October 21, 2025 • 44 mins
In this episode I am joined by Zoë Slaughter, the influencer behind the Invisibly Allergic blog and social media accounts and author of the upcoming book by the same name. Zoë shares candidly about her airborne and contact reactivity, her experience using the new nasal epinephrine Neffy, and how she has navigated a safe work place. We also talk about what it means to advocate for change in a world where food allergies are still misunderstood, and how storytelling can open doors for awareness, empathy, and progress.
https://invisiblyallergic.com/
https://www.fda.gov/safety/medical-product-safety-information/medwatch-forms-fda-safety-reporting
Special thanks to Kyle Dine for permission to use his song The Doghouse for the podcast theme!
www.kyledine.com
Find Dr. Whitehouse:
-thefoodallergypsychologist.com
-Instagram: @thefoodallergypsychologist
-Facebook: Dr. Amanda Whitehouse, Food Allergy Anxiety Psychologist
-welcome@dramandawhitehouse.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (00:00):
here's the situation.
(00:01):
I'm alone.
I'm having a allergic reaction.
I told them, I've never usedthis Neffy before.
I have a really intense burningin my nose, inside of my
nostril.
It feels burnt, like, I got ajalapeno up my nose basically.,
Is this normal?
And he was like, I have heardthat it's a side effect.
That burning and nasaldiscomfort, is possible.
(00:23):
I showed him how I administeredit, and he was like, you did it
right.
'Cause I was nervous that I mayhave done it incorrectly and
caused this pain.
And so, that is the, the story Iguess, of me using the Neffy.
But I didn't have to use asecond, uh, Neffy or EpiPen.
Um, and it really took care ofthe symptoms like immediately.
Speaker (00:48):
Welcome to the Don't Feed the Fear podcast, where we
dive into the complex world offood allergy anxiety.
I'm your host, Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse, food allergyanxiety psychologist and food
allergy mom.
Whether you're dealing withallergies yourself or supporting
someone who is, join us for anempathetic and informative
journey toward food allergy calmand confidence..
(01:09):
Today I am joined by ZoeSlaughter, the founder of the
Blog and Social Media AccountsInvisibly Allergic, and the
author of The Soon to BeReleased memoir of the Same Name
Zoe talks in her book and todayon our episode about her
experience with severe foodallergies.
She is such a positive anduplifting advocate and member of
the food allergy community whoencourages and supports and
(01:30):
lifts up all of the efforts thatare going on.
So today we talk about heradvocacy work and how sharing
personal stories is a reallyimportant part of fueling the
meaningful changes that we allwant to see.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (01:42):
Thank you so much for being here to
talk.
I'm so excited to get to knowyou better could you give, all
my listeners a little bit ofbackground about who you are and
what you have been up to in theallergy world.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly All (01:51):
Oh yeah.
So I'm Zoe Slaughterer.
I live in Louisville, Kentucky,and I have a peanut allergy.
Um, I say my peanut allergy isairborne and cross contact
reactive because it has, uh,gotten to that level.
It.
It's not always been my wholelife, but, um, it's kind of
progressively gotten worse, themore anaphylactic reactions that
I've experienced.
(02:12):
Once I started learning aboutfood allergies myself in my
twenties, um, I learned aboutthe labeling laws in the United
States and kind of the lack oflabeling laws around.
allergies specifically.
And so I started my blog in 2017called Invisibly Allergic.
And really it's always been thesame kind of message as when I
(02:34):
started, is just to, uh, connectwith others with allergies who
feel alone in their experience,feel confused why they're having
reactions and, uh, maybe don'tknow the labeling laws.
And so, yeah, that's, that's whyI started it.
And now I'm on social mediabecause that's the trajectory
that things have taken
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (02:52):
It's the only way to do it.
Right.
I'm finding reluctantly I'mfinding that out myself, but,
but I get to meet nice peoplelike you, so it's worth it.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly A (02:58):
Yes,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (02:59):
there's a piece of that that I would
love.
We didn't really plan to talkabout it, but I.
I, I would love to talk aboutthis airborne piece because I,
it, it's rare.
I don't ever wanna on the show,fearmonger and scare people.
And obviously I've had a lot ofdoctors on who say it's very
rare.
It's extremely unlikely.
And I don't talk about it a lot,but I have a kiddo who has had
airborne reactions to peanutstoo.
(03:20):
I don't, again, I don't wannaterrify people, but I also
think, I don't want people tofeel gaslit.
So I think it's important tohave someone like you explain.
It may be.
Very uncommon, but it can bereal.
So if you have had that happen,your experience is valid.
It might be helpful for them tohear what, how you have gotten
to that point and what you'venoticed.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly A (03:39):
100% because the gaslit thing is
definitely like some, a barrierthat I've had to get over, um,
because I was told by manyallergists, you know, it's super
unusual.
It's really rare, uh, which, youknow, could be true.
And then my experience can alsobe true.
Um, so it's interesting thatyou're.
You know, a child has also hadairborne reactions and even at
(03:59):
their age you've noticed itbecause I really suppressed
that, um, side of my allergy andthought, you know, it's all in
my head throughout high school,uh, you know, throughout, even
earlier than that, middle schoolis kind of as far back as I can
remember having reactions when Iwas just in an environment with
my allergen present and Ithought, you know, this.
It shouldn't be happening.
(04:20):
So it's probably anxiety, andthat's how I navigated it for a
long time.
And then I had, um, a reactionthat, I know we'll get to
talking about this, but I kindof spell it out in my book and I
have it on my blog too.
Um, I really feel like it was apivotal moment for me where I.
Felt empowered, and I don'treally find my airborne allergy
like so scary to tell you thetruth.
(04:42):
But now that I know that it's areal thing, I feel more
empowered by it because I feellike, okay, this is actually
happening and I can respond toit.
Whereas before I was like, do Itake antihistamines?
Do I, you know, what do I do inmy, is it in my head?
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (04:55):
Right, and maybe make a dangerous
choice because you aredismissing.
What's a reaction that needs tobe treated?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisib (05:01):
Exactly.
And so yeah, I had a experiencewhere I walked into a space, I
hadn't touched anything.
The door was propped open.
So I walked in, um, immediatelyfelt like I was hit with kind of
the feeling of a reaction comingon.
Um, I kind of tried to push itdown and say, you know, that's
weird, but obviously.
No one's around.
Nothing's around.
(05:22):
It's an empty space.
Um, but it turns out a couplehours prior, there was an event
in that space where there werepeanut butter, snickers and
candy bars on every table.
And apparently it was likemounds of them, you know, the
center of each table.
Like, um, just plenty of thosein the space, which I had no
evidence of at all.
The tables and chairs andeverything were cleared.
(05:43):
And so after that happened andmy lips started swelling, I
started getting hives.
Um, I was.
Just told myself like, this hashappened so many times where
you've written it off and youare not telling yourself this
anymore.
You know, even if you don't findanyone to validate the
experience, like I know what'shappening now.
And my mom was also verysupportive in that same mindset
(06:03):
where she would say, trust yourbody.
Like, so that's what I've beendoing ever since.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (06:09):
Yeah.
Well, I'm glad your mom issupportive and helping you sort
through and connect with yourgut on this, because you touched
on it, a lot of people wouldsay, oh, that's anxiety.
And obviously yes, anxiety cancause very real physical
symptoms, but you knew thedifference.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (06:24):
Yeah, and I, I have anxiety in how
generalized, um, as an adult,and I'm sure I probably had it
as a kid too, but theydefinitely, I can see the
differences and feel thedifferences in my body between
the two.
And so, um, yeah, I definitelyadvocate for people to tune into
their bodies and just feel whatthey're feeling and try to
validate themselves as much asthey can.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (06:44):
Would you mind saying more about how
you do that?
Obviously the anxiety is commonamong people.
Managing what you are and tohear it from someone who has
learned how to do it foryourself is probably really
powerful.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (06:55):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So for me, typically I startwith like my heart and I kind of
feel like is my heart racing?
of do a body scan, like a simplebody scan of like, how am I
feeling in my body right now?
Am I anxious or does this feelmore like I'm having a sensation
in my body?
I can tune into, that's maybe areaction because I know it's
(07:17):
confusing for people who, youknow, have children with
allergies and don't haveallergies themselves.
But for me it's always beenpretty clear the difference.
Um, it's almost like, you know,I've breathed something in and I
feel like I can feel thatthere's a part of me, um, or a
part of something that's enteredmy body that isn't me like a
(07:37):
foreign.
or something.
So it's been easy for me todifferentiate even before I
think I had the words to, butdefinitely I usually start with
like, how many heartbeats, youknow, am I having, am I having,
um, shortness of breath, likewhere I'm feeling panicked, like
shallow breathing.
Um, just those signs where whenI am having more anxiety, those
(08:01):
are the typical symptoms that Iexperience.
Usually they don't come togetherthe same.
Like if I'm having a reaction,I'm usually fairly calm actually
in my body, um, where I'm liketuned into like, okay, what do I
need to do?
I know the steps.
Here I go.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (08:17):
Right.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (08:18):
Not like panic, you know?
Um, so,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (08:21):
Right.
Frazzled.
So
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibl (08:23):
mm-hmm.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (08:23):
you for sharing that because I think
especially once you came up for,with some words to describe it
to yourself, now you have likethat test to talk yourself
through it if and when it startshappening, that that is, in your
words, your definition connectedwith your physical experience.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibl (08:39):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You're welcome.
Thanks for asking.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (08:42):
awesome.
Yeah.
So you had this response andthen did you do some detective
work afterward?
Is that how you found out aboutthe, like peanut allergy
nightmare of mounds of Snickerson the, I mean, that just sounds
horrifying.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (08:55):
Yeah.
It was at an internship that Iwas going to regularly when I
was in college and I, when I washaving the experience, I was
like, you know what?
I'm gonna text my friend who Iknow.
I just like happened to rememberwhen I was in the space and kind
of trying to figure out am Ihaving a reaction or am I not?
I walked outside and I texted myfriend who had done an event
(09:16):
there earlier and I asked her,you know, was there food at this
event?
And I kind of expected like tonot get a response or, um, to
her, you know, be confused why Iwas asking, or something like
that.
Because I just kind of did acold text of like, Hey, the
event you were at earlier wasthere food?
And within seconds I got a textback from her in all caps, which
(09:38):
is very unusual saying, get outof the space.
There was.
So many peanut products.
And I was like, what?
You know, it was the last thingI was expecting her to say.
I thought she was gonna be like,no, I'm not.
I don't know.
I don't remember.
You know, something like that.
But, um, yeah, so it just goesto show like, I mean, I, I had
no idea what happened in thespace.
I knew there was like a bookreading or something to do with,
(10:00):
um, like she worked at a bookpublisher, so I knew that there
was some kind of event thathappened, but that was all I
knew.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (10:06):
Wow.
Why would you pile Snickers allover a table at an event?
Why is that necessary?
You know
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Alle (10:13):
I know, I know.
