Living with allergies

Living with allergies, especially food allergies can be a challenge and something that you have to learn to deal with. Of course, there are going to be times when you feel like there is nothing different about you from anyone else and then there are the times that you feel like why did it happen to me.

I have gone through both of these feelings and a lot of other feelings while dealing with being told that I had severe and life threatening food allergies. When I was growing up you really didn’t hear a lot about people with food allergies so being told I had food allergies was a shock. I was an adult when I was first diagnosed with food allergies and of course it was to food that I had been eating all my life. For me I was first diagnosed with one food allergy and have since found out that there have been more foods added to the list and I also worry if something else will be added to the list.

Having severe allergies to food and medicine can make doing things a challenge and something that you have to deal with on a daily basis. The simple going out can be a challenge and something that you learn to face and deal with. Yes, I know that there are still times that I just want to hide at home and not deal with the allergies but I also want to ensure that people understand that I am really no different than anyone else. Sure, there are foods that I cannot eat or be around but I can still live a normal life. I have also learned that I can be someone that isn’t afraid to say that I have food allergies and have done a few presentations about living with allergies.

Being adult onset means that there are a few differences than someone that was diagnosed as a child. I think the biggest challenge that I have faced is learning to not eat something that I was able to eat in the past. I have had to explain to people that I could eat a food before and now I have to avoid it. There have been times that I have wanted to try one of the foods that I have been told I am allergic to in case I have out grown it but I know better.

Living with food allergies is a challenge but understanding how to deal with them can make a big difference. If you have a strong support system as well it can help make facing the challenges a little easier. Being able to educate others about allergies and some of the challenges is something that I would like to do more of because I know that showing people that I am no different than they are would make me very happy.