DLK Life
I’m Special, Not Odd
Originally
published in “Allergy & Asthma News, Issue 3, 2005”
Everyone used to tell me allergies were a kid's
thing. Boy, were they
wrong about this!
During a visit to my allergist at age 35 I mentioned that when I ate
certain foods half my face would swell. My allergist asked me what my
favourite food was and I said donuts and French fries and that this
was when my face reacted. This visit changed a lot of things for me
as I left my allergist's office with my first epinephrine
auto-injector, having been told that I was anaphylactic to
"cottonseed". What an eye opener, considering that I didn't
know anyone who carried epinephrine and I really didn't understand what
this was going to mean to my life.
Thank goodness I had very supportive people around me who helped me
deal with this new situation. They helped me find out more about
anaphylaxis and how to eliminate "cottonseed" from my diet. Cottonseed
is one of those items that was hard to find on ingredient
lists but now I am seeing it more and more which means more and more
items that I have to avoid. Cottonseed can be found in some 100% pure
vegetable oils and can also be found in steak seasonings and other
foods. Living with this allergy has been very difficult because I
felt I was the only one with it. I have since found out that I'm not
alone with this allergy and it's something that is becoming more
common.
I still go out to restaurants and have meals but have to admit that
it's sometimes hard explaining this allergy to restaurant staff
because they figure the common allergies are the only allergies. It's
amazing how many times people have assumed it's a peanut allergy as
soon as I say I have a food allergy. Once I find a restaurant that
knows how to deal with my allergy I end up going to it more often and
get to know all the staff pretty well.
I am an example of adult onset anaphylaxis and am still getting used
to dealing with this change to my way of eating. I travel for my work
and it means that I leave a comfort zone but I always know that I
just have to ask about ingredients and when I don't get an answer
that I'm comfortable with I avoid the food. Whenever I travel even
just short distances I always ensure that I have safe snacks with me.
Since developing this anaphylactic reaction 6 years ago, I
have
developed three other severe allergies, codeine, pineapple and
raspberries. Once again, I am searching to find out where pineapple
and raspberries can be hidden in various foods.
My husband is always there to support me even when sometimes I get
tired of mentioning that I am anaphylactic. Having a wonderful
support person has really made dealing with my food allergies a lot
easier. He is always there to help me deal with this allergy and the
occasional reaction. He is always willing to train others on how to
use the auto-injector and also talk about dealing with food
allergies. Having a good support person really makes a difference
because knowing someone is on your side makes dealing with these
allergies a little easier. I don't know how many restaurants he has
gone into when I'm not there to see what oil they fry their food in
but I do hear when he finds a restaurant that, as he says, is
"Darlene friendly".
For the last four years, I have been attending the AAIA allergy
conferences here in Ontario and it's a wonderful feeling where for
one day I feel I'm part of a majority instead of a minority. Seeing
all the different people who are dealing with anaphylaxis and being
able to share stories makes it so nice, as I know I'm not alone.
There are lots of us out there.
I am a lot more vocal about being anaphylactic because I know being
adult onset I am dealing with the same feelings a child goes through
– just all at once instead of at different stages. No, I'm not
peanut allergic, but I'm special! I have an uncommon food allergy
and know that with some effort people will see there are a lot of
others just like me.
Here are some updates since I wrote this article 11 years ago.
I was very lucky and AAIA
asked if I could
assist them with some of their office duties and I became their
part-time National Administrator and have been working with them for
the last 5 years. It is something that I have enjoyed doing because
of how much AAIA has helped me learn to deal with my allergies. I
assisted in organizing their EpiPen Take Action events which helped
raise funds for research and education on allergies and anaphylaxis.
Through working with AAIA, I have found others that were allergic to
cottonseed and that was something I didn’t think I would.
I have gained
(“lucky me”)
another food
allergy to the list and that is shellfish so that means a lot of
fried foods out in restaurants have had to be eliminated. I haven’t
found it too difficult except when I really want french fries and
can’t have them because of the otherwise safe
oil is also used for their deep fried calamari.
I remain vocal about my
allergies because I
know it is something that a lot of people
still don’t understand or aren’t will to make accommodations. My
allergies are part of who I am and no matter what anyone else says
I have to live with them and the impact they have on my life. I do
my best to deal with my allergies alone with the assistance of my
wonderful husband, but I still need to talk about them to others.
Whenever I go to someone’s house I
have to let them know that I
have food allergies if I will be having a meal there. We have some
wonderful friends that have been able to understand and deal with the
allergies without any issues. Whenever we are going over to their
house they simply request an updated allergy list to ensure that I
will be safe at their house which I appreciate.
Early on as a volunteer for AAIA I enjoyed the opportunity of
doing presentations on allergies, asthma, and/or anaphylaxis in the
Toronto area. I always enjoyed the chance to help educate others and
talk about some of my own personal challenges. Over the last few
years, I haven’t been given the chance to do these presentations and
I miss doing them. Part of me isn’t sure why I have been blocked
from doing the various presentations, maybe it’s because I am not
peanut allergic or I am not a mother of an allergic child, as if that
matters as I do live with all of these issues. If there are
presentations that need to be done I would love the opportunity to
either do them or at least discuss them.
I continue to help educate others about allergies and
anaphylaxis
my own way and I always say “I’m special, not odd.
Note: I also write more about allergies and other topics on my blog at www.dlklifehowiseeit.blogspot.ca
Last
updated 2016-07-25 |
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