Allergies

[Catscankim]

I took a bunch of soap to work because everybody wants to be a tester lol.

I work with a girl, shes like 24. She has soooo many things “wrong” with her. She doesnt really. I always say shes fragile lol. Chronic left abdominal pain, anemia, metabolism problems, dyslexia, migraines, speech impediment, breast problems, back problem, neck problems, ADHD, turrets. Omg the list can go on. I mentioned one day that i have fibroids and she says “yeah, i probably have that too.” Lol seriously?? How do you function? If i really thought she had all of these issues, i would really feel bad. One day we had a kid with a cleft lip, and she spent the rest of the night with a mirror, examining her upper lip. Shes in the wrong business, lol. By the time she is thirty she will have every ailment known to mankind.

edit....one day i was in the ER to grab a patient, and there she was laying on a stretcher as a patient. Im like omg what happened? “I got a needle stick when i was filling contrast for that baby”

A. You dont know how to start an IV.
B. If you were filling, did you use a red needle? They are blunt. The needle never touched the kid. She says its still a needle stick and she felt like she needed to report it. She got a ”needle stick” from a blunt sterile needle.

Just a funny extra story to add lol

But one thing i do take serious is allergies. I have been on a ventillator for anaphylaxis. And as a CT tech i have seen more reactions to contrast than i care to think about.

So i got all this soap with me to give away and she mentions that shes allergic to mangoes. A lot of my soap has mango butter in it. But i know which ones dont. But i still wouldnt give her a bar. I dont know if there was a cross contamination....maybe one of the bowls or the blender wasnt cleaned out well enough. I couldnt say for sure. She kept saying it was fine....im not risking it.

Am i overreacting to the cross contamination?

 

[Marsi]

Yes and no.

She has the right to manage her allergies.

If you have fully informed her, and you like her enough to give her a bar of soap, I would give her soap to try.

If you think it might turn into a drama, walk away.

Whatever you choose, label your tester soaps with something to state your concern ... this is an example "Allergen warning: These soaps are handmade by me and may contain traces of mango butter, nut oils and milk products"

 

[earlene]

Not to attempt to Dx anyone based on 3rd-hand internet information, but I wouldn't give soap to a raging hypochondriac who claims an allergy to a predominant ingredient in most of my soaps. Cross-contamination disclaimers on labels for foodstuffs is something I see quite frequently as I read labels before making a purchase decision. They may not be common on soap, but in this case, it could be an issue for the consumer. If you don't have that information on your soap label, and she TOLD you about an allergy, you'd be risking problems for yourself. (Just a thought; not sure if it really is a thing with consumers of soap.)

You already mentioned another issue with another person at the pool hall just a few days ago, and your resulting interaction almost coming to blows. You really should avoid that kind of thing in the workplace, even if you don't really think it would ever get to that point. I am not saying you will fly-off-the-handle in your work-place, but with her health anxiety issues the potential for another possible difficult confrontation that could involve her complaining about a reaction to your soap, it's really not worth the risk.

 

[KimW]

I admit the comment "raging hypochondriac" by @earlene gave me a chuckle, though I would seriously take her advice. I had a roommate who was like this and she was a NICU and Pediatric Oncology nurse. If I put myself back in that roommate situation, I can see her suddenly reacting (or thinking she was reacting) to the soap and blaming you instead of herself. I loved the gal and all, but eventually you realize unreasonable people do unreasonable things and, by definition, they'll never be able to provide a reasonable answer for their unreasonable actions.

 

[Jersey Girl]

Not to attempt to Dx anyone based on 3rd-hand internet information, but I wouldn't give soap to a raging hypochondriac who claims an allergy to a predominant ingredient in most of my soaps. Cross-contamination disclaimers on labels for foodstuffs is something I see quite frequently as I read labels before making a purchase decision. They may not be common on soap, but in this case, it could be an issue for the consumer. If you don't have that information on your soap label, and she TOLD you about an allergy, you'd be risking problems for yourself. (Just a thought; not sure if it really is a thing with consumers of soap.)

You already mentioned another issue with another person at the pool hall just a few days ago, and your resulting interaction almost coming to blows. You really should avoid that kind of thing in the workplace, even if you don't really think it would ever get to that point. I am not saying you will fly-off-the-handle in your work-place, but with her health anxiety issues the potential for another possible difficult confrontation that could involve her complaining about a reaction to your soap, it's really not worth the risk.