Apparently it was like a teenkind of event, like a young
adult, and I'm like even more ofa reason
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (10:18):
what?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (10:18):
have, you know, these kinds of foods
and snacks, but
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (10:23):
Yeah.
Because
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly All (10:23):
it
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (10:24):
80% of those people are gonna have a
food allergy, right?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (10:26):
Right.
Exactly.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (10:28):
Yeah, well, more awareness, which is
obviously a lot of what you'vebeen doing.
So do you wanna talk about yourbook
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (10:34):
sure.
Yeah.
So I've been working on anonfiction around food allergy
awareness since 2019, and it'staken the form of many different
things.
Originally it was all kind ofmemoir, uh, style, where it was
personal to me, personalstories.
Then I kind of felt like, Idon't know if I wanna share all
of this.
Will people wanna read it?
Um, I kind of had a little bitof imposter syndrome where I was
(10:57):
thinking like, who am I to say,you know, all of these things.
Um, so then I went the otherdirection and I went all
statistics, facts, um, to try tokeep it just.
Neutral.
Like I wanted it to have no biasand just be a, a read.
And so I wrote it that way and Iwas like, this is so dry, this
is so boring.
(11:17):
I was like, I have to merge thetwo.
So now I have this hybridversion that feels really like
me and exactly what I kind ofintended in the beginning.
Um, and now, you know, here weare, like the middle of 2025,
the whole premise and heart of.
My book is just for people whohave food allergies themselves,
who are parents of people withfood allergies, or even just in
the social circles or honestlysomeone just curious to learn
(11:40):
more about food allergies.
They could pick it up and readit and find it, you know,
applicable to their situation.
So I wanted to make a book thatI would've appreciated when I
was like a teen.
So it's written for teens andabove.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (11:54):
Yeah, and I will say there's such a
need for this.
In this space because books likethat are such a different read
than the important statisticsand facts that we need to know,
but we, we need to be seen andheard and understand from your
perspective what it's like tolive with it.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (12:10):
Yeah.
Yeah, and it was very healing towrite, honestly, like initially,
I kind of like my blog.
I started this like, is thereanyone else out there?
You know, like kind of writingand feeling like, wow, if, even
if it only helps a couplepeople, that's.
Great.
And it's helped me just through,you know, putting into words and
kind of that journey, um, oflike self-reflection.
Um, but now, yeah, it's morphedinto this book that I'm really
(12:33):
proud of.
Accessibility is huge to me, soI don't want, um, payment to be
a barrier.
So, um, that requires a specificISPN.
So there's all these things I'mlearning since this isn't the
space that I'm inprofessionally.
So.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (12:46):
Right.
Right.
So it, yeah, it's a big learningcurve.
But people want more voices inthe space.
They want stories to be told.
So I'm so excited for you.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (12:54):
Thank you.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (12:55):
Yeah.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (12:55):
for bringing it up.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (12:56):
Of course.
We'll say it now while we're onthe topic.
You're on social media, asinvisibly allergic, right?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly A (13:03):
Yes, that's right.
And um, my book title will beInvisibly Allergic.
Yep.
It's
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (13:08):
there.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (13:08):
uh, link and bio on my social media.
It's on my website.
So, yeah, luckily I've been ableto, uh, keep all of my, you
know, names consistent.
It's always just invisiblyallergic, um, on my website, on
Facebook, Instagram, all of it.
TikTok.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (13:24):
Awesome.
You and I got in contact and youknow, I had heard that you had
had this reaction.
And used your Neffy.
I was like, oh my gosh, will youplease come and talk about it?
Because everyone is so excitedand yet confused and scared
about their nephew, and I thinkthey need to hear from someone
who has used it.
Do you mind sharing that storyfor everybody?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (13:42):
Yeah, absolutely.
I'm more than happy to.
In fact, I shared it with my ownallergist as well because they
were like, you're our firstpatient who's used Neffy.
So I feel like, um, yeah, a usecase
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (13:54):
Guinea pig.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (13:54):
like, yes, the Guinea pig.
Um, so yeah, I.
I was really excited for and Istill am really excited about
Neffy the new, you know, FDA,approved nasal spray,
epinephrine.
Um, and I'd gone to a conferencein November of 2024 where I
actually got to talk to a Neffyrep and it made me feel a lot
more comfortable with the ideaof just the device, you know,
(14:18):
how it worked.
I learned about the temperature,um, being a bit more forgiving
compared to the injectableepinephrine in terms of.
You know, a hot day or thingslike that.
So I was like, you know what,I'm gonna see if my insurance
covers it once it's out.
And um, actually my insurance,luckily did cover it.
I paid$70 for it.
Um, so it was a larger copaythan, um, I have been used to, I
(14:42):
guess, in the past.
But I felt like I wanna give ita go.
Um, so I did get the, um.
Nasal spray.
And then I carried my Auvi Qinjectors with me as well.
And so I went to Canada, um, fora food allergy retreat.
Actually, um, shout out toAmanda Orlando., She's great.
So I went to her food allergyretreat that she had in Toronto
(15:04):
and on my drive back, um, Istopped in Columbus, Ohio and I
had a really like, regimentedidea of where I was going to eat
if I was alone and traveling.
I only wanted to go to chainsthat I'd been to previously and
gone to, you know, a lot.
So, like I went to a Blazepizza.
Um, and this is a.
(15:26):
that has chains all over.
Um, and they have their allergenmenu disclosed online and it's
really easy just to see likewhat allergens they use and
they're very transparent aroundthat.
Um.
So I went to this new BlazePizza that was in Columbus,
Ohio, new to me.
Um, and I ordered my usualpizza.
And as I was eating it, my lastpiece of it, um, I had the
(15:51):
feeling that I'm kind of talkingabout, um, where it just kind of
came over me.
I, I knew I was having areaction and I knew it was to
peanut.
Like I just, in my body, I knowthose sensations and so I.
Was like, you know what?
I have my Neffy on me.
I'm gonna use my Neffy insteadof using my Avi QI have pants
on.
I, I always have a bit of a feararound will it go through jeans?
(16:12):
Like they're like the Levi's,like thick denim.
Like, yeah.
So I was like, I'm gonna do it.
I'm gonna use the, the Neffy.
And so, um, I injected it or Iit into my right nostril and,
um.
Immediately felt relief.
And, um, I was on the phone withmy husband.
(16:33):
I, he told me there's an urgentcare, like diagonal from where
you're at.
And so I made the decision towalk to the urgent care.
Um, I felt really lucky in themoment that I was so close.
Um, I did talk to the staff atthe restaurant about what
happened and they, they werelike, do you think you have a, a
dairy allergy now?
You know?
And I was like, no, I have afeeling it's either from the
(16:54):
plant where the cheese came fromor.
Something got contaminated atsome stage.
They were really kind, theylooked through the binder,
reassured me, nothing hadchanged.
So it wasn't like I got, youknow, peanuts on my pizza, But
maybe they will do someadditional training or something
like that in case someone waseating while they were preparing
(17:14):
the ingredients the day beforeor something like that.
That's where we, we ended andparted ways and I said, I'm
gonna walk to the urgent
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (17:21):
Yes, we can talk about this later,
right?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly A (17:24):
Yes, exactly.
It was kind of like, here's thesituation.
I'm alone.
I'm having a allergic reaction.
But also I'm not accusing you,but I do want you to know in
case I, you know, gounconscious, um, that I'm here
by myself, so.
It was a whirlwind, but I walkedto the urgent care.
It was so close.
Um, and there was no one inthere.
(17:45):
And I explained to the person,um, what I had done.
I showed them, my Neffy,confirmed with me.
You know, I told them, I'venever used this Neffy before.
Have you heard of it?
And they, I was so surprised.
They were like, yep, we've,we've heard of the ne um,
because I thought they weregonna be like, you just use what
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (18:01):
Right.
Where's your pen?
That's the only thing thatexists, right?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisib (18:05):
Exactly.
So, uh, that made me feelreassured too, that they were
like, really current on what'sgoing on.
So they were like, yep, okay,you use that.
And I told them, you know, Ihave a really intense burning in
my nose, um, inside of mynostril.
It feels burnt, like, um.
Just, I, like, I got a jalapenoup my nose basically.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (18:26):
Ouch.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (18:27):
and so I told him, you know, is this
normal?
And he was like, I have heardthat it's a side effect.
Um, that burning and nasaldiscomfort, you know, as a
general term, um, is possible.
And he looked at how Iadministered it.
I showed him how I administeredit, and he was like, you did it
right.
He was like, they make it easy.
(18:48):
They make it so it's hard to getwrong'cause I was nervous that I
may have done it incorrectly andcaused this pain.
Um, and so, yeah, that is the,the story I guess, of me using
the Neffy.
Um.
I did end up getting a steroidshot with Benadryl in it as well
when I was at the urgent care.
(19:08):
Uh, but I didn't have to use asecond, uh, Neffy or EpiPen.
Um, and it really took care ofthe symptoms like immediately.
Like I, I didn't feel a hundredpercent, but I felt like my
symptoms that I was experiencingwere.
Uh, lump in my throat, likethroat tightness.
And then I had that sense ofdoom where I knew like
(19:31):
immediately I need to use myepinephrine.
Um, and so those were mysymptoms.
Usually I have lip swelling,I'll have hives on my chest, uh,
hives on my face.
I didn't have any.
Symptoms.
Um, so it just goes to show thatanaphylaxis can look so many
different ways.
Um, but with the throattightness, I was not wanting to
mess around.
(19:51):
Um, and so yeah, I, I had, Idon't know how in depth you'd
like for me to go, but I.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (19:57):
I think people wanna know.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (19:59):
Okay, so, um, yeah, I was at the
urgent care for three hoursbeing monitored.
Um, my oxygen levels, all of theusual protocol for, you know, an
allergic reaction, anaphylaxis.
Um, and then is where I, I'mlike, I know people are probably
judging me, but it's okay.
I actually drove home.
(20:20):
So, um, I was about three hoursfrom my house when this
happened, and originally I hadplanned to.
Stay the night in Columbus,Ohio, which is where I was.
And my husband was gonna driveup to me and meet me.
Um, but I talked to the personat the nurse at Urgent Care and
he was like, you're cleared togo, like, you're cleared to
drive.
You're good.
(20:41):
Like if you, you know, you'rehitting all the, know, uh,
things that are required for meto release you.
So you've been officiallyreleased.
And he was like, if you wannapull your car into the parking
lot here and just.
You can come and talk to me atany point.
Um, feel free to do that.
We close at eight, otherwise,you know, you're fine.
And I was like hyped up from theum, adrenaline.
(21:06):
So I was like, I think I candrive, but to tell you the
truth, all I could experiencewas the pain in my face.
Um, so I, as I was driving, Ifelt aware, you know, I had a
plan.
If I started feeling sleepy atall, I would call my husband.
He was gonna come and meet mewherever I was.
Um, but I felt fine besidesthat.
