An Allergic Reaction…From a Kiss?

Do you ever walk in the door from the office and get swarmed by your family? I just want a few moments to myself! After a long day at the office and a horrible commute, I walked into the house to hear my daughter yell out, "Mom! Dad had seafood for lunch!"

Seafood allergies

She smirked at him with her hands on her hip like she knew she would get him into trouble. Then she looked at me to see my reaction.

I looked at my husband, who turned around sheepishly and said, "Oh yeah. I forgot. I told her I had seafood for lunch. And I asked her to remind me to tell you when you got home." I'm allergic to seafood.

It had only been a couple of hours, and he had already forgotten. Good thing he told our daughter about the seafood when he came home because he would have failed to mention it to me. And then he would have given me a kiss, which would've had potentially harmful consequences, and we learned about that the hard way before.

What's an allergic kiss?

I have heard of people experiencing an allergic reaction because their partner or spouse had eaten peanuts, tree nuts, seafood, or another allergen. Then they kissed their partner and had an allergic reaction to a kiss!

I have heard stories about that happening, and one day, it finally happened to me.

Learning from experience

I was out with friends, and my husband stayed home with the kids. He decided to have salmon for dinner since I wasn't in the house. That was thoughtful, right? But when I came home, he asked me how my night went, and without much thought, he kissed me.

A few minutes later, my face started to swell up and tingle. I couldn't figure out why I was having a sudden allergic reaction, that was, until my husband explained, "Oh, I had salmon for dinner."

That's all it took for me to experience an allergic reaction. My husband ate salmon, had residue in his mouth, and passed it to me with a kiss. Apparently, some people are just extra sensitive to their allergen.

Lucky me.

Preventing another allergic kiss

Since this allergic kiss happened, we decided to enact a new rule at our house. To be safe, if my husband decides to eat seafood afterward, he must:

1. Brush his teeth thoroughly.
2. Use mouthwash.
3. Wait 24 hours to kiss me.

It also helps if he tells me he ate seafood so I can avoid kissing him until it's safe again.

Food allergies are a group project

It feels like food allergies are a group project. When family, coworkers, church friends, etc., are involved in helping me avoid an allergic reaction, I can stay safer from allergens.

I know that other people can easily forget about my food allergies. It's not something they have to worry about, so it can fall off their radar. So, it's my responsibility to remind them frequently to be mindful of my allergies. Knowing that others are looking out for me is helpful.

I am always on high alert at church potluck dinners, neighborhood block parties, work parties, etc. And to have an extra layer of protection for me is pretty nice.

Have you ever had an allergic reaction from a kiss after someone ate your allergen?