Allergic to Apples with no Epipen?

Today for our first post of the day we have a special guest! Ariella Moon is a shaman and author of sweet paranormal teen romances!


Ariella has a condition that makes use of an Epipen extremely risky. She's going to tell us a bit about that!


 Ariella is the author of The Teen Wytche Saga. You'll have to check them out!



Food Allergies: Living Life on the Edge
I’ve always resisted carrying an EpiPen®, even though a few allergic reactions have landed me in the emergency room. An epinephrine injection buys time for most people with potentially life threatening food allergies. But my thyroid condition places me in the “use with caution” category. So I live near a hospital and remain vigilant for my food allergies: shellfish, raw apples, and citric acid.
Unexpected Upside
One summer when I was a teen, I foolishly decided to go on an apple diet. I spent all day in our orchard eating apples. Of course this caused an imbalance in my system, which gave birth to my raw apple allergy. I still crave apples. A decade after that fateful summer my former mother-in-law offered me the tiniest piece of a Fuji apple. I declined and reminded her of my allergy.
“Oh, I forgot,” Helen said. “Surely a tiny piece won’t hurt you.”
I stared at the miniscule piece of forbidden fruit pinched between her thumb and forefinger. The intuitive side of my brain clanged warning bells. The apple loving side of my brain thought, maybe I’ve outgrown my allergy.
I hadn’t. And Helen lived far from the nearest hospital. (A detail I should have considered before I threw caution aside.) The unexpected benefit from my allergic reaction was noticing the swelling never diminished around my thyroid. In an odd way, the close encounter with an apple led to a life saving thyroid diagnosis.
High Risk Situations
            As a Reiki Master, I’m always reading the energy or vibe given off by people, places and things. The skill comes in handy at parties and potlucks. It helps me stay clear of green salads hiding raw apples, and appetizers that may contain shellfish. At one party, a miniature quiche caught my eye. I ignored its crab vibe and placed it on my plate. But the warning kept sounding in my head, so I joined a group of guests and asked if any of them had tried the quiche, and if so, did it contain crab? Turned out it did. Disaster avoided.
            Two of my friends are gluten intolerant; one has Celiac disease. For them, restaurant dining is risky and frustrating. Sometimes the wait staff has no idea what gluten is or if it is in a particular dish. Luckily, many restaurants now include a GF symbol to indicate gluten free items. I dined recently at the Cheesecake Factory with my friend Anne-Marie, who is gluten intolerant. Before we were seated, we eyed the dessert display. The waiter confirmed only one cheesecake was gluten free —the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake. After dinner we split a slice. It’s my new favorite!
            Food allergies can be inconvenient and dangerous. Since I don’t carry an EpiPen®, I’ll continue to live close to a hospital, and avoid the grocery store at apple harvest time.
 
Ariella Moon is a shaman and the author of the Teen Wytche Saga, a series of sweet Young Adult  paranormal romances. You can learn more about her and her books at http://www.AriellaMoon.com .(And how beautiful are her covers???)  
 Thanks Ariella!
 We have never had to use Stinky's Epipen Jr. but the idea of not being able to use one at all is terrifying!
  In a bit, I'll be posting about how we cook for our Food Allergy needs without breaking the bank! We'll do our first giveaway then, as well!