How can my mother not understand that I have food allergies?

[HYHYBT]

I do believe they might have meant "deluded". Would make more sense to me, anyways.

That would make sense to me as well.

Is there any such thing as a forehead-smacking smiley?

[RavenStarr]

Sort of OT. Everytime I ask if something has nuts (for example cookies) in it. They always say , "No, why are you allergic"? No I'm not allergic just don't like nuts. I can see why they ask though. Even a trace of nuts can be deadly to one who is allergic.

[Eisa]

^That's what pisses me off about the dining hall on campus. I don't have a peanut allergy, but I keep tasting peanut butter in stuff like chocolate brownies that shouldn't have peanuts in it...and there are no warnings at all.

[AdminAssistant]

I keep tasting peanut butter in stuff like chocolate brownies that shouldn't have peanuts in it...and there are no warnings at all.

Many if not most of Mom's chocolate dessert recipes call for peanut butter. Chocolate fudge, no-bake cookies, brownies, etc. I'm not sure why, but there it is.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Thanks guys. I honestly don't think showing her the allergy test results would make any difference. She has always been of the mindset that it's MY fault I can't eat things like bananas because I'm overweight (which, btw, also is very hurtful to me. Way to make it entirely my fault, Mom.) I don't think I have the results anymore, anyway.

Contact that Allergist. Since you were treated there, they very likely have the records that they can copy for you.

Also, have you considered going back there and seeing if there is a serum you can be taking? My wife as it turns out is allergic to...well the entire state of Maryland.

Being from New Hampshire, she is not used to the pollens of the trees, grasses, and flowers that are not common (if they can live in the colder climate at all) in her home state.

Since going to the allergist, she was given a serum that will allow her to slowly develop a tolerance to the allergens that are everywhere.

Especially during hay cutting and bailing season.

Since your allergies are low level and allow you to eat some of the allergens as long as some sort of cooking process de-natures some of them a little bit, perhaps there is a serum that they can give you to build your tolerance to the foods in their uncooked states.

[RavenStarr]

I think even if Maggie's mom had the results in front of her, she would still come up with something. As in *Oh these quacks don't know anything* or *Oh well now they just made up these allergies to make you think you have them. Now drink this banana smoothie*.

I think its also possible that deep down her mom feels guilty about sneaking bananas and causing the reaction. She just doesn't want to admit it and tries to shift the blame to someone else.

[Gawdzillers]

For future reference, any smoothie is likely to have banana in it, whether it's in the name or not. Bananas are used in smoothies to heighten the sweet, fruity flavor of the drink, much like vanilla is used in many dishes that don't taste anything like vanilla.

[MaggieTheCat]

Also, have you considered going back there and seeing if there is a serum you can be taking? My wife as it turns out is allergic to...well the entire state of Maryland.

Being from New Hampshire, she is not used to the pollens of the trees, grasses, and flowers that are not common (if they can live in the colder climate at all) in her home state.

Since going to the allergist, she was given a serum that will allow her to slowly develop a tolerance to the allergens that are everywhere.

I'm fairly certain that while there are shots and whatnot that will help with airborn allergies, there is nothing that will help with food allergies. Such a thing just does not exist, to my knowledge. Plus, food allergies tend to be much more dangerous than airborn allergies; my husband has pretty severe airborn allergies to pollen, dust, and mold, and while it makes him miserable, he has never gone into, and really has no risk of going into anaphylactic shock if exposed to the allergens (which is what those shots basically are...a low dose of the allergen given in a controlled environment to try and build up the body's tolerance.) However, food allergies can start mild like mine, but repeat exposure to the substance can actually make them worse, rather than help build up a resistance. Just because I haven't gone into shock from eating a banana doesn't mean I won't in a few years, or next week, or tomorrow, if I'm exposed to it.

I think even if Maggie's mom had the results in front of her, she would still come up with something. As in *Oh these quacks don't know anything* or *Oh well now they just made up these allergies to make you think you have them. Now drink this banana smoothie*.

I think its also possible that deep down her mom feels guilty about sneaking bananas and causing the reaction. She just doesn't want to admit it and tries to shift the blame to someone else.

I agree with both of these statements. Especially the second one. My mom never has, and I doubt ever will, admit to being wrong about anything. Her word was always the end-all, be-all of my childhood, even if she was dead wrong on something that was fact. She could say that the sky is pink, and if I called her out on it, she'd make up some excuse about me mishearing her or not understanding properly and then tell me I'm a brat because I always have to be right about everything (which is, in fact, what SHE does.)

For future reference, any smoothie is likely to have banana in it, whether it's in the name or not.

Yeah, that's why I'll never order anything from a Jamba Juice or similar restaurant; a friend of ours offered to buy us smoothies for breakfast a couple of weeks ago, but I politely declined for exactly this reason. But since my mom made the smoothie herself and I (foolishly, apparently) trusted her, I didn't think she had added banana to it.

For the reference, I make a bang-up smoothie out of frozen berries, greek yogurt, milk, and oatmeal.

[crazylegs]

Does she understand how allergies work? Is she even aware that it's an immune system issue rathe than digestive?

I have developed a food intolerance to salmon (in all its forms); it has an unfortunate habit of bouncing and all my family have been superb about it - such a shame your Mum can't listen to you.