For as long as I can remember, I have had a great aversion
to the smell of peanuts. If my mom was
making a peanut butter sandwich or my sister was enjoying chocolate covered peanuts,
I would feel sick to my stomach and have to leave the room. At the time, we didn’t know that I had a
peanut allergy. Since my diagnosis, our
house is now completely nut-free!
When reflecting on my allergic reactions to peanut exposure,
I have experienced everything from a solitary hive and tingly mouth to
full-body coverage of hives to the point where my body looked like cottage
cheese had been injected directly into my skin.
In a controlled clinical setting, a food challenge actually put me into
anaphylaxis requiring an epinephrine shot to relieve my symptoms (and possibly
save my life).
There are no rules as to how the body will react to an
accidental exposure to an allergen like peanut protein. It is imperative that peanut allergy
sufferers (and all people who have been diagnosed with life-threatening
allergies) wear medical alert identification and carry an epinephrine injector
(or two). Plan ahead to protect
yourself!!
Keep out of the nut house!
No comments:
Post a Comment