Does anyone suffer from hypersensitivity?

[shen]

Does anyone else have a problem with food textures? It's a constant argument between me and OH as to why I will eat some foods and not others, or a food in one way but not another. He thinks 'm just fussy and that the texture thing is psychological but I really dont think so given that I have the same problem with touch and not liking certain textures there.

With food, I can't stand slimy foods it makes me gag so badly, oil for example, I can use it in cooking and a little tiny bit drizzled on pasta but salad tossed in oil... makes me gag, the same with any kind of fat on meat, the slightest amount feels slimy and gross and I have trouble controlling my gag reflex. Mozzarella I can eat melted on foods but when its fresh the texture makes my mouth feel funny. Ricotta is the same, I hate it by itself it feels grainy and odd but on pasta or in desserts it feels fine. Mushy food is a big contention between me and OH, I can eat and love things like mashed potatoes and other things like that, but other things like polenta, artichokes etc, I cannot stand they feel really weird in my mouth and i really dont like it, even though i quite like the taste. I try to explain to him that its a different kind of texture but he doesn't really understand. I'm very sensitive to slight changes in texture between foods and things. It's really weird and I wondered if others had the same problem... or if its just because I grew up on a very limited diet and only recently started eating more varied and different foods. (I was 15 when i tried pasta for the first time and 21 when i tried aubergines and peppers!)

[Pickle]

OMG Shen, i'm just the same as you! Also, i've just managed to eat a whole tin of crushed pineapple (regretting it already), but eating it when just cut is a big no no for me. I can't eat a bcon roll properly as i have to peel the fat off the bacon, and roast lamb can be a big problem. Grrr!

I also hate the texture of onions and peppers, and it doesn't matter whether they're cooked or raw. It's a shame as i know they add lots of flavour and it does limit me to what i can eat sometimes, but they really do make me feel all weird.

[Purplesheep]

I'm very sensitive to textures too, and for me it's specifically solid fat which I can't stand at all... I don't mind oily food strangely enough, but any fat on meat which is not completely crispy also makes me gag. Chewy or wobbly meat, such as gammon or most British sausages I also struggle to eat, so I'm guessing it's because of the high fat content, since I'm fine with slimyy vegetables, such as courgette. I also don't like floury or powdery textures, such as new potatoes, or unmelted cheese. I really like cheese when it's melted but solid cheese I've never been able to eat. On the other hand, I also love certain textures, particularly crispy food. I have a bit of an obsession with everything deep-fried, and most of my favourite food are crispy or chrunchy in some way.

So, you're not alone, and I grew up in a family where there was quite a lot of variety in cooking and my dad also got me involved in making food from a fairly young age. But I've always been a very 'fussy' eater and there are lots of things I don't eat, due to texture, or to the flavour (many flavours are just too intense for me). I've also been told I've got a really fine palate, which comes in handy when cooking as I can always tell exactly what flavours are missing, and I'm pretty sure all of that is due to hypersensitivity. I can't wait to tell my family that there are others like me my pickiness is EDS-related and not due me just being difficult

[shen]

Purplesheep: The fat thing, i like crunchy fat like the rind of pork or chicken skin, but its the wobbly fat that i can't stand at all, if i get a piece of it in a bite of meat its just awful. Also cheese like you, i love it melted on stuff, but i don't like it solid. Weirdly I love all potatoes cooked in everyway, except boiled, for some reason I just cannot eat boiled potatoes. Also i agree about the flavours, some are just way to intense for me to eat even though I like them, i just cant handle the strength of them.

OHs parents used to tease him for being fussy, now they met me he seems like a little piggy. I was always very very fussy, i lived for months on just mash potato as a kid, only thing i would eat. I didn't like sausages or burgers, or food cooked in a certain way or fatty foods, full flavoured food (the best example is cheese, i can stand mild cheddar, but anything more and its too strong), i could taste when they tried to hide something in my food because indeed my palette is very sensitive, also like you is very handy in cooking!

Glad to know its not just me though!

[Stone]

Seems interesting that so many of you have issues with fat - could it be crossover with autonomic stuff and not eating things that will set you off, or is that just me overthinking it?

Food is about the only thing that doesn't bother me, other than being a greedy pig

Stone

[spongebob]

I'm glad I read this. My daughter has very sensitive skin and has always hated camera flashes, she gets quite upset by them. She also has very sensitive hearing and is always saying whats that noise. I usually just tell her its the heating even when it's not on

As for food she loves raw mushrooms, peppers etc but once they are cooked she won't touch them.

