Frustrations Boil Over For Person With Peanut Allergy Facing Friend's Food Dictates And Statements That Allergy Is Not Severe

"If I were you I'd eat a handful of peanut M&M's right in front of her."

Chelsi

• Published in Interesting
• February 9, 2024

Reddit is littered with stories of friends underplaying someone's allergies. Some even go as far as to deny the existence of allergies and chalk it up to a person's preference.

A young Redditor cannot relate to that problem. If anything, their new friend has been extremely careful not to expose them to peanuts.

Their friend refused to understand that OP's peanut allergy was not that severe. Their parents exposed OP to peanuts when they were young to gradually reduce their allergic reaction.

OP remembered how awful the exposure training was, but it worked. OP only gets a rash around their lips if they accidentally ingest peanuts.

OP has no fear of ending up in the emergency room if they come in contact with a stray peanut. Laura, OP's new friend, was sympathetic when OP informed her of their peanut allergy.

Laura shared how terrifying it was when she saw someone have an allergic reaction. Since then, Laura has taken it upon herself to protect OP from peanuts.

She vetoes all the restaurants their friend group goes to. Laura brings up OP's allergy every time they see each other and would probably offer to be OP's food taster if they allowed it.

Their group tensed up each time OP had to explain to Laura how minor their allergic reaction to peanuts was. Despite their many conversations, Laura remained vigilant about exposing OP to peanuts.

OP grew tired of Laura's protectiveness. They snapped during a recent hangout when the group decided to go to Five Guys.

Laura berated one of their friends for taking OP to a place where they could have an allergic reaction.

OP told Laura to stop micromanaging their allergy and involving them in her trauma.

The group decided to go to Five Guys without Laura. Their group was split if OP was too harsh with Laura when she showed she cared about them.

Is Laura hiding behind OP's peanut allergy to avoid going to restaurants she dislikes?

Or is her overprotectiveness a sign that she likes OP?

If so, her extreme caution is not translating as care.

Policing OP's food choices just makes Laura seem controlling.

If Laura genuinely cared about OP, she would listen to their explanations about their allergy.

Laura needs to understand that the anaphylactic reaction she once witnessed is not the same reaction OP would have if they ate peanuts.

Would Laura appreciate it if OP was as militant as she was about her food choices?

Laura would be the one to end up in urgent care if she saw OP eat a peanut butter cup.

Laura ignoring OP's explanation that they would be fine if they ate peanuts or went to a place that served any peanut product is neither kind nor caring.

Laura is wrong to impose her decisions on OP and their friend group. It's insulting on OP's part whenever Laura behaved like she knew more about OP's health than they did.

Laura needs to respect OP's autonomy. OP is more than capable of deciding which restaurant and food they could safely consume.

Laura should have listened to OP during the multiple occasions they attempted to explain to her about their peanut allergy. It's understandable why Laura would be cautious about causing OP's allergic reaction after the anaphylactic shock they previously witnessed.

However, as OP tried to explain to Laura, their peanut allergy was not severe. If Laura cares about OP, she should apologize for controlling their diet when she should have respected OP's ability to choose the food they consume.

Chelsi