My name is Eleonora. I’m 23,
I’ve been allergic to milk since I was born. I manage my allergy thanks to my parents’ and friends’ support. Since childhood, I understood that I needed a Dairy allergy Test, a serious health problem. So, I’ve always been alert about what I eat. I have taken my full allergy medication and test kits with me for a long time. Two adrenaline, antihistamine drops and pills, and Ventolin. I’ve never forgotten them because I know they can save my life in case of anaphylactic shock. I must read the ingredients carefully when buying something in the supermarket.
When I go to restaurants, I must explain my allergy to the servers and ask them what dishes I should eat. Often, I decide to take a salad or some beef, obviously without cheese, butter, or anything else that contains milk. If I’m unsure about something to eat, I decide not to eat it because my life is more important. When I go abroad with my parents or friends, we prefer to stay in a flat to cook meals at home, so I know what I eat. When I go to restaurants abroad, I eat beef or fish, obviously explaining my allergy and the risk of having an anaphylactic shock to restaurant staff. Due to my dairy allergy, I learned with my mum to modify many recipes with ingredients I could eat, obtaining great results.
Feeling different
When I was younger, I saw my full allergy test needs as a big problem when making new friends because I felt different from my peers. Luckily, I grew up and understood that my allergy did not hinder me from having friends. Now, my friends know about my Dairy allergy and are very careful about what I eat. I have no shame in explaining my allergy to people because I’ve always lived with this issue with tranquillity, just paying attention to what I eat.
Allergy is serious; sometimes, people don’t understand the danger. They confuse it with intolerance, but they are two different things. When I explained the risks, they understood that allergy is not a joke. In conclusion, I’ve learnt to live with my allergy. Sometimes, I prefer not to eat something if I’m not sure I can, but I can still spend a wonderful day with my friends or relatives.
Margherita
Living with regular Full allergy Testing is challenging. I have been suffering from food allergies since I was a child, but I was lucky to grow up in a family that never let me think that it was a big problem. I was educated to always ask about ingredients, be independent, and avoid food if unsure or comfortable about the dish. Allergies were part of me but did not impact my life negatively, even though I used to pay a lot of attention to them. This was a normality that I had accepted until I moved to a new city for my University studies. There, all my reality changed.
New people and a new environment tested and questioned me and my lifestyle, often undervaluing my condition. So, I started to research more and more on this issue that had always characterized me. I had never considered it so consciously. After that, I began to feel limited and different in a negative sense. In addition, my biggest fear became the possibility of having an allergic reaction that I could not control.
Anxiety about eating outside
For a long period, the anxiety of eating outside the home overcame the joy of participating in social life. Going out with friends is not easy because food & beverage services are often unprepared to help you. However, at some point, I decided to react and find my way to live life to the fullest. I realized that it is not impossible to deal with Full allergy test needs. And it just takes more time. Outside my home, I try to be as clear as possible and always order simple dishes. I always bring the whole emergency kit, which includes 2 epi-pens. Staying calm in front of a dish prepared by someone else is always a challenge. My dream is to find more and more places with labelled food. As long as I feel safe, I can enjoy every moment of my life.