As if these times aren’t stressful enough – there’s an added layer of concern when living with a chronic illness during a global pandemic.
Since the pandemic began, we’ve had two serious allergic reactions happen and on top of the normal fears that accompany such a medical emergency, there was an added layer of fear with the on-going Covid-19 pandemic and concerns about seeking medical attention and possibly having to go to ahospital in the midst of the Corona virus.
I know that we are not alone with these fears and was not surprised to see an article shared on social media about this very situation – fear of going to the E.R. with an anaphylactic reaction during Covid. I reached out to the author, Kasia Kalinowska (” ThatAllergicGirl “) to discuss the thought process behind that decision not to seek emergency medical care and what she has learned from the experience…and most importantly what she would do if (heaven forbid) it happened again in the future – spoiler alert: SHE WOULD GO!
You can hear our conversation on Episode 4 of The Allergy Mom podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio or your favourite directory.
You may be experiencing any of these at this time:
- Fear of requiring emergency services or a hospital stay
- Concern that there will not be a ventilator or required hospital resources in the case of medical emergency
- Concerns about what is in your food – many companies are having difficulty using their regular ingredients and are having to make substitutions and not making the required changes to their labeling to inform customers of the changes in ingredients or possible risks of cross-contamination with these newly sourced ingredients
Are you worried? What has been coming up for you? Important take-aways:
- SEEK EMERGENCY CARE WHEN NEEDED – it is essential that you seek emergency medical care in the event of a severe reaction or episode – hospitals are doing an amazing job of triaging and preventing covid patients from entering the ER and putting others at risk – Don’t take my word for it – speak to your health care provider if you are concerned to put your mind at ease.
- CONTACT THE COMPANY EVERY TIME WHEN IN DOUBT – this has always been my advice – if you’re unsure of what’s in your favourite foods, do not hesitate to reach out to the business and find out if there is a risk.
- SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE AND BE PROACTIVE – when it comes to living your daily life during these times exercise even more precaution than you normally would. This is not a time to be taking risks. Be more cautious than usual, triple check ingredients of foods (with a call to manufacturers as recommended above) and do not use this as at time to be experimental or risky. Cook whole foods with real ingredients as much as possible as opposed to prepared foods if you are concerned. Avoid situations that put you at risk for triggering a reaction or asthma attack. Be vigilant and take comfort in knowing you are doing so.
- Contact authorities to share your concerns -the FDA announced flexibility in food labeling in May, 2020 – see article here: FDA announces temporary flexibility policy regarding certain labeling requirements – a good place to start would be to reach out and let them know that this matters TO YOU!!!
Remember, you are not alone! We share your concerns in the allergy community. If you are feeling overwhelmed, afraid, stressed, traumatized, depressed or anxious, help is available. You can reach out to your family doctor, allergy or asthma specialist, a therapist or counsellor who specializes in this type of thing. As you know, I am completing my masters degree in Social Work and am able to provide you with counselling for support at any point from newly diagnosed to living daily life to going through a global pandemic with severe allergies! Please don’t hesitate to reach out ANYTIME. You are not alone.