The impact of allergies on daily life: Barbara’s story

By Barbara Hirst | Senior Consultant, Food, Safety & Quality

22 April

 

I had no allergies as a child but developed mild hay fever in my teens. I had my first allergic reaction in my 20s. After a series of allergic reactions through that winter and spring, I was diagnosed with pollen food allergy.

 

My allergy is mostly related to birch tree pollen and because of that I am allergic to anything that contains the same protein – this includes hazelnut, apple, peach etc. I have some other allergies too, including some other trees, some weeds and cats.

 

I started Immunotherapy 18 months ago to see if my symptoms could be reduced. This involved taking the protein I am allergic to every day for three years. In the best scenario, it would re-train my immune system to not recognise that protein as a threat. So far, it has been life changing! I hadn’t expected it to work this well - they don’t normally try immunotherapy on adults! We’ll have to see if it has any long-term effect.

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Impact on life

 

My allergies gradually got worse over the years and I became asthmatic as a result. My main symptoms are wheezing, coughing, urticaria, angioedema, sneezing and allergic rhinitis. If I’m exposed to the foods I’m allergic to, my symptoms will be itchy mouth, angioedema in the lips, urticaria across my upper body, wheezing, coughing, sneezing and allergic rhinitis. I can start suffering with my tree pollen allergy before Christmas in a “bad” year and by mid-January in a “good” year. This will last until late summer but never really goes away. I take medication every day to try and keep symptoms under control. This works quite well.

 

In terms of the foods, I totally avoid eating anything that I am allergic to. However, as they are not life threatening and I don’t need an adrenaline pen, I do sometimes consume foods with a “may contain” depending on the food. My knowledge of how foods are made and my experience through work means I have a pretty good idea of which foods are likely to be higher risk.

Reading food labels is a habit and I need to look out for the emphasis of the hazelnut - the apple and peach means I must read the whole ingredients list. Luckily for me, hazelnuts are expensive so not often used where you wouldn’t expect. The same applies for peach. However, apple is often and increasingly used as a cheaper and more natural sweetener. I can eat cooked apple OK - it is the raw apple that I react to. However, it is often not clear in a food if the apple will be raw or cooked, so I don’t tend to risk it.

 

I haven’t had any issues with eating hazelnuts accidentally, but I have had near misses when I’ve been served them even after making my allergy clear. This happened recently in a restaurant in Spain. Luckily, they were sprinkled on top, so I could see them and asked again and had it confirmed. Apple is the one that has caught me out.

A few times I have had “orange juice” in a hotel breakfast which has been “part apple” or even peach juice labelled as orange once in Spain! Salads and coleslaw I will always check! If I’m honest I do not always say that I have allergies upfront - maybe 8/10 times but always declare them if I am asked. I will always check when I place my order and I’m much more cautious if I’m going somewhere I don’t know or somewhere where the food is fancier (where the chef is more likely to add unusual ingredients)! My friends and family are used to this, so it doesn’t become the topic of the meal - if I’m out with people I don’t know so well, then it always becomes a conversation piece!

 

I haven’t had any issues with eating hazelnuts accidentally, but I have had near misses when I’ve been served them even after making my allergy clear. This happened recently in a restaurant in Spain. Luckily, they were sprinkled on top, so I could see them and asked again and had it confirmed. Apple is the one that has caught me out. A few times I have had “orange juice” in a hotel breakfast which has been “part apple” or even peach juice labelled as orange once in Spain! Salads and coleslaw I will always check! If I’m honest I do not always say that I have allergies upfront - maybe 8/10 times but always declare them if I am asked. I will always check when I place my order and I’m much more cautious if I’m going somewhere I don’t know or somewhere where the food is fancier (where the chef is more likely to add unusual ingredients)! My friends and family are used to this, so it doesn’t become the topic of the meal - if I’m out with people I don’t know so well, then it always becomes a conversation piece!

 


If you could change one thing in industry, what would it be?

 

I am allergic to hazelnut but no other nuts and not peanut. I love peanuts, cashews and pistachios in particular! I would like businesses to be specific about what “nuts” are actually present and not just blanket “nuts”. I would also really like businesses, especially food service, to clearly distinguish between the “does contain” and the “may contain” as this really restricts my choice.

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