Thanks for that insight/story, Okanagancook. Sorry to hear that your husband has been through all this too however and that his culinary world has had to get a bit smaller as a result. I hope the 'allergy' thing is not true for me but I will be wary from now on. Not sure how to test that out though other than to eat more clams (though I think, as I said above, I will opt for the canned version). After all this I don't know whether to keep or toss the remaining chowder from this batch that I put in the freezer (before I began to feel lousy - which was about 2 or 3 hours after I ate).
kayb - I am so sorry to hear about your accident too. I hope you will mend well and fast but that sounds like a very severe injury. Hope you are not in too much pain. I broke my ankle twisting it on landing from my first skydive many eons ago (I feel your pain and annoyance - laid me up for 6 months and 2 operations) - and can no longer wear any kind of heel as a result but I had been considering getting a pair of (low-ish) wedge shoes for 'special occasions' - figuring they might be more stable than a regular higher heel - till I read about your fall.
I recommend Keen sandals (more or less flat) with wide rubber soles and reasonable support once you are able to hobble around again. They are pretty darned stable but I would not go a party (other than a backyard bbq) in them of course.
eta: Read up about shellfish allergies and I guess I should go get a test done at the doctor's - just in case. Better to do that than try to eat them again if I am developing an allergy according to what I read. Do hope this is not the reason for this mess last night as I just moved to an area where seafood of all kinds was one of the primary enticers for me. If I can't ever have lobster again .. oh dear! 