Totally agree with @earlene.

 

[GemstonePony]

It's fabulous that you have so many testers, I'm just a tiny bit jealous! But unless you want her anxiety over her health to become your anxiety over her health, (which is usually what hypochondriacs either consciously or subconsciously tend to want) do not give her soap! Even if you could make her sign a waiver in paper that she knows what's in the soap, and that you are not in any way responsible for her decision to use the soap, she could still be likely to report a reaction and spread the rumor to all your co-workers.
I would probably go with the "The possibility of making your life any harder is not a risk I'm comfortable with" or the "it's so sweet you're willing to help me, but I would be so worried for you that I'm just not comfortable with this risk" approach. Disagreeing with her pathology will likely make her even more determined to try the soap.

 

[Catscankim]

LOL @earlene ”raging hypochondriac”.

I think once i get insurance i would feel more comfortable giving her a bar with a warning on it.

... in front of a witness and notary lol

Heres a thought. Maybe i should just add a small bit of mango to all my recipes from here on out and NEVER have to give her a bar

 

[LilianNoir]

Eh just tell her you're not comfortable giving someone with an allergy a product that you can't say with confidence doesn't have cross contamination.
And refuse to engage about it after that.

If she does have the allergies she claims, she would be grateful for your candor (and as someone who DOES have multiple health issues and allergies, and has had previous-no-long-friends dismiss me as being hypochondriac, I can say that I do appreciate when people are upfront about ingredients in food and products. I do not take cross contamination risks as much as I can. (sometimes, with food options I don't have a choice))

If she truly IS a hypochondriac, using/accepting your soap after making her claim doesn't make her look very good so she likely won't pursue it any further and if she does, use her own words against her. "Well you said you were allergic and I would HATE to cause you any pain"

 

[Catscankim]

after tonight, i cant with her anymore. She went to the er to get a patient and never came back. I wander over there and shes in the doctors office. she comes out and i ask whats going on. She has a twitch in her eye and she thinks its covid.

Im like...you dont have covid. She says “yeeeaaaah, well i have had this twitch in my eye all night. I really think its covid related.“ Im at a loss for words. So i grab the patient, scan them and bring them back. There she is again, laying in a stretcher. Her eyes are all red and her nose is all snotty, because she thinks she has covid, based on a flippin twitch in her eye.

i soften up, just for her...because soft is not in my genre. Im like honey, you dont have covid. You are probably just tired. ”they said that too. Or maybe an electrolyte imbalance. we arent sure at this point”

We are about to get FIVE trauma alerts from the same accident, and then three drive ups just showed up at the door with gunshot wounds. Im by myself now because my partner thinks she has covid. All i could say was “ok feel better” and leave it at that. In my head i was screaming something entirely different.

She comes back after her covid test came back negative. I try to be as nice as i can after taking off all of my ppe and SWEATING like crazy. She tells me she has an electrolyte imbalance. She has a script in her hand. Im like i hope thats for XANAX. Lol. She says noooo....its for the rash on my face.

She will never get a bar of soap from me LOL.

 

[linne1gi]

after tonight, i cant with her anymore. She went to the er to get a patient and never came back. I wander over there and shes in the doctors office. she comes out and i ask whats going on. She has a twitch in her eye and she thinks its covid.

Im like...you dont have covid. She says “yeeeaaaah, well i have had this twitch in my eye all night. I really think its covid related.“ Im at a loss for words. So i grab the patient, scan them and bring them back. There she is again, laying in a stretcher. Her eyes are all red and her nose is all snotty, because she thinks she has covid, based on a flippin twitch in her eye.

i soften up, just for her...because soft is not in my genre. Im like honey, you dont have covid. You are probably just tired. ”they said that too. Or maybe an electrolyte imbalance. we arent sure at this point”

We are about to get FIVE trauma alerts from the same accident, and then three drive ups just showed up at the door with gunshot wounds. Im by myself now because my partner thinks she has covid. All i could say was “ok feel better” and leave it at that. In my head i was screaming something entirely different.

She comes back after her covid test came back negative. I try to be as nice as i can after taking off all of my ppe and SWEATING like crazy. She tells me she has an electrolyte imbalance. She has a script in her hand. Im like i hope thats for XANAX. Lol. She says noooo....its for the rash on my face.

She will never get a bar of soap from me LOL.

You’re too kind, IMO, I would be working to get her fired. She’s no help to you, you need someone who actually works.