While attempting to recover from a nasty bout of the flu (respiratory, not stomach) last weekend, I made myself a cup of tea. It was a K-Cup Lipton Throat Soothing tea, and the packaging said "contains soy". No other ingredients were listed. Never having had a previous issue with soy, I eagerly sipped the tea and waited for relief from my sore throat and cough. Minutes later I felt as though a golf ball had entered my throat. Lying down was impossible and even coughing was difficult. My voice got 3 octaves higher, or what my husband fondly calls the "robotic chipmunk" voice. Thanks to my severe peanut allergy I recognized the signs of anaphylactic shock immediately, grabbed some Benadryl and got hold of my mom. Fast forward 30 minutes and I'm at the local E.R. with this cute little ring of life stuck into my arm. Something called Solu-Med or something similar, and prednisone. After 4 hours they sent me home with extra prednisone and instructions to keep away from soy and see a GP for allergy testing.
We're still not completely sure it was the soy that did it, but eliminating soy and that tea from my diet has prevented further issues.
PSA: If your voice gets 3 octaves higher in the middle of a five-minute conversation and you are not a teenage boy, see your doctor or call 9-1-1, STAT.
