prettysicksupply:

In the mid-90s there was this thing that happened in our sort of.. .elementary school parent social culture which I like to call- The Peanut Panic.  

Now, I want to start by saying I think the peanut panic is actually, ultimately, a good thing.  Because suddenly you had this previously unheard of awareness and caution about deadly food allergies springing up in elementary and middle schools.  

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Suddenly it became seriously not ok to bring in class goodies with nuts of any kind ESPECIALLY peanuts, and those who chose to ignore those warnings were appropriately educated.  One of the kids I went to school with (whose mom was actually my mom’s best friend) went to the ER one day because some kid’s mom decided it wasn’t important enough to keep nuts out of the brownies she sent for the class.  And they were chopped small enough that he didn’t notice and had to be treated for anaphylaxis. (He was ok in the end, but it was pretty terrifying for all involved).

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But the downside of the peanut panic is that even now, there’s this assumption that food allergies always equal death.  So if you have a mild or even moderate food allergy and you try to avoid it- you can often end up in an endless loop of not being allergic enough to be considered allergic.

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Celiacs deal with this A TON.  Aside from the obvious battle to just be taken seriously at all (which is bullshit), there is a lot of- “but it’s not like gluten will KILL YOU so it’s not an allergy.”  

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Except it is.  I have a similar problem with nightshades, so does my sister.  We’re both allergic, in varying degrees, to nightshades. I got lucky and mine is what you might call relapsing/remitting.  (which is a pain in the ass).  Hers though, is not.  For me, when my allergy is active and I eat nightshades (which in case you don’t know is all the delicious veggies like potatoes and tomatoes and peppers and chilis … oh, and eggplant), I end up spending anywhere from  hours to DAYS in the bathroom.  In extreme cases I will not only have… digestive issues? But I’ll also end up throwing up everything I’ve eaten in the last month.  It can get BAD.

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Odds are though, it won’t ever actually kill me. 

But that doesn’t mean I’m not allergic.  My sister experiences her allergy expression in pain.  Body aches and pains all over, constantly, for days.  She didn’t even figure out what was causing it until I mentioned my allergy and she did an elimination diet to test it.

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We are both allergic.  We’re not going to die if we eat a tomato, or have french fries.  But you better believe we make sure it’s worth the pain first.

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The point is- we really need non-allergic people to stop equating all food allergies with death.  Because it’s just not that simple.  And having a non-lethal food allergy is no less valid than having a lethal one.  So when your friend or loved one says, I can’t eat this I’m allergic- don’t flip out and invalidate it just because you know it won’t flat out kill them.  BELIEVE people with food allergies- no matter how severe or uncommon.  And RESPECT those allergies.  Don’t try to be sneaky and slip in things they’ve said they’re allergic to.  Just because it won’t kill them doesn’t make it ok to fuck with someone’s system and you have no idea what kind of misery you’re handing out just because you want to roll your eyes and stay ignorant.

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And if someone gives YOU shit about your non-lethal food allergy remind them- people don’t generally die because of their seasonal allergies, or allergies to dust- but that doesn’t make them any less allergic.