epipen

soooo practically everyone knows i have allergies

peanuts. potatoes. soy. some fruits&veggies. & latex

you name it

im allergic

i carry around an epipen:

epinephrine injection

used for emergency treatments for severe allergic reactions

this is how it works:

pull off safety cap

push in leg

& hold for 10 seconds

dispose of used epipen properly

& call 911 :)

sometimes i forget to carry my epipen with me

(shhh.. dont tell my mom)

but just the other day i switched purses and thought to myself

do i really need this?

i left it home

then the next day i saw it sitting on my dresser

haunting me

so i grabbed it fast and went to school

it was the chirstmas party

which meant lots & lots of treats that i couldn't eat

i was in lena's office getting my last few signatures when a cute girl walked in

she was on the verge of tears

and she was asking for benadryl

which i usually have- but this one time

i didn't

shooooottt

she was having an allergic reaction

she too is allergic to nuts

before she left to see if anyone else had any

i told her if it got worse i had an epipen

10 minutes later she came back and asked if she could use my epipen

her voice was scratchy and she coughed a few times

bad bad sign

whooooaa

i got a little nervous for her

i grabbed it fast and handed it to her

but then thought if the tables were turned i would want someone else to do it for me

i asked her if she wanted me to do it

she did indeed

we went back to lena's office and i gave her the shot

i was being brave and pretended i wasn't scared to give it to her

but inside i was freeeaaakkiingg out

(have you seen the size of those things?)

all in all she ended up being okay

but this was a lesson learned for me

- to ALWAYS carry my epipen with me

because even though i am really careful with my allergies and i can control what i eat

you cant really control what others eat

or what cross contamination could effect you

if people don't have allergies

they just don't seem to get how severe they can be

even if you tell them a million times not to eat those peanut m&m's around you

they still do

or they walk away for 2 seconds

pop it in their mouth and then come back and think its okay

trust me

its not

i have reactions alllll the time

but luckily none that have been too horrible

i don't blame people for not getting it

because trust me if i didn't have allergies

i too would have a little b-fit if i couldn't eat my perfectly packaged peanuts on the airplane

because "someone" had an allergy

my allergies are embarrassing

and a struggle for me each & everyday

there is nothing worse than having to walk out of class because you are having a reaction to the pb&j being eaten across the room

or going to weddings starving and then you realize you cant eat anything

or not being able to go to dinner with friends because you can't eat there

or watching your whole family on thanksgiving eat mashed potatoes while you get to eat corn with your gravy

or going on a date where they order a treat to share and then you have to explain you cant eat it- then they feel bad- & you feel stupid ( good times!)

hahah

i knooooww i shouldn't feel bad about telling people i have allergies

or get embarrassed

but i do

its definitely a trial for me

& im working on overcoming it

its a good thing that i have a great family and friends who don't mind sticking up for me when i feel to shy to stick up for myself

or that don't mind not eating things im allergic to around me even if its their favorite

my poor family & friends have had to make many sacrifices for me

but i reeealllly appreciate them

i should love my allergies cause they make me unique right?