Good Home Treatment of Influenza

All the way back in 2011 I wrote The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases.  Actually, more than writing, I merely compiled easily obtained information and attempted to put it in a coherent format to help my family and others in the event of a medical catastrophe.  Over the years I have referenced it from time-to-time, but thankfully, have never really had to put it into use.  Although I don't want to add to an already heightened concern, I do believe it may be time to pull this book from the mothballs.

The recently emerged Coronavirus has the entire world on edge.  And it does appear to have the potential to be a global game-changer.  Although my book covers everything from the Bubonic Plague to Starvation, the real gold is in a section that I had nothing to do with.  It is a special section in the back of the book called "Good Home Treatment of Influenza".  It was written by Grattan Woodson, M.D., FACP - author of the Bird Flu Preparedness Planner and the Bird Flu Manual.

As I researched the Wuhan virus, I discovered that "coronavirus" is an umbrella term for a number of different viruses, Avian Influenza and SARS included.  Armed with that knowledge, I grabbed my book from the shelf and flipped to the special section on Influenza.  I spent the next few days reading the information and making a list of necessary supplies.

What follows are but a few excerpts from the book.....As always knowledge is key to preparedness.

The Great Bird Flu Pandemic
It is in the nature of all influenza pandemics to cause widespread illness and death.  As during seasonal flu, the vast majority of those sick with pandemic flu will be treated at home by their family members and friends.  This guide was written for people taking care of mildly to severely ill influenza patients in their home who have no formal medical training.

A pandemic will last between 12 to 18 months and over that time about half the people on earth will become sick.  Most will be mild to moderately ill, but some will be very sick.  This guide will help you take care of these people at home using simple methods and do not rely on prescription drugs, medical equipment or medical training.

At times during a severe pandemic, hospitals could become full of sick and dying patients, running out of space for new patients.  Access to doctors may become limited.  Medical supplies and drugs could be in short supply.  If these things happen, people like you with no prior formal medical training may find yourself caring for terrible ill loved ones and friends, who under normal circumstances would be treated by the doctor in the hospital.  Home care, while not up to the standards of hospital care, can still be very effective.  The simple methods found in this guide are those that have the power to keep patients from dying from the common, preventable causes of death from influenza such as dehydration.

What is "good home care" for the flu?
Good home care is nine parts common sense and one part simple medical practice.  Taking care of someone with flu will be a familiar task for those who have nursed family members back to health in the past as it relies on simple common treatments and techniques.

The Flu Treatment Kit
Providing good care to family members and friends sick with influenza is a task that will be easier with a good supply of select over-the-counter medications, some medical equipment, and a few items from the grocery or hardware store.  These items form the basis of the Flue Treatment Kit (FTK).

The Flu Treatment Kit (items for one person)
Grocery Store Items

• Table salt: 1 lb. (for making Oral Rehydration Solution, gargle and nasal wash)
• Table sugar: 10 lbs. (for making Oral Rehydration Solution ORS)
• Baking soda: 6 oz. (for making Oral Rehydration Solution and nasal wash)
• Household bleach, unscented: 2 gal. (for purifying water and cleaning contaminated items)
• Caffeine containing tea, bags or dry loose: 1 lb. (for treatment of respiratory symptoms)
• Two 8 oz. Plastic baby bottles with rubber nipples (for administering ORS to severely ill)
• Two 16 oz. plastic squeeze bottles with swivel nozzles (for administering ORS to the ill)
• Two kitchen measuring cups with 500cc (two cups) capacity (for measuring lots of things)
• One set of kitchen measuring spoons 1/2 tsp up to 1 Tbsp. (for making ORS and dosing)
• Fifty soda straws (for administering fluids)
• One composition-style notebook (for keeping a medical record on the patient)
• Teakettle (for steam therapy)

