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Other Stuff Most all of us have heard of people using food as a plaything in the BDSM world. In fact, most of us have already learned that the kitchen is one of the best places to find ready, handy, and interesting toys. The one thing that is not mentioned enough is that if you are going to investigate the interesting world of food play is allergies. It must be remembered that safe words will seldom be used with food play – it is really up to the Top to be well educated in the signs of anaphylactic shock. (The bottom seldom has the time to use a safe word, or may not know one is needed because this could be the first time to experience an allergic reaction to something.)
Before we go into the meat of this article let me stress that I am not in the medical field. This article is being written by a lay person who firmly believes that even food play needs to be looked at carefully, because a person cannot predict if or when they may experience an allergic reaction to a food or a food by-product. If this article makes you stop and think more cautiously about food play – then I have done you a service. I encourage all to go to a medical person they know and trust with any questions that they may have about anything spoken of in this article.
What started me to think about safety and food play is after an experience I had. I was stung by a bee, have been stung at various times throughout my life and had no reason to expect that I would react any differently than I had in the past. (Angry at myself and some pain at the site of the sting). Within five minutes of being stung this time I found myself having a dizzy spell and falling down. Within seconds my body started to itch so badly I could of taken a knife to my body to skin myself. My heart also started to race. My body started to swell and I began to break out in a very bright red rash.
I was very fortunate that my Master (husband) was home and has medical experience. The first thing he did was call 911 and had me lay down with my legs elevated. It was not long after that, that I found myself in the hospital emergency room being treated for shock. Then came the knowledge that this bee stung had left residual after affects. I was eating a sandwich with honey mustard on it and soon began to experience itching on my neck and face. These body parts were also turning red. My Master and I noticed that this was something that would happen every time I ate or drank anything with honey in it.
When this became something we noticed to be a common reaction we experimented to see if I truly had an allergy to honey. We took a few drops of honey and placed them on various parts of my body. Now nothing happened while the drop of honey was on the skin, but once it was washed off, the area where the honey had been developed a very tender red water blister. It became clear to my Master and I that I not only had developed a severe allergy to bee stings, but also an allergy to honey.
One other thing that I remembered after our experiment with the honey is my Master's reaction to a kiss after I had eaten some chocolate. I knew he had an allergy to chocolate and had taken the steps needed to eliminate it from our diets. Only one day I had eaten a chocolate candy while unwinding after a day at work. While eating this candy, we shared an "I'm glad to have you home" kiss (love those type of kisses). Within minutes I noticed that his lips had started to swell and turn red. Believe me, I make sure I do not kiss him after eating chocolate any more.
Some of the most common food allergies are nuts (and this does include nut based oils), chocolate, and milk. (Remember this can also include milk chocolate and whipped creams.) It is critical that if you know about an allergy, that you inform your play partner. If a play partner has not spoken of a food allergy – ASK! This is an area most do not really think about, but you cannot forget about it. Deaths from anaphylactic shock are rare, but I do not think anyone reading this wants to be a part of that number.
I personally can not think of anything that would be a bigger scene spoiler than say; making your partner a human sundae and then finding them start to go into shock as milk or another food began to be absorbed into the skin and/or was eaten by the bottom. Also, be aware that many of you who make your own oils for lubrication for play – be very careful with any nut based oil. Nuts are frequently found to be something that many are allergic to.
If you know your partner is allergic to something learn to read the labels of anything that you may plan on using for play. If you are unsure about a possible allergy, DO NOT use it until you have experimented with your partner to see if they do have a reaction. Take a very small amount of the suspected food and place it on the wrist or forearm. Watch it; does the area start to itch, turn red or blister? This can be from the time it comes into contact with the skin to minutes after being removed.
The Top should watch for things such as itching (this can be anything from generalized itching to itching at the point of skin contact), swelling of the area of contact and/or all over, there may be some respiratory difficulties (such as a feeling of tightness in the chest and/or any breathing difficulty), increased heart rate, decreasing levels of consciousness and a decrease in blood pressure. A person going into shock may experience only a few of the symptoms listed or they can experience them all. Some of the symptoms may show up right away, some may take up to four hours to manifest. So as a Top you must ALWAYS be aware.
Remember a Top cannot depend on a bottom using a safe word, because for all they know what they are feeling is just a form of sub-space. First call 911 (or any other emergency number for your area). You need to do this right away because you may not have time to transport the bottom to the hospital yourself. Elevate the bottoms feet and help keep their airways open. Do not worry about what the emergency personal may think of a tied and naked bottom. There is not much that these people have not seen as it is. (Of course if you can do it safely, you may wish to loosen any and all bindings.)
Once the emergency personal arrive answer all questions truthfully and honestly. Do not let embarrassment stop you from giving them the information they feel they need, that information could save the life of the bottom.
Remember this is a rare thing to happen to most people. But you can never be sure when or if someone you know may go into shock. Food play is interesting and a fun way to play. But like all play – learn to play safe.
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