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

Best Cough Syrup Ever!

 

Recently Princess Dragon Snack developed a lingering cough that had the nasty habit of disappearing during the day only to appear with a vengeance the minute everybody was safely tucked into bed.  Water didn't help, cough drops didn't help and even lemon-honey tea didn't stem the tide of the constant coughing. 

Finally, in a late-night desperate attempt to get some sleep, I mixed up a cough syrup concoction that I found on the internet (tweaked to include ingredients I had in my kitchen).  Within minutes, I had a warm, spicy-rich syrup ready for Dragon Snack's consumption.  I gave her a spoonful, which she loved, and waited hopefully.  Dragon Snack coughed and coughed a few more times, but within 5 minutes her coughing ceased.  I sent her to bed expecting to be awoken by coughing in short order only to wake in the morning with the realization that Dragon Snack had not coughed.  Once.  All night! 

Dragon Snack didn't cough all the next day.  Before she went to bed, I gave Snack another spoonful of cough syrup, tucked her in and didn't hear a cough all night.  This went on for a few days and then one night I forgot to give her the syrup.  Just about the time we all drifted off, the coughing started.  I called Dragon Snack down, gave her a spoonful of syrup and sent her to bed.  Another 5 minutes of coughing ensued and then blissful sleep.

Slowly warming the honey, oil, vinegar and water

Since then, Master Calvin has developed a similar cough and I have been giving him a nightly dose of the syrup.  He too coughs for a few minutes and then settles into a comfortable sleep.

We are sold.  As far as we can tell, one spoonful of syrup lasts for 24 hours!  We did, on one occasion, give Snack two spoonful's of syrup in a 24 hour period, but that was during a particularly bad spell. 

With the spices added

The difficult part seems to be keeping the kids out of the syrup until they need it.  They love the way it tastes!

As winter closes in and the cold season descends upon us, I will be sure to have a supply of the Best Cough Syrup Ever in my fridge!

Best Cough Syrup Ever
2 T Olive Oil (or Coconut Oil)
4 T raw Apple Cider Vinegar
4 T raw Honey
2 T Water
1/2 tsp. ground Ginger (fresh would be better)
1 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Lemon Juice (or 3 drops of lemon essential oil)

Combine the oil, apple cider vinegar, honey and water together in a small saucepan and heat very gently and slowly until just melted and combined.  Shut off heat.

Add in the ginger, cinnamon and lemon and stir to combine.

Dosage:  Adults 1 T as needed.  Children 1 tsp. as needed.

This syrup can be stored at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

 

Preparedness Essentials - Ebola

Recently, I received an email from a reader asking me to blog about Ebola (thanks Don - just what I wanted to write about!).  It is a subject that I have stayed away from because, quite frankly, it is a terrifying prospect.  And really, there are no good answers.  In spite of all of that, we are preppers, and I know that it is always prudent to asses risks and prepare for potential threats - and so, I present Preparedness Essentials - Ebola.

There is one, critical, preparedness essential, that if neglected, renders every other precaution useless and without effect.  That essential is a strong, living, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Without preparing your soul for eternity, every other preparation you make is of no consequence.  Make no mistake - Jesus is your only salvation.  Preparing for Ebola has everything to do with your soul and little to do with your body.  Without your soul your body is nothing.

WHAT IS EBOLA
Now, on to the nuts and bolts.  Ebola is a virus that causes hemorrhagic fever.  It is hallmarked by severe bleeding, organ failure and most often, death.  Ebola is native to Africa and lives in host animals such as fruit bats, monkeys, chimps and other primates.  Scientists believe that Ebola is transmitted from infected animals to humans via bodily fluids such as blood (during butchering), eating infected animals and coming into contact with animal waste.

HOW EBOLA IS TRANSMITTED
After contracting Ebola, it is further transmitted through direct contact (via broken skin or mucus membranes) with blood, secretions (snot, spittle etc.), organs or other bodily fluids of an infected person.  Not only are the bodily fluids infectious, so are any surfaces (clothing, beds, tables, the ground) that have come into contact with infected fluids.  Ebola remains infectious on dead bodies, rendering the care of the dead risky behavior.  A man who has contracted Ebola and recovered can still transmit the virus through his semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery.  There is no evidence that Ebola is transmitted via insect bits.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF EBOLA
Signs and symptoms of Ebola manifest within 5 to 10 days of infection.  Early symptoms include fever, severe headache, joint and muscle aches, chills and weakness.  Basically, Ebola's early symptoms are those of a really bad flu.  As the disease progresses so do the symptoms.  These increasingly severe symptoms include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea (may be bloody), red eyes, raised rash, chest pain and cough, stomach pain, severe weight loss, bleeding (usually eyes), bruising and internal bleeding.  People near death may bleed from other orifices such as ears, nose and rectum. 

As Ebola progresses, it can cause multiple organ failure, severe bleeding, jaundice, delirium, seizures, coma and shock.  If a person does recover, the recovery is long and arduous.  Survivors may experience hair loss, liver inflammation, weakness, fatigue, headaches, eye inflammation and testicular inflammation.  It may takes months to regain strength and weight.

