Doctor Dies From Allergic Reaction After Raglan Road Meal at Disney Springs

[disneydreamer1980]

This is so horrible and so sad. My DD is extremely allergic to bees/wasps and we have to carry around epipens everywhere. I know how scary and serious allergies are. Disney has on their website and on all their dietary information though that ultimately it’s up to each persons discretion on whether to dine or not and even though they’ll do the best they can they don’t guarantee absolute lack of allergen so not sure if that will protect them from liability in court or not. I feel terrible for this poor family.

 

[jo-jo]

I didnt have any knowledge of epipens until this thread. Wow, wide spread of costs. But if they are good for 18 months, that’s not so bad.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

That is awful to have happened to this family. i do not have food allergies, so please forgive my ignorance but always thought that an allergic reaction would be somewhat fast. Is there a delayed reaction with nuts and dairy?

My brother is allergic to shellfish and he knows immediately if he has eaten Anything with shellfish or if it has been cooked in the same cookware or oil.

Reactions can be variable from exposure to exposure. Some food allergies are mild. As I understand it, reactions tend to begin within an hour of exposure, but they might begin gradually. Just as environmental allergies are variable, food reactions are also variable.

Some people are allergic, and don't know it. They get used to the histamines. (Like a child who is asked/required to drink milk every day.)

Anyone can develop an allergic reaction.

Food allergies have three components that few folks understand: 1. is the level of reaction- though this can vary over time. 2. is the quantity needed to trigger a reaction. 3. multiple allergies can = a bigger reaction when the person has a double exposure.

A friend of mine is allergic to wheat, but a big exposure = she gets very sick, very quickly, but then she recovers after vomiting. A tiny exposure = her reaction lasts much longer, and she is miserable for up to 2 days.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

It's terrifying. My last close call was at a Baskin Robbins where I was subsequently blamed--I haven't eaten there since. I have already had high anxiety lately due to the Stew Leonard's incident and this shook me up so badly.

Life with food allergies is so rough, people unaffected just don't understand. It's such a struggle sometimes just to get people to take them seriously. One of the reasons we keep coming back to Disney is that it's one of the few places I feel safe. Obviously I never let my guard down entirely, but I've never been anywhere else as attentive about allergies except on Royal Caribbean cruises. The allergy stick part of the story is very troublesome to me because that never would have happened at a Disney restaurant. Even at the festival booths they can break down for you exactly what is in everything if you ask--I have to do this a lot with the proliferation of plant-based items because so many of them are unsafe for me. It's really making me think twice about eating at Disney Springs, even though we've had nothing but excellent experiences at Wine Bar George and the other third party places we've eaten at there.

Food allergies really are horrible for the one that has it and honestly the parent/s of said person too. Just having to live your life scared to do what literally everyone else does as enjoyment and no fear...eating. Really sucks.

As for people who are getting cheaper epi-pens...I'm assuming you are not speaking of the auvi-Qs correct? No one is abe to get Auvi-Qs for less than the 300 or so for the two pack?

 

[kylenne]

Food allergies really are horrible for the one that has it and honestly the parent/s of said person too. Just having to live your life scared to do what literally everyone else does as enjoyment and no fear...eating. Really sucks.

As for people who are getting cheaper epi-pens...I'm assuming you are not speaking of the auvi-Qs correct? No one is abe to get Auvi-Qs for less than the 300 or so for the two pack?

The cheaper ones I was talking about earlier are generics for the Epipen…I’ve not heard of any generics for the Auvi-Qs unfortunately.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I can't help but think this would have never happened at a Disney park restaurant or resort. I know RR is not owned by Disney. Something went seriously wrong in that kitchen.

Mistakes happen. We dined at ‘Ohana shortly after DD17s diagnosis (she was 4 at the time) and they made a mistake. I had the allergens listed on the ADR, I reconfirmed it with the hostess at check in and again with our server when we were seated. I believe the chef even visited our table. DD is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts… they still brought us a tray of dipping sauces that included peanut sauce. Thankfully, I knew something wasn’t right with the sauces and worked with our server and the manager to get things fixed. They were very apologetic, but it taught me to be vigilant regardless of Disney ownership.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

It would be awesome if pharmacies had programs to take back expired epipens and replace them with new.

