An asthmatic mum was rushed to hospital with a life-threatening allergic reaction after chewing on a rubber band in her Chinese takeaway.

The woman, who were are identifying as Rachel, immediately started swelling up and got into breathing difficulties after biting into the three-inch elastic loop found in her chow mein.

She spat it out and reached for an inhaler - she was sharing the meal with her carer, Michael Kaye, at her Lenham home.

Her condition then deteriorated with her neck and face turning a “bright beetroot”, her tongue felt heavy and she had a tingling sensation in her throat.

It became apparent that Rachel, who is in her 50s and partially sighted, was suffering from a dangerous condition known as Anaphylaxis triggered by an allergy to rubber.

Mr Kaye called 999 and administered emergency EpiPen adrenalin injections while waiting for the ambulance to arrive on Saturday night.

Paramedics gave Rachel medication before she was blue-lighted to Maidstone Hospital’s emergency department.

She was put on an intravenous drip while the effects gradually wore off the following morning and she went home.

Mr Kaye has since complained to the manager of the Chopsticks and Bowl in Lenham High Street where he had picked up the pancake rolls, beef chow mein and curry sauce.

A restaurant representative apologised saying he was “shocked” that the rubber band had been found among the noodles.

He also asked after the customer’s welfare and said they were looking at ways to ensure this did not happen again, although they were puzzled how it had happened in the first place.

Rachel, a mother of two daughters, said: “I didn’t panic because I knew it would only make things worse. I could feel my heart beating faster. It was like running a marathon.

She says she could have died if it were not for the prompt action from her carer and medical staff.

“It could have been a lot worse. I might not have been here talking to you today,” she added.

Mr Kaye has been supporting his friend, who had recently been in hospital because of her asthma, for 10 years.

He said: “She had not been eating properly so we decided to get a Chinese from the place where we have used for the past year.

“She likes her independence and wanted to dish out the food herself.

“I am very careful about what she eats and what to avoid. But you never expect to find a rubber band in your meal.”

The 59-year-old, who works for the Co-op in Bearsted, said: “I deal with customer service on a regular basis and I’m certainly not happy with the way this was handled.

“I was offered a refund, but it only cost £15 and it wasn’t a refund I was looking for.

“It’s the principle that is an issue here. I wanted to find out why this happened and how dangerous it was.”

It could have been a lot worse. I might not have been here talking to you today…

Jia Tan, on behalf of Chopsticks and Bowl, told KentOnline: “We received the call from the customer on Saturday.

“We apologised to the customer and the patient and asked about her health and advised them to go to hospital as soon as possible. We offered a refund and informed the customer to come back for it.

“We explained that this was an accident and we were also shocked that rubber band was found in the chow mein at home.

“We will apologise to the customer again and contact him to see if anything we can do to help and prevent this happen again.”