CONTAINMENT
Immediate and complete quarantine is essential if there is suspected exposure to Ebola.  If exposure is confirmed (or even suspected) personal protection equipment (PPE) needs to be immediately deployed.  PPE includes non-latex gloves (up to 3 pair at a time), surgical mask, eye shield or goggles and a clean, non-sterile long-sleeved gown (or Tyvek suit).  Along with PPE, basic hygiene rituals must be maintained, which include stringent hand-washing, respiratory hygiene (putting surgical mask on infected patients as well as potentially infected people), and safe burial practices.

Caring for the dead is another critical aspect of containment.  The dead must be immediately buried or cremated.  If buried, the body must be encased in at least two body bags and buried in a deep grave (away from any water source).  Any personal items such as clothing, pillows, linens - anything that came in contact with the infected person must either be buried with the person or burned.  The people tasked with caring for the dead must practice rigorous personal hygiene throughout the burial or cremation process.  For their own protection, they must wear 3 sets of gloves, masks, goggle, coveralls and boots.

TREATMENT
There are no drugs currently available for the treatment of Ebola.  Supportive care includes pain and fever management (pain relievers and fever reducers, ie. Tylenol, Ibuprofen, etc.), providing fluids (oral rehydration fluid - can be administered with a baby bottle if required), providing oxygen, replacing lost blood (if possible), treating secondary infections. *

Specific treatments include:

NAUSEA, VOMITING, DIARRHEA

Oral Rehydration Fluid I 
1 liter (quart) boiled water
1 tsp. salt
8 tsp. sugar
1 mashed banana (for potassium) if available.  Otherwise substitute potassium chloride (salt substitute).

Before adding the sugar, taste the drink and make sure it is less salty than tears.

Oral Rehydration Fluid II
1 liter (quart) boiled water
1/2 tsp. salt
8 heaping teaspoons of cereal (finely ground maize, wheat flour, sorghum, or cooked and mashed potatoes).

Boil for 5 to 7 minutes to form a liquid gruel or watery porridge.  Cool the drink quickly and start administering. 

Caution:  Taste the drink each time it is used to be sure its not spoiled.  Cereal drinks can spoil in a few hours in hot weather.

* To either drink add Potassium Chloride or a half a cup of fruit juice, coconut water or mashed, ripe banana.  This provides potassium, which may help the person accept more food and drink.

COUGH
Constant hydration.  Hot drinks.  Chicken soup (which has anti-viral properties).

FEVER

• Put the person in a cool place.
• Remove Clothing.
• Fan patient.
• Pour cool (not cold) water over patient or put cloths soaked in cool water on chest and forehead.  Fan the cloths and change often to keep them cool.
• Give plenty of cool (not cold) water to drink.
• Administer medicine to bring down fever.

If a person with a fever cannot swallow the tablets, grind them up, mix the powder with some water and put it up the anus as an enema or with a syringe without the needle. **

Treatment for Ebola is limited.  Make sure that you know the symptoms and be prepared to treat each individual symptom.

The medical aspect of Ebola is sobering, but there are other things to consider as well.  If nobody in your family contracts Ebola, but it has reached the North American continent, you'll want to quarantine your own family.  The requirements for such an action are many.  Be sure to have adequate food, water and other basic necessities.  Make sure that you have alternative sources for cooking, heating and waste disposal (in the event public services are temporarily interrupted). Maintain an adequate emergency medical supply cabinet, complete with personal protection equipment, medicines and more importantly, medical knowledge. 

Ebola is a threat, along with so many other things in this world.  We don't have to be afraid, just prepared. Prepare to the best of your ability, but put your faith and hope in Christ alone.


* Information gathered from WHO International and the Mayo Clinic.
  **  I am not a doctor!  Please see your personal physician for specific treatment options!

Shameless Book Plug

Yes, I know this is shameless, however, The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases has the BEST home care information for influenza that I have ever read!  The section on influenza was written by a doctor who was convinced that a deadly flu would eventually make its way to our shores and our hospitals would be ill-equipped to deal with the outbreak.  He wrote an easily understood, well thought out, comprehensive guide to dealing with influenza without access to modern medical facilities.  The section dealing with the flu is complete with symptom charts as well as treatment guidelines for every age group. A "Flu Treatment Kit" list is included, which every prepared family absolutely needs.  A few of the items recommended are:

• Table Salt
• Table Sugar
• Baking Soda
• Plastic baby bottle with rubber nipples
• Plastic squeeze bottle
• Composition-style notebook
• Petroleum jelly
• Pill cutter.....

and many more items.  The book will explain in detail what each item is used for and how many you need to have on hand.

As the flu sweeps across the nation, The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases could become your most well-used resource.  It is available for immediate shipping through Amazon.  Be well!

Influenza - An After Action Report

The flu is distinctive.  Fever, body aches, chills.  I have only had the flu one other time (about 18 years ago) and was not relishing giving it another go.

I woke up Wednesday morning with a sore throat.  I didn't feel terrible, but I went ahead and drank apple cider vinegar (mixed in water), just in case it was Strep.  By the afternoon, my sore throat still hadn't gone away, so I took more vinegar and hoped for the best.  I managed to do school with the kids and get my afternoon work done, but by the time dinner was in the oven, I was feeling pretty rough.

