Ree Drummond Gives Update on Her Son-in-Law’s Diagnosis of Alpha-Gal Syndrome

Hi, friends! I wanted to share something that happened in our family this week, partly because it’s been a bummer for a fella we all love, and partly because I’ve gone down a pretty deep rabbit hole over the past couple of days and I thought some of you might want to know about it, too. Also, it’s something that seems to be more and more common; I’m sure quite a few of you have encountered the same issue!

Mauricio, my son-in-law and Alex’s husband, was just diagnosed with Alpha-Gal syndrome, which is an increasingly common allergy that can develop after a tick bite. I have heard about Alpha-Gal over the past couple of years, but like many things you hear about in passing, I haven’t given it much thought except that distant sense that it’s definitely not someone anyone in my world would want to be afflicted with (you’ll see why in a minute.) We definitely have ticks in Oklahoma and the guys are constantly on tick watch over the summer, but it was still a little surreal to hear that it was affecting one of our own! Our family text was full of love for Mauricio when we found out last night (and also full of questions, because that’s what family texts are for).

Alex shared the story on Instagram this morning and I wanted to put it all in one place here, because it was really eye-opening for those of us who live in states where tick activity is high through the summer. The good news is that Alpha-Gal is manageable, one just has to be aware of the foods to avoid. The bad news is that the foods Mauricio has to avoid are the ones he loves most in the world. Poor Mauricio! He will also have to be careful about dining out, and to watch for hidden ingredients that may not be noticeable. We are still learning a lot.

Alex Drummond
Keep in mind as you read this post that I’m not a doctor (even though I am the daughter of a physician and therefore believe myself to be an amateur physician). But I do think this is something worth knowing about, especially if you live in the country, spend time outdoors, have kids who run around outside, have dogs, cattle, horses, or a husband who comes home with “just a little tick bite.” Or any combination of the above!

How It Started
Last Wednesday, Mauricio had a burger for lunch at work, which isn’t unusual for Mauricio since he’s a lifelong lover of burgers. He came home later that day and told Alex his stomach was really hurting. Not just a little stomachache, but a burning kind of pain that he didn’t recognize. Alex says Mauricio isn’t usually dramatic about things like that, which made it stand out to her even more.

He got through that episode, then Thursday he was fine.

On Friday, they had steak tacos for dinner and that night, the same thing happened again. His stomach hurt terribly and he couldn’t sleep. They were still puzzled about what was going on.

Then Saturday was Alex’s baby sprinkle. (Which was such a sweet and happy day! You can read all about it here.) There was plenty of barbecue thanks to the “not their first rodeo” theme, so Mauricio naturally had brisket, one of his favorite things on earth. That night, the same stomach pain came back.

So burger on Wednesday, steak tacos on Friday, brisket on Saturday.

At that point, one of Alex’s friends mentioned that it seemed like red meat was the culprit, and that’s when a light bulb went off for her. Alex remembered recently hearing about Alpha-Gal syndrome, the tick-related allergy that can cause often-serious allergic reactions to red meat and other mammal products. The next day, Alex told Mauricio that he probably needed to stay away from red meat until they could figure out what was going. He had bloodwork done Monday morning, and by Tuesday, the test (and Alex’s text to the family thread) confirmed it: “Mauricio has Alpha-Gal.”

We were all immediately bummed for him! There were a lot of “NO WAYs” and a few four-letter words of disbelief. There’s no other way to say it: Mauricio loves ribs, steaks, burgers, tacos, and all the things one would expect a person in our family to love, so again…we were all so bummed for him. Pork is also on the list of meat that trigger the allergy, so bacon, pork ribs, carnitas…all of those faves are out. The allergic reactions can range from stomach pain to hives to severe anaphylaxis, so it’s definitely considered a condition to take seriously.

The Tick Bite
Mauricio had a tick bite about two and a half weeks ago when they were up here at our neighbor’s ranch for an annual shooting event/competition. Everyone up here is conditioned to check their bodies for ticks every night after a day of being outside, and sure enough, he found one attached that night in the shower. It appeared to be a lone star tick, with the little white dot on its back. Here’s the pic he took:

Alex Drummond
The disconcerting part is that appeared to have only been attached for 8 to 12 hours, which dispelled the assumption I’d always made that ticks needed to be attached for at least a couple of days to transmit any illness or allergies. Here’s a close-up of what these ticks can look like, so you can look out for them!

Boston Globe//Getty Images
There’s also another interesting detail that’s we’re mulling over! About a year and a half ago, Mauricio went on a hunting trip in South Texas and ended up covered in seed ticks. His body had a serious allergic reaction at that time. From what I’ve been reading, previous reactions to tick bites may make someone more susceptible to developing Alpha Gal following a new tick bite later, so that’s something they’ll be figuring out, too!

In Case Alpha-Gal Is News to You
According to the CDC, Alpha-Gal syndrome is an allergy to a sugar molecule called alpha-gal, which is found in most mammals. It’s not found in people, and it’s not found in poultry or fish, which is why chicken, turkey, and fish are generally still okay for many people with Alpha-Gal.

For some people, Alpha-Gal means they react (often severely) to beef, pork, lamb, venison, and other mammal meat. For others, dairy can be an issue too, since dairy comes from mammals. (Mauricio has been fine with dairy so far and we’re hoping and praying that holds!)

Alex Drummond
One thing that makes Alpha-Gal tricky is that reactions can happen hours after eating (rather than immediately), which can make it harder to connect the dots. In Mauricio’s case, the stomach pain kept showing up after meals with red meat, and thankfully Alex and her friend noticed the pattern pretty quickly.

His main symptom so far has been severe stomach pain, but Alpha-Gal can affect people differently. Some people have hives or itching, while others can have more serious, life-threatening allergic reactions. I know he and Alex will get in to see someone and figure out how to manage it until (hopefully) it wanes someday. The duration of the allergy can last a long time, it’s very uncertain.

A Reminder to Check for Ticks!
Ticks are a reality around here, but this has been extra eye-opening for our family! Daily tick checks after being outside have always been important, but mid-day tick checks might be the new standard. Tick repellants, too—we’re all looking into that!

Alex Drummond
This is the turkey burger Alex and Mauricio ate after the news.
Mauricio’s a champ and while he does not want to think about a future without red meat, you can bet we’re all going to make sure he’s got plenty of delicious food to eat. 😊 I’m glad Alex shared the story, because it might help someone else connect the dots and get answers themselves! The incidence of Alpha Gal seems to be increasing rapidly, and I’ll keep you posted on my rabbit hole research. (I can rabbit hole like no one else…)

In the meantime, Mauricio’s got all our love and support! (And all the chicken and fish tacos he could ever want.)

Feel free to chime in if you have had experience with Alpha-Gal.

Check for ticks, friends!