After thirty years on this planet, I have only just learned of the diveristy of allergic reactions, and only just begun to experience their harsh reality. My learning curver started during my teaching my second semester of high school Math. Until that day, it had been unheard of for me to miss a day, so it's understandable that I was shocked to wake up one morning with an itchy swollen face. As if the overall redness wasn't torture enough, my face was unbearable itchy.



I opted to go to the clinic, where I did not find the sympathy I thought I deserved. When I arrived (minus any form of medical coverage) the clinician seemed uninteresed. The only thing to do, she said, was to try and isolate foods from my diet to find the source of the problem. She informed me o suggest I would be likely to realise these symptoms. She stated that as we get that bit older, we can end up with allergic reactions to foods we've enjoyed all our lives.

The allergic reactions I suffered are really not that severe. All that was needed was a tube of Benadryl cream and a Benadryl capsule (which really tires you, trust me!). However, some allergic reactions can be much more severe, and many will need urgent medical treatment. Some allergic reactions are even deadly, so I'm lucky mine was so mild.

When I was younger I used to wait tables in a fancy restaurant. One of the customers, a friend of one of our more regular diners (a particularly important customer!) asked if there were any seafood used in our cooking process. As it turned out, the stuffing in the meat contained shredded crab, which caused one of the most serious allergic reactions I have ever seen. The man turned purple, and had to be rushed to hospital immediately. The fact that such allergic reactions can alo include the swelling of the tongue is the part that scares me. Imagine that. Your tongue swelling, possibly to the point where your airways are blocked - it could kill you!

My allergy as it turns out was mild allergic reactions to soy milk and soy products in general. I didn't care about what I ate, or how cooked it was - and to think, all because of a little soy bean! Oh, and by the way, the customer turned up the next day completely unharmed after what must have been a horrible experience.

One thing's for sure, alergic reactions are bad news. Whether it's seafood or soy milk, or whether its something completely unrelated, you could find yourself in a tricky position - even if you've had no previous history! But hey, there's nothing you can do about it, apart from seek medical attention if you end up with any unusual ailments.