FTK Items found at the drug store

• Petroleum jelly 4 oz. (for lubrication of tubes, suppositories and skin treatment and protection
• Cocoa butter, pure, 2 oz. (for making suppositories and skin treatment and protection)
• An accurate bathroom scale (for weighing)
• Two electronic thermometers (to measure temperature)
• Automatic blood pressure monitor (to measure blood pressure)
• Humidifier (for increasing the relative humidity of the air breathed by the patient)
• Pill cutter (to make it easier to reduce the dose of the medication if desired)
• 1 box of Nitril gloves (100) (to help reduce contamination and spread of the virus and bacteria

Non-Prescription drugs

• Ibuprofen 200mg (Motrin) 100 tablets (for treatment of flu symptoms)
• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) 25 mg. capsules, 100 capsules (for treatment of flu symptoms)
• Robitussin DM Cough Syrup or its generic equivalent (12 oz.) (for treatment of cough)
• Acetaminophen 500 mg. (Tylenol) 100 tablets (for treatment of flu symptoms
• Loperamide 2 mg, 100 tablets (for diarrhea and abdominal cramps)
• Meclizine 25 mg., 100 tablets (for nausea and vomiting)

FTK Items found at the hardware store

• N-95 masks, 20 (2 boxes) (to reduce diseases spread to and from the patient)
• 50 gallon sturdy plastic garbage container with top (used to store clean water for drinking)

Other topics covered:

• Useful home care medical procedures
• How flue is passed person-to-person
• Coughing and hand washing etiquette
• The virtue of cleanliness
• Principal symptoms of influenza
• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
• Supportive treatment of influenza
• Keeping good records
• Identification of dehydration
• Treatment of dehydration
• ORS formula for dehydration
• Treatment of common flu symptoms
• Treatment of adults with fever
• Treatment of chills and body aches and pains
• Treatment for respiratory conditions and headache
• Reasons and remedies for common flu patient signs and symptoms
• Treatment of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain
• Diet and exercise with Influenza
• The clear liquid diet
• Exercise during and after recovery
• Home care of children with flu
• Signs and symptoms of flu in children

And the list goes on and on.  

These days are precarious.  "A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it".  Proverbs 22:3

Preparing for a Power Outage while living On-Grid

It's funny how things change!  For eighteen years, we lived off-grid, doing everything the hard way.  Winter was like a challenge course, one that if you persevered to the end, it meant that you got to do it all again the next year.  I never would have thought that we would once again be living in the world of grid supplied electricity, and truthfully, it has been like a breath of fresh air.  Grid power is so inexpensive compared with generator power!  For roughly $25 to $50 dollar a month we run an entire household (plus additional living quarters for both Master and Serenity) compared with $50 - $75 dollars a week to live off grid (and that's just for fuel for the generator - not including heat or hot water).  We take showers when we want, flush the toilet every time, water the garden without thinking......we just enjoy first world living at its finest.  But, there is one thing that we weren't prepared for......power outages!!

Living off-grid we rarely had a power outage.  We knew our system inside out and were intimately involved in every process of producing our own electricity.  Now, like a majority of American's we are merely consumers rather than producers.  We are far removed from producing our own electricity, therefore we never know when to expect to lose it.  And lose it we do.....a lot.

We live in a very, very, rural part of America.  And we live about 15 miles out of the nearest town on a gravel road.  There are only about 3 other families that live "out here" and because of that, we are low man on the totem pole when it comes to repairing failed power lines.  In addition to living "out" we are also in a snow belt.  We get roughly twice the amount of snow (or more) out here than we do in town at our butcher shop.  We truly do live in Narnia......where it is "always winter and never Christmas".

It will be fun to see our roof slide again!!

And here we have Narnia

As with the rest of the Northwest, we are experiencing a large snow-producing weather system.  We have gotten roughly 18" of snow in the last 24 hours are are expecting an additional 21" before Wednesday.  And so, I prepare.  I am expecting the power to go out, at least for a while.  Of course it may not, but you know me - I'd rather be prepared and have the power stay on than do nothing and be without power with no preparation.