 

[kc51570]

Food allergies really are horrible for the one that has it and honestly the parent/s of said person too. Just having to live your life scared to do what literally everyone else does as enjoyment and no fear...eating. Really sucks.

As for people who are getting cheaper epi-pens...I'm assuming you are not speaking of the auvi-Qs correct? No one is abe to get Auvi-Qs for less than the 300 or so for the two pack?

The generic epi pens are the cheaper ones. I have not tried AUVI q yet, it states on their website that they would provide you with multiple cartons under one prescription as long as it’s written out that way. It seems like they will only give you one set of epi pens now. For most people, one set is enough, but when you have a kid in Kindergarten, after school care, grandparent, parent, etc. you need more than one set.

ASPN can help find AUVI-Q savings and navigate insurance questions.​

Commercial Insurance:

• If your insurance covers AUVI‑Q, you can pay as little as a $35 copay for multiple cartons when filled in the same transaction*
• If your insurance does not cover AUVI-Q , or if you have a high-deductibleplan, when your doctor sends your AUVI-Q prescription to ASPN, you’ll pay no more than $150 . And, if you have a high-deductible plan, you may be eligible to pay $35 once you’ve met your prescription deductible*

 

[Disneychick75]

I have Auvi-Q and plan to get a new prescription soon. My allergist told me not to get rid of an epinephrine injector just because it has expired. He said in a life threatening event, even an expired pen can help

 

[TheDailyMoo]

but when you have a kid in Kindergarten, after school care, grandparent, parent, etc. you need more than one set.

and that's us!

 

[kathyk2]

I just hope restaurants don't give up and quit trying to accomodate people. I fear they might though, because it's probably easier and cheaper for them. It would suck to not be able to eat out! It's got to be scary for you folks with food allergies. Take care.

If restaurants refused to accommodate people with food allergies it would be a public relations disaster Restaurants don't want alienate potential customers.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

If restaurants refused to accommodate people with food allergies it would be a public relations disaster Restaurants don't want alienate potential customers.

I agree and if anything I hope this emboldens them to really reinforce training of safety protocols. Hey I hope so anyway. Many bread companies started including may contain sesame even though they never had sesame to cover their butts when legislation passed making sesame the 9th top allergen so unfortunately it can work against us.

 

[Disneychick75]

My shellfish allergy anaphylaxis is why we switched from the Beach Club to the Contemporary.

 

[FCDub]

Devastatingly sad.

Having seen this upfront with my nephew who has a peanut allergy, and other friends who have severe allergies, it’s not easy.

And I’ll never forgive the vile poster here who said she’d bring extra peanuts and peanut butter sandwiches on a plane if they ever did away with serving them for allergy reasons.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Life with food allergies is so rough, people unaffected just don't understand. It's such a struggle sometimes just to get people to take them seriously.

Part of the reason for this is because so many people fake allergies. I work in healthcare and I can't count the number of times people swear they are allergic only to be found eating said allergen. Or the people who swear they are allergic to dairy but when we take all dairy from their food they complain they can't have mashed potatoes because they have butter and milk and the response is "oh that's ok, it's just a little." No wonder the general public doesn't understand when these types of people are out there saying 'well a little is ok.' (And for the record, my pet peeve is 'dairy' allergy because that word is vague and misunderstood by so many. I have had people who think dairy is eggs, milk and beef so they aren't sure which a 'dairy allergy' would include. If you have a milk protein allergy, please be specific and say that. A dairy is a place they process milk products. Sorry off my soapbox)

 

[Disneychick75]

Devastatingly sad.

Having seen this upfront with my nephew who has a peanut allergy, and other friends who have severe allergies, it’s not easy.

And I’ll never forgive the vile poster here who said she’d bring extra peanuts and peanut butter sandwiches on a plane if they ever did away with serving them for allergy reasons.

OMG! Seriously, whoever said that should know that an allergy with or w/out anaphylaxis can begin at any age. Shellfish was my main protein source until I was 56 yo. That was when I had my first episode. I've had 2 more in the 91/2 yrs since and it doesn't get less frightening when you can actually feel your throat closing. People should realize that yes, we may get a bit more attention, but I'm willing to bet we'd all trade the attention for living without fear.

