I can’t really remember what peanut butter tastes like; it’s been 4 years since I ate it for the last time. I used to be able to eat anything that I wanted and not have to look at the labels. Now I must read the ingredients list of everything that I eat. Some of the foods that I used to eat daily would now send me into anaphylaxis. I used to pack PB & J sandwiches all the time in high school. I would also usually pack something with Nutella too. Now I couldn’t do that. My throat would swell up and constrict my airway. It’s so weird because I haven’t been allergic to nuts my whole life. Everyone doesn’t believe me when I say that. Doctors say that it is normal to develop an allergy later in life. I just think it’s odd for me because I usually ate peanut butter or nut butter on the daily.
When I have an allergic reaction it’s usually mild: hives and maybe my throat being a little itchy. But I don’t want to experience anything worse. It’s a feeling that I can’t describe when you have to be worried about everything that you eat. I have to care around an EpiPen where ever I go.
Over the years it has become so annoying, to be honest. Just the constant fear of my throat swelling up, not being able to kiss my boyfriend after he eats something with an ingredient that I’m allergic to, even using lotions with almond oil in them. I have to think about everything I do. Most of the foods say manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts or tree nuts. I have learned what food I can eat that says that on the label pretty much just by trial and error.
Having allergies, in general, is a struggle but with the help of doctors and medications they can be controlled. Even if you have to carry a lifesaving medication.