Dear Reader,

I can not live without my Epipen.

In the winter of 5th grade, I was getting ready for basketball practice. I was sitting on the counter when my mom had a new snack for me to try. It was an RX bar with almonds, cashews, dates, and eggs in it. The second I ate it I knew something was not right. At first, I thought it just did not taste good. It was bitter with a scratchy, itching feeling. It then felt like an almond was stuck sideways in my throat. My mom and brother did not believe me and laughed at my “overreaction” telling me I was fine. The thought of allergies never crossed our minds because I was 10 and this had never happened. To get over the taste I started drinking milk and returned to doing my homework. After time with the choking feeling getting worse I noticed my lip start to swell up. Right away I knew that this was an allergic reaction. I told my mom and the tone changed instantly. 

My dad and other brother were at basketball practice so they had no clue any of this was happening. When my mom called my dad, panic started to happen. I took some medicine and waited to leave to go to the hospital. While I was waiting I threw up and all of a sudden I felt completely normal again. The swelling went away and I could breathe completely fine. We left to go to the Oconomowoc hospital where I got into a room extremely fast. They ran tests with all sorts of tools. I was there for about 2 hours sitting in the most comfortable bed I have ever been in while watching the Ravens play the Dolphins on Thursday night football. The game was boring as the Ravens won 40-0. I got home around midnight and went to bed. The very next day I got up and went to school as normal. 

Nothing ever felt off after the reaction. I didn’t feel scared or have a big change mentally. Even now I think about my allergy but I often forget to look at food labels or bring my Epipen with me when I go places. Luckily I have not had any reactions since then and It hasn't affected my life in too many ways.