• BillyClark@piefed.social
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    1 day ago

    I have a food allergy, and I’m always surprised if I ever find people who are lackadaisical about theirs.

    I’m sure every person is different, but for me, when I have a bad reaction, my esophagus almost completely closes, I feel some of the worst pain in my life, and sometimes I can’t stop throwing up, which obviously doesn’t work too well since my esophagus is closed.

    At least it doesn’t obstruct my airway. All I generally have to do is crush some Benadryl and hold it under my tongue when it gets really bad.

    • Ephera@lemmy.ml
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      6 hours ago

      Lactose intolerance isn’t an allergy. The body just lacks lactase in the small intestine for breaking down the lactose. Which means the lactose goes off into the colon unprocessed, where bacteria will gladly ferment it, which causes tons of gas to be released, which is what causes bloating and pain.

      Additionally, to quote Wikipedia:

      The unabsorbed sugars and fermentation products also raise the osmotic pressure of the colon, causing an increased flow of water into the bowels (diarrhea).

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance#Causes

      And really, lactose intolerance during adulthood is kind of the default. It’s only mostly just humans in Europe that started evolving towards adult lactose tolerance.

      • rumschlumpel@feddit.org
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        10 hours ago

        It’s only humans in Europe that started evolving towards adult lactose tolerance.

        Not true, there are ethnicities in sub-saharan africa that are also lactose tolerant, especially eastern africa.

        • Ephera@lemmy.ml
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          9 hours ago

          Alright, yeah, I guess, I should’ve formulated that differently. Basically, this map, which is also in the linked Wikipedia article:

    • JcbAzPx@lemmy.world
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      20 hours ago

      Allergies range from, “this is a bit uncomfortable,” to, “OH MY GOD I’M GOING TO DIE!” It can make it hard for some people to realize the potential seriousness if they’ve only ever experienced mild effects.

    • aeronmelon@lemmy.worldM
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      23 hours ago

      I’m just gonna say that as a child I kept eating ice cream until it stopped making me sick.

      Because it’s fucking ice cream!

    • CuddlyCassowary@lemmy.world
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      23 hours ago

      Same. I’m in and out of the hospital for a week and in the absolute WORST pain during that time too. I don’t fuck with my allergy in the least.