Page 94 - The Ultimate Guidebook for Teens with Food Allergies

ingredients, I should have been checking the ingredients as well. I guess growing up with my grandparents making me safe food for so long allowed me to let me guard down around them. From then on, I have started double-checking all ingredients when they cook for me.
Quick Tip - Reminding people once in a while about what you are allergic to, how to use your auto- injector, and what to do in case of a reaction is very helpful—especially for relatives and friends you may not see very often. It’s important to realize that, even though people have good intentions, it is easy to forget details sometimes.
What would you say? (Q&A)
Erika, Katelyn, Sophia
How soon do you tell people?
Erika - I will tell new friends about my severe allergies right away. All my friends have known about my
allergies from the very beginning of our friendships.
Katelyn - Whenever I meet someone new, I always make sure to tell them as soon as the opportunity presents itself—especially if there is food involved.
Sophia – I tell people when I am comfortable. But I tell them as soon as possible if there is food involved. There is no point in keeping it to yourself when you’re in that kind of situation.
Are your friends trained to use your auto-injector? How do you train them?
Erika - I have trained all my friends on how to use an auto-injector in case there is a situation when I cannot administer it myself. I have trained them using a demonstration auto-injector so they can practice administering it themselves. This helps them feel less frightened about possibly having to administer it on me one day.
Katelyn - I show any friend that I go out for lunch or dinner with. Or, if I go to a party, I make sure there is someone with me that knows how to use my auto-injector. I find anaphylaxis to be a good conversation starter and the other person usually finds the auto-injector pretty interesting.
Sophia - All of my friends know how to use my auto-injector. I remember teaching my brother as well when I was twelve and he was eight! We sliced an orange in half, shoved it into a cup face down, and used an expired EpiPen® to see what it really feels like to use. The most important thing I tell my friends is to not take the auto-injector out of the thigh right away. Instead, hold it in for several seconds.
Do all of your friends know about your allergies? Which ones don’t?