[barkingmad]

Noise is a problem for my daughter, particularly in class with loud teachers and in school discos. She has always had a problem with noise though. I become sensitive to light, noise and smells when my fibro is bad tho

[ecomum2]

hi all.

We also suffer from hypersensitivity in our family, but was told by GOSH staff when our kids were treated there for HMS that its because of the messages going through the central nervous system gets 'messed up' when you have HMS, so 1 thing you can do to try and make it work more normal again is to 'sort of' tell your nervous system when it happens that thats what it is and that its an 'over reaction' and then in time it becomes less sensitive. That knowledge has helped me alot and I use it and it does make a positive difference for me.

Hope that makes sense.

Tina, local HMSA support person for Hants

[fancypants]

Once again amazed to read this & find "me too". I've been diagnosed "multiple chemical sensitivity".

It involves skin sensitivities & the reaction to smell is not really about the smell/fragrance itself but the chemicals. It just happens that perfumes are among the worse offenders.

It makes me very ill & can cause gastro-intestinal reactions as well. Plus if I eat things i am sensitive to (e.g. sulfites) I react.

It's not something very well recognised. Cleaning products, detergents & all that as well are a problem & have to be fragrance & petrochemical free. Some people get really itchy skin from soaps or their laundry detergent. Laundry detergent was an issue for me even when I was a kid. No rash, just itching like crazy.

[fivefive7]

@ Fancypants Isn't this site amazing!

I Get excited reading these posts however horrible that may sound.
It reminds me that I am not alone in this which I feel like I am sometimes.

I have had sensitivity to smells since about junior high. I remember having to consistently leave the locker room early because the girls would spray their body spray so much it would literally make me ill.

I too have to be very careful about the kinds of body washes I use especially the ones I shave with. I get the most horrible razor burn rashes if I shave with highly perfumed body washes and such.

[xxxxlollypopxxxx]

my skin is sensitive, but not to a point where i check makeup and stuff.

i get photosensitivity, a rash on my skin when i go out in the sun, (NOT sunburn, though i get that too ) and some drugs (penicillin, doxycycline, ibuprofen) bring me out in a similar rash, which is also exacerbated by the sun. my eyes are very light sensitive, and i drive wearing sunglasses even when it's overcast. i regular;y get headaches from squinting!!

my hearing is really really good and i hear lots of stuff that other people can't hear.
Lucy xxxx

[Bo1970]

I would like to hear anyone experienced an improvement from photophobia (light sensitivity) and noise hypersensitivity when on Amytrip?
This is what my gp is suggesting... it will sort out a lot of problems...a wonder drug.

[Eloise]

Well things are better for me since being on the amitrip - but I put it down to having better sleep and less pain generally from the amitrip that means that I am not as overwhelmed from the noise and light. It could be a direct result as well - as it can be explained by amtrip's method of action. The amitrip does also help reduce the amount of migraines I have - which is when my photophobia and noise sensitivity is at its worse.

[Bo1970]

Thank you Eloise.
It all sounds like vicious circle with unknown starting point, chicken or egg situation

[Sheitl]

My 10 year old was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder a couple of years ago. I'm absolutely convinced she is hypermobile as is my GP, unfortunately her physio isn't . She is very sensitive to texture, sound, taste and smell. She also chewed constantly which wasn't helped by quite a nervous disposition. Her OT suggested a program of skin brushing which really helped with her skin sensitivity and buying clothes has become much, much easier. The OT also suggested an electric toothbrush for the chewing as it provides some for the feedback her gums were seeking. That has helped, although hasn't eliminated it.

When she was diagnosed, it made a lot of sense of my own experiences. It took me years to get over skin sensitivity and an aversion to some textures. I am also light sensitive and am easily blinded by car head light whilst driving at night, however I can see very well in the dark! Noise has always been a big one for me and it is only now that I have developed coping strategies for loud music at parties or concerts. I'm going to see my favourite band next week but it will take a fair bit of preparation to get through it. My sense of smell once detected a small gas leak at my parents in law's flat. They lived on the 3rd and 4th floors and the gas leak was found in the street outside. They all thought I was bonkers as they couldn't smell a thing!