I have a new found respect for food allergies

[wak648]

My wife and I have been dealing with severe food allergies for the past 7 years with my hyper-allergic daughter (egg, milk, dairy, tree nuts, peanuts and soy). Now after 37 years I found out the hard way I now have a food allergy. I now need to get tested to find out to exactly what.

Last night my wife and I went out to dinner, I ate all the same thigns I have for many years without an issue. On the way home my eyes started to water, followed by a severe itching in my inner ears, which then proceed to swelling of my lips, toungue and eyes. I immediatly took 50 of oral benedryl and attempted to wait it out for a little bit. BIG MISTAKE!! after another 10 minutes I started with a tightness in my chest and getting short of breath. My wife immediatly called 911. When I woke up, i was being loaded into an ambulance and being transported to the emergency room. After recieving more benedrly and steriods in the ambulance and ER, I found out that after I passed out my wife hit me with my daughters epi-pen and more than likely saved my life and I know she will never let me live that down! As a paramedic for 15 years now, I know the dose of the epi-pen jr is not strong enough to stop the reaction, but it at least slowed it down enough to give me time for the paramedics (my co-workers) to get there.

With all of this now happening I am so glad that the Disney Chefs go out of their way for the guest with food allergy or tolerence problems.

 

[disfan07]

I understand how you feel.

I was diagnosed with all of my allergies at 18 (2 years ago). I was mildly allergic to peanuts since I was a baby but now I am allergic to:

Peanuts (anaphylaxis and cross contamination)
Eggs
Shellfish
Sodium Benzoate (preservative)
plus chemical allergies

Its much much different to be born with it and live with it your entire life as opposed to finidng out when you're older.
As my allergist has said, being diagnosed later in life is worse than being diagnosed when you're little. At least when you're little, you dont know what you're missing.