A Personal Note from Dr. Sheerin on Food Allergies

I am an allergist who has personal interest in food allergy. Most of my patients know that I am allergic to shrimp and that my 13-year-old son is severely allergic to pine nuts. We do not live in fear and do not let food allergies dictate our lives. We go out to eat, shop at grocery stores and eat packaged foods. Like all other food allergy patients, we have learned to read labels and discuss our allergies with restaurant staff. In spite of this, we have had three reactions in restaurants to pine nuts and one to shellfish. Accidents happen even if you follow proper precautions. However, we always have injectable epinephrine and are prepared to use it. In fact, both my son and I have used our EpiPens, which resulted in immediate improvement in our symptoms. The most important message I try to give my patients is this: don’t leave home without it and don’t be afraid to use it. This is the lesson that has been well illustrated by the two recent deaths in Atlanta. These unfortunate young men knew they were allergic but did not have their injectable epinephrine. Timely use of epinephrine could have saved their lives.
As a woman I am not particularly challenged by the task of keeping an EpiPen with me. I keep it in my purse at all times. I do worry about my son, though, who keeps his in his backpack and at school. When he goes out without me, we are challenged with the best way for him to carry it because it doesn’t always fit easily in a pocket (and he’s very reluctant to use a fanny pack). To parents out there, stay on your teenagers to carry an EpiPen at all times. They are at the highest risk to die because they often do not read labels, forget their EpiPen and are more likely to dismiss symptoms. Teach their friends how to recognize symptoms and how to use the EpiPen. Having and using an EpiPen during a reaction can mean the difference between life and death.