If you'll remember, Sir Knight, Maid Elizabeth and I made Elderberry Wine last fall specifically because of its purported benefits for treating influenza.  Fearing that I might indeed have the flu, I drank a glass of Elderberry Wine before retiring for the night.  I felt really puny the next morning, but still had tea with Sir Knight before seeing him off to work and then went about my day.

Throughout the day I drank a few glasses of vinegar (mixed with water) and managed to get everything done (including a 3 mile hike) that I had on my agenda.  However, by 3 O'clock in the afternoon, I was a shivering, sweating mass under a pile of blankets.  I could barely make it from the bathroom back to my blankets without stumbling, I was shaking so hard.  I had another glass of Elderberry Wine and put myself to bed by 8 pm.

Friday morning, I was feeling positively perky.  Another swig of vinegar (ugh!) and we were off to town for a trip that just couldn't be postponed.  Although somewhat weak and lightheaded, I had plenty of energy to make it through the day.  But, by 3 pm, I was shaking in my chair under piles of blankets (again), although other than running a fever I didn't really feel too bad.  I shivered my way through the evening, drank another glass of wine and tucked myself in bed by 8 pm.  Once in bed, the shivering gave way to heat and I couldn't get the blankets off myself quickly enough.  After a miserably hot night, I woke up refreshed and ready for my day on Saturday.

I cleaned and baked and did laundry on Saturday (preparing for company after church on Sunday) with no problems.  Three o'clock came and went and I kept going.  I did drink another glass of wine on Saturday evening, just for good measure, slept well and got up on Sunday morning in time to prepare dinner and tidy the house before church.

Other than a bit of a stuffy nose, I feel great.  Obviously, I have no empirical evidence that Elderberry Wine aided in my quick recovery, but it sure did seem to do the trick to me.

Truth be told, I don't like the taste of wine much.  I never have.  However, you can be quite sure that when the frost is heavy on the ground and the Elderberries are ripe, the kids and I will be harvesting those little purple berries and we will be filling another demi john with a new batch of Elderberry Wine.

What's old is New

For the last couple of decades, we have rested easily in the knowledge that we had virtually eliminated most serious childhood illnesses.  No longer did we contend with Measles, Mumps or Rubella.  Whooping Cough, Scarlet Fever and even Polio has been relegated to the pages of history.  We rejoiced in our modern medicine, knowing we would never have to watch our children suffer the ravaging effects of these wasting diseases.  And then, just as we were beginning to forget even the names of our old enemies, they began to strike anew.

The CDC has just issued a warning indicating that we may be in for the worst Whooping Cough epidemic since 1959.  Now I know everybody has differing opinions as to the "why" of the recent resurgence of childhood illnesses (most believing that the un-immunizited population is at fault), but I would like to offer another theory.

As our family slogged through the Whooping Cough last fall, I had a lot of time to think about our situation and the possible causes of our predicament.  As I looked for immunization patterns in the people we knew who had the Whooping Cough, I was astonished not to be able to find any.  One family (with quite a number of children) came down with the illness.  Half of their children had been immunized and half of their children hadn't (personal choice).  Interestingly, three of their un-immunized children contracted the Whooping Cough and three of their immunized children also fell ill.  The other three children where not immunized and did not contract the disease.  The mother (who was immunized) had a terrible case (and in fact relapsed) and the father (also immunized) did not contract Whooping Cough.  The immunizations appeared to play little to no part in whether the person came down with Whooping Cough.  Interesting.

Our family was very similar.  Roughly half of us had been immunized and half had not.    One of our immunized people had the worst case of all and two of our un-immunized people had a very mild case.  Again, interesting.  Another thing to note is that we contracted Whooping Cough from some dear friends children, who had, in fact, both been immunized.  They were quite ill for months and one even developed Pneumonia.

As I nursed my family through this horrible illness, I thought a lot about the current resurgence of previously eradicated diseases.  One thing, in particular, struck me that I think is worth consideration.  In the case of Whooping Cough (Pertussis), the disease is caused by a bacteria - Bordetella Pertussis.  We know, from the fact that antibiotics become useless from improper and excess use, that bacteria can overcome our modern interventions, rendering them useless and in turn, the bacteria becomes more resilient.  That being the case, wouldn't it stand to reason that, perhaps, these crafty little bacteria have found a way around our defenses?  Couldn't they have adapted to our immunizations, gotten stronger and redoubled their efforts?  

Obviously I am no medical researcher or great scientific mind.  My theory may be so far off base as to not even be in the ball park, but, to this little country girl it seems to be just plain, old common sense.  

So, what to do.  Being the Chief Medical Officer in our family (also known as Mother) I am educating myself on various childhood diseases, learning to recognize the signs and symptoms of disease, storing equipment and medicines needed for diagnostics and treatment and preparing to care for my family in any number of medical emergencies.  Does that mean that I have all of my bases covered?  No.  I wish.  There are so many uncertainties in life that it is impossible for me to know everything and be prepared for every eventuality.  I do know that dealing with the Whooping Cough made me more aware.  It made me unspeakably thankful that I had put pen to paper and came up with "The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases".  It made me want to further educate myself so that I can properly care for my family.  It made me realize that our old enemies haven't really been vanquished, just pushed into hiding, quietly gaining strength.

