I admit to being rather obsessed with worry over my daughter's allergies. I just had B over for lunch at my office and it was great, but I had to talk about my fear over her teacher using a vegan margarine from her house. What if it has been accidentally cross-contaminated with a utensil used to spread it over bread that might have egg in it? Or perhaps there's a splash of milk in there? When your child could die it forces you to look for dangers and prevent them. I happen to already be prone to perfectionism/anxiety/etc. so finding these dangers seems to come without effort. Sometimes I wish I could let reason reign --- There would be such a small amount of the allergen that a reaction is highly unlikely. But then my mind flits to facts such as: there is no known amount that does not cause a reaction. In fact, even trace amounts can do it. --- Cue the worries flooding in. Also, did you know that ALL food allergies (IgE-mediated ones, non-IgE ones seem to be understudied, at least from all I've read) can cause anaphylaxis whether or not the person has a history of severe reactions? That's why I just hate when I hear/read someone say, "I'm allergic to ____, but it's not anaphylactic." Um, then you don't have an allergy, you are simply intolerant to something. Because if you are really allergic you need to go get yourself an epi-pen.
Anyway, nearly everyday, there is some food-related scene or information that causes my tummy to do a little turn. Libraries, playgrounds, food or drink spilled in the subway, parties, etc. You'd think it would get easier after over two years of dealing with it, but it doesn't. In fact, learning about how much we don't yet know about allergies as well as what we do know makes me more vigilant.
So, it's hard to write a fucking thesis, when life has such a distraction.
