Emergency health scares on the road

I’ve always been of the opinion that having a food allergy is a heinous lot to have drawn in life. I approach this largely from a food-lover’s standpoint, but also because seeing a food allergy being triggered is quite frightening. Seeing it happen just once is enough to make me want to carry an epipen just for safe measure.

A few years ago, I was surprised to find myself traveling with a companion who suffered from a severe nut allergy and took absolutely no precaution to safeguard herself against possible allergic episodes while on the road. She would bite carelessly into cookies and brownies, fishing the potentially life threatening nuts from her mouth. Not certain if she was allergic to a particular nut, she would nibble off a small piece and grin when she wasn’t thrown into anaphylactic shock the next moment. Perhaps worst of all, she never, ever carried an epipen.

When traveling with her I was sure to keep up-to-date information on emergency contacts for the area, despite her lack of concern for the matter. Just like travelers with any other health problem, she should have been traveling with the medication she needed. Most travelers are very diligent about taking all of the necessary precautions for their health before starting their travels, and I was shocked to find myself traveling with someone who threw such caution to the wind, especially when the consequences were so grave.

Have you ever been caught in an emergency health situation while on the road? How did you handle the situation?