A few things we learned from our Whooping Cough experience;

• Early diagnosis is key.  The quicker you get a nose swab (yuck!) and are prescribed antibiotics, the less severe the illness.  The swab is only effective in diagnosing Pertussis in its early stages, when the disease it too far progressed the swab will give a negative test.  Although the disease will still run its course, the coughing will be greatly reduced with antibiotics.
• Fluids, fluids, fluids.   The mucus buildup with Whooping Cough is horrible.  Constant fluids are essential in thinning the mucus, making it easier to expel.
• Changing positions (from horizontal to vertical) causes massive coughing.  We found that propping our patients up (almost vertically) while they slept significantly reduced their cough spells.
• Support your coughs.  Sir Knight had particularly violent coughing spasms - violent to the point of breaking two ribs.  We came to know that placing a pillow around the front of Sir Knight's chest and having him wrap his arms around it while coughing, supporting his diaphragm, greatly reduced the rib pain and may very well have kept him from breaking ribs had we begun the support earlier.
• Pneumonia is a very common complication of Whooping Cough.  Regularly taking onion syrup and drinking lots of water (reducing mucus) will help tremendously.
• Cold air triggers coughing spasms.  Months after our bought with Whooping Cough a blast of cold air would double us over with coughing fits.
• Take it easy during recovery.  After such a long illness, you will be winded and exhausted - expect this and prepare for a long recovery.

Being forewarned is being forearmed.  Educate yourself.  Prepared.  Take the precautions that you deem necessary.  Just don't be caught unawares.  What was old seems to be new again.

Now on Amazon!

I am so excited I can hardly contain myself!  The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases is now available directly from Amazon.  Within the next few weeks, it will be available as a Kindle download.  This is technically the second edition, however nothing but the cover art has changed (it was only a matter of changing publishers).  The book will now be shipped directly from Amazon (yeah!  no more piles of books on the kitchen table).

I humbly request that those of you who already own a copy consider leaving a review on Amazon.  I would truly appreciate your effort.  Although I will no longer be able to sign books, I think that all in all this will be a much better avenue for the book.  I am thrilled.

After Action Report

Its been so long!  Last week we spent every waking moment sewing and preparing for our upcoming gun show (not to mention tossing a little hospitality into the mix!).  The days were long, my house suffered, but a wonderful weekend spent meeting so many amazing people made our work well worth the effort.

Friday, the kids and I loaded up our truck and headed off to Spokane to set up for the show. We lugged armload after armload through three rooms to get to our table until we finally were ready to lay out the table.  We covered the table with a wool blanket laid over the top of a white cloth (I wanted to hide all of our extra boxes under the table), brought out a really neat wooden military box to contain pens, labels, business cards and money for change and commenced setting out our wares.

First, I stacked a number of Patrice's Simplicity Primer, complete with a neat little advertisement that stood on top of the books.  Next, I laid out The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases, Naturally Cozy Pads and Naturally Concealed holsters (all the guys loved my table!).  Real gun show fodder followed.  A Rock Island 1911 .45ACP, Remington 870 (with a ported barrel and green furniture), a single shot .22 and a Remington A303 brought the gun enthusiasts around and a few stocks and other parts kept people looking.  We had a range finder, some pressure canners and a number of other odds and ends to fill out the table so that we did not embarrass ourselves.  All in all, we made a pretty good show.

After we arranged our table, we all took turns wandering through the show, seeing what everyone else had to offer.  We picked up a whole bunch of sutures, some IV start kits and a 2 gallon thermos (for tea in the woods, of course!).

We did sell a tremendous amount in a short amount of time.  Our guns were gone the first day.  Books sold well and I even sold some feminine pads (at a gun show - can you believe it?).  I handed out more business cards for the concealed holsters than I can count, and even sold one.  There were ladies trying the holsters on right over their clothes!  Amazingly, the guys loved the holsters and we even had a few fellows brings their wives back to the show so they could check them out.

Without a doubt, the very best part of our gun show weekend was meeting people.  I had the great honor to meet so many of the local folks who read this blog.  What a group of people you are!  Not only are you doing what you can to prepare for your physical needs, and the needs of those around you - I was struck with the fervency you all have for preparing spiritually for the days ahead.  I am proud to call you brothers and sisters.

Truth be told, I am not in a hurry to do another gun show.  It takes a lot of work to get ready and it is hard to be away from home for a solid three days.  That being said, I am thankful our family took the time to do this show and the Lord willing, I will see you again next year.

Coming Soon....To a Gun Show Near You

So sorry for the silence of late, but I have been busily preparing for my first gun show.  Admittedly, it will not the the first gun show that I have ever attended, just the first one that I will have a table.  In reality, gun shows and I are tight.  My dad has always loved them, and as children, my brother and I spent a considerable amount of time wandering in gun shows from table to table.

When I was growing up, my dad was the proprietor of a little country store.  He sold grain, tack, used furniture and army surplus, not to mention anything else he thought might sell.  He issued hunting and fishing licenses, rented videos and sold guns.  He built a woodstove (in the shop at the high school where he taught), which heated the building and there were tables and chairs surrounding the stove.  We had a bakery case full of doughnuts and sundry other eatables and the coffee pot was always full.  Dad's store served as the local meeting place.  The troubles of the world were hashed out around that wood stove as the coffee flowed.  Deals were made, necessities purchased and small town life was lived, all within the confines of our little store.