My nose just felt like it wasliterally.
(21:28):
Flaming.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (21:29):
Helps.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (21:29):
and only in that nostril, um, my eye
kind of over time startedfeeling worse and worse.
So I put it in this nostril andthis eye only started feeling
like, um, just hot.
Like I felt like I could put anice pack on my face and it would
feel really good.
Um.
But when I looked at myself inthe mirror, there was no visual
(21:51):
symptoms of what I wasexperiencing internally.
Um, so it was kind of confusing.
I kept checking myself out in myrear view mirror, like, am I
looking like really red?
You know, just anythinginflamed, nothing.
I looked completely normal, um,but inside of my face.
Felt so tender my eye, I startedfeeling like I needed to close
(22:12):
it at times just to give it arest.
Honestly, like I, I couldn'tfigure out what was
symptomatically happening fromhaving used the nephi, but
eventually I put, um, a tissueup my nose and I drove the three
hours with a tissue up my nose,and it felt a lot better than
without the tissue pretty muchpreventing any breathing through
(22:33):
the nostril.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (22:34):
I was gonna say, I think that would
make it worse, but it wasmovement through your,
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly All (22:38):
it was like the air hitting the
skin was causing it to feelworse.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (22:44):
yeah.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (22:45):
and that sensation lasted, I timed
it, it was about six hours thatI felt like my nose was on fire.
Like I'd gotten a jalapeno or ahabanero or something, you know,
up my nose.
Um, and then it still burned forat least 24 hours after, but it
was manageable where I couldsleep.
But I did feel like I can feelmy nose is.
(23:08):
In there something is wrong.
Um.
As time went on, I actually hadan allergist appointment coming
up.
Um, and so I went in, I had themlook at my nose.
Um, they said it was really raw,it was very aggravated.
Um, and it was only in thatnostril.
So all signs point to, you know,it's from whatever the nephi
(23:30):
hitting that tissue is.
Um, but I wouldn't say that Iwouldn't do it again.
In fact, I took a walk earliertoday and I brought the Neffy
with me as my only.
Epinephrine because I, I likethat it's easier with the
temperature control.
I don't have to bring like mycooling case yeah, I, I don't
feel afraid to use it, but I do.
I remember when I hit the pumpon the bottom, it was much more
(23:52):
difficult to push than Iexpected.
Um, I had to.
Use both hands in order to, todo it.
So that was one surprise.
And then the burning and the,the lasting, um.
Issues just residual.
They, they increasingly gotbetter.
Um, and I don't know if this isgoing to be the case for
everyone.
I don't think it would be.
(24:12):
Um, but I did, uh, two monthsout I was still having a lot of
discomfort in my nostril.
Um, and so I actually had to beput on a nasal antibiotic.
Um, and so I have finished therounds of that and I feel.
Almost a hundred percent.
I feel like 99.9% back tonormal.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (24:32):
Yeah.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (24:33):
Yeah.
And I do wonder, um, you know,like I said, my allergist didn't
know that that was a symptom,specifically the burning.
They knew that what it says,that side effects are on the
side of the Neffy, but that'sall they, they knew.
So I'm interested to see is morepeople have to use it, um, if
this is their experience.
But one other person I know hasused it, and this was also their
(24:53):
experience, although they didn'tgo on an antibiotic, it
eventually resolved on its own.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (24:59):
But it lasted.
It lasted a long time for themas well.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly All (25:02):
it lasted weeks.
Yeah.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (25:04):
You did everything right.
You didn't question thereaction.
You used your epinephrine, yousought medical care.
You were cleared.
I assume you had a second onefor the drive, in case you
needed another one.
So there is no judgment on, onany of this.
I think it's just everyone's,experience may vary, right?
And so, it's interesting to hearhow, how long this.
This went on for you.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Alle (25:24):
I remember when I was leaving the
urgent care, I was like, I feel.
Fine in terms of like if I needto use another either of the
Neffy, which I was nervousbecause it does say to use it in
the same nostril if you have touse the second.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (25:39):
Yes.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (25:39):
And I was like, I'll do it.
But like am kind of like, what'sthis gonna do to my nose?
You know?
That is something that, youknow, is worth just knowing, um,
that it is going to potentiallyreally burn and you might not
want, you might have morehesitancy to use it a second
one, um, because it does say inthe instructions to use it in
the same.
Nostril.
(26:00):
So I had those, um, I did talkto the urgent care like, um,
nurse, and I was saying to him,you know, if I feel like I need
to use the second one, I, Imight use my AuviQ, um, just
because of the burning.
But it's not like the Neffydidn't work because it
absolutely did its job.
Um, but I had.
Never seen any type of sideeffect around the burning.
(26:22):
And I was really excited becauseI don't love needles.
Um, I especially don't like, youknow, I, I think because I am a
food allergy child turned adult,the epinephrine is intimidating
to me because of being told,like it can go through three
layers of ski gear.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (26:39):
Right.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (26:40):
well, what if I'm in shorts?
I always, in my mind, still evenin my thirties, like goes to
those places where, um, youknow, I, I've had to kind of.
Remind myself like it's okay.
And also it's changed over theyears.
Things have evolved.
Um, but I was really excitedabout the Neffy for that reason
because I do give myself aweekly injection at home, um,
(27:01):
for my autoimmune arthritis.
So it's not like I'm againstgiving myself a needle
injection, you know, at all.
Um, but I like having.
The alternative to a needle if Ifeel like I need it in that
moment.
So
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (27:16):
Yeah.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (27:17):
carry the Neff, but um, I, I worry
about like, what, what is thisdoing in there?
I would love to hear, you know,what is happening, um, inside of
my, our noses And is it anythinglong term we should know about?
Is it common to have to go onan, you know, antibiotic
afterwards?
Um, especially for children, youknow, I was so excited to
(27:40):
promote it to my friends whohave
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (27:42):
Mm-hmm.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (27:42):
and now I'm like, you know, I get it
if you would like it, but don't.
know, my advice is not to breakthe bank to get it.
If you can afford your AVI queueand your EpiPens and the Neffy
is going to cost a lot out ofpocket or something,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (27:58):
Mm-hmm.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (27:59):
you know, I, I would hate for
someone to, to spend, you know,out of pocket 700 plus dollars
or something, and
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (28:05):
Right.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisib (28:06):
discover that it actually causes this
like, severe burning.
Whereas the EpiPen, it's quickand it, there's really no after
effects.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (28:15):
Yeah.
I'm curious was so long of anaftermath worse for you than
just using a needle?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (28:20):
Yeah, because definitely like, you
know, with an injection you willhave some tenderness, you will
have maybe cramping, someburning, you know, there's all
different side effects.
And I think, um, personallythey've looked really different.
For me, sometimes I like, Ididn't really feel it, and then
other times it's like, whoa.
It's like a steroid shot feelingwhere it's like a cramping.
(28:41):
I never would've expected twomonths later that I'm still
dealing with my nose havingissues.
So really beyond a week orsomething, I've never
experienced, you know, stillhaving any issues at the site of
an injection.
Yeah.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (28:54):
and it also sounds like then, a
reminder for two months plus of,I had a reaction, I had a scary
reaction.
I mean, obviously you were okay,you did everything right, but we
kind of wanna move on, right?
Like you, you wanna get back tonormal and you don't feel
normal.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (29:08):
Yeah, absolutely.
It was a reminder and that mademe think for my friends with
kids or just recommending it forchildren, um, you know, it could
be traumatic.
Um, and I do think it's justsomething to have conversations
around, like, you know, if, ifyou can warn them ahead of time
that there's going to be thesesymptoms, maybe that would help
them, you know, through it.
(29:30):
Um, but for me, I was surprisedby them and it was.
Just an abrupt, like, I neverwould've guessed that it had
that type of a reaction andresponse, um, from just using
one, you know, Nephi?
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (29:45):
Right, right.
Most.
Important is what you alreadysaid.
And this is what I thinkpeople's biggest fear is.
Is it going to work?
Right?
It resolved your symptoms rightaway.
Like you, you.
Could feel that it was effectivefirst and foremost, but cost,
like you said, insurancestorage, where am I going and
what's the temperature going tobe?
(30:06):
It sounds like there's a lot offactors that can help people
make an informed decision ofwhat they wanna carry, where and
what, and it might be acombination.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibl (30:12):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, absolutely.
I know for me, once I got myNeffy, I, like I said, I still
carried my AuviQ mainly becauseI was like, this is new to me,
and so I don't wanna only havenefi with me and then suddenly.
No one knows how to use it and Ican't figure out how to use it
or you know, even though I readthe instructions, um, they don't
(30:33):
come with like a tester, youknow how some of
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (30:36):
Yes.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Alle (30:36):
Q has a trainer.
Um, there's nothing like thatwith the nephew.
So I felt a little apprehensive.
And so I did carry, and I stillam carrying two Avi q and two
nephew with me.
Um, I have as an adult, um, goneinto anaphylaxis and had to have
three epinephrine used on me.
And so, um, and I had oral.
(30:56):
Um, antihistamines and steroidsgiven to me when that happened.
And so they told me, you know,always carry four.
So ever since that happened whenI was 23, um, I've always
carried four epinephrine, so Ihad plenty.
But, um, you know, I, like nowI'm kind of like, okay, I like
having the option of either orin that moment for whatever my
(31:18):
needs are.
And, um.
Yeah, I felt like in that momentI chose Nephi.
Um, I would've given myself asecond if I needed to, but there
is, there was definitely morepause than the, the first time
that I used it with the firstone.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (31:32):
Well, and you make a good point.
I think it's exciting that we'restarting to have more options,
but I think we're finally justgetting to the point where
everyone or most people knowwhat an EpiPen is and kind of
have an idea of how to use it.
But if you had that in yourpocket in some bystander needed
to help you, they might it, itlooks like Narcan, right?
So they might not think to givethat to you or how to do it,
(31:53):
like you said.
That's what I love about theAuviQ.
Like it says right on it, justtake this off and then it tells
you what to do.
Anybody can do it.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly A (32:00):
Yes, absolutely.
And I did have, because of theNeffy, I told my workplace,
which is peanut free, um, I letthem know, you know, I got this
new, epinephrine that is not anautoinjector.
Um, and it's.
You know, the first of its kind,it's a nasal spray.
And so I printed theinstructions.
I have those at my desk.
Um, because I didn't want peopleto open my purse if I'm having a
reaction and think, where's herEpi Pen?
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (32:23):
Yeah.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (32:24):
And I, I also, I've seen some, uh,
websites updating their like.
You know, different comparingdifferent types of epinephrine
to include nephi, but it's gonnatake some time for that to
across the board be included.
I think, and that's something Iwanna put on my website as well,
is like a comparison.
And also including the couponsthat go with each, because there
(32:44):
are.
Typically coupons that you canuse if you have insurance.