Without a generator backup (we do have one, but won't use it unless really necessary) or solar panels and batteries, our preparations look different than when we lived off-grid.  Knowing that we have a winter weather advisory, there are a number of things I do, just in case.

Today I've spent the day making sure I'm caught up on everything that may require water.  I've done all the laundry, gotten children in the shower, done the dishes a few times and filled pitchers and coolers with water.  I have a large military water cooler with a spigot that is perfect for kitchen use.  It holds enough potable water for our needs for at least a day.  I also have another large stainless steel thermos (its huge, really) that I fill and put on the bathroom vanity for bathroom use.   We do have an outhouse, however, we'd really rather use the toilet in the house.  In anticipation of no power, I fill the bathtub to the tippy top and put a pitcher nearby, which enables us to use the indoor plumbing by filling the back of the toilet with water out of the bathtub.  Used appropriately, this method lasts for quite awhile.   The bathtub also provides us with water to heat to keep up with dish washing.  We also have a large number of Water Bricks on a shelf in our bedroom, in case we need even more potable water.  If we run out of potable water in all of our vessels, then we start the generator for a few minutes to fill everything.  In a worse case scenario we  have (my parent have) a hand pump for our well, along with two year around creeks that we can draught water from.

Water at the ready in the bathroom

Bathtub full of water

Potable water at the kitchen sink

Pitchers full

The cooking/heating part of our life on grid is about what it was like when we lived off-grid.  We still have a wood cook stove, so meals are easy, and heating is the same, only easier.  Our house is very well insulated and heating our home, even during the coldest of times, takes nothing more than a few dry pieces of wood.  We also have a propane stove/oven, which requires no electricity, making cooking when the power is out no different than when the grid is up.

Our little wood cook stove

One of the biggest differences to off-grid living is lighting.  When we lived off-grid, we used LED lighting and were easily able to keep the lights on, even with minimal battery back-up.  Now, we have no batteries so lighting is a little bit trickier.  Our off-grid lighting is what it was when we first moved off-grid - oil lamps!  I have kept our favorite oil lamps and make a habit of keeping them cleaned and full in the winter (when we are most likely to experience power outages).  I have them placed around the house so that they are easily pulled into service when we need them.  I also keep a hurricane lantern by the door to take to the outhouse should we need to.  I spent the morning charging our rechargeable batteries.  I have a number of electric candles (which I find make a house cozy, while providing just enough light to keep us from tripping over things) and flashlights that take AA batteries.  It only makes sense to make sure they're fully charged while the electricity is on rather than find out they're dead when you can't charge them.  I also take some time to make sure the electronics are charged.  It's nice to be able to put music on when the power is out, and perhaps watch a movie on the computer.  I even have a converter that has a car adapter so that computers (or larger electronics) can be charged - that can be pretty handy.

Hanging oil lamp in the dining room

Hurricane Lanter

Car adapter power converter

When it comes to food and supplies, I don't head to the store, but I do head to the container.  I sent the kids out earlier to bring in toilet paper and tissues.  They filled gallon jars that were getting low (salt and oatmeal, powder milk and baking cocoa) and brought in water containers.  We shoveled snow (its easier to shovel now and then after another big snow) and took care of animals.  We filled the hearth with firewood (just so we don't have to head back outside) and made a fresh batch of hot chocolate mix.  And now we can just watch it snow!

Electric candles

Just the right amount of light!

We still prepare.  It just looks different.  In some ways it is much easier and in others I feel vulnerable.  We'll keep working and get to the point that we have backups for our backups, but these things take time, and money.  We'll get there.  But ultimately, you can take the off-grid out of the girl, but you can't take the girl out of the off-grid!

Stay safe.  Stay warm.  Be prepared!!

Backups for our Backups - REAL Preparedness

This afternoon, as I spoke with my friend, Lady Anne of Providence Lodge, she told me that their generator had up and died (Lady Anne and her Husband, along with many children live off-the-grid also).  I sympathized with her as only a fellow off-grid homesteader can, encouraging her in her distress.