Going to gun shows remind me of my dad's store.  The smell, the people, the fiercely independent streak brings me back to the days of my past.  I remember digging through musty boxes full of surplus, making sure the contents were not past their usefulness.  I remember cartons full of packs, pouches and belts, some from our military and some (ugh!) the Germans.  I, of course, could spot the difference in an instance - knowing full well that ours were quite superior.  I remember wearing military wool pants to school in the winter time trying to start a fashion trend and thinking it was normal for people to wear military blouses as jackets.

When I would get homesick, after moving to Seattle, I would frequent a huge Army/Navy  surplus store on 1st Ave.  I would walk past bins full of mag pouches, feeling each one.  I would look at the dummies sporting gas masks and finger the wool blankets with the medical symbol on the corner - and I would feel like I was home.  I would bury my face in the piles of BDU's and breath deeply, and I would think of my dad.

Now, as I walk past table after gun show table, trailing after my husband, I am reminded of my childhood, trailing after my father.  I feel the mag pouches, finger the blankets and feel like I am home.

Soon, I get to have my very own table!  I am going to be at the Spokane Gun Show next weekend (11/4 - 11/6).  We will have books (The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases), pads (Naturally Cozy) and miscellaneous gun stuff.  Yes, I know, with pads there, all of the guys will be in a hurry to hang out at my table!  My dad is coming to share a table with me (I'm so excited!) and Maid Elizabeth will help run the booth.

I would love an opportunity to meet any of you folks that are in the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene area.  If you find yourself at the gun show, I will be there Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Stop by and say Hi!

Until then....

Tea, Whooping Cough and Toast Soldiers

After a night of coughing, broken sleep and restless children, tea is what gets us up in the morning.   The promise of a cup of hot, soothing tea pries the exhaustion from our sleep deprived bodies and encourages us to gather, one by one, in the welcoming confines of our little kitchen.  As each person filters in, we learn how they and their Pertussis are fairing.  So far the results are mixed.

Master Calvin, Princess Dragon Snack and Master Hand Grenade are doing remarkably well.  Each still suffers fairly regularly from spasmodic coughing fits, but they deal with them very well and seem to have no other ill effects.

Maid Elizabeth has remained perfectly healthy and my case of Pertussis has been extraordinarily mild.  I cannot tell you how thankful I am that we have been spared.  It has allowed both of us to care for the rest of the family, providing nutritious meals and physical and emotional support.

Miss Calamity and Sir Knight have fared far worse than the rest.  Miss Calamity regularly has coughing fits that are difficult to recover from.  We have begun hearing crackling in her lungs indicating the early stages of pneumonia.  She has a hard time taking deep breaths (although we encourage her to breath as deeply as she is able because deep breathing discourages pneumonia).

Sir Knight has had serious complications of Whooping Cough.  After spending an excruciating weekend, we finally sought medical help yesterday and learned that Sir Knight had developed pneumonia in his right lung and had fractured two ribs from coughing so hard.  Now, on top of coughing horribly, he has been enduring I.V. antibiotics and pain medication to lessen the effect of broken ribs.  Are we having fun yet?

Getting ready to flush Sir Knight's catheter

Cleaning the port

Opening the gate

Beginning the flush

Because of the upheaval in our home, we have simplified our day to day routine.  Our meals have become very simple - chicken soup, fresh bread, grilled sandwiches.  We also have brought out the fine china - paper plates.  While I detest paper plates, bowls and cups (they aren't the least bit romantic), they have a place in a sickhouse.  Maid Elizabeth and I have our hands full keeping up with 5 sick people, so not having to do dishes very often is a tremendous blessing.

Being sick is hard on little ones.  They are not hungry and their little tummies don't need anything heavy, so we rely on tried and true favorites to coax an appetite.  So far, everyone's favorite afternoon tea repast is toast soldiers.  It is light, filling and perfect with tea.  Toast soldiers are simply toast, with the crusts removed, buttered, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and cut into four rectangles.

Toast Soldiers and Tea

As we journey through Whooping Cough, we are learning to care for one another.  We are learning to be patient, encouraging and full of grace.  Being sick is no fun, but most often when things are at their worst, our character is being shaped and molded.  What looks like a lump of coal is really being turned into a diamond.

The writing on the wall....

It starts with a headache, maybe a fever.  Pretty soon, you ache all over - then your glands begin to swell, first under your jaw then, if you are male, your testicles begin to swell.  This is not your common cold, you have contracted Mumps.  Antibiotics are not effective due to the fact that Mumps is viral in nature rather than bacterial.

You know, somewhere in the recesses of your feverish mind, that you were vaccinated for Mumps as a child, but obviously, your immunity has worn off.  What do you do?  How do you treat your illness?