Um, and so yeah, I like to keeppeople informed about like,
what's cost effective, weigh allthe options, what is most cost
effective for you, you know,what are you, um, worried about
or, you know, kind of trying toget out of the epinephrine,
where do you take it most of thetime?
And then make your decision.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (33:03):
I wanna say, just before I forget, they
don't come with a trainer likethe other ones do, but you can,
if you go on the website, youcan search and request one and
they will send you one.
But it doesn't feel, I, I haveone I, I'll show you.
And it doesn't, it's nothinglike what you described, like
how you had to push.
It's so there's no resistancewhatsoever.
Um.
So, but, but just to have itfamiliar and in your hands, I
(33:25):
feel like is helpful.
So people who are listening, youcan get one if you want it.
Well, thank you for sharingthat.
I do.
I think it's important forpeople to know and they can make
an informed decision.
Choices are good
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (33:34):
yeah.
Yeah, absolutely.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (33:36):
One of the things that I was wondering
if you wanted to talk about, youtalk about this on your website,
medications and pricing and, weneed to have this medication.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Alle (33:43):
I tend to first talk to people
like friends, family, who I'mcomfortable with, and really
anyone who asks me, you know, toelaborate on this, um, to talk
about like, the equity in thehealthcare space in the United
States.
So I personally am for universalhealthcare.
Um, so I, I love the idea ofadvocating for a future where
(34:05):
that is a possibility.
Um, right now it's.
So for-profit it can be really,um, it's depressing.
I mean, I've heard stories ofpeople sharing epinephrine, you
know, two packs between multiplefamilies and switching between
the families so that they haveit for as long as amount of time
as they can get it.
But, you know, if you'reuninsured, it's really hard to
(34:25):
get epinephrine.
And, um, I talked to a familywho did have.
Um, insurance.
It was last year, but theirdaughter was navigating having
new allergies.
Come on.
She was 16 and she had usedeight epinephrine in a month.
and so it just goes to show thatlike, just because you have
access to, a yearly pack, ifyou're having to use it, you
(34:47):
have to, you know, get anotherpack of it.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (34:49):
Right immediately.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (34:50):
Yeah, immediately.
And it's expensive.
And I've, I've had to educatefriends who have kids with food
allergies to not split up theirpacks to put, you know, one at
the, camp that their kid's goingto, and then one at the house.
I'm like, you know, you, youreally, it might take extra
effort, but you wanna keep'emtogether in case there's a
misfire in case, they need asecond one.
(35:10):
You know?
So, um, I think it's not talkedabout enough and the reality is.
There's a lot of advancementsthat are happening, but there's
also a lack of just gettingpeople what they need.
The basic foundation is like, ifyou have an allergy, you deserve
to have epinephrine.
And so that's my focusprimarily.
You know, I get excited aboutsublingual and nephi and you
(35:33):
know, different things, but um,I also.
Remind myself of theperspective.
You know, I'm thinking there'sso many families who don't have
access to just the absolutebasics of even seeing an
allergist to find out what theirallergies are.
So, um, yeah, that's, that'skind of my take.
I, um, I do write pretty openly,like on my blog or at least I
(35:54):
try to, of just beingtransparent and trying to be as
unbiased as I can.
But just showing the facts andsaying, you know, this is
unfortunately the reality of themajority of people with.
Life-threatening food allergiesis they might, they might not
carry an EpiPen and it's, theywould like to,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (36:10):
Right.
I've been learning so much aboutlegal efforts I'm in New York
state and have, some greatpeople who have been fighting
for it have passed, an EpiPenprice cap Act here.
I don't know the status of allthe other states, If nothing
else, you can reach out to yourlegislators and look at what's
going on in your state and speakup There should be no kid
walking around or adult who hasallergies and cannot afford to
be carrying some form ofepinephrine with them.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly A (36:33):
Yes.
Focusing on what we can do andpolicy has been really, um,
important to me and my mentalhealth, honestly, because it
does give me an outlet that Ican focus on and think I am, you
know, trying to be a part of thechange that I wanna see.
So yeah, check and see if yourstate isn't doing it.
My state of Kentucky is not.
Um, so, you know, talking toyour council people, your, you
(36:55):
know, representatives andsaying, you know, this is a
focus and that's what I'm doingin my state of Kentucky.
And you know, there's only somuch that, you know, we can do.
But, um, I did get.
Through the FARE website.
Last year I applied for, uh,food Allergy Awareness Week in
Kentucky, and it did getapproved.
So, um, we had a formal, youknow, in the month of May, um,
(37:17):
the 11th of May, through the17th, it was Food Allergy
Awareness Week, and it shows ourhouse representatives and
senators like.
This is a focus, um, that yourconstituents want to be focused
on.
And so now I'm hopeful thatthrough these small, you know,
steps that maybe they will takeit more seriously when I ask
them to pass these types ofbills.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (37:36):
It sounds like you're also doing
this in your workplace, itsounds like you have
communicated really well andhelped to create awareness and
accommodation at work.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly A (37:45):
It's been a journey.
Um, I started working like I was18 in 2008, so I started working
in a work environment when I wasin 2008.
And back then, um, I asked foraccommodations around my peanut
allergy and there was nothing.
Um, it was like, you can talk topeople about it if you want to.
Like, that was theaccommodation.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (38:04):
It's all on you.
In other words.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (38:06):
Yeah.
And I was like, I already have,you know, like, what, what am I
allowed to ask them?
And they were like, nothing, youknow?
And so I was like, okay.
Um, and so as I've gotten older,more policy has changed.
You know, now it's covered underthe ADA.
Um, and so it's come a long wayand thankfully I've been able to
work with my workplaceemployers.
Um, and so the last fouremployers I've had.
(38:28):
We're peanut free, uh,buildings.
One of them was like a twofloor, you know, 300 employee,
um, office.
And so it's possible, I workedwith the HR department and they
did everything on my behalf, butthey would run things past me
first and ask my advice of, youknow, what my preferences were.
And then they would send outmass emails, they would put
(38:48):
signage up around the building.
They swapped out the snacks fromour vending machine company,
which was super easy.
Um, the vending machine.
You know, place was like, wecould ask this all the time,
like, if you want anythingswapped out, like it's easy to
do.
So it just helped me becomeaware of what possibilities were
even out there.
Um, and so, yeah, now I work ata, a hybrid employer.
(39:09):
It's in my, you know, city and Igo in three days a week and it's
a totally peanut free building.
Um, there's signage up, theysend out emails every so often
reminding people, it's just apart of the conversation, but
it's never a part of it in a waywhere it feels like.
I'm uncomfortable.
Um, and so it's been reallygreat to see.
Um, I, as a kid, I alwaysthought I would be a teacher and
(39:32):
I didn't pursue teaching becauseI was like, peanuts are in
schools and I had so many issuesin schools, you know, 5 0 4
plans.
I predate them.
So, um, it was like foodallergies weren't included, so,
um, that was a tough environmentfor me.
But now I'm like, well, if Iever wanna try a second career,
like maybe I'll become a teacherbecause there's peanut free
(39:54):
schools now, you know, nut freeschools.
And so I'm excited to see wherethe future goes.
But, um, just transparency, I, Italk about this on my side and
on my social media and anyone's.
Able to reach out to me over mycontact form if they want more
information around it.
But, um, I've just talked to mycolleges, my employers, um,
(40:15):
transparently, and that way Iknow if they're not willing to,
you know, make it work.
I'm not putting in all thiseffort to just find out that I'm
gonna have to quit, you know, orsomething like that.
So that's been my strategy isjust being transparent around
it.
Um, I know everyone.
Feels differently if they wannablend in and, you know, not have
the attention on them, which Itotally get to.
(40:37):
Um, so it's just doing what,what your preferences are
really.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (40:40):
I love hearing that and I think that's
encouraging for people, youknow, both who are already
adults and parents like me,wondering what's life gonna be
like someday for my kiddo, um,but you have to ask, right?
You have to communicate yourneeds,
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (40:53):
Yeah.
And everyone's different.
Like I'm airborne and crosscontact, but if someone's
comfortable being in thoseenvironments, they may not wanna
share that, you know,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (40:59):
right?
Zoe Slaughter, (41:00):
understandable.
So, um, that's, that's how I'venavigated it.
But I definitely encourageeveryone just to do what, what
feels right to them, because.
It can look so many differentways.
Amanda Whitehouse, (41:11):
Absolutely.
Well thank you for sharing allof that.
'cause Yeah, there's a lot ofparts of your story that look
different for you and I thinkwill be helpful for people to
hear and to read
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (41:18):
thank you so much.
I'm so excited to, to get it outinto the world.
I've, I've written it, hopingthat it will stay current for at
least like five years, so,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (41:27):
Well, it's hard because the allergy
world is changing so quickly,but your experiences stand right
regardless of what changesmedically, okay.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (41:33):
thank you, Amanda.
I really appreciate you andappreciate you highlighting me
and my story, and you're justsuch a natural at podcasting.
Like I'm so impressed by you,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (41:41):
Thank you very much.
It was great to talk.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (41:44):
Yeah, you too.
Zoe's story reminds us howimportant it is to center lived
experiences.
When we talk about foodallergies, when we make
treatment choices, and when wecreate policies.
Here are three steps you cantake after today's episode
Number one.
Follow Zoe if you don't already.
Her book will be available soon.
I have read it.
(42:04):
It was very touching.
I'll be honest.
I cried at times with her andher perspective is really
powerful to hear.
You can find her online and onall platforms at Invisibly
Allergic.
Number two.
Please know that Zoe and I arenot discouraging anyone from
using any specific epinephrinedevice or combination of devices
that is right for them.
(42:25):
Our goal is to make sure people,again know real life experiences
of other people in our communityso that they can make the best
choice for themselves with theinformation that they have at
hand, We also think it'simportant if anyone does
experience similar issues towhat Zoe did after using their
Neffy or any medication toreport them directly so that
they can be tracked you canreport any medication side
(42:48):
effects or difficulties to theFDA at www.fda.gov/medwatch,
M-E-D-W-A, T-C-H, or by callingone 800 FDA 1 0 8 8 and you can
reach out directly to Neffy toexplain your experiences at 1 8
7 7 6 9 6 3 3 3 9.
(43:10):
I did reach out to Neffy andinvited a representative to join
me for an episode of thepodcast, they declined, but did
clarify that in their 1600administrations of Neffy during
their clinical trials, prolongednasal symptoms like those
described by Zoe were notreported.
The invitation stands if anyonefrom Neffy would like to discuss
this more, and again, the bottomline is.
(43:31):
Carry and don't hesitate to usewhatever epinephrine device or
combination of devices feelsright for you.
The most important thing isgetting your epinephrine when
you need it.
As always, this podcast is notmedical advice.
It's just information for you totake into account when you're
having these discussions withyour own providers.
Number three, if you knowsomeone else who's in the midst
(43:52):
of making that decision,considering which medications to
use, what might work for them tocarry, this would be a great
episode to share with them, tohelp them make a more informed
decision.
Thank you for being here with ustoday.
