I mentioned in an email to a friend last night that I’m becoming semi-paranoid about the flu going around. Since I have asthma, I really do not want the flu in our home. I don’t get the flu shot because I know the flu shot would probably give me a full-blown flu. (A tetanus shot makes me sick for a couple of days and that’s not supposed to do anything to you except make your arm a little sore.)
After reading in a couple of forums the experiences of people who’ve had this flu, I decided I needed to get my act together. If I got sick or, worse yet, David and were both sick with it and we couldn’t do anything or go anywhere for a week or two then I know we don’t have enough of all the things we would need.
So I’ve been going through my pantry and linen closet/medicine cabinet to determine what we need. Sick foods, medicines, and easy to make meals in case I’m not up to cooking and the other people in the house still need to eat!
I’ve also been pushing the Vitamin C and lots of water. Lots and lots of water. And lots and lots of fruits – citrus, berries, etc.
We’re making sure we exercise. My chiropractor told me to try to do some low-grade exercise even when I get a cold because the exercise will kick in the immune system. So we’re making sure we hit the treadmill and do our floor exercises every day if we possibly can.
And we’re not skimping on the sleep. Even if it cuts into our work time, we are getting a good night of sleep every night so we won’t be run down.
Lastly, we are going to scale back our going out and about, especially where there are groups of people. We can’t completely eliminate leaving the house, but we’re going to cut back on any activities that aren’t absolutely necessary. It’s not convenient, but it is only for a short time in the grand scheme of things.
So what are you doing to prepare? Anything? Have you already had this flu in your house? Any recommendations based on your experience?
Hi Sallie
I used to get a lot of chest infections from flu but didn’t want to take flu shots. Someone suggested getting a pneumovax instead, which reduces the severity of chest infections. I didn’t try it as I’ve stayed pretty much bad-flu-free since, but it sounded a sensible alternative?
Cheers
I used to get chronic bronchitis, but not since I started taking Vit D3 supplements. I take anywhere from 1-3,000 IU’s a day. I take the 3,000 when I start feeling ‘croupy’ in my chest and it goes away. And if I start getting stuffy in my nose I use my neti-pot. It also helps me get over allergies.
Oh and I also have an autoimmune disorder so I catch things easily, but between the vit D3 and my neti-pot I haven’t had even a cold in almost 3 years.
We had a fluish bug recently, but it was mostly a stomach thing, very little respiratory involvement.
I’m proud of you. This is what we ALL should be doing, pretty much all the time. Being prepared is never a bad idea. It might be the flu, it might be something else, such as an unforseen event (like 9/11, God forbid), a bad storm, an economic collapse, or just a missed paycheck you were not planning for.
I’ve been prepping for awhile – please don’t think Doomsday Preppers or crazy stuff, as the media likes to sensationalize good common sense and turn it into a reality show gone bad.
It’s never a bad idea to have a well stocked med cabinet. With medically fragile kids like 2 of mine, you must. Since you are an asthmatic, I recommend at least 2-3 months of meds on hand. What if the trucks stop rolling, even for a few weeks for a national emergency/economic event? You’ll be ever so glad you have extra meds.
I also keep gatorade (generic brand actually), canned soups, etc on hand for all times. If we get the tummy bug, it’s there and nobody has to dash out to the store.
Please don’t think I have it all together, cause I do NOT – but I am all about being prepared for an emergency. I think the older I get and the more I see the economy & world decay morally it makes me feel better knowing I can take care of my family when nobody else will make it a priority.
On a closing note, I read a piece yesterday, wish I had the link for you, that said the media is so ga-ga over gun control right now they’re underreporting on the flu – and that more Americans will die this year from the flu than from crazy shooting events. Something to think about.
Stay well!
I was sick for about a month. Since my littlest one had strep, I assumed that was what it was, but now I’m thinking it was the flu, especially since my throat never *felt* like I had strep. It wasn’t fun, but it wasn’t horrible. I’m usually sick the entire month of January no matter what I do, so I’m hoping this means we got it out of the way!
Good thoughts here, Sallie.
Susan – Thank you for the suggestion!
Michele – Yes, we take Vit D3 already and I do think it has helped us a great deal. We started taking it for the winter blues, but I also think it has helped in other ways.
Lindsey – I hear you. When I went to Meijer to pick up a few things, the cold and flu section was decimated. It was really picked over. I was able to get what I wanted, but I was only filling a few holes. Imagine having a house full of sick people and not being able to get them what they need. I’ve also learned that people always seem to get sick in the middle of the night and on weekends and holidays. I always keep Pedialite in the house now. It’s like an insurance policy. I buy it and hope I don’t need it. So far I think I’ve only had one expire on me.
Brandy – You know, one of the good things about having a very limited social calendar (like we do) is that it really cuts down on exposure to people/illness over the holidays. Sometimes I wish we had more going on during Christmas, but then I see all the people around me who run, run, run and end up sick. Then I’m content with my dull social calendar. LOL!