... If someone is allergic to eggs? There is this part in a short story that I am planning to resume for a collection where a character becomes possessed, and I got the idea in my head that he was about to be forced to consume an egg, something that he was allergic to. Personally, I'd feel lame if it turns out that no one had ever died from consuming an egg if they suffered from egg allergies, and I had tried on my own in the past to research that, but PEANUT allergies kept coming up instead. So could it be potentially fatal? Or should I just switch his allergies to peanut? I really don't want someone to find this particular part funny if it turns out that I was all wrong about how severe allergies work. I would personally be terrified if someone tried to do themselves in that way, if I didn't know that they were possessed. Any response would be welcome.
It depends on the severity of the allergy. Some people will have mild reactions to any food they're allergic to; for others it means a fast and frantic trip to the emergency room.
I Googled anaphylaxis eggs and found some sites addressing the question. (I didn't read thoroughly to find a definitive answer, but it looks like a good search string to start with.)
I opt for switching over to peanut allergy. Because if the allergy you choose isn't common enough, there'll probably be readers who'd find it funny even if you got everything right, because they wouldn't know you've got it right and just assume you're wrong if it sounds ridiculous enough.
Wow, I have QUITE a few options of food allergies to sort through. Since I just now learned that few teens would still have an egg allergy, at least that could prove fatal, I could use the "excuse" that no one bothered to help him deal with it, but I might just be better off looking at another food allergy. Well, darn. I just felt like I really wanted it to be an egg. I could still use the egg, of course, but it HAS to be something that could be consumable (and dogs and cats would NOT be one of them, for obvious reasons). Thank you all. For now, I'm considering maybe coconut. But it might be "silly" no matter I do. I'll just have to try harder then.
People can be allergic to almost anything, eggs included, and in extremely rare cases, exposure to the allergen can cause anaphylactic shock and death. Even fast and severe swelling of the tongue and throat (angioedema) can obstruct the breathing if the treatment isn't administered in time. Also, flu vaccine contains egg protein which can cause an allergic reaction. So, there are multiple ways you can make this work.
