Dayna Fladhammer
Dayna Fladhammer is a former junior high school teacher, the mom of three children with Primary Immune Deficiency, and author of My IVIG Book Kit with her son, Charlie.
What do you do differently during the holiday season as a result of having three kids with PI?
I think the two main things we're cautious about are food and activity level.
Like many families, we're invited to do more things and go more places during the holidays. As tempting as it is to accept every offer and do so many fun things, we are very mindful of the kids' activity levels. For us, too much activity leads to exhaustion which can lead to illness. We've made it a point to do things, to get out and live and enjoy the benefits IVIG has afforded us. At the same time, there is a balance that we try to keep, especially during the holidays. Overdoing it will lead us back to the place we started. So we pick and choose carefully what we allow the kids to do, and we do not hesitate to back out, or change plans, if someone is sick.
In addition, we're fairly cautious about the food the kids eat during the holiday season. It's not so much how many sweets or the amount of foods, but rather using caution with potlucks and food served at parties. Often meals are served buffet style at holiday parties. It worries me that food has been sitting out for long periods of time collecting bacteria. So sometimes we'll eat before we attend, or we'll bring our own food for the kids. Just about everyone knows about the kids' illness, so this has never been a problem.
The PI Panel cannot respond to questions about individual medical cases, provide second
opinions or make specific recommendations regarding therapy. The information our experts
provide is from their own experiences. Always seek the advice of
your own physician or other
qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical condition.
We will do our best to
address as many questions as possible.
We will not publish the names of any patients,
physicians,
or
therapies.