If you're enjoying the show, Iwould greatly appreciate a
rating or a review to help tospread the show to a bigger
audience.
the content of this podcast isfor informational and
(44:14):
educational purposes only, andis not a substitute for
professional medical or mentalhealth advice, diagnosis, or
treatment.
If you have any questions aboutyour own medical experience or
mental health needs, pleaseconsult a professional.
I'm Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse.
Thanks for joining me.
And until we chat again,remember don't feed the fear.
here's the situation.
(00:01):
I'm alone.
I'm having a allergic reaction.
I told them, I've never usedthis Neffy before.
I have a really intense burningin my nose, inside of my
nostril.
It feels burnt, like, I got ajalapeno up my nose basically.,
Is this normal?
And he was like, I have heardthat it's a side effect.
That burning and nasaldiscomfort, is possible.
(00:23):
I showed him how I administeredit, and he was like, you did it
right.
'Cause I was nervous that I mayhave done it incorrectly and
caused this pain.
And so, that is the, the story Iguess, of me using the Neffy.
But I didn't have to use asecond, uh, Neffy or EpiPen.
Um, and it really took care ofthe symptoms like immediately.
Speaker (00:48):
Welcome to the Don't Feed the Fear podcast, where we
dive into the complex world offood allergy anxiety.
I'm your host, Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse, food allergyanxiety psychologist and food
allergy mom.
Whether you're dealing withallergies yourself or supporting
someone who is, join us for anempathetic and informative
journey toward food allergy calmand confidence..
(01:09):
Today I am joined by ZoeSlaughter, the founder of the
Blog and Social Media AccountsInvisibly Allergic, and the
author of The Soon to BeReleased memoir of the Same Name
Zoe talks in her book and todayon our episode about her
experience with severe foodallergies.
She is such a positive anduplifting advocate and member of
the food allergy community whoencourages and supports and
(01:30):
lifts up all of the efforts thatare going on.
So today we talk about heradvocacy work and how sharing
personal stories is a reallyimportant part of fueling the
meaningful changes that we allwant to see.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (01:42):
Thank you so much for being here to
talk.
I'm so excited to get to knowyou better could you give, all
my listeners a little bit ofbackground about who you are and
what you have been up to in theallergy world.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly All (01:51):
Oh yeah.
So I'm Zoe Slaughterer.
I live in Louisville, Kentucky,and I have a peanut allergy.
Um, I say my peanut allergy isairborne and cross contact
reactive because it has, uh,gotten to that level.
It.
It's not always been my wholelife, but, um, it's kind of
progressively gotten worse, themore anaphylactic reactions that
I've experienced.
(02:12):
Once I started learning aboutfood allergies myself in my
twenties, um, I learned aboutthe labeling laws in the United
States and kind of the lack oflabeling laws around.
allergies specifically.
And so I started my blog in 2017called Invisibly Allergic.
And really it's always been thesame kind of message as when I
(02:34):
started, is just to, uh, connectwith others with allergies who
feel alone in their experience,feel confused why they're having
reactions and, uh, maybe don'tknow the labeling laws.
And so, yeah, that's, that's whyI started it.
And now I'm on social mediabecause that's the trajectory
that things have taken
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (02:52):
It's the only way to do it.
Right.
I'm finding reluctantly I'mfinding that out myself, but,
but I get to meet nice peoplelike you, so it's worth it.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly A (02:58):
Yes,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (02:59):
there's a piece of that that I would
love.
We didn't really plan to talkabout it, but I.
I, I would love to talk aboutthis airborne piece because I,
it, it's rare.
I don't ever wanna on the show,fearmonger and scare people.
And obviously I've had a lot ofdoctors on who say it's very
rare.
It's extremely unlikely.
And I don't talk about it a lot,but I have a kiddo who has had
airborne reactions to peanutstoo.
(03:20):
I don't, again, I don't wannaterrify people, but I also
think, I don't want people tofeel gaslit.
So I think it's important tohave someone like you explain.
It may be.
Very uncommon, but it can bereal.
So if you have had that happen,your experience is valid.
It might be helpful for them tohear what, how you have gotten
to that point and what you'venoticed.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly A (03:39):
100% because the gaslit thing is
definitely like some, a barrierthat I've had to get over, um,
because I was told by manyallergists, you know, it's super
unusual.
It's really rare, uh, which, youknow, could be true.
And then my experience can alsobe true.
Um, so it's interesting thatyou're.
You know, a child has also hadairborne reactions and even at
(03:59):
their age you've noticed itbecause I really suppressed
that, um, side of my allergy andthought, you know, it's all in
my head throughout high school,uh, you know, throughout, even
earlier than that, middle schoolis kind of as far back as I can
remember having reactions when Iwas just in an environment with
my allergen present and Ithought, you know, this.
It shouldn't be happening.
(04:20):
So it's probably anxiety, andthat's how I navigated it for a
long time.
And then I had, um, a reactionthat, I know we'll get to
talking about this, but I kindof spell it out in my book and I
have it on my blog too.
Um, I really feel like it was apivotal moment for me where I.
Felt empowered, and I don'treally find my airborne allergy
like so scary to tell you thetruth.
(04:42):
But now that I know that it's areal thing, I feel more
empowered by it because I feellike, okay, this is actually
happening and I can respond toit.
Whereas before I was like, do Itake antihistamines?
Do I, you know, what do I do inmy, is it in my head?
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (04:55):
Right, and maybe make a dangerous
choice because you aredismissing.
What's a reaction that needs tobe treated?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisib (05:01):
Exactly.
And so yeah, I had a experiencewhere I walked into a space, I
hadn't touched anything.
The door was propped open.
So I walked in, um, immediatelyfelt like I was hit with kind of
the feeling of a reaction comingon.
Um, I kind of tried to push itdown and say, you know, that's
weird, but obviously.
No one's around.
Nothing's around.
(05:22):
It's an empty space.
Um, but it turns out a couplehours prior, there was an event
in that space where there werepeanut butter, snickers and
candy bars on every table.
And apparently it was likemounds of them, you know, the
center of each table.
Like, um, just plenty of thosein the space, which I had no
evidence of at all.
The tables and chairs andeverything were cleared.
(05:43):
And so after that happened andmy lips started swelling, I
started getting hives.
Um, I was.
Just told myself like, this hashappened so many times where
you've written it off and youare not telling yourself this
anymore.
You know, even if you don't findanyone to validate the
experience, like I know what'shappening now.
And my mom was also verysupportive in that same mindset
(06:03):
where she would say, trust yourbody.
Like, so that's what I've beendoing ever since.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (06:09):
Yeah.
Well, I'm glad your mom issupportive and helping you sort
through and connect with yourgut on this, because you touched
on it, a lot of people wouldsay, oh, that's anxiety.
And obviously yes, anxiety cancause very real physical
symptoms, but you knew thedifference.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (06:24):
Yeah, and I, I have anxiety in how
generalized, um, as an adult,and I'm sure I probably had it
as a kid too, but theydefinitely, I can see the
differences and feel thedifferences in my body between
the two.
And so, um, yeah, I definitelyadvocate for people to tune into
their bodies and just feel whatthey're feeling and try to
validate themselves as much asthey can.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (06:44):
Would you mind saying more about how
you do that?
Obviously the anxiety is commonamong people.
Managing what you are and tohear it from someone who has
learned how to do it foryourself is probably really
powerful.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (06:55):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So for me, typically I startwith like my heart and I kind of
feel like is my heart racing?
of do a body scan, like a simplebody scan of like, how am I
feeling in my body right now?
Am I anxious or does this feelmore like I'm having a sensation
in my body?
I can tune into, that's maybe areaction because I know it's
(07:17):
confusing for people who, youknow, have children with
allergies and don't haveallergies themselves.
But for me it's always beenpretty clear the difference.
Um, it's almost like, you know,I've breathed something in and I
feel like I can feel thatthere's a part of me, um, or a
part of something that's enteredmy body that isn't me like a
(07:37):
foreign.
or something.
So it's been easy for me todifferentiate even before I
think I had the words to, butdefinitely I usually start with
like, how many heartbeats, youknow, am I having, am I having,
um, shortness of breath, likewhere I'm feeling panicked, like
shallow breathing.
Um, just those signs where whenI am having more anxiety, those
(08:01):
are the typical symptoms that Iexperience.
Usually they don't come togetherthe same.
Like if I'm having a reaction,I'm usually fairly calm actually
in my body, um, where I'm liketuned into like, okay, what do I
need to do?
I know the steps.
Here I go.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (08:17):
Right.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (08:18):
Not like panic, you know?
Um, so,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (08:21):
Right.
Frazzled.
So
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibl (08:23):
mm-hmm.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (08:23):
you for sharing that because I think
especially once you came up for,with some words to describe it
to yourself, now you have likethat test to talk yourself
through it if and when it startshappening, that that is, in your
words, your definition connectedwith your physical experience.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibl (08:39):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You're welcome.
Thanks for asking.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (08:42):
awesome.
Yeah.
So you had this response andthen did you do some detective
work afterward?
Is that how you found out aboutthe, like peanut allergy
nightmare of mounds of Snickerson the, I mean, that just sounds
horrifying.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (08:55):
Yeah.
It was at an internship that Iwas going to regularly when I
was in college and I, when I washaving the experience, I was
like, you know what?
I'm gonna text my friend who Iknow.
I just like happened to rememberwhen I was in the space and kind
of trying to figure out am Ihaving a reaction or am I not?
I walked outside and I texted myfriend who had done an event
(09:16):
there earlier and I asked her,you know, was there food at this
event?
And I kind of expected like tonot get a response or, um, to
her, you know, be confused why Iwas asking, or something like
that.
Because I just kind of did acold text of like, Hey, the
event you were at earlier wasthere food?
And within seconds I got a textback from her in all caps, which
(09:38):
is very unusual saying, get outof the space.
There was.
So many peanut products.
And I was like, what?
You know, it was the last thingI was expecting her to say.
I thought she was gonna be like,no, I'm not.
I don't know.
I don't remember.
You know, something like that.
But, um, yeah, so it just goesto show like, I mean, I, I had
no idea what happened in thespace.
I knew there was like a bookreading or something to do with,
(10:00):
um, like she worked at a bookpublisher, so I knew that there
was some kind of event thathappened, but that was all I
knew.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (10:06):
Wow.
Why would you pile Snickers allover a table at an event?
Why is that necessary?
You know
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Alle (10:13):
I know, I know.
Apparently it was like a teenkind of event, like a young
adult, and I'm like even more ofa reason
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (10:18):
what?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (10:18):
have, you know, these kinds of foods
and snacks, but
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (10:23):
Yeah.
Because
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly All (10:23):
it
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (10:24):
80% of those people are gonna have a
food allergy, right?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (10:26):
Right.
Exactly.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (10:28):
Yeah, well, more awareness, which is
obviously a lot of what you'vebeen doing.
So do you wanna talk about yourbook
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (10:34):
sure.