The grid has gone down, social chaos has replaced the status quo, there is no medical system left in place.  And you have the mumps.  Your friends have never seen it, much less treated it before.  You mother has a vague recollection of having had Mumps as a child, but hasn't the faintest notion how to treat the disease.   You stumble to your medical reference library to seek answers.  K...L....M...wait - there is nothing but a passing mention of Mumps,  only a brief description and numerous historical references.  It seems that the medical professionals who wrote your reference book were under the assumption that Mumps had been eradicated from the American landscape.  They were wrong.

Your throat is so sore that you are unable to eat.  Your neck is swollen and your nether regions are on fire.  You wonder, in a moment of clarity, if you will ever be able to father a child.

You survive.  But every member of your little band has succumbed.  Mumps have become an epidemic.  Because people were so accustomed to being treated by doctors, nobody remembered (or even knew) basic quarantine or personal protection techniques.  Everybody is in a severely compromised state - dehydrated, undernourished, weak.

And the post-crash grapevine is humming.  The Bubonic Plague.  The Black Death.  People are dying.  And it's coming your way.......
________________________________________________________

O.K., so I've had my moment of drama, but I really don't think my tale of woe is too far fetched.  Diseases we haven't seen in years are popping up all over the place.  Childhood illnesses that have been all but eradicated are introducing themselves to a whole new generation.

Not only are we unfamiliar with many of the illnesses that have begun to rear their ugly head, but our medical professionals haven't treated them in years, if ever.  The knowledge of battling our age old enemies is being lost. This is knowledge we must reclaim before it is too late.

The writing is on the wall.  We cannot escape the inevitable, but we can prepare.  Research.  Get medical training.  Stockpile sufficient equipment and medicines to treat yourself and those around you.  Identify your enemy and form your battle-plan.

I didn't really come up with this urgent plea to prepare all by myself and it truly isn't a shameless attempt to sell my book.  I came across an article sounding the alarm that Mumps is sweeping across a college campus in California. The devil is at the door.

The writing on the wall prompted me to write "The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases" (Mumps is on page 45).  What will it prompt you to do?




O.K. guys - enough with the immunization war!  The reality is that none of you are going to change anybody else's mind.  The people who read this blog are intelligent.  They are making informed choices based on research and personal experience.  


People who choose not to immunize are not irresponsible or unintelligent.  They have researched, studied and made decisions based on scientific evidence.  They full well know the potential consequences (and the associated marginalization by the scientific community) of their decisions, and they are prepared to make their stand.  They have that right.  


And then there are the people who choose to immunize.  They also have every right.  They too, have made an informed decision and they are acting out of concern for their families.  They are not brainless sheeple.  They are making decision based on the available information.


This argument boils down to the right for people to choose.  It is our responsibility to care for our own bodies.  And it is the responsibility of parents to care for their children.  It is our governments job to see that rights remain in the hands of the people.  It is not their job to legislate our responsibilities.


You choose for you and I will choose for me.  Remember, someday, when we have more to worry about than making everybody else do what we think is right, we might actually need each other.  


You protect my right to choose and I will fight for your right to choose.  Its perfect symmetry.

Sounding the alarm

So, what are the chances of my family contracting an uncommon disease within months of me writing a book about uncommon diseases?  Apparently, pretty good.  The results are in and we do, indeed, have Pertussis - commonly known as Whooping Cough.

Truthfully, I have thought for some time that we had become complacent with our own health and medical knowledge, relying greatly on the modern medical practices and expertise of our doctors and other health care providers.  We just assume that the doctors know what they are doing and we can just go get a pill.  Ultimately, that may not be the case.

I took Miss Calamity and Master Calvin to a clinic in our home town on Monday, after a reasonably frightful Sunday night.  After describing, in detail, the symptoms our family was experiencing, with emphasis on the aggressive cough culminating in throwing up, I was told that we all had sinus infections.  Really.  After repeatedly asking for a Pertussis swab to be performed on Miss Calamity, I was told that the doctor was too busy and it would be a couple of hours before we could be seen for the swab.  And, besides, It wasn't Pertussis, it was a sinus infection.

Two more harrowing days of trying to cough up our lungs (yes, I did succumb to the disease), I called our family doctor (who practices in a town about 1/2 hour away) who immediately suspected Whooping Cough.  She asked me to bring one child in to be tested while she prescribed antibiotics for our entire family.

While chatting with our doctor, she told me that they have seen over 20 Pertussis cases within the last month.  It seems to be infecting both those that have been immunized (even recently) and those who have not been immunized.  I don't know the reasons for this, but I have to wonder, if Pertussis, like so many other bacteria and viruses, has found a way to skirt our immunizations.

This is just another wake up call.  We MUST know how to identify illnesses and care for our loved ones.  The diseases that we believe to be eradicated may, in fact, just be dormant, waiting to resurface.  And we are ill prepared.  Doctors have not dealt with Whooping Cough.  It is not within their scope of reference.  The old ways of dealing with this disease have been lost.  What happens when we start seeing Typhus, Typhoid and the Black Plague?

Our family was fortunate to be able to secure the proper antibiotics to lessen the severity of the Whooping Cough, but no matter what, we can't cure it.  By the grace of God, no one in our house is in an age group that is particularly vulnerable to the lethal complications of Pertussis, but people that we have come into contact with may very well be quite vulnerable.

I would encourage every one of you to consider disease as a very real potential threat to yourself and your loved ones.  Arm yourself with knowledge, medicine and solid reference materials.  Be prepared!

