Planning for Bird Flu/Swine Flu

[FarmerChick]

I saw an interview with a teenager who had it. he came thru fine but was very sick......but the responsibility of the family is what amazed me.

they voluntarily put themselves in quarantine...mom, dad and 2 sisters, they stayed at home until all was clear and didn't spread to anyone ---so that is a plus to be considerate of others when you know you are or could be infected.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

That is what I would preferentially do, but here is my dilmea -- right now I have mild symptoms of allergies (has been going up and down with the pollen count for a few weeks). It can be hard to distinguish when you are sick and when it is just an allergic reaction. In fact, on our news, I heard a local doctor woman thought she had allergies in the morning, but was hospitalized by that evening. Sooooo . . . there is some gray area at play here.

 

[FarmerChick]

That is what I would preferentially do, but here is my dilmea -- right now I have mild symptoms of allergies (has been going up and down with the pollen count for a few weeks). It can be hard to distinguish when you are sick and when it is just an allergic reaction. In fact, on our news, I heard a local doctor woman thought she had allergies in the morning, but was hospitalized by that evening. Sooooo . . . there is some gray area at play here.

oh I hear you...the symptoms are so generalized.

but after they knew the kid had it, they took some precaution...at least it was something they could do.

yea, things like this are a gray area and a crapshoot on whether you can what is flying around "out there"

 

[me&thegals]

That is what I would preferentially do, but here is my dilmea -- right now I have mild symptoms of allergies (has been going up and down with the pollen count for a few weeks). It can be hard to distinguish when you are sick and when it is just an allergic reaction. In fact, on our news, I heard a local doctor woman thought she had allergies in the morning, but was hospitalized by that evening. Sooooo . . . there is some gray area at play here.

I know what you mean I always get a tight chest this time of year. Never sure if it is stress or allergies to pollens.

I don't have a TV so don't know the latest on symptoms, but with most flu I would look for headache, cough and fever. If you just have a runny nose or sneezing that is typical for this time of year, I wouldn't worry about being contagious. Plus, the media apparently is doing a good job of tracking this and you would know if it had hit your area, right?

 

[MorelCabin]

Well we have 7 suspected cases here in my area as of this AM. Thank goodness i did all my stocking yesterday...don't have to go out, but DH's dad is in hospital and DH has been running back and forth all week. I just spent time there myself, DD delivered her baby on Monday. It has been pretty stressful around here!
Wish you all well with this thing if it materializes into something terrible.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Well, swine flu is in my general vicinity (13 cases, last I heard) and it wouldn't take much for it to spread to my community.

A few symptoms I heard, among the list of generalized flu symptoms, were sore throat and dizziness. Well, I had a minor sore throat yesterday (pollen?) and sometimes have dizziness anyway, so . . . . But I feel fine today, which is usually the case if it is allergies -- the symptoms go away during the night. It is hard to know what threshold to consider quarantining oneself as opposed to laughing at one's propensity to be overly aware.

 

[me&thegals]

No kidding! I do medical transcription, and when I first started I thought I had every disease known to man! Of course, the worst diseases seem to have these really vague, everybody-has-them symptoms.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Yeah, I guess you just have to know what your own threshold of normal experience is for those symptoms. It is a little harder though, with seasonal symptoms, like allergies, because unless you have had them for quite a few years, you can forget to expect it.

 

[Hiedi]

I keep typing my thoughts and then erasing them, trying to decide if its worth mentioning...or if it will just increase the debate...

I wanted to hear how people prepare their families and homes for a medical emergency. Since this is a self-sufficiency forum, I expected real scenarios that people have prepared for. It really surprises me, but it appears people are trying to talk other folks 'out' of preparing.

So, if you leave the words, avian flu, bird flu, swine flu, pandemic out of the equation, do you still advise folks to not stock items they may need to keep their families going during troubled times? It seems contrary to the ideal of self reliance...

This is a good point. Even if the H1N1 flu virus fizzles out and there is no serious outcome, the whole notion of preparedness is a smart thing to do. Regardless of the disaster or event, the same principles still apply for them all so I don't necessarily plan and prepare for specific events like a pandemic; I just try to keep my focus very broad with many different scenarios in mind. That way, supplies can be used for various circumstances; and in the end if nothing happens, those supplies will not go to waste.

 

[Mackay]

This is a good point. Even if the H1N1 flu virus fizzles out and there is no serious outcome, the whole notion of preparedness is a smart thing to do. Regardless of the disaster or event, the same principles still apply for them all so I don't necessarily plan and prepare for specific events like a pandemic; I just try to keep my focus very broad with many different scenarios in mind. That way, supplies can be used for various circumstances; and in the end if nothing happens, those supplies will not go to waste.

Thats exactly it. And I think that we all realize that if you wait till the last minute to try to figure things out then you can be plumb out of luck.
Health stuff is tricky to figure out, especially if you want to stay away from drugs.

Thats why I've posted long lists of things that have worked for me or worked for others. Then you can look through it and see what you have and might be able to use or what you can afford or what appeals to your intuitional self. Like some folks always like to go with herbs, others with vitamins, others homeopathy etc.

As a health professional I see daily the denial that people go through that this or any health issue could happen to them. And then when it does happen they come a running to the hospital, the clinic, fearful, anxious and not knowing any answers. It leaves them in a very vulnerable position and forced to make decisions on the spur of the moment and at the whims and judgments of others which are not always so hot.