Going to the ER is normal... when you have allergies!

Haven't updated my blog in a while but these past 6 months have been FILLED with allergic experiences. I'm going to write my most recent experience which happened about 2 weeks ago.

I was out to dinner at Rock Bottom with my sister and some friends. Being a Friday during Lent (and *trying* to be a good Catholics), we ordered two vegetarian pizzas: Margherita & Veggie. I ate a few slices and when we were finished I felt terrible. My stomach hurt really bad and I felt really hot. I chalked it up to the dairy since I never eat it (due to my outgrown dairy allergy I prefer soy products). We then walked a few block to the movie theatre and by the time we got there I had a terrible headache and felt extremely hot and itchy. So I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror... my face was beat red--it looked like I had a terrible sunburn! I frantically started digging through my bag to find my Benedryl that I have stashed in my wallet for emergencies. If you have allergies and you don't carry Benedryl with you 100% of the time, please start! It has saved my life so many times!


I went into the theatre and found my sister and told her that I needed to go to the ER. I was having some sort of a delayed reaction to something I ate at dinner and was scared it was going to turn into full blown anaphylaxis. Thankfully the ER was only 4 blocks away. Once there, they immediately saw me, and got Prednisone pumped into me. By then I was covered in hives and was swelling up. My throat was a little swollen, enough to make my voice sound funny. By now it probably had been close to 2 hours since I had eaten. This is the first time a delayed reaction has happened to me. It scared me even more since I couldn't predict what was going to happen. And as all people with severe allergies know, once you're in the emergency room, you get to be there for the next 4-6 hours to ensure another anaphylactic reaction doesn't occur.


For all of those who are wondering, there was pesto in the sauce of the Veggie pizza. Overlooked by myself and I was unsure if I was actually allergic to Pine Nuts, not knowing if it was a real nut or not. Now I know. I learned something new with this experience... that severe allergic reactions can be delayed and slowly develop over time. So if you start to feel sick after something you ate, please pay attention to your symptoms and get yourself to the ER stat if you start to develop any symptoms of anaphylaxis!

My ER doctor did let me know that if you are alleric to Peanut that you most likely will be allergic to Pine Nut. And since I have the holy grail of nut allergies (ALL of them!) it's wise of me to avoid anything that can even be related to their family, such as Pine Nuts.

Here's an extensive list of all Tree Nuts:

The following ingredients found on a label indicate the presence of tree nuts. All labels should be read carefully before consuming a product, even if it has been eaten safely in the past.

This list contains as quick reference to common tree nut names as well as a more detailed list of the botanical names and derivative names for tree nuts.

Quick reference to common tree nut names

• Almond
• Beechnut
• Brazil nut
• Bush nut
• Butternut
• Cashew
• Chestnut
• Coconut
• Filbert
• Ginko nut
• Hazelnut
• Hickory nut
• Lichee nut
• Macadamia nut
• Nangai nut
• Pecan
• Pine nut
• Pistachio
• Shea nut
• Walnut

Complete list of tree nut names, botanical names and derivative names for tree nuts:

• Almond
• Almond paste
• Anacardium nuts
• Anacardium occidentale (Anacardiaceae) [botanical name, Cashew]
• Artificial nuts
• Beech nut
• Brazil nut
• Bertholletia excelsa (Lecythidaceae) [botanical name, Brazil nut]
• Bush nut
• Butternut
• Butyrospermum Parkii [botanical name, Shea nut]
• Canarium ovatum Engl. in A. DC. (Burseraceae) [botanical name, Pili nut]
• Caponata
• Carya illinoensis (Juglandaceae) [botanical name, Pecan]
• Carya spp. (Juglandaceae) [botanical name, Hickory nut]
• Cashew
• Castanea pumila (Fagaceae) [botanical name, Chinquapin]
• Castanea spp. (Fagaceae) [botanical name, Chestnut (Chinese, American, European, Seguin)]
• Chestnut (Chinese, American, European, Seguin)
• Chinquapin
• Coconut
• Cocos nucifera L. (Arecaceae (alt. Palmae)) [botanical name, Coconut]
• Corylus spp. (Betulaceae) [botanical name, Filbert/hazelnut]
• Filbert
• Fagus spp. (Fagaceae) [botanical name, beech nut]
• Gianduja
• Ginko nut
• Ginkgo biloba L. (Ginkgoaceae) [botanical name, Ginko nut]
• Hazelnut
• Heartnut
• Hickory nut
• Indian nut
• Juglans cinerea (Juglandaceae) [botanical name, Butternut]
• Juglans spp. (Juglandaceae) [botanical name, Walnut, Butternut, Heartnut]
• Karite (shea nut)
• Lichee nut
• Litchi chinensis Sonn. Sapindaceae [botanical name, Lichee nut]
• Lychee nut
• Macadamia nut
• Macadamia spp. (Proteaceae) [botanical name, Macadamia nut/Bush nut]
• Mandelonas
• Marzipan
• Mashuga nuts
• Nangai nuts
• Natural and artificial flavoring
• Natural nut extract (for example, almond extract)
• Nougat
• Nu-Nuts®
• Nut butters (e.g., Almond butter, Hazelnut butter, Brazil nut butter, Macadamia nut butter, Pistachio nut butter, Shea nut butter, Karike butter, as well as other nut butters)
• Nut meal
• Nutella ®
• Nutmeat
• Nut oil (e.g., Walnut oil as well as other nut oils)
• Nut paste
• Nut pieces
• Pecan
• Pesto
• Pigñolia
• Pili nut
• Pine nut
• Pine nut (Indian, piñon, pinyon, pigndi, pigñolia, pignon nuts)
• Pinon nut
• Piñon or Piñon nut
• Pinus spp. (Pineaceae) [botanical name, Pine nut/piñon nut]
• Pistachio
• Pistacia vera L. (Anacardiaceae) [botanical name, Pistachio]
• Pralines
• Prunus dulcis (Rosaceae) [bontanical name, almond]
• Shea nut
• Sheanut
• Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn. (Sapotaceae) [botanical name, Shea nut]
• Walnut (English, Persian, Black, Japanese, California)

