Woman’s allergy test lands her in the hospital after she almost dies from being ‘allergic to everything’

A Washington state woman suffered a severe allergic reaction after tests showed she was essentially ‘allergic to everything.’

Ploy Ling, 23, an engineer, underwent allergy testing in August after she developed sinus issues, which started when she adopted two cats. Doctors injected her with more than 50 allergens as part of a standard skin prick test, which inserts small amounts of allergens into the skin to check for possible reactions. 

However, after five minutes, Ms Ling realized something was very wrong. She had trouble breathing, and her heart was pounding. 

‘Everyone was freaking out, so they injected me in my leg with an EpiPen,’ she told Kennedy News. 

Doctors gave her antihistamines- medications that reduce the amount of histamine in the body, which triggers allergic reactions- and two injections of an EpiPen, an injectable medication used when someone is having a life-threatening allergic reaction, known as anaphylaxis. 

However, the reaction continued to spiral, and she was rushed to the emergency room.

Ploy Ling, 23, an engineer, underwent allergy testing in August after she developed sinus issues, which started when she adopted two cats. She suffered a severe allergic reaction after tests showed she was essentially ‘allergic to everything’

After adopting two cats, Ms Ling started having sinus issues, which prompted her to seek allergy testing

‘I was so cold and was visibly shaking and chattering my teeth,’ Ms Ling said. 

‘It was a scary experience. There were so many people in the room, and I know it’s not common. The ER [doctor] said that this is only the second case of someone having an allergic reaction to an allergy test that he’d seen in seven years.

‘Basically, every spot apart from the last two rows [on my back] seems to have caused an allergic reaction within the first five minutes.’ 

Skin prick tests are used to diagnose allergies to substances you touch, breathe, or eat. Common allergens include hay fever, allergic eczema, food, penicillin, and bee venom, according to the Mayo Clinic.  

Finally, Ms Ling’s condition improved and doctors cleared her to go home. 

‘I was picked up by my roommate who was like, “Oh my God, you almost died,”‘ she said. ‘It seemed like it would just be a quick and easy test, but then I ended up going to the ER.’

She said she would never ‘do a skin prick test ever again.’

‘[Doctors] followed up with me a day or two later, and I said I didn’t want to retake the test for food allergies and opted for bloodwork.’