The past couple of weeks have been extremely stressful in our household. Our younger son has sever asthma and it is usually aggravated by the change of seasons or any weather changes. I had to run with him to the emergency room two weeks ago when he had an acute asthma attack and then again last week when he tested positive for strep throat. Those of you with kids know this all comes with the territory when kids go back to school in the fall and are exposed to all those germs from other kids. I've been waiting for him to get better so I could take our whole family to get our yearly flu shots because I'm concerned about all of us being protected during flu season. We've had the flu in this house years ago and, believe me, it was horrible and we were all very ill for a long time. Since we are all asthmatics, I worry even more about any of us getting sick and having our breathing problems triggered. A flu … [Read more...]
Is Your Family Protected Against The Flu This Year? #NoTimeForFlu @MinuteClinic #Ad
Let’s Have An Uncomfortable Conversation @TalkHIV #OneConversation #UnaConversación #Ad
This is not the first time that I am going to broach a sensitive subject on this blog and it certainly won't be the last. If talking about something that makes us all uncomfortable can help to save your life, or the life of one of your loved ones, I will not hesitate to bring it up here. If we keep putting off having these difficult conversations, the CDC estimates that 1 in 36 Latino men and 1 in 106 Latina women will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime. Those grim statistics are simply unacceptable during these modern times when information is so easily and quickly disseminated. The problem is that we still consider it taboo to talk about sex, sexual health and HIV and, unfortunately, this is especially true in the Latino community. Studies have shown rising HIV infections among youth between the ages of 13-24. Youth between the ages of 13-24 now account for 26% of all new HIV infections in … [Read more...]
How Can You Protect Your Family Against West Nile Virus? @AMCAupdates #Ad
Learning about ways to protect my family against West Nile Virus has always been important to me because a mosquito bite landed me in the hospital years ago before I had my oldest son. I became very sick with a viral infection of unknown origins and had to be taken to the emergency room because I was so violently ill. Due to the fact that the doctors did not know why I was so sick, they ordered a battery of blood tests to get to the bottom of it. When the results came back, I was told that I had Viral Encephalitis and had contracted it due to being bitten by an infected mosquito. This was a shock to me because I had no idea that you could become so ill from a mosquito bite. The symptoms that I suffered from were almost flu-like. It was the first time that I realized that mosquitoes are not just a nuisance when you are trying to enjoy yourself outdoors. their bites can pass along lasting physical and neurological damage or in rare and tragic cases, even lead to … [Read more...]
Protect What You Love And Care About The Most! #MasterLockProtects @MasterLockUS #Ad
*I participated in this campaign on behalf of Master Lock. I received a promotional item to facilitate this review and as a thank you item for participating. All opinions are my own. I've always been very clear that my children and my family are my top priorities. Everything that I do in my life is with their best interests at heart. Part of loving and caring for them is making sure that they are safe at all times and that I educate them about staying secure in a variety of situations. Recently, Master Lock kicked off their year-long initiative aimed at helping consumers to protect all that they love and care about in 2014. They really know what they are talking about when it comes to safety because they are the world's largest manufacturer of padlocks and other security products. The campaign will continue throughout the year by providing a series of safety tips and advice to families. Master Lock made an initial donation to the American Red Cross … [Read more...]
Get The Facts About RSV! #ABCsofRSV #Ad
*This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with MedImmune and Latina Bloggers Connect. However, all opinions expressed are my own. This past week, both of my boys were sick at the same time. My younger son suffers from asthma and allergies and often gets bronchitis during the winter months. On the other hand, my older son's asthma is moderate but he managed to pick up a bug at school and got sick with a throat infection. As a mother, it is extremely frustrating to know that my sons are not feeling well and to not be able to make them feel better right away. It was all I could do to stifle tears as the doctor described to me how sick they were. One of the best ways to protect our children is to educate ourselves on the dangers that exist that could potentially pose a threat to their health. By arming ourselves with knowledge, we can make sure that we take every possible precaution to keep them from getting sick. Unfortunately, Hispanic babies have an increased … [Read more...]
Protect Your Family This Flu Season! @MinuteClinic @CVS_Extra #Sponsored
*This post was written by me on behalf TBC for Minute Clinic. I received complimentary product samples to facilitate this review. All opinions are 100% mine. As many of you already know, I am a six-year Leukemia Survivor. As a result, my immune system is not as strong as that of a healthy person so I have to be very careful about getting sick, especially during cold and flu season. Additionally, both of my boys and I are also asthmatics which makes us perfect candidates to receive the flu shot every year in order to protect ourselves. This year, our doctor advised my husband that he, too should get the flu shot to make sure he does not bring the flu into the house and put the rest of us at risk. We were very excited to find out that we can conveniently get a flu shot at the Minute Clinic at our local CVS pharmacy. As a matter of fact, it couldn't be easier to protect your family this flu season. All you have to do is head into your nearest Minute Clinic location … [Read more...]
Protecting Students From RSV #RSVProtection
Nine years ago, our family was directly affected by RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) when our older son contracted it at six months of age. Luckily, the doctor in the emergency room immediately diagnosed him and he was put on a treatment plan to get him better. We were also very fortunate that he got sick as an older baby as it is more dangerous to younger babies or babies born prematurely. When our son was diagnosed with RSV, it was a very scary time for us. Although we had heard about how dangerous RSV is to infants, we were not fully aware of its effects. Our son became very sick from it and had trouble breathing due to all of the congestion and mucus that he had. It was very frustrating, as a parent, to not be able to immediately make him better. Thankfully, he eventually did get better but I think that not being fully educated about RSV made it an even scarier experience for all of us. The RSV season runs from November through March and it is important that … [Read more...]