May contain tree nuts:

• Natural and Artificial flavoring
• Mortadella

Source: See more at: http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=60#sthash.pL32fRZs.dpuf

Deady Drinks

In May of 2011, I was at a bar attending my room mate's going away party. Her cousin bought a round of "chocolate cake shots" for everyone. So what's in this tasty shot??

Chocolate Cake Shot Ingredients:

• 1 fluid ounce hazelnut liqueur (frangelico)
• 1/2 fluid ounce vodka
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• white sugar

Who would have thought there were nuts in this CLEAR colored shot! I immediately swelled up from 1 oz of hazelnut liqueur, so this stuff is potent. Below is a list of alcohol that contains nuts. I have bolded the most common ones!

• Creme d'amande, de noix, & de noyaux are nut based liqueurs
• Amadeus from Austria is a nut based alcohol
• There is an almond version of Galliano, but usually you just encounter the regular one (vanilla flavored)
• Amaretto (almonds)
• Bellota (acorns)
• Dumante (pistachio)
• Frangelico (hazelnut)
• Kahana Royale (macadamia nut)
• Nocello (walnut and hazelnut)
• Nocino (unripe green walnuts)
• Castries Peanut Rum Creme (peanut)
• Peanut Lolita (peanut)
• Ratafia (brandy flavored with almonds, fruit, or fruit kernels - also a flavored biscuit)
• Bombay Sapphire Gin (Almonds)
• Gin: Some gins use almond extract in processing
• Southern Comfort (contain derivatives from tree nuts)
• Kahlua Hazelnut
• Kahlúa Ready-to-Drink products contain dairy, soy beans, and tree nuts.  This includes Banana Mudslide, Chocolate Latte, Kappuccino, Original Mudslide, and White Russian
• Amadeus (walnut)
• Charbay Nostalgie (black walnut) )
• Lazzaroni Ameretto (almond)
• Ratafua (brandy flavored with almond)
• Eblana - Irish Whisky (almond, peanut)
• Kazkar (Cashew)
• Dirty Squirrel (Hazelnut beer)
• Goober Oatmeal Stout (peanuts)

This is living list and I will update on a regular basis if I hear of anything new. Please let me know if you know of any other liquors that contain nuts, specifically beers and wines!

-Sarah-

We've All Been There

We've all been there.... I say that sarcastically because I don't think most of us have.

Have you ever gone to some one's house for the first time for a social gathering and then had to leave early because it turns out you were severely allergic to something there? Maybe the house pet? Maybe the dust? Who knows when you are living daily with severe allergies!

It's hard on family and friends to really understand what it's like to feel like an outcast when all you're trying to do is fit in. I wanted to be at that party. I wanted to have fun. I wanted to drink margaritas! Instead I popped an antihistamine, took a few puffs of my inhaler and then sat outside in the 16 degree Chicago winter weather so I could breathe free of allergens while everyone else was inside having fun.

After trying to "stick it out" for another hour my eye swelled up (most likely due to a dog hair getting in there) and my arm broke out in hives. This is when I grabbed my boyfriend in a vain attempt to keep some of my self dignity (and looks). Definitely didn't want the other eye puffing out!

I got a few hugs and well wishes. While most people just stared at me most likely thinking I was making it all up. Come on they don't have allergies! Certainly I could handle a little dog hair?  No one seems to understand that little things like dog hair and dust can threaten something as important as a life. Most people think guns, knives, cancer, heart disease kill people. Scary things and people that lurk around at night threaten your life, not dust!

Until allergies are better understood and more widely talked about, people will continue giving me that half sympathetic-half "she's making it up" eye. If only I were making it up...