In case any of you are wondering, our family is being treated with Azithromycin (Substituted for Zithromax) 250 mg tablets.  We took two tablets on the first day (at the same time) and one tablet a day for the next four days.  The children had a liquid equivalent.  As I said, the antibiotics don't cure Pertussis, but they do reduce the severity of the coughing and they make you non-contagious 5 days after you have begun taking them.

DISCLAIMER:  It is not our intention to personally test each disease mentioned in my book.  You may be required to test some of the diseases yourselves!!!
                                 
                                                                                         Enola

Bird Flu

I just read an article indicating another potential Bird Flu threat is in the making.  With the media hyping one disaster after another, it is difficult to determine what is real and what is just another false alarm.  Every year we hear of another "pandemic" threatening our population.  Health organizations begin massive immunization campaigns and people respond with typical knee-jerk reactions.

The whole point of being a prepper is, well....being prepared.  Rather than reacting to the latest hysterical reports, we need to have considered potential threats and have made preparations to control and contain those threats.  When I wrote The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases, I was preparing for medical crises.  Going through the process of researching uncommon diseases and learning how to treat and contain those diseases was my way of preparing.  The shopping lists were written for me and my family.  The treatments, containments and recipes were compiled so that I would know what to do in an emergency.

As I hear of yet another potential medical threat, I rest easy knowing that the Bird Flu was covered in a special Influenza section of my book.  I know that I have everything on hand to treat Bird Flu in my home.  I know what to look out for, what to prepare for and when to seek outside help.

I can't stop illness or disease.  Just like I can't stop war, famine or pestilence.  But I can prepare.  I can arm myself with knowledge and tools.  I can definitely increase my families chance of survival.  I can be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.  Are you prepared?

Dengue in Davao

Maid Elizabeth Skype'd the other afternoon (6 a.m. Davao time) and said "Mom, one of the girls has a rash that is spreading over her body, she is spiking a fever and her whole body aches.  I seem to remember one of the diseases you wrote about presenting in a similar manner - what is it?"  The first thing that popped into my mind was Dengue Fever, a mosquito born disease that has become more common recently. After quickly reading up on the disease, we found that it is prevalent during the hot, rainy season (they are in the hot, rainy season in Davao right now).  It is characterized by sudden high fever with chills, sever body aches, headache and sore throat.

The described symptoms were exactly what the girl was suffering.  What a relief it brought to all the girls to have an idea what they were up against.  Wild suggestions had been floating around - everything from the flu to meningitis had been mentioned.  While Dengue can be miserable, it is not contagious and certain precautions can be taken to protect other persons from contracting it.  Because they knew what they were dealing with, the girls hauled out their mosquito netting and filled their bottles of Backwoods Off.

Like everything else in life, the more we know, the better off we are.  All of the girls were able to rest easier, knowing they were not in danger of some dread disease, and the young lady that was ill, knows what steps to take to recover her health.

The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases helped it's first patient!  I'm am thrilled beyond words and humbled to have been of some little help.

The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases

They're here!  I am so excited, I can hardly contain myself.  The big brown truck showed up this morning and delivered 5 big boxes of the "Uncommon Diseases" book right to my doorstep.  What a momentous occasion!

I had already ordered one copy and picked it apart bit by bit and I have no doubt I will find something that I don't think is up to par in this edition, but at some point I just had say enough and get it done.  I think the information is tremendously helpful and very timely.  Every day I see some disease mentioned on the news that we thought was all but eradicated.  It seems that many uncommon diseases are becoming not so uncommon after all.  And I think it will only get worse.

Sir Knight and I added a fairly extensive shopping list in the back of the book so you could prepare ahead of a crisis and be armed with appropriate equipment to battle whatever disease may come your way.  Also, there are lists of antibiotics to have on hand and what diseases they are most effective for.  At this point, many antibiotics are available via pet supply sources.  Do your research, know dosages and durations (most of which is in the book) and have supplies on hand before you have a problem.

I did put a button on the left side of the blog, toward the top, that will take you to the Paratus Familia Press website, where you can order your copy of the book.  If any of you have a website and would like to review the book, I would love to hear from you!

Amat victoria curam
     Victory favors careful preparation

Prepared Family Photo Shoot

I am sorry for the silence of the last week!  I have been so busy finishing the last minute details on The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases that I lost track of time.  I had no idea it would be so much work!  I picked up the manuscript from our contributing doctor over the weekend and then spent the next two days adding his comments and corrections.  He was thrilled with the project and I was thrilled that he was willing to check the text for accuracy - first do no harm!

Doc mentioned that Smallpox is no longer even studied in medical school!  He actually treated a case in the 1960's in Algeria.  There is nothing like first hand experience.  He also related stories from his time spent in Norway during the Chernobyl crises.  He ate Reindeer stew made by a local culinary school that turned out to be radioactive - and lived to tell the tale!

Sir Knight, Maid Elizabeth and Miss Calamity staged a photo shoot upstairs for the cover photo of the book.  The picture is wonderful, however the cover isn't exactly what I was looking for.  Oh, well.  I'm more interested in getting this book into the hands of the people on the front lines than I am about it meeting my artistic criteria.

