Talking Allergies

What is the dynamic like between you and your co-workers? Are they sympathetic to your needs as a person living with allergies?

My coworkers used to make light of my food allergies until I had a major reaction to pistaschios that I ate by mistake. (Mortadella meat in a sandwich labeled bologna). They saw the quick progression of my reaction and got me to the emergency room fast (we were in a hospital lab working at the time). Once they saw what happened to me, they never took my allergies for granted again. In fact they are usually more vigilant then I am!

It was a very difficult way to educate them, but I am happy that they now realize just how serious allergies can be.

It's so sad that it takes something so severe. Why do you think that is?

There seem to be so many people in this world who still think that allergies are all in the person's head. Until they know someone with a severe allergy or they develop one themselves, they just never want to believe that something like food(or in my case rubber bands too) that looks so innocent, can cause a big problem.

I have been known to joke about my allergy. Sometimes jokes help lighten the mood and makes the people a bit more open to finding out the facts. I have used humor as a teaching tool and it sometimes gets the point across. Nothing works as well as witnessing a full blown reaction, but I would not wish that on anyone.

I have found that those in the medical fields actually take my allergies less seriously than the general public!

If I hear one more person say "a little bit of banana(or nut, or fish, etc) should not hurt you." I will scream! My response is "of course it should not hurt me, but unfortunately it could kill me!" and that usually shuts them up for a while at least.

Humour is a good tool, that's true. Sometimes it makes people uncomfortable, because they think if something is SERIOUS, you shouldn't LAUGH at it.

I think you gotta, or you'll go bonkers.

I think alot of people really don't realize the severity of reactions until they witness them. ]We need to keep educating them, and I don't mean by having reactions!

Personally, I have a very supportive bunch of co-workers!!! They are nurses, and they don't want to have to recessitate me on lunch break!!

Spring

I agree, people in general just don't understand how "a little" of whatever can cause a problem. After having to have the ambulance out to the work place my former employer worked with me to help make things easier for me. The solution was to take me out of the work place and set me up at home in order to avoid constant contact with perfumes, etc.

In the case of perfumes, scented products, the public has no idea what all has perfume in it.

I'm allergic to peanuts and they have banned peanuts and peanut butter from the workplace. I had a lot more trouble growing up, 20 years ago.

My boss had asked people not to eat peanut or peanut butter at work but I found out this morning that some people still do as I had a mild attack or choking and gasping. It freaks me out that I have to handle the same files and use the same key to go to the bathroom than these people but what can I do? I can't order them not to eat any. Asking did not do the trick so I guess I have to live with it or find another job.

As a special 'treat', on Fridays our office orders lunch for the staff. Well you can imagine as a person with food allergies that I feel like the left out kid in high school.

It is hard for my coworkers to understand that when they order Asian foods (my previous 'fave food' until adult onset soy allergy), I can't even be in the same room. I think they feel that I'm being an over-reactive baby.

Holiday parties are a little difficult too as people are always asking for you to have dessert and think you are nuts when you don't devour the whole dessert cart.

All in all, I have to thank my allergies as I have lost weight and reduced my intake of processed foods. Funny how that worked out for me.

youngvader, they can order them to stop eating peanuts in your workplace. It's your right in the labour laws (universal anywhere in North America). Your employer must protect you from a potentially deadly hazard in your workplace. Fight for yourself.

But there's just so much you can do and mistakes still happen... fish is "banned" from my workplace, but somedays I still find out that someone in the other corner ate it and didn't want to have me panic, so didn't tell me... or someone comes running in my office telling me not to leave it because someone ate fish and forgot to tell me ahead of time but most times, people are good about it (as far as I know... didn't have a reaction in my immediate work area since I've been here and it's been 4 years). A law is just a law and people don't always obide by the law...

Mylène

How do I make this delete?

Yeah, Mylène, same things happens for me. Either they forget or they didn't think about it and they it in their corner. What freaks me out is that we need a key to go the bathroom and when that person touches the key before me and then I have to go... I guess you understand what I'm getting at. The first thing I do when I get there is wash my hands even tough I'll haver to touch the key to bring it back afterwards.

I totally understand. Depending on where I am with a project, I sometimes have meetings after meetings all over the place. I always come back to my safe office between 11 and 1:30 (hard to convince me to leave my safe space, especially if it's a fish day at the cafeteria!)... but I have meetings in the afternoons and I just can't figure out why people always want to shake hands!!!! All my relatives think I'm a freak as I stay away from all those kisses and handshakes, but some people I meet at work probably think the same as I say "Hi" and unless their hand is waiting there for me, I don't offer mine to shake. Sometimes, I even use the "I think I'm starting a cold" excuse . My co-workers are starting to be good with that and shake hands with the people while I quietly take my seat. Some people I only meet once and never see again, so it's not always appropriate to go into the allergy speach everytime...

Mylène