(Anaphylactic) Shocking Carelessness

CONTENT WARNING: Severe Allergic Reaction, Emergency Medical Treatment

Reading this story reminded me of the time somebody decided my allergy was fake.

In 2018, my husband, our six-year-old daughter, and I went to a locally famous restaurant nearby for lunch. Our daughter had a kid’s meal — a small pan-fried tuna steak — my husband decided on the adult version of her dish, and I decided on the fish mixed kebab — several different slabs of different fishes and shrimp on a stick. I specifically told the waitress:

Me: “No cod; I’m allergic.”

The waitress wrote it down, and it was on the receipt; they gave us a copy when delivering the food to the table.

But someone in the kitchen must have thought it was bulls*** and added a slab of cod in it.

I took a bite of said piece and felt the tingling in my throat as I swallowed. I told [Husband],  and he called 112 (the emergency number in Portugal). I used my epi-pen, but my throat was still closing.

This next part, [Husband] told me later.

The police and EMTs arrived less than a minute after I stopped breathing and lost consciousness. They intubated me and started chest compressions, which continued all the way to the hospital, where they pumped my stomach and filled me with meds. 

While this was happening, [Husband] was pressing charges with the cops while holding our daughter, who was crying her heart out on his shoulder. The cops asked for the receipt, and they talked to the waitress and then the owner. Then, they got to the cook who made my dish, who arrogantly told them:

Cook: “Nobody is allergic to cod. She’s making it up just to get me into trouble.” 

I had to stay in observation for two days before being discharged from the hospital. 

The cook lost her job, was blacklisted from the profession, and was sentenced to ten years suspended sentence with a permanent criminal record of poisoning, plus attempted murder via negligence. 

Moral of the story: even if you don’t believe, assume an allergy is real.

Related:
The Mom’s Reaction Is More Shocking Than The Anaphylactic One