Peanuts

I have a peanut allergy, which is very severe for me. A small amount of exposure to peanuts could cause anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a strong allergic reaction that could happen very quickly and could affect my breathing and cause a constricted throat. One situation that really showed me how severe it could be occurred when I went to a social gathering. The social gathering had a large crowd and a wide variety of food, which made it difficult to determine if the food I ate was safe for me. A variety of different foods were laid out for the gathering, and after inquiring about some of them, I discovered that one of them had been prepared near peanut products. I ate a small amount of the food, and soon after that, I could feel the symptoms of anaphylaxis. The symptoms were initially mild but soon became noticeable. My throat constricted, and I felt an itch on my skin. I also felt nervous because I knew these were signs of a major allergic reaction. The allergic reaction occurred very quickly, and I had to use my EpiPen. I knew I had to use it right away so that the allergic reaction would not become any worse. Someone called for help, and it was a very scary situation for me because I knew that if I did not do something right away, I could die from the allergic reaction. The situation was overwhelming for me, and I knew just how fast things could go wrong. I knew right then and there that I needed to be very careful about what I ate and that I needed to have my medication with me at all times so that I could prevent another dangerous situation like that from occurring again.