Woman's mint allergy is so bad she can be hospitalised by toothpaste breath
Kyleigh, 25, has been hospitalised 12 times in the last year due to her mint allergy - and went straight to A&E after a man breathed on her from 'two to three feet away'
A woman has shared how her mint allergy is so bad she has been hospitalised from a stranger's toothpaste breath.
Kyleigh Digiovanni, 25, has always found it painful to brush her teeth since she was a child but her family initially thought she was just being "fussy". But when aged 10 she started to tell them it "burned" and developed red rashes on the inside of her mouth, she was taken to the doctors, and told she was allergic to mint. Kyleigh, who lives in York, spent two years unable to brush her teeth while her family searched for a toothpaste without menthol in.
She now has to brush her teeth with a blue raspberry flavoured fluoride-based toothpaste for kids. But Kyleigh feels she is often playing "Russian roulette" with her life and has been hospitalised 12 times in the last year due to reactions.
Kyleigh, an archaeologist, originally from Midlothian, Virginia, US, said: "I've been hospitalised 12 times in the last year. One man breathed on me from two to three feet away. I went straight into shock and got taken to A&E."
Her allergy has got worse due to exposure over time. She said: "People thought I was fussy not wanting to brush my teeth but when I said it burns and they saw the really bad rashes they knew something was wrong."
Testing revealed her mint allergy aged 10 and it spans the who mint family. She can also react to lavender, rosemary and thyme. Kyleigh said: "It took two years to find a toothpaste brand that was safe. I wasn't brushing for two years."
She was finally able to get in touch with a company who made a fluoride-based toothpaste. Kyleigh said: "It's a kids one with glitter in. It's blue raspberry."
By aged 15 her reactions became worse - and she now has to have an EpiPen in every room of her house. She can't be within two metres of people chewing gum or anyone with mint cough drops, which makes taking public transport challenging.
Kyleigh said: "Taking public transport is like playing Russian roulette with five bullets in a chamber. "There are reasons why I walk everywhere.
"If I go on the train I wear a mask. On the weekend I was on the underground and people were chewing gum. I was dry swallowing medication trying not to die. All they have to do is just walk past me and that sets me off."
Kyleigh has an oral medication to stop her going into anaphylactic shock - but sometimes her reactions can be too severe. In November 2024, she was rushed to hospital when a co-worker accidentally breathed mint toothpaste on her.
She said: "They can treat me quickly. I was in for a couple of hours. They pump me with antihistamine and adrenaline."
The smell of a mint wax melt that was blown in Kyleigh direction by the wind has also set her off. Kyleigh doesn't go out to eat very often - and says she's often refused from restaurants who refuse to serve her.
She said she has never met anyone with the same allergy as her - but has found an online support group with 20 other people who also share the same struggle. Reflecting on how rare her condition is, Kyleigh said: "I wish I was allergic to peanuts."
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