There is an article published on the NY Times website on May 14th of this year talking about the struggles of families that have true food allergies. If you want to read the full article go HERE.
I can tell you from the Taylor standpoint the amount of money we spend in co-pays, deductibles and specialty foods far outweighs most peoples budgets. Yes some people dealing with cancer and other lifelong illnesses are in the same boat we are. Although I would estimate we spend more per month on Lynda's specialty food required for her than the other three folks in the household (Scary it was still true when Matt lived here too).
“The loss of income and the additional costs associated with food allergies can have a significant financial impact,” Dr. Perry said the article states.
The other issue is that families with serious food allergies tend never to get ahead. It only takes one bite or someone who did not wash their hands after exposure to peanuts or milk and we have a several hundred or thousand dollar medical bill. It is hard for many people to comprehend. And if either of us is out of work-that puts a larger strain on the family finances.
"Take a quick look at any health food store and you will immediately notice the high prices. Factor in the dozens of special products people with food allergies need, and you have a huge grocery bill. " the article continues- many of these food items need to be produced in facilities that also do not produce items with tree nuts, peanuts or milk.
Most of the public does not realize how much their food is cross contaminated. The same equipment that makes your M&M's also makes the Mars Bar with peanuts.
Moral of the story- if you have a child with food allergies- watch every dollar even in the good times, if you don't... pray for those who do.
Have a great week.
The Taylor's
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Huge Increase in MRSA with hospitalized Children!
Recently in an AP story talked about MRSA and the huge increase in cases involving hospitalized children.
"The number of children hospitalized with dangerous drug-resistant staph infections surged 10-fold in recent years, a study found." the story read. This is especially concerning for us as Lynda easily contracts MRSA as it is with her skin reactions due to food allergies. Once MRSA gets into the blood it is hard to beat and for children that are allergic to most antibiotics this presents in most cases more hospital time.
"Almost 30,000 children were hospitalized with MRSA infections at the hospitals studied during the 10-year period. Most had skin or muscle infections, and 374 youngsters with MRSA died." the article continued.
This should be concerning to any parent as MRSA can turn quickly and can cause death. Keeping your childrens hands clean, cleaning and disinfecting their cuts is important to keep this threat down. For those children who have skin issues due to eczema or open sores it may cause you to resort to adding bleach to baths. By adding a table spoon or two to a bath tub full of water you can greatly minimize the risk of MRSA.
If you would like to see the full article you can access it HERE.
Have a safe weekend.
The Taylor's
"The number of children hospitalized with dangerous drug-resistant staph infections surged 10-fold in recent years, a study found." the story read. This is especially concerning for us as Lynda easily contracts MRSA as it is with her skin reactions due to food allergies. Once MRSA gets into the blood it is hard to beat and for children that are allergic to most antibiotics this presents in most cases more hospital time.
"Almost 30,000 children were hospitalized with MRSA infections at the hospitals studied during the 10-year period. Most had skin or muscle infections, and 374 youngsters with MRSA died." the article continued.
This should be concerning to any parent as MRSA can turn quickly and can cause death. Keeping your childrens hands clean, cleaning and disinfecting their cuts is important to keep this threat down. For those children who have skin issues due to eczema or open sores it may cause you to resort to adding bleach to baths. By adding a table spoon or two to a bath tub full of water you can greatly minimize the risk of MRSA.
If you would like to see the full article you can access it HERE.
Have a safe weekend.
The Taylor's
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Food Allergies in the News- Story today on GMA
As I ready for work this morning I see that GMA is reporting on food allergies. See the Video Posted above. Once again the media diepcts this as something most people don't really have. They do provide some helpful and useful info in this clip- but to the casual watcher all they here is " food allergies are real?. This as you can image concerns me about way this is reported and sensationlizing of the story to get viewers. <>
Parents and Food Allergic adults already have a tough enough time with people thinking they are over reacting or it is not as bad as they make it out to be. Then to have an story like this it makes it worse. Due to what is available for testing- the limited resources in the medical community and the lack of funding and research on a national level this is not going to get better any time soon. If someone is intolerant vs. allergic I would rather them assume they are allergic then for their family to find out the hard way.
Food for thought- I wish that everyone keep safe when it comes to food allergies and the danger they pose to your loved ones. GMA's expert did remind everyone to check the expiration dates on their Epi Pens- what a great reminder- do me a favor and check yours TODAY!
God Bless
the Taylor's
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