I’m so cautious and skeptical that I’m not sure I’d even try mammalian meat ever again.

If I’m still doing the trend of dropping by 4 every year, then next year my levels will be near 0. I still see people saying that that doesn’t really mean anything. So what have your experiences been?

Hi, I am an 18-year-old girl, and I have recently developed quite a few new allergies in the past month or so to foods I previously could eat just fine. Some of my symptoms align with Alpha-gal, and some don't. For example, I have developed allergies to both pork and jello. With pork, I have an immediate reaction with the top of my mouth burning and my throat getting itchy. With jello I have an immediate reaction with my lips burning and swelling and my throat feeling sore. I have also developed allergies to vanilla pudding, vanilla yogurt, and vanilla ice cream, but not always (?) it only really happens after I exercise for some reason. Also, every time I eat beef, later that day I get very nauseous, although I am unsure if it is actually due to the beef since it happens so much later and it could potentially be due to something else. As far as I am aware, I have not been bitten by a tick, but the lone star tick is the most prevalent in my state, so it would not be out of the question. I have also had some notable reactions to cherries (or at least cherry pie filling), gushers, and Dr Pepper strawberries and cream zero, though I don't think those have anything to do with Alpha-gal. I found this subreddit after googling my symptoms, and Dr Google seems to think I have it. I have an allergy appointment set up, but it is not until December. I want to know if anyone else has had similar experiences to mine or if I should rule Alpha-gal out since most of my symptoms happen immediately and not hours after the fact. I am not looking for a diagnosis from y'all (that's what the allergy appointment is for), but I want to know if this is something I should keep looking into or if I should look for other possible causes. I would really prefer it if I did not have Alpha-gal since I am already allergic to shellfish and chocolate, and having Alpha-gal would leave me with almost no candy or sweets and only chicken, turkey, and fish as meat sources but I don't know what else would explain my sudden onslaught of new allergies. Any bit of help is appreciated even if I don't have Alpha-gal!

I’ve had alpha-gal for years, I get tested every other year just to see where my number are like many people. How long did your results take to came back? It’s been a week now and I just feel like it didn’t take this long before. I’m pretty sure it was like 3 days last time? Maybe I’m wrong but what have you experienced?

I think I’m just stressed out by the results this year because I was recently bitten by over 20 nymph ticks, I must have bumped into a nest or something. But they took my blood Saturday so where are the results???

A good option for h2 antihistamines!