I began telling Lady Anne of the frequent comments I receive - well meaning people telling me how they would set things up if they were off-grid.  They tell me how to install back-up systems and how to properly maintain our equipment.  They give me instruction on which inverters I should be using and why wind power is superior to our solar system.  Often I am reprimanded for taking "short-cuts" or not "not being very prepared, for being a prepper"!  And by and large, these comments have come from people who haven't lived off-grid.  Ever.

We exchanged stories - stories of shattered solar panels, broken generators and bursting batteries.  We talked about the axioms we live by - "if it's yellow, let it mellow - if it's brown, flush it down".  We talked of reading by lamplight when the batteries were too low to run LED lightbulbs and turning the refrigerator off during the night to conserve electricity.  We talked about the often harsh realities of real off-grid living versus the romantic off-grid dreams of many.

Truthfully, Lady Anne and I would both love to have backup systems.  Actually, we'd love to backups for our backups!  But, the reality is that both of our families have chosen for she and I to stay home and raise our children rather than hold outside jobs, meaning we each only have one income.  We have chosen to not go into debt, which means everything we buy has to come out-of-pocket.   We have chosen to run our own utility company, which means we provide our own water, sewer, power and garbage services.  And, unlike every other utility or municipality, we pay for our own capital improvements and absorb our own costs of doing business.  We have no taxing authority and can't lobby for a rate increase.  We've had to learn to make do or go without.  And that, in a nutshell, is REAL preparedness.

A long time ago, Sir Knight and I dreamt of going off-the-grid.  We read magazines and newspaper articles.  We perused off-grid catalogs and built the systems of our dreams - in our heads.  We would read Backwoods Homes articles and American Survival Guide, and shake our heads at the solar systems cobbled together on a wish and a promise.  We would discuss how we would do things, how our systems would never fail.  We would build our system right the first time, maintain it meticulously and sit back and reap the benefits of autonomous freedom!  And then, we went off-the-grid and ran headlong into reality.

Reality is much different than intellectual construct.  Intellectually, I know we need a backup to our solar system, our water system our heating system and every other system that makes our lives easier.  The reality is that all of those systems costs money, require time and demand maintenance.  In a perfect world we would have ample ability to meet those needs, however, we don't live in a perfect world.  And therein lies the rub.  No matter how many backups you have, no matter how "prepared" you are, no matter how much money, time or maintenance you put into your systems, at one point or another, they will fail.  And that is where REAL preparedness come in.....

Real preparedness is being prepared to go without.  It is about thinking outside the box and learning to work your way around a situation instead being stymied in the middle of it.  Real preparedness means figuring out how to do your laundry when your generator goes down and your James Washer handle breaks.  Real preparedness means figuring out how to turn your 24 volt battery into a 22 bolt battery when you lose a cell.  Real preparedness means figuring your way out of difficult situations rather than buying your way out of difficult situations.  REAL preparedness comes into play when you run out of other options - it has more to do with attitude and aptitude than with perfectly streamlined preparedness systems.

Off-grid living is an amazing adventure.  I love the thought of a perfect system in a perfect world but that is not our reality.  We live in an imperfect world with limited money, time and knowledge.  Sir Knight and I make the best decisions with the information and resources we have at the time.  However, because we don't have unlimited resources, we've had to build the skills needed for real preparedness.  We have learned how to think outside the box, to make do and to work around faulty systems.  We have been blessed with NOT having enough to do everything "right".  Instead, we've had to exercise our REAL preparedness muscles.  We have prepared to figure it out or do without!

Snow Day!!!

Last week we had a first of March snowpocolypse.  One day, we had green clover showing on the garden mound and the next a ground blizzard rendering our driveway nearly impassible.  Although lighter vehicles were able to drive on top of the drifted snow, Sir Knight's heavy service truck just sank and stopped.  After he managed to back his truck out of the knee-high drift, Sir Knight called dispatch and told them he wouldn't be in - his first snow day of the year!

