I never had to think about what was in foods when I was younger. That is because I was unaware I was allergic to any at all. But then I found out I do not get along well with some types of tree nuts and from there eating has become much harder.
In high school we had been having a party before winter break complete with music, chips, and the killer: cookies. I ate a cookie and within seconds my lips were itchy. I thought nothing of it. Then my tongue went numb and I knew that I had to go to the nurse. I got loaded up with Benadryl and sent back to the class. Not too much longer after my stomach was in knots, I was breaking out and swollen all over. I went back to the nurse, got stabbed with an EpiPen and was rushed to the hospital.
All from a cookie.
If you have food allergies, you probably understand the necessity to look at every label even if you have eaten the food before, just in case. You may check the label three times over. You learn to have to look at foods and say no even when they look amazing because you know they may land you in an ambulance. When other people offer you food you feel rude saying "no," but you would rather not die. You learn to ask questions about what is in everything before you order at a restaurant and sometimes have to choose something you really do not want because of that. You avoid anything that could be hazardous.
And when you do eat something without being able to see a label, you get paranoid. If you have a slight itch on your arm you think you are having an allergic reaction. And the more you think about it, the itchier you get, even if you are OK.
You have to be careful and watch everything you eat or touch and in some cases are even near. Because allergic reactions are not something to take lightly. Your tongue feels numb, your body feels itchy, breathing becomes harder and your stomach is in the worst pain you could ever imagine. Minutes could separate you from life and death, especially without an EpiPen on hand.
And I feel even worse for younger children who are not able to manage their food allergies as well. A cookie to them looks good and with no hesitance they may take it along with the ensuing ambulance ride. It is ten times scarier in that case.
Having to say no to desserts is hard, but never again do I want to endure the pain of an allergic reaction. People are constantly offering me food which I have to turn down. My whole school hated me because I was the reason we were not allowed to have food in classrooms anymore. But honestly, if saying no to food and keeping them away from classrooms is what keeps people from having allergic reactions, then it is worth it.