Yeah.
So I've been working on anonfiction around food allergy
awareness since 2019, and it'staken the form of many different
things.
Originally it was all kind ofmemoir, uh, style, where it was
personal to me, personalstories.
Then I kind of felt like, Idon't know if I wanna share all
of this.
Will people wanna read it?
Um, I kind of had a little bitof imposter syndrome where I was
(10:57):
thinking like, who am I to say,you know, all of these things.
Um, so then I went the otherdirection and I went all
statistics, facts, um, to try tokeep it just.
Neutral.
Like I wanted it to have no biasand just be a, a read.
And so I wrote it that way and Iwas like, this is so dry, this
is so boring.
(11:17):
I was like, I have to merge thetwo.
So now I have this hybridversion that feels really like
me and exactly what I kind ofintended in the beginning.
Um, and now, you know, here weare, like the middle of 2025,
the whole premise and heart of.
My book is just for people whohave food allergies themselves,
who are parents of people withfood allergies, or even just in
the social circles or honestlysomeone just curious to learn
(11:40):
more about food allergies.
They could pick it up and readit and find it, you know,
applicable to their situation.
So I wanted to make a book thatI would've appreciated when I
was like a teen.
So it's written for teens andabove.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (11:54):
Yeah, and I will say there's such a
need for this.
In this space because books likethat are such a different read
than the important statisticsand facts that we need to know,
but we, we need to be seen andheard and understand from your
perspective what it's like tolive with it.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (12:10):
Yeah.
Yeah, and it was very healing towrite, honestly, like initially,
I kind of like my blog.
I started this like, is thereanyone else out there?
You know, like kind of writingand feeling like, wow, if, even
if it only helps a couplepeople, that's.
Great.
And it's helped me just through,you know, putting into words and
kind of that journey, um, oflike self-reflection.
Um, but now, yeah, it's morphedinto this book that I'm really
(12:33):
proud of.
Accessibility is huge to me, soI don't want, um, payment to be
a barrier.
So, um, that requires a specificISPN.
So there's all these things I'mlearning since this isn't the
space that I'm inprofessionally.
So.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (12:46):
Right.
Right.
So it, yeah, it's a big learningcurve.
But people want more voices inthe space.
They want stories to be told.
So I'm so excited for you.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (12:54):
Thank you.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (12:55):
Yeah.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (12:55):
for bringing it up.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (12:56):
Of course.
We'll say it now while we're onthe topic.
You're on social media, asinvisibly allergic, right?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly A (13:03):
Yes, that's right.
And um, my book title will beInvisibly Allergic.
Yep.
It's
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (13:08):
there.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (13:08):
uh, link and bio on my social media.
It's on my website.
So, yeah, luckily I've been ableto, uh, keep all of my, you
know, names consistent.
It's always just invisiblyallergic, um, on my website, on
Facebook, Instagram, all of it.
TikTok.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (13:24):
Awesome.
You and I got in contact and youknow, I had heard that you had
had this reaction.
And used your Neffy.
I was like, oh my gosh, will youplease come and talk about it?
Because everyone is so excitedand yet confused and scared
about their nephew, and I thinkthey need to hear from someone
who has used it.
Do you mind sharing that storyfor everybody?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (13:42):
Yeah, absolutely.
I'm more than happy to.
In fact, I shared it with my ownallergist as well because they
were like, you're our firstpatient who's used Neffy.
So I feel like, um, yeah, a usecase
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (13:54):
Guinea pig.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (13:54):
like, yes, the Guinea pig.
Um, so yeah, I.
I was really excited for and Istill am really excited about
Neffy the new, you know, FDA,approved nasal spray,
epinephrine.
Um, and I'd gone to a conferencein November of 2024 where I
actually got to talk to a Neffyrep and it made me feel a lot
more comfortable with the ideaof just the device, you know,
(14:18):
how it worked.
I learned about the temperature,um, being a bit more forgiving
compared to the injectableepinephrine in terms of.
You know, a hot day or thingslike that.
So I was like, you know what,I'm gonna see if my insurance
covers it once it's out.
And um, actually my insurance,luckily did cover it.
I paid$70 for it.
Um, so it was a larger copaythan, um, I have been used to, I
(14:42):
guess, in the past.
But I felt like I wanna give ita go.
Um, so I did get the, um.
Nasal spray.
And then I carried my Auvi Qinjectors with me as well.
And so I went to Canada, um, fora food allergy retreat.
Actually, um, shout out toAmanda Orlando., She's great.
So I went to her food allergyretreat that she had in Toronto
(15:04):
and on my drive back, um, Istopped in Columbus, Ohio and I
had a really like, regimentedidea of where I was going to eat
if I was alone and traveling.
I only wanted to go to chainsthat I'd been to previously and
gone to, you know, a lot.
So, like I went to a Blazepizza.
Um, and this is a.
(15:26):
that has chains all over.
Um, and they have their allergenmenu disclosed online and it's
really easy just to see likewhat allergens they use and
they're very transparent aroundthat.
Um.
So I went to this new BlazePizza that was in Columbus,
Ohio, new to me.
Um, and I ordered my usualpizza.
And as I was eating it, my lastpiece of it, um, I had the
(15:51):
feeling that I'm kind of talkingabout, um, where it just kind of
came over me.
I, I knew I was having areaction and I knew it was to
peanut.
Like I just, in my body, I knowthose sensations and so I.
Was like, you know what?
I have my Neffy on me.
I'm gonna use my Neffy insteadof using my Avi QI have pants
on.
I, I always have a bit of a feararound will it go through jeans?
(16:12):
Like they're like the Levi's,like thick denim.
Like, yeah.
So I was like, I'm gonna do it.
I'm gonna use the, the Neffy.
And so, um, I injected it or Iit into my right nostril and,
um.
Immediately felt relief.
And, um, I was on the phone withmy husband.
(16:33):
I, he told me there's an urgentcare, like diagonal from where
you're at.
And so I made the decision towalk to the urgent care.
Um, I felt really lucky in themoment that I was so close.
Um, I did talk to the staff atthe restaurant about what
happened and they, they werelike, do you think you have a, a
dairy allergy now?
You know?
And I was like, no, I have afeeling it's either from the
(16:54):
plant where the cheese came fromor.
Something got contaminated atsome stage.
They were really kind, theylooked through the binder,
reassured me, nothing hadchanged.
So it wasn't like I got, youknow, peanuts on my pizza, But
maybe they will do someadditional training or something
like that in case someone waseating while they were preparing
(17:14):
the ingredients the day beforeor something like that.
That's where we, we ended andparted ways and I said, I'm
gonna walk to the urgent
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (17:21):
Yes, we can talk about this later,
right?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly A (17:24):
Yes, exactly.
It was kind of like, here's thesituation.
I'm alone.
I'm having a allergic reaction.
But also I'm not accusing you,but I do want you to know in
case I, you know, gounconscious, um, that I'm here
by myself, so.
It was a whirlwind, but I walkedto the urgent care.
It was so close.
Um, and there was no one inthere.
(17:45):
And I explained to the person,um, what I had done.
I showed them, my Neffy,confirmed with me.
You know, I told them, I'venever used this Neffy before.
Have you heard of it?
And they, I was so surprised.
They were like, yep, we've,we've heard of the ne um,
because I thought they weregonna be like, you just use what
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (18:01):
Right.
Where's your pen?
That's the only thing thatexists, right?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisib (18:05):
Exactly.
So, uh, that made me feelreassured too, that they were
like, really current on what'sgoing on.
So they were like, yep, okay,you use that.
And I told them, you know, Ihave a really intense burning in
my nose, um, inside of mynostril.
It feels burnt, like, um.
Just, I, like, I got a jalapenoup my nose basically.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (18:26):
Ouch.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (18:27):
and so I told him, you know, is this
normal?
And he was like, I have heardthat it's a side effect.
Um, that burning and nasaldiscomfort, you know, as a
general term, um, is possible.
And he looked at how Iadministered it.
I showed him how I administeredit, and he was like, you did it
right.
He was like, they make it easy.
(18:48):
They make it so it's hard to getwrong'cause I was nervous that I
may have done it incorrectly andcaused this pain.
Um, and so, yeah, that is the,the story I guess, of me using
the Neffy.
Um.
I did end up getting a steroidshot with Benadryl in it as well
when I was at the urgent care.
(19:08):
Uh, but I didn't have to use asecond, uh, Neffy or EpiPen.
Um, and it really took care ofthe symptoms like immediately.
Like I, I didn't feel a hundredpercent, but I felt like my
symptoms that I was experiencingwere.
Uh, lump in my throat, likethroat tightness.
And then I had that sense ofdoom where I knew like
(19:31):
immediately I need to use myepinephrine.
Um, and so those were mysymptoms.
Usually I have lip swelling,I'll have hives on my chest, uh,
hives on my face.
I didn't have any.
Symptoms.
Um, so it just goes to show thatanaphylaxis can look so many
different ways.
Um, but with the throattightness, I was not wanting to
mess around.
(19:51):
Um, and so yeah, I, I had, Idon't know how in depth you'd
like for me to go, but I.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (19:57):
I think people wanna know.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (19:59):
Okay, so, um, yeah, I was at the
urgent care for three hoursbeing monitored.
Um, my oxygen levels, all of theusual protocol for, you know, an
allergic reaction, anaphylaxis.
Um, and then is where I, I'mlike, I know people are probably
judging me, but it's okay.
I actually drove home.
(20:20):
So, um, I was about three hoursfrom my house when this
happened, and originally I hadplanned to.
Stay the night in Columbus,Ohio, which is where I was.
And my husband was gonna driveup to me and meet me.
Um, but I talked to the personat the nurse at Urgent Care and
he was like, you're cleared togo, like, you're cleared to
drive.
You're good.
(20:41):
Like if you, you know, you'rehitting all the, know, uh,
things that are required for meto release you.
So you've been officiallyreleased.
And he was like, if you wannapull your car into the parking
lot here and just.
You can come and talk to me atany point.
Um, feel free to do that.
We close at eight, otherwise,you know, you're fine.
And I was like hyped up from theum, adrenaline.
(21:06):
So I was like, I think I candrive, but to tell you the
truth, all I could experiencewas the pain in my face.
Um, so I, as I was driving, Ifelt aware, you know, I had a
plan.
If I started feeling sleepy atall, I would call my husband.
He was gonna come and meet mewherever I was.
Um, but I felt fine besidesthat.
My nose just felt like it wasliterally.
(21:28):
Flaming.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (21:29):
Helps.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (21:29):
and only in that nostril, um, my eye
kind of over time startedfeeling worse and worse.
So I put it in this nostril andthis eye only started feeling
like, um, just hot.
Like I felt like I could put anice pack on my face and it would
feel really good.
Um.
But when I looked at myself inthe mirror, there was no visual
(21:51):
symptoms of what I wasexperiencing internally.
Um, so it was kind of confusing.
