Health | Allergies
Seven Things I Can’t Do Because I Have a Fatal Nut Allergy
And how I cope
When I was about four, I was at the cinema with my parents, and my mum asked me if I would like an ice-cream or a bag of mixed nuts.
I wanted an ice-cream, but I also wanted to be grown-up, so I asked for the mixed nuts instead.
The nuts weren’t pleasant, they made my mouth itch, but I kept on eating because I was only four, and didn’t know any better.
What happened next is a bit hazy in my memory, but I do remember feeling very unwell. There was a panicked car ride during which I had to get out to pee in a bush by a field.
I was more upset by having to pull my knickers down and bare my little bottom to the public than feeling unwell.
I have no memory of my head being swollen up like a watermelon (my mum’s words) or of the doctor giving me an injection.
Nut allergies, unlike other allergies, are more likely to persist into adulthood.
If I eat a nut or even a tiny portion of a nut, I could go into anaphylactic shock, which can happen very quickly and may end in death.
As a consequence, I carry an EpiPen ,anti-histamines, and Ventolin. If you ever have to use an…
