A woman ended up in the hospital emergency room when her face swelled up after eating pickles in various forms at a food festival.
Nicole, who goes by @knicoledz online, enjoyed all types of pickle dishes—pickle lemonade, pickle cannoli, spicy pickle pizza—at Picklesburgh, an annual themed festival held in July in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Highlights
- A woman's face swelled after eating diffeent pickle dishes at Picklesburgh festival, including pickle pizza and pickle cannoli.
- Nicole dismissed initial swelling as a stye, but later went to the hospital when her symptoms worsened.
- Doctors couldn't pinpoint the cause of the swelling; Nicole has an appointment with an allergist for January.
After the festival, the 28-year-old noticed that one of her eyes appeared swollen. She initially downplayed it as a stye, something she often experiences, and carried on with her day, going on a 2-mile (3 km) walk with her boyfriend.
Image credits: @knicoledz
Then, her entire face began to swell. Concerned about the possibility of having an allergic reaction to something she ate, Nicole went to the hospital.
Doctors were unable to pinpoint the cause of the swelling but told her it was likely a one-time reaction, the content creator told People Magazine.
"I'm a huge pickle lover, and I've been looking forward to Picklesburgh for years because I couldn't attend in the past," she explained.
"I was planning to make a video about the event because I love pickles, but the whole situation took a turn when I ended up in the hospital."
Image credits: @knicoledz
Nicole shared her reaction on TikTok, highlighting the contrast between what her face looked like before and after Picklesburgh.
The video, which has been viewed over 24 million times, piqued viewers' curiosity. One user wrote, "You need to tell us if it was an allergy or sodium overload."
"You got yourself in a pickle," another joked.
"What sodium overload? How am I not dead?" somebody else asked.
"The sodium overload diagnosis from the internet physicians is crazy," another added.
"I'm allergic to pickles, too, well, actually everything that has vinegar in it," a separate netizen shared.
Nicole ate spicy pickle pizza, pickle egg rolls, and a pickle cannoli, and drank pickle lemonade
Image credits: @knicoledz
Virtually any food can cause true allergies, including pickled fruits or vegetables, Dr. Maria Garcia-Lloret, who works in the Division of Pediatric Allergy and at UCLA School of Medicine, told Bored Panda via email.
"Cucumber is a recognized food allergen. Not a very common occurrence but still real," Dr. Garcia-Lloret explained.
However, swelling after consuming a certain food isn't necessarily an indicator of a food allergy. "Adverse food reactions are not always 'allergic', in other words, an individual can experience symptoms that include swelling or itchiness of the mouth or abdominal pain for reasons that have more to do with the characteristics of the food (alcohol, capsaicin, anisakis, etc) than with an allergic reaction.
"Treatment starts by identifying whether this was a true allergic reaction (IgE mediated). In that case, antihistamines are the first line of treatment for mild reactions . In more severe cases, epinephrine may be needed to halt the progression to anaphylaxis [a life-threatening allergic reaction that blocks your breathing]."
Her Picklesburgh experience took a turn when her face began to swell after the festival
Image credits: @knicoledz
Image credits: @knicoledz
Following the unexpected reaction, Nicole said she continued to consume pickles. Around Halloween, she reportedly experienced another reaction.
The pickle lover has an appointment scheduled with an allergist in January, hoping to gain clarity on whether she'll be able to continue eating one of her favorite snacks.