I kept checking myself out in myrear view mirror, like, am I
looking like really red?
You know, just anythinginflamed, nothing.
I looked completely normal, um,but inside of my face.
Felt so tender my eye, I startedfeeling like I needed to close
(22:12):
it at times just to give it arest.
Honestly, like I, I couldn'tfigure out what was
symptomatically happening fromhaving used the nephi, but
eventually I put, um, a tissueup my nose and I drove the three
hours with a tissue up my nose,and it felt a lot better than
without the tissue pretty muchpreventing any breathing through
(22:33):
the nostril.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (22:34):
I was gonna say, I think that would
make it worse, but it wasmovement through your,
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly All (22:38):
it was like the air hitting the
skin was causing it to feelworse.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (22:44):
yeah.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (22:45):
and that sensation lasted, I timed
it, it was about six hours thatI felt like my nose was on fire.
Like I'd gotten a jalapeno or ahabanero or something, you know,
up my nose.
Um, and then it still burned forat least 24 hours after, but it
was manageable where I couldsleep.
But I did feel like I can feelmy nose is.
(23:08):
In there something is wrong.
Um.
As time went on, I actually hadan allergist appointment coming
up.
Um, and so I went in, I had themlook at my nose.
Um, they said it was really raw,it was very aggravated.
Um, and it was only in thatnostril.
So all signs point to, you know,it's from whatever the nephi
(23:30):
hitting that tissue is.
Um, but I wouldn't say that Iwouldn't do it again.
In fact, I took a walk earliertoday and I brought the Neffy
with me as my only.
Epinephrine because I, I likethat it's easier with the
temperature control.
I don't have to bring like mycooling case yeah, I, I don't
feel afraid to use it, but I do.
I remember when I hit the pumpon the bottom, it was much more
(23:52):
difficult to push than Iexpected.
Um, I had to.
Use both hands in order to, todo it.
So that was one surprise.
And then the burning and the,the lasting, um.
Issues just residual.
They, they increasingly gotbetter.
Um, and I don't know if this isgoing to be the case for
everyone.
I don't think it would be.
(24:12):
Um, but I did, uh, two monthsout I was still having a lot of
discomfort in my nostril.
Um, and so I actually had to beput on a nasal antibiotic.
Um, and so I have finished therounds of that and I feel.
Almost a hundred percent.
I feel like 99.9% back tonormal.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (24:32):
Yeah.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (24:33):
Yeah.
And I do wonder, um, you know,like I said, my allergist didn't
know that that was a symptom,specifically the burning.
They knew that what it says,that side effects are on the
side of the Neffy, but that'sall they, they knew.
So I'm interested to see is morepeople have to use it, um, if
this is their experience.
But one other person I know hasused it, and this was also their
(24:53):
experience, although they didn'tgo on an antibiotic, it
eventually resolved on its own.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (24:59):
But it lasted.
It lasted a long time for themas well.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly All (25:02):
it lasted weeks.
Yeah.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (25:04):
You did everything right.
You didn't question thereaction.
You used your epinephrine, yousought medical care.
You were cleared.
I assume you had a second onefor the drive, in case you
needed another one.
So there is no judgment on, onany of this.
I think it's just everyone's,experience may vary, right?
And so, it's interesting to hearhow, how long this.
This went on for you.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Alle (25:24):
I remember when I was leaving the
urgent care, I was like, I feel.
Fine in terms of like if I needto use another either of the
Neffy, which I was nervousbecause it does say to use it in
the same nostril if you have touse the second.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (25:39):
Yes.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (25:39):
And I was like, I'll do it.
But like am kind of like, what'sthis gonna do to my nose?
You know?
That is something that, youknow, is worth just knowing, um,
that it is going to potentiallyreally burn and you might not
want, you might have morehesitancy to use it a second
one, um, because it does say inthe instructions to use it in
the same.
Nostril.
(26:00):
So I had those, um, I did talkto the urgent care like, um,
nurse, and I was saying to him,you know, if I feel like I need
to use the second one, I, Imight use my AuviQ, um, just
because of the burning.
But it's not like the Neffydidn't work because it
absolutely did its job.
Um, but I had.
Never seen any type of sideeffect around the burning.
(26:22):
And I was really excited becauseI don't love needles.
Um, I especially don't like, youknow, I, I think because I am a
food allergy child turned adult,the epinephrine is intimidating
to me because of being told,like it can go through three
layers of ski gear.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (26:39):
Right.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (26:40):
well, what if I'm in shorts?
I always, in my mind, still evenin my thirties, like goes to
those places where, um, youknow, I, I've had to kind of.
Remind myself like it's okay.
And also it's changed over theyears.
Things have evolved.
Um, but I was really excitedabout the Neffy for that reason
because I do give myself aweekly injection at home, um,
(27:01):
for my autoimmune arthritis.
So it's not like I'm againstgiving myself a needle
injection, you know, at all.
Um, but I like having.
The alternative to a needle if Ifeel like I need it in that
moment.
So
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (27:16):
Yeah.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (27:17):
carry the Neff, but um, I, I worry
about like, what, what is thisdoing in there?
I would love to hear, you know,what is happening, um, inside of
my, our noses And is it anythinglong term we should know about?
Is it common to have to go onan, you know, antibiotic
afterwards?
Um, especially for children, youknow, I was so excited to
(27:40):
promote it to my friends whohave
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (27:42):
Mm-hmm.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (27:42):
and now I'm like, you know, I get it
if you would like it, but don't.
know, my advice is not to breakthe bank to get it.
If you can afford your AVI queueand your EpiPens and the Neffy
is going to cost a lot out ofpocket or something,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (27:58):
Mm-hmm.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (27:59):
you know, I, I would hate for
someone to, to spend, you know,out of pocket 700 plus dollars
or something, and
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (28:05):
Right.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisib (28:06):
discover that it actually causes this
like, severe burning.
Whereas the EpiPen, it's quickand it, there's really no after
effects.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (28:15):
Yeah.
I'm curious was so long of anaftermath worse for you than
just using a needle?
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (28:20):
Yeah, because definitely like, you
know, with an injection you willhave some tenderness, you will
have maybe cramping, someburning, you know, there's all
different side effects.
And I think, um, personallythey've looked really different.
For me, sometimes I like, Ididn't really feel it, and then
other times it's like, whoa.
It's like a steroid shot feelingwhere it's like a cramping.
(28:41):
I never would've expected twomonths later that I'm still
dealing with my nose havingissues.
So really beyond a week orsomething, I've never
experienced, you know, stillhaving any issues at the site of
an injection.
Yeah.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (28:54):
and it also sounds like then, a
reminder for two months plus of,I had a reaction, I had a scary
reaction.
I mean, obviously you were okay,you did everything right, but we
kind of wanna move on, right?
Like you, you wanna get back tonormal and you don't feel
normal.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (29:08):
Yeah, absolutely.
It was a reminder and that mademe think for my friends with
kids or just recommending it forchildren, um, you know, it could
be traumatic.
Um, and I do think it's justsomething to have conversations
around, like, you know, if, ifyou can warn them ahead of time
that there's going to be thesesymptoms, maybe that would help
them, you know, through it.
(29:30):
Um, but for me, I was surprisedby them and it was.
Just an abrupt, like, I neverwould've guessed that it had
that type of a reaction andresponse, um, from just using
one, you know, Nephi?
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (29:45):
Right, right.
Most.
Important is what you alreadysaid.
And this is what I thinkpeople's biggest fear is.
Is it going to work?
Right?
It resolved your symptoms rightaway.
Like you, you.
Could feel that it was effectivefirst and foremost, but cost,
like you said, insurancestorage, where am I going and
what's the temperature going tobe?
(30:06):
It sounds like there's a lot offactors that can help people
make an informed decision ofwhat they wanna carry, where and
what, and it might be acombination.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibl (30:12):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, absolutely.
I know for me, once I got myNeffy, I, like I said, I still
carried my AuviQ mainly becauseI was like, this is new to me,
and so I don't wanna only havenefi with me and then suddenly.
No one knows how to use it and Ican't figure out how to use it
or you know, even though I readthe instructions, um, they don't
(30:33):
come with like a tester, youknow how some of
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (30:36):
Yes.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Alle (30:36):
Q has a trainer.
Um, there's nothing like thatwith the nephew.
So I felt a little apprehensive.
And so I did carry, and I stillam carrying two Avi q and two
nephew with me.
Um, I have as an adult, um, goneinto anaphylaxis and had to have
three epinephrine used on me.
And so, um, and I had oral.
(30:56):
Um, antihistamines and steroidsgiven to me when that happened.
And so they told me, you know,always carry four.
So ever since that happened whenI was 23, um, I've always
carried four epinephrine, so Ihad plenty.
But, um, you know, I, like nowI'm kind of like, okay, I like
having the option of either orin that moment for whatever my
(31:18):
needs are.
And, um.
Yeah, I felt like in that momentI chose Nephi.
Um, I would've given myself asecond if I needed to, but there
is, there was definitely morepause than the, the first time
that I used it with the firstone.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (31:32):
Well, and you make a good point.
I think it's exciting that we'restarting to have more options,
but I think we're finally justgetting to the point where
everyone or most people knowwhat an EpiPen is and kind of
have an idea of how to use it.
But if you had that in yourpocket in some bystander needed
to help you, they might it, itlooks like Narcan, right?
So they might not think to givethat to you or how to do it,
(31:53):
like you said.
That's what I love about theAuviQ.
Like it says right on it, justtake this off and then it tells
you what to do.
Anybody can do it.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly A (32:00):
Yes, absolutely.
And I did have, because of theNeffy, I told my workplace,
which is peanut free, um, I letthem know, you know, I got this
new, epinephrine that is not anautoinjector.
Um, and it's.
You know, the first of its kind,it's a nasal spray.
And so I printed theinstructions.
I have those at my desk.
Um, because I didn't want peopleto open my purse if I'm having a
reaction and think, where's herEpi Pen?
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (32:23):
Yeah.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Al (32:24):
And I, I also, I've seen some, uh,
websites updating their like.
You know, different comparingdifferent types of epinephrine
to include nephi, but it's gonnatake some time for that to
across the board be included.
I think, and that's something Iwanna put on my website as well,
is like a comparison.
And also including the couponsthat go with each, because there
(32:44):
are.
Typically coupons that you canuse if you have insurance.
Um, and so yeah, I like to keeppeople informed about like,
what's cost effective, weigh allthe options, what is most cost
effective for you, you know,what are you, um, worried about
or, you know, kind of trying toget out of the epinephrine,
where do you take it most of thetime?
And then make your decision.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (33:03):
I wanna say, just before I forget, they
don't come with a trainer likethe other ones do, but you can,
if you go on the website, youcan search and request one and
they will send you one.
But it doesn't feel, I, I haveone I, I'll show you.
And it doesn't, it's nothinglike what you described, like
how you had to push.
It's so there's no resistancewhatsoever.
Um.