After a "weekend" breakfast of pancakes and bacon, Sir Knight decided to get down to business and put his bonus "snow day" to good use - it was time to reload!

A few months ago Master Hand Grenade and I moved Sir Knight's reloading bench out of the living room and into our bedroom.  It has been great arrangement.  Now the reloading bench is easily accessible (no more moving the furniture to get to it) and the reloading equipment within arms reach.   Not only did we move the bench, we also hung an LED shop light over the reloading area.  Now, Sir Knight has ample light for precision reloading and a tidy area in which to work.  Perfect for snow day reloading.

Picking up primers

Pouring powder

Reloading! 

Loaded Ammunition

Sir Knight uses a "wet" tumbler for brass.  Really, it is a rock tumbler, however it works beautifully for cleaning brass, especially the really tarnished, dirty range brass.  It is tumbled for about an hour and a half, with water, Dawn dish washing detergent, Lemishine and about five pounds of stainless steel media.  What used to take 24 hours with a traditional vibrating case cleaner now takes an hour and a half!  And now we have piles and piles of clean brass just waiting to be turned into ammunition!

Wet tumbler

Cleaned brass

The Dillion 550 RL progressive reloader has been Sir Knight's reloader of choice for the last 26 years.  He has reloaded thousands of rounds of ammo with his Dillion and wouldn't use anything else.    For his "snow day" reloading project, Sir Knight decided to reload .556 match ammo.  He is very particular, visually inspecting every round.  When all was said and done, Sir Knight had 500 rounds loaded, on stripper clips and in bandoleers!  He even put them into cardboards and stacked them in an ammo can!

Stripper clips and chargers (also known as spoons)

Isn't that a thing of beauty?

Labeled and ready to go on the shelf

What a family fun day!  After reloading, we sat down to a wonderful dinner of Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy.  We visited, we laughed, we enjoyed each other's company.  What began as the snowpocolypse turned into the perfect snow day!  I know everyone would love to see the blooms of springs, but I say - bring on the snow!!

Some of my favorite faces!

Bangers and Mash!

A Prepper Mandate - Inventory and Organization

What's the difference between a prepper and a hoarder?  Inventory and organization of course!  A preparedness lifestyle requires copious amounts of "stuff", both inside and out.  Pantries overflow with foodstuffs, cupboards are packed to the brim with medical supplies, batteries and radio equipment.  Sheds, barns and garages are filled with tools, vehicles, fuel and every manner of odds and ends that may come in handy "when the balloon goes up". 

One problem that plagues most preppers is organization.  With so much stuff taking over their lives, they struggle to contain it all.  We have found the key to preparedness is painstaking organization.  I regularly inventory and organize everything we have so that in the event of an emergency I can lay my hands on whatever is needed  - immediately.  Really, if you can't find something, you may as well not have it.  

Glove in two sizes

PPE at the ready

Trays for quick access

Recently I inventoried and organized our medical supplies.  Because we live in a small "shouse", I use every square inch to the best of my ability.  In an ongoing attempt to make our shouse work for us I rearranged our bathroom and added a 4 x 6 foot shelving unit to hold all of our medical equipment and, for now, our radios and batteries.   

Our new shelving allows us to organize medical supplies in labeled tubs for easy access and also allows for larger bulk storage.  Within easy reach we have oral hygiene and fever reducers, along with allergy medicine and cough drops.  We have personal protection equipment (gloves, face shields and surgical masks), cold packs, elastic bandages and co-flex, in addition to betadine, alcohol and gauze.  All of the tubs are labeled and easily accessible.  

Tubs of necessities

Easily accessible for every member of the family

Larger bulk items

The shelves go on and on....