I should have copies of the book listed on Paratus Familia in a couple of weeks.  I can't tell you how excited I am!  It is really something to see a project from inception to completion.

Anyway, here are some pictures of us getting ready....

Radiation Poisoning

I read an article today stating that radiation (Iodine-131) has been found in milk produced in Spokane, Washington.  Washington State!  That is my backyard.  "They" say that it is quite safe - nothing at all to worry about, it's not at all out of the ordinary.  But it is out of the ordinary and the real problem is that I don't trust "them".  The truth of the matter is that I don't trust the very people responsible for the well-being of the public to actually take care of the public.  Under the guise of not wanting to start a panic, the public is often placated with half-truths.  Somehow, in the hallowed halls of our public servants and our state sponsored media, truth is exchanged for fiction, prettily packaged as the "common good".  Who's common good?  Certainly not ours.  These are the same people responsible for purposefully releasing radiation from Hanford Nuclear Reservation (also in our backyard) for over 40 years!  Who do we believe?  Your guess is as good as mine.

In light of the fact that a nuclear accident half-way around the world is affecting the continental United States, among many other locales across the globe, and the fact that Hanford Nuclear Reservation is on an active fault line (this has been disputed - there are multiple conflicting reports), I thought it would be prudent to research Radiation Poisoning and add it to "The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases".  Here is a sneak peak.....

Radiation Poisoning

Description

What is it?

Radiation poisoning, also referred to as radiation sickness, occurs when someone is exposed to large enough levels of radiation to create damage to the body.  Radiation poisoning rarely occurs outside of nuclear industrial operations.  It could affect the general public during nuclear-weapons testing or in an attack using nuclear weapons.

                                                               eHow Health

Radiation poisoning radiation sickness or radiation toxicity is a constellation of health effect which occur within several months of exposure to high amounts of ionizing radiation.  The term generally refers to acute problems rather than ones that develop after a prolonged period.

                                                               Wikipedia

Signs/Symptoms

What does it look like?

The speed of onset of symptoms is related to radiation exposure, with greater doses resulting in a shorter delay in symptoms onset.  Mild radiation poisoning (radiation doses as low as 35 rad) presents in this manner:

·      Nausea

·      Vomiting

·      Headaches

·      Fatigue

·      Fever

·      Short periods of skin reddening

Cutaneous radiation syndrome (CRS) is the skin symptoms of radiation exposure.  Within a few hours after irradiation:

·      Itching

·      Reddening

·      Blistering

·      Ulceration  (open sore)

Gastrointestinal symptoms (typical with exposure doses of 600-1000 rad), usually seen within 1 to 2 hours:

·      Nausea

·      Vomiting

·      Loss of appetite

·      Abdominal pain

Neurovascular symptoms (typical with exposure doses greater than 1000 rad):

·      Dizziness

·      Headache

·      Decreased level of consciousness

·      Absence of vomiting

Treatment

How do I care for my patient?

There is no cure for radiation poisoning, however, prompt treatment can lessen the effects.

Particle Removal

One of the first and most basic treatment for radiation poisoning is the thorough removal of any particles on the skin and clothing.  To do this, all clothing should be removed and disposed of.  This should get rid of about 90 percent of the radiation contamination.  Washing with soap and warm water helps removed any other particles that may still be clinging to the skin.  It is important to do this immediately after exposure, as active particles on skin and clothing can continue to poison.

Potassium Iodide (K1)

Potassium iodide is a common treatment option for radiation poisoning.  Potassium iodine collects in the thyroid.  It takes up space that radioactive iodine would occupy.  Without room to stay in the thyroid, the radioactive iodine is sent out of the thyroid and excreted with urine.  Take Potassium Iodide orally either before or after exposure, although it works best if taken before exposure. 

Dosage:

·      Adult – (1) 130 mg. tablet once a day for 10 days

·      Children – (1) 62 mg. tablet once a day for 10 days

Prussian Blue

Prussian blue may also be used to treat radiation poisoning.  Prussian blue binds with radioactive particles in the body.  Prussian blue binds with two other types of radioactive elements called thallium and cesium.  When taken directly after exposure, Prussian blue is able to remove many of the radioactive particles before the cells can absorb them.  Once attached to the radioactive particles, the Prussian blue exits the body in the feces (poop), taking along the particles.

Prussian blue is safe for most adults, including pregnant women, and children (2 ─12 years). Dosing for infants (ages 0 ─2 years) has not been determined yet. Women who are breast feeding their babies should stop breast feeding if they think they are contaminated with radioactive materials.

                                               CDC Radiation Emergencies

Dosage:

·      Adult – (1) 500 mg. tablet 3 times daily for a minimum of 30 days

·      Children –

Prussian blue has been included in the SNS (Strategic National Stockpile).

                                             CDC Radiation Emergencies

Containment

How did I get it?

How do I keep it from spreading?

The best prevention for radiation sickness is to minimize exposure.  Radiation poisoning cannot be transmitted via airborne droplets.  It can only be spread via direct contact or radioactive fallout.  Remove any contaminated clothing or equipment that has come in contact with radiation and put them in a double bag labeled RADIOACTIVE.  Bury in three feet of earth.