So, but, but just to have itfamiliar and in your hands, I
(33:25):
feel like is helpful.
So people who are listening, youcan get one if you want it.
Well, thank you for sharingthat.
I do.
I think it's important forpeople to know and they can make
an informed decision.
Choices are good
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (33:34):
yeah.
Yeah, absolutely.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (33:36):
One of the things that I was wondering
if you wanted to talk about, youtalk about this on your website,
medications and pricing and, weneed to have this medication.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly Alle (33:43):
I tend to first talk to people
like friends, family, who I'mcomfortable with, and really
anyone who asks me, you know, toelaborate on this, um, to talk
about like, the equity in thehealthcare space in the United
States.
So I personally am for universalhealthcare.
Um, so I, I love the idea ofadvocating for a future where
(34:05):
that is a possibility.
Um, right now it's.
So for-profit it can be really,um, it's depressing.
I mean, I've heard stories ofpeople sharing epinephrine, you
know, two packs between multiplefamilies and switching between
the families so that they haveit for as long as amount of time
as they can get it.
But, you know, if you'reuninsured, it's really hard to
(34:25):
get epinephrine.
And, um, I talked to a familywho did have.
Um, insurance.
It was last year, but theirdaughter was navigating having
new allergies.
Come on.
She was 16 and she had usedeight epinephrine in a month.
and so it just goes to show thatlike, just because you have
access to, a yearly pack, ifyou're having to use it, you
(34:47):
have to, you know, get anotherpack of it.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (34:49):
Right immediately.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (34:50):
Yeah, immediately.
And it's expensive.
And I've, I've had to educatefriends who have kids with food
allergies to not split up theirpacks to put, you know, one at
the, camp that their kid's goingto, and then one at the house.
I'm like, you know, you, youreally, it might take extra
effort, but you wanna keep'emtogether in case there's a
misfire in case, they need asecond one.
(35:10):
You know?
So, um, I think it's not talkedabout enough and the reality is.
There's a lot of advancementsthat are happening, but there's
also a lack of just gettingpeople what they need.
The basic foundation is like, ifyou have an allergy, you deserve
to have epinephrine.
And so that's my focusprimarily.
You know, I get excited aboutsublingual and nephi and you
(35:33):
know, different things, but um,I also.
Remind myself of theperspective.
You know, I'm thinking there'sso many families who don't have
access to just the absolutebasics of even seeing an
allergist to find out what theirallergies are.
So, um, yeah, that's, that'skind of my take.
I, um, I do write pretty openly,like on my blog or at least I
(35:54):
try to, of just beingtransparent and trying to be as
unbiased as I can.
But just showing the facts andsaying, you know, this is
unfortunately the reality of themajority of people with.
Life-threatening food allergiesis they might, they might not
carry an EpiPen and it's, theywould like to,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (36:10):
Right.
I've been learning so much aboutlegal efforts I'm in New York
state and have, some greatpeople who have been fighting
for it have passed, an EpiPenprice cap Act here.
I don't know the status of allthe other states, If nothing
else, you can reach out to yourlegislators and look at what's
going on in your state and speakup There should be no kid
walking around or adult who hasallergies and cannot afford to
be carrying some form ofepinephrine with them.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly A (36:33):
Yes.
Focusing on what we can do andpolicy has been really, um,
important to me and my mentalhealth, honestly, because it
does give me an outlet that Ican focus on and think I am, you
know, trying to be a part of thechange that I wanna see.
So yeah, check and see if yourstate isn't doing it.
My state of Kentucky is not.
Um, so, you know, talking toyour council people, your, you
(36:55):
know, representatives andsaying, you know, this is a
focus and that's what I'm doingin my state of Kentucky.
And you know, there's only somuch that, you know, we can do.
But, um, I did get.
Through the FARE website.
Last year I applied for, uh,food Allergy Awareness Week in
Kentucky, and it did getapproved.
So, um, we had a formal, youknow, in the month of May, um,
(37:17):
the 11th of May, through the17th, it was Food Allergy
Awareness Week, and it shows ourhouse representatives and
senators like.
This is a focus, um, that yourconstituents want to be focused
on.
And so now I'm hopeful thatthrough these small, you know,
steps that maybe they will takeit more seriously when I ask
them to pass these types ofbills.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (37:36):
It sounds like you're also doing
this in your workplace, itsounds like you have
communicated really well andhelped to create awareness and
accommodation at work.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly A (37:45):
It's been a journey.
Um, I started working like I was18 in 2008, so I started working
in a work environment when I wasin 2008.
And back then, um, I asked foraccommodations around my peanut
allergy and there was nothing.
Um, it was like, you can talk topeople about it if you want to.
Like, that was theaccommodation.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (38:04):
It's all on you.
In other words.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (38:06):
Yeah.
And I was like, I already have,you know, like, what, what am I
allowed to ask them?
And they were like, nothing, youknow?
And so I was like, okay.
Um, and so as I've gotten older,more policy has changed.
You know, now it's covered underthe ADA.
Um, and so it's come a long wayand thankfully I've been able to
work with my workplaceemployers.
Um, and so the last fouremployers I've had.
(38:28):
We're peanut free, uh,buildings.
One of them was like a twofloor, you know, 300 employee,
um, office.
And so it's possible, I workedwith the HR department and they
did everything on my behalf, butthey would run things past me
first and ask my advice of, youknow, what my preferences were.
And then they would send outmass emails, they would put
(38:48):
signage up around the building.
They swapped out the snacks fromour vending machine company,
which was super easy.
Um, the vending machine.
You know, place was like, wecould ask this all the time,
like, if you want anythingswapped out, like it's easy to
do.
So it just helped me becomeaware of what possibilities were
even out there.
Um, and so, yeah, now I work ata, a hybrid employer.
(39:09):
It's in my, you know, city and Igo in three days a week and it's
a totally peanut free building.
Um, there's signage up, theysend out emails every so often
reminding people, it's just apart of the conversation, but
it's never a part of it in a waywhere it feels like.
I'm uncomfortable.
Um, and so it's been reallygreat to see.
Um, I, as a kid, I alwaysthought I would be a teacher and
(39:32):
I didn't pursue teaching becauseI was like, peanuts are in
schools and I had so many issuesin schools, you know, 5 0 4
plans.
I predate them.
So, um, it was like foodallergies weren't included, so,
um, that was a tough environmentfor me.
But now I'm like, well, if Iever wanna try a second career,
like maybe I'll become a teacherbecause there's peanut free
(39:54):
schools now, you know, nut freeschools.
And so I'm excited to see wherethe future goes.
But, um, just transparency, I, Italk about this on my side and
on my social media and anyone's.
Able to reach out to me over mycontact form if they want more
information around it.
But, um, I've just talked to mycolleges, my employers, um,
(40:15):
transparently, and that way Iknow if they're not willing to,
you know, make it work.
I'm not putting in all thiseffort to just find out that I'm
gonna have to quit, you know, orsomething like that.
So that's been my strategy isjust being transparent around
it.
Um, I know everyone.
Feels differently if they wannablend in and, you know, not have
the attention on them, which Itotally get to.
(40:37):
Um, so it's just doing what,what your preferences are
really.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (40:40):
I love hearing that and I think that's
encouraging for people, youknow, both who are already
adults and parents like me,wondering what's life gonna be
like someday for my kiddo, um,but you have to ask, right?
You have to communicate yourneeds,
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (40:53):
Yeah.
And everyone's different.
Like I'm airborne and crosscontact, but if someone's
comfortable being in thoseenvironments, they may not wanna
share that, you know,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (40:59):
right?
Zoe Slaughter, (41:00):
understandable.
So, um, that's, that's how I'venavigated it.
But I definitely encourageeveryone just to do what, what
feels right to them, because.
It can look so many differentways.
Amanda Whitehouse, (41:11):
Absolutely.
Well thank you for sharing allof that.
'cause Yeah, there's a lot ofparts of your story that look
different for you and I thinkwill be helpful for people to
hear and to read
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (41:18):
thank you so much.
I'm so excited to, to get it outinto the world.
I've, I've written it, hopingthat it will stay current for at
least like five years, so,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (41:27):
Well, it's hard because the allergy
world is changing so quickly,but your experiences stand right
regardless of what changesmedically, okay.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (41:33):
thank you, Amanda.
I really appreciate you andappreciate you highlighting me
and my story, and you're justsuch a natural at podcasting.
Like I'm so impressed by you,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (41:41):
Thank you very much.
It was great to talk.
Zoe Slaughter, Invisibly (41:44):
Yeah, you too.
Zoe's story reminds us howimportant it is to center lived
experiences.
When we talk about foodallergies, when we make
treatment choices, and when wecreate policies.
Here are three steps you cantake after today's episode
Number one.
Follow Zoe if you don't already.
Her book will be available soon.
I have read it.
(42:04):
It was very touching.
I'll be honest.
I cried at times with her andher perspective is really
powerful to hear.
You can find her online and onall platforms at Invisibly
Allergic.
Number two.
Please know that Zoe and I arenot discouraging anyone from
using any specific epinephrinedevice or combination of devices
that is right for them.
(42:25):
Our goal is to make sure people,again know real life experiences
of other people in our communityso that they can make the best
choice for themselves with theinformation that they have at
hand, We also think it'simportant if anyone does
experience similar issues towhat Zoe did after using their
Neffy or any medication toreport them directly so that
they can be tracked you canreport any medication side
(42:48):
effects or difficulties to theFDA at www.fda.gov/medwatch,
M-E-D-W-A, T-C-H, or by callingone 800 FDA 1 0 8 8 and you can
reach out directly to Neffy toexplain your experiences at 1 8
7 7 6 9 6 3 3 3 9.
(43:10):
I did reach out to Neffy andinvited a representative to join
me for an episode of thepodcast, they declined, but did
clarify that in their 1600administrations of Neffy during
their clinical trials, prolongednasal symptoms like those
described by Zoe were notreported.
The invitation stands if anyonefrom Neffy would like to discuss
this more, and again, the bottomline is.
(43:31):
Carry and don't hesitate to usewhatever epinephrine device or
combination of devices feelsright for you.
The most important thing isgetting your epinephrine when
you need it.
As always, this podcast is notmedical advice.
It's just information for you totake into account when you're
having these discussions withyour own providers.
Number three, if you knowsomeone else who's in the midst
(43:52):
of making that decision,considering which medications to
use, what might work for them tocarry, this would be a great
episode to share with them, tohelp them make a more informed
decision.
Thank you for being here with ustoday.
If you're enjoying the show, Iwould greatly appreciate a
rating or a review to help tospread the show to a bigger
audience.
the content of this podcast isfor informational and
(44:14):
educational purposes only, andis not a substitute for
professional medical or mentalhealth advice, diagnosis, or
treatment.
If you have any questions aboutyour own medical experience or
mental health needs, pleaseconsult a professional.
I'm Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse.
Thanks for joining me.
And until we chat again,remember don't feed the fear.
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