Supermarket Allergy Outrage

Hey to you all,

If you are disabled, do you get charged more for parking in a disabled bay? NO

If you need extra help in an airport, do you get charged more for it? NO

So why do you get charged a ridiculous amount more for having an allergy and needing slightly moderated foods? It is absolutely outragous and I have no idea how supermarkets and other food places get away with it.

I've been unable to tolerate regular milk for a while now and have always thought it was disgusting the amount you get charged for soya milk. But, after having been to both Tesco and Asda in the past week to try get some Gluten Free products, I was absolutely gobsmacked. Just because someone has a Gluten/Wheat Allergy, how on earth do these people think it is okay to charge three times the price for half as much. It is basically punishing someone for having an allergy. I'm not being funny, I know things are expensive in general at the moment with times being tough and all that malarky, but us as customers are also not made of money. To charge these extautionate prices will end up causing more and more people with allergies to be unable to afford to eat a healthy diet. I've only been on it for a little under a week and already I feel for my parents pocket! They're going to have to take on an extra job or two each to be able to feed me at this rate... and I don't even eat all that much HAHA!

Not only are the prices ridiculous, but the quanitity and variety of products they do for Gluten and Wheat free is minimal. I know I am working off two different types of diets at the moment and both are very restrictive, but I mean seriously.... a couple of shelves in a huge supermarket is crazy. Not only is there not a lot of choice but that choice is lessened due to the fact the shelves just never seem to be stocked up much.
 I'm not one to complain about everything and anything but when it comes to health, it is one of the most important thing in life. Literally none of this makes sense to me.

Take this for example....

A Fraction of The Product.... OVER double the price!
£1.35 vs £3.00

In what way do they see this as acceptable? Because you have an allergy, you should either spend every penny (assuming you can afford it to begin with) you have on a tiny loaf of bread OR give yourself an allergic reaction but be able to afford more than a loaf of bread and go for the normal option?

I have nothing against either of these (or any other) supermarket but it really angers me. For that matter all food places be it where you buy food to make or a restaurant. I work in a hotel, within that hotel, there are 3 different food outlets. So in theory, one should be able to have a fair few options they can choose from should they have a gluten/wheat allergy. Is that the case? NO. Starbucks literally have one sandwich/wrap and one brownie. The pub and restaurant don't have many more options either. I'm not slamming them or anything,  unfortunately this is something I'm noticing across the board in restaurants and fast food type places. Dominos and Pizza Hut are one of the few pizza place that do a gluten free pizza base as far as I am aware. If you want Gluten Free pasta in an Italian restaurant though, you're out of luck. Or perhaps you're hungry and stop off at a petrol station or convenience store.... sorry, but you're out of luck because you will probably find nothing.
There is such a large market and need for 'free from' items throughout all these various food outlets but why is it not being done? Or if it is, why are you paying such a ridiculous amount for what options they do actually provide.

I know I am new to this whole gluten free thing, well very new.... like a little under a week new, but, a year or a week into this, it wouldn't make it any more acceptable, reasonable or fair.

I'll stop moaning now. I just truly think it is disgusting that because you have an allergy where you need 'free from' products, you get limited choice and huge bills.

What are your thoughts on this matter?


Stay Strong
<3



The Pacemaker Returns | Happy New Year

Hey Hey Hey,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! - I hope you had a good one.

I'll start with my normal sentence..... Sorry I haven't posted in a while. :)
I feel like I never have time to stop and breathe HAHA.

Christmas was a relitively good one for me this year for the first time in about 4 years. Don't get me wrong, I was pretty anxious leading up to it and on the day but I was with my family and people I love rather than home alone. There were certainly points of the day that were really hard such as when I could smell of see Christmas lunch or when it came to nibbles at dinner and I was in pain. Put that aside and I had a nice day. I got to know people a little more that I didn't know, spent the day with my boyfriend and even had a sing song on SingStar with the family. At one point we were all dancing to the YMCA. It was nice to have some normality and be able to join in and have fun.

New Years Eve I was working 'til 10:30pm which meant I couldn't do a whole lot. So my colleague who I was working with that night is also my friend, so we just went over to the Pub in the same hotel and hung out with a few others to bring in the New Year so it wasn't so bad. What did you do to bring in the New Year?

In the last week or so, my tummy has been behaving a little better and I have been feeling the pacemaker A LOT. It feels like it is sucking in my stomach and then realeasing it. Sometimes it just feels strange but others it is actually a little uncomfortable. I have managed to have a few meals for dinner and then still walk a little. Although, as I walk, it does aggrovate the pain and gets more painful. I can't walk all that far but atleast I can move to the comfy sofa rather than a kitchen chair. Can't complain there I suppose. I have been pretty bloated though which makes the pain worse which SUCKS!
We mentioned this to my pain specialist when we went this week
and he asked which foods tend to bloat me the most. I'd never thought of this but it is always foods such as pasta and pizza etc.. He's told me to try a gluten free diet for two weeks as it is possible I could have a gluten allergy which could explain some of the pain and weird temperatures. Some nights whilst I'm asleep (or trying to as the case is most the time), I will suddenly get super hot and feel like I'm sweating, but then normal or cold the next. If I have an allergy to something, no matter what painkiller I try, my body is still going to suffer and feel bad but it is having an allergic reaction. I've never really looked up what gluten is in until now. And guess what? It's in pretty much everything. My mum is getting me some gluten free foods so we shall see how it goes and if it helps reduce the pain, swelling and other symptoms I get. If it does help, my pain specialist said he will do the proper test to check for allergies.

We also discussed EDS with him. Now, I didn't know huge amounts about this condition but have heard it mentioned a number of times. The more we seem to talk, hear and read about it, the more the possibility is that I may have that too. I know I know... I'm medical condition greedy... haha!
Many symptoms seem to fit things I've had through out my life and EDS can cause Gastroparesis. Between that and the gluten, it could explain a lot. BUT... before you get all excited, neither of those conditions are curable either. Yes, gluten allergy you just cut out gluten (easier said than done as I am finding out) but that is a big life style change and the same applies for EDS. There are ways you can try manage it but nothing to cute it. Why does my body go for all the ones you can't put a plaster on or take some Calpol and it goes away? Those were the days!

Well, I think I'm going to leave it there for this post...

Have a good day

Stay Strong
<3