I’ve dealt with having a peanut allergy my whole life and I’ve found that only other people with this allergy understand what it’s like.
We found out about my life-threatening allergy when I was only one year old, so I’ve never known life without it. Since I was so young when we discovered my allergy, I don’t remember it and I’ve been lucky enough to avoid my allergen ever since. I have no idea what peanuts taste like and hope to never find out.
People with food allergies can live mostly normal lives, but it does become difficult in situations were food is involved. Peanuts can be found everywhere, so peanut allergic individuals have to be extra careful to avoid them.
It’s hard going to new restaurants, bakeries and ice cream shops when you have a peanut allergy. There are some restaurants that use peanut oil in all of their fried foods and others, like Five Guys and Texas Roadhouse, have peanuts on all of their tables. These places have to be avoided completely, which really sucks when you hear people rave about them. Restaurants specializing in Asian cuisine are also very risky because they often use peanuts in many of their dishes.
Ice cream stores and bakeries are usually much worse for peanut allergies than restaurants are. I have been to some places that will flat out say that nothing they carry is safe for me to eat when I ask. It’s pretty concerning how many food places cannot guarantee that cross contamination did not occur. Shouldn’t food be prepared in a clean environment? Don’t even get me started on self-serve yogurt shops or prepackaged food with “may contain” warnings. While it does suck to miss out on certain foods, I’d rather be safe than sorry.
Sometimes it can be so much harder to deal with people than missing out. A lot of people are very respectful and understanding about my allergy and make my life so much easier. It’s okay to ask an allergic individual about their allergy if there’s something you don’t understand. It gets annoying when people assume I’m allergic to other things just because I’m allergic to peanuts, but I do understand if people ask about tree nuts. Some people who are allergic to peanuts have tree nut allergies, but most don’t. Even though I’m not allergic to tree nuts, I avoid them because of the likelihood of cross contamination, so I’m not bothered when people ask about them. It’s actually nice when people are being considerate, but I’ve had people assume I’m allergic to bees for no apparent reason. Come on guys, I’ve never said a word about bees and they aren’t even a food!
Asking questions is usually appreciated. Like with tree nuts, asking if I can have certain foods is generally completely okay. However, it’s very ignorant to ask if I can have foods with the word “peanut” in the name. Yes, I’m allergic to peanut butter, so please stop asking. The same thing goes with foods that are well known to contain peanuts.
It’s so much worse when people list things that I can’t have and tell me how much I’m missing out by not being able to eat them. Some people even go so far to tell me that I should try different foods containing peanuts just so I know how “good” they are and others make jokes about my allergy. It makes me very upset and uncomfortable when people do things like that. It’s incredibly rude and insensitive to treat someone with an allergy like this and there’s no reason to. I could die if I ate anything containing peanuts and it’s nothing to laugh about.
I don’t particularly like being around people eating peanut products, but I try to ignore it if it isn’t too close to me. That being said, it really bothers me when people I know well and who are aware of my allergy eat this stuff while with me. I usually ask them not to and they’re okay with it, but sometimes it is an issue. I generally don’t mind if people have something incased, like Peanut M&M’s, but straight up peanuts and anything peanut butter-y is not okay. If people insist on having this stuff around me, I usually keep my distance and have them wash their hands and rinse their mouths out right after to ease the risk of infecting me. Some people spit when they talk and I’m not taking any chances, thank you very much!
Because of my allergy, I have to carry an EpiPen with me everywhere I go. It can be annoying and I’ve never had to use it, but I feel so much safer knowing it’s there if I need it. If I had a reaction and I didn’t have an EpiPen with me, I would probably die. Even after using an EpiPen, someone who has had/is having an allergic reaction needs to seek medical attention immediately. If you’re ever with someone who has a severe reaction, you should call 911 ASAP. Fortunately, people who know that they have allergies are usually very diligent about avoiding their allergens, so this doesn’t happen very often.
I know this all can be an inconvenience for other people, but my life is in danger when I’m around peanuts. This probably sounds dramatic, but it’s very serious. I could have a reaction just from touching peanuts. Some people have such severe allergies that they can’t even be in the same room as peanuts. I’m very lucky not to have an airborne allergy, but mine still is life threatening.
I’m thankful to all of the people who have been respectful about my allergy over the years and to my friends and family for being so supportive. It can be hard having a peanut allergy, but the right people can make it so much easier.