Newly rearranged space

As I organized, I also took an inventory of what we had and what we needed.  With young children, we still go through more medical supplies than I care to admit, and never seem to have enough band aides or co-flex.  I've found that taking inventory once a year generally maintains our standard of readiness.  Every spring I inventory medical supplies, followed by food stores in the summer and fuels in the fall.  Every winter I inventory seeds and gardening equipment.  This constant schedule of inventory and organization keeps us well supplied and ready for whatever may come our way.

We keep a trauma tray in the table in the living room.....

For everyday emergencies!

Ultimately, your preps are only as good as their location - if you can't find it, you may as well not have it.  Inventory and organization will not only save you time and money, it may well safe your life.

Battery Power!

As most of you know, we live off-grid.  We rely on our generator and solar panels to charge our batteries, which in turn, power our life. 

Because Sir Knight fixes electric forklifts, we use industrial, deep cycle lead acid batteries in our system rather than the Trojan LT 316's most commonly used in off-grid applications.  These batteries provide us with a huge amount of storage and have worked well for us for many years. 

About a year ago we began to notice that our battery didn't last as long as we would have liked, and that it took a charge too quickly, indicating that it had a severely reduced charging capacity.  We limped along with our dying battery through last winter, with the intention of replacing it in the spring.  Spring came, and with it, the sun, which kept our battery charged to full capacity, lulling us into a false sense of battery security.  And then, the bottom fell out of our off-grid world - our generator died and the sun sank into the autumn sunset and our battery slowly faded into powerless oblivion. 

Sir Knight, realizing our precarious position, brought home a beautiful "new" battery!  One of his customers bought all new batteries for their fleet and discarded the old batteries.  One of the discarded batteries was only about a year old and hadn't seen much use so Sir Knight discharged and charged it and loaded it into his van and brought it home. 

One Saturday morning, our neighbor arrived with his self-loading log truck to help us remove the old batteries out of the shouse and install our new battery.   Switching batteries is not my favorite task because it requires moving nearly every piece of furniture in our shouse!  Our batteries live in our bathroom/utility room, which is on the far end of the house, as far away from the front door as you can get!  The batteries are huge (ranging from about 1500 pounds to 3000 pounds each) and require a decent amount of room for maneuvering.  After we cleared a path through the house, we brought in our pallet jack (doesn't everyone have one?) and put a special "roller tray" on it that Sir Knight fabricated for moving our batteries.  We rolled a battery out of our bathroom, through the shouse and to the front door.  From there, Sir Knight chained the battery and hooked it onto the grapple of the logging truck and our neighbor pulled the battery off the pallet jack and through our front door.  After moving both batteries from the bathroom, we were ready to bring the new battery in - a far bigger chore than we had anticipated! 

Miss Serenity wheeling out an old battery

Using a self-loading log truck to drag the battery out

Because we have an arbor in front of our door, we had to jerry-rig a couple of battery roller trays outside to get the battery to the front door so that we could pick it up with the pallet jack.  A pry bar, a couple of oak beams and a wish and a prayer later, we had the battery on the pallet jack - at an angle because the new battery was 1/2 and inch wider than the old batteries and wouldn't fit into the roller tray!  Finally we rolled the new battery into place, plugged the SB connector into our house system and flipped the switch.  Let there be light!!

Ready to move the new battery into the "Shouse"

Miss Serenity and Sir Knight guiding the new batttery

"Shouse" Surfing - it's a new thing!

We have been running on our new battery for about three weeks now and are in constant amazement!  Because our old battery had been slowly losing capacity, we didn't realize how terrible it was.  This new battery holds an incredible charge, rarely dropping below 24.9 volts, and takes a nice long, hard charge.  Our gas bill has plummeted because I rarely have to charge the battery and I am thoroughly enjoying a well-lit shouse!

One new battery in position

I take the tablecloth off of the battery when charging so
that the hydrogen can gas off the battery

Running your own power company has its challenges, but it also has great rewards - and a nice, full battery as winter envelopes us in her frigid embrace is just such a reward!