 

[pens4821]

Part of the reason for this is because so many people fake allergies. I work in healthcare and I can't count the number of times people swear they are allergic only to be found eating said allergen. Or the people who swear they are allergic to dairy but when we take all dairy from their food they complain they can't have mashed potatoes because they have butter and milk and the response is "oh that's ok, it's just a little." No wonder the general public doesn't understand when these types of people are out there saying 'well a little is ok.' (And for the record, my pet peeve is 'dairy' allergy because that word is vague and misunderstood by so many. I have had people who think dairy is eggs, milk and beef so they aren't sure which a 'dairy allergy' would include. If you have a milk protein allergy, please be specific and say that. A dairy is a place they process milk products. Sorry off my soapbox)

Couldn’t agree more. You work in healthcare, I work in restaurants. I can’t even tell you how often people who say they are allergic to something and then eat it. We take our time to go look at the ingredients and make sure they can/can’t have it. Then when we go back to tell them they can’t, they say well a little bit is ok. I always want to tell them that doing that is bad for the people that can’t even be close to it. While I agree that for some people a little may be ok, making us go out of our way then saying oh well I’m still going to eat it is quite frustrating. However I still won’t ever not look into it, but I feel there are more people out there that say they are allergic to something just because they don’t like it than are actually allergic to it.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

Part of the reason for this is because so many people fake allergies. I work in healthcare and I can't count the number of times people swear they are allergic only to be found eating said allergen. Or the people who swear they are allergic to dairy but when we take all dairy from their food they complain they can't have mashed potatoes because they have butter and milk and the response is "oh that's ok, it's just a little." No wonder the general public doesn't understand when these types of people are out there saying 'well a little is ok.' (And for the record, my pet peeve is 'dairy' allergy because that word is vague and misunderstood by so many. I have had people who think dairy is eggs, milk and beef so they aren't sure which a 'dairy allergy' would include. If you have a milk protein allergy, please be specific and say that. A dairy is a place they process milk products. Sorry off my soapbox)

I was going to bring this up but didn't want to get that far into it but yup it's a joke because it's made a joke by so many people claiming they have allergies when they don't.

 

[Disneychick75]

Couldn’t agree more. You work in healthcare, I work in restaurants. I can’t even tell you how often people who say they are allergic to something and then eat it. We take our time to go look at the ingredients and make sure they can/can’t have it. Then when we go back to tell them they can’t, they say well a little bit is ok. I always want to tell them that doing that is bad for the people that can’t even be close to it. While I agree that for some people a little may be ok, making us go out of our way then saying oh well I’m still going to eat it is quite frustrating. However I still won’t ever not look into it, but I feel there are more people out there that say they are allergic to something just because they don’t like it than are actually allergic to it.

What these people should probably say is that they have a sensitivity or intolerance to whatever ingredient is in the food. A sensitivity/intolerance will not cause anaphylaxis ( unless the person has developed an allergy since the last time the ingredient was consumed).
For instance, I have an allergy to shellfish - quite probably death - but a sensitivity to steroid shots - doubles me over in pain but no worries about dying.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

What these people should probably say is that they have a sensitivity or intolerance to whatever ingredient is in the food. A sensitivity/intolerance will not cause anaphylaxis ( unless the person has developed an allergy since the last time the ingredient was consumed).
For instance, I have an allergy to shellfish - quite probably death - but a sensitivity to steroid shots - doubles me over in pain but no worries about dying.

An allergy even if 'mild' can turn deadly at anytime, reactions are unpredictable so anyone with a real allergy should avoid the allergen. That said most people who do this type of thing actually have no allergy but just don't like the food. For instance, I once had a patient who swore he was allergic to wheat and chicken but then insisted he could eat white bread just not wheat bread. So ok, we won't send wheat bread but wheat is not a problem he just doesn't like whole wheat bread. My boss worked one weekend and went up to check and make sure his meal was ok and we got everything right. Imagine her surprise to see him sitting in bed eating a bucket of KFC his friend brought in.

You work in healthcare, I work in restaurants.

I am a dietitian so I work in healthcare with food service. Best of both worlds.