Sneeze into your elbow....

I told yall I would see you on Friday, but I had no idea (and neither did you) it would be 2 weeks. I hope you didnt mind and I hope you prepped a little or thought about your lists a little each day. Life took over a little and I am just now finishing my post that began over 10 days ago....


Ahem....where was I? Oh yeah......Since my #1 is being home due to the Flu, this post deals with this particular situation.





I am prepared in staying home but I need to make sure that the Flu doesnt find me, follow the Hubs home or in some other way decide to take up residence with me. The truth is I may not entirely be able to bubble myself in, but I can give the Flu a run for its money and try to stop it at every opportunity.





To that end, I have a bunch of stuff to kill it ;)





- Antibacterial soap

- Hand sanitizer (gallons - seriously)

- Lysol

- Sanitizing wipes (Clorox type)

- Sanitizing wipes that do not use alcohol

- Rubbing alcohol

- Clorox bleach





I have N95 masks - and you have to have MANY because the more they are worn the less affective they become - Think about having a couple for each day if you have to be out and about or if someone comes down with the flu in your family.





Speaking of someone getting sick - you need to be prepared if someone brings it home or shows up at your door. Mentally designate a place where a person can be separated from others, comfortable, access to a bathroom (that they only use, if possible) and allowed to spend the week to recoup. In this end, there should be only 1 person who goes in and out taking care of the Sicky and trying to stay "clean" as much as possible.


Now - this is where I leave you to do some of your own research - I am not a doctor, but I could play a really cute one on TV....


There are 2 schools of thought regarding the potential probs with this Flu.

1 - It could be like the 1918 Spanish Flu that killed so many world wide - HEALTHY people who usually get over the flu. The prob with the 1918 was that it caused what is called a cytokine storm. Click the link to read about it - this chick explains it way better and it saves me some typing :)

2 - It could just be a really nasty strain that can bring down an ox....meaning, if you are old or really young you should be very afraid and if you are one of the healthy ones in the middle, it could make you sicker than a dog and even bring you down too.


I mention these because you need to decide for yourself if you are going to "soup-up" your immune system or keep it pretty much "status quo" and look to treat if you get sick. You also need to decide about the H1N1 flu shot. My fam will not be getting one.... In order for your body to accept the vaccine, it is made attached to a protein for your body to accept. The protein they stuck this strain to is the same protein they stuck the Anthrax vaccine to back in the 1st Gulf War that caused all of the problems - NosirreeBob - thankyouverymuch - I will do just fine without it. And for all the medical types, if you are slumming and reading this blog, I hope I didnt butcher that explanation too much and if I did, you can correct....maybe....if you are nice.....


You could look into Elderberry extract that will boost your immune as well as Vitamin D and E that look promising. But you need to decide for yourself if a souped up immune would make you more susceptible to the STORM and the risk that implies.


Anyway - back to my preps. I have all the meds needed to treat the symptoms of the flu:

fever reducers
anti-diarrhea
decongestants
cough expectorants (because you are going to want to get the gunk out)
nose squirters (and yes, that is their official name - at least in our house)
tummy soothers
Benadryl (because you might just need to knock out a sick person for a while - im just sayin)

You will also need some of these things:

extra Kleenex
a whole lot of extra Toilet paper
electrolyte solution - home made (google for a recipe)
Pedialyte
Gatorade


When on the mend -

You will need items that go easy on a sick person's stomach.

Broths
Soups
Crackers
Those Popsicles that are in the tubes and can be stored wherever and then thrown in the freezer when needed.....



Ok - you have so much to take care of killing it, fighting it, recouping from it. Think about how you will keep it from finding you in the first place.

Here are some ideas:

*Have hand sanitizer with you everywhere

*Wipe down all grocery cart handles and around the edges where us moms sometimes pull from

*Wipe down your steering wheel, all phones, door knobs, cell phones, TV remotes, light switches

*Keep the shoes by the door - have an inside pair and an "out in the world" pair

*Dont drink from a water fountain - EVER - and teach your kids the same thing

*Have hand sanitizer with all your dirty little peeps that call you Mom - and teach them to use it ALL THE TIME - if the teacher pulls you aside and says they are spending too much time doing this or you have to fill up their bottle frequently, its a good sign ;)

*Cough into your elbow

*Dont touch your face


One final note - You need to decide for yourself and your family, the GO POINT. At what time will you chuck it and bring everyone home and pretty much ride it out as best as possible. We already have cases in my youngest's grade. They are mild cases and I honestly wouldnt mind him catching it now as a little inoculation. If it gets ugly in the fall, its another story..... What is the notification procedure for your kids' schools? What about your church? Find out.....


This is not an exhaustive list, but hopefully it will induce you to think about your own situation.


Pray - Praise - Prepare