Student says hes terrified of kissing someone because of his severe nut allergy
Oliver Weatherall, who is severely allergic to nuts, has been careful with who he interacts with on a daily basis.
The 22-year-old student, from Farnham, Surrey, has to make sure cutlery is meticulously cleaned as not to leave traces of nuts which could trigger an anaphylactic shock.
And the condition has made his romantic life somewhat difficult.
If a person Oliver kisses has consumed even a handful of peanuts that day, it could cause a severe reaction for him.
Oliver and his family discovered the allergy when he was 13 after he tucked into a slice of buttered toast and his entire body broke out in hives – because the knife had been used to spread peanut butter before being cleaned.
The business student has walked out of restaurants where he felt unsafe and hasnt eaten out for more than a year because he finds it too stressful.
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At meal times, you are at real risk of dying just from food, he said. If the staff arent knowledgeable, I am not willing to put my life in their hands.
At restaurants, you can tell quite quickly if people are clued up about allergens or not – often people think nuts and peanuts are the same for example, but they are not.
And if there is a language barrier, things can get lost in translation.
Also if I think a product might be unsafe, I will check if the company sells any products that contain peanuts and if they do, I wont buy it. I have learned to trust my intuition.
During the World Cup, England fans celebrating a goal had poured beer and other things all over the pub which landed Oliver in hospital.
He said: I didnt feel right and I felt tingling in my lips.
I walked home – which you shouldnt do because exercise can worsen the reaction.
You have to be as calm as possible which is obviously so hard because when you are in that scenario you are panicking.
When your breathing is compromised, you have to act fast.
You have to take action in a small window of time and decipher if you are panicking or your reaction is getting worse and make that call.
More: Food
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He injected his epipen into the upper part of his outer thigh while his dad phoned an ambulance and he was taken to the hospitals resuscitation ward where doctors monitored his heart rate.
Oliver is also allergic to sesame, sulphites, and coconut and has to steer clear of hummus, cider, wine and Asian foods fried in peanut oil.
He has had more than 15 allergic reactions, some so severe he has had to monitor himself for days after being rushed into A&E in case he has a repeat episode.
At the first sign of a reaction, when his lips feel tingly, he takes antihistamine and steroids and keeps an eye on his symptoms.
Oliver is now vegan and launched his own Instagram page – Free From Fourteen Vegan – full of useful recipes which avoid all of the EUs 14 major food allergens and animal products.
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