Preparedness is always part of the homesteading mindset. When situations like sudden illnesses arise, wise homesteaders use the unpleasant experience to observe how prepared they are for the illness, see what treatments and coping strategies work, and which ones don’t. Based on those observations, they make changes to their supplies and planned tactics for the next go around.
Although I suffer from daily chronic symptoms from Lyme, EDS, & CIRS, it is very rare that either myself or Ryan get an acute illness like a cold, cough, or flu. In fact, up until the last two weeks, we hadn’t had so much as a sniffle since early 2020! In January 2020, we both fought off a virus that hung around for quite a while. After the blessing of two and a half years of no acute illness, Ryan came down with the flu two weeks ago, and exactly seven days later, I joined the party.
Things That Led to Our Weakened Immunity
We are normally very cautious about supporting our immune systems in many ways but lately, a few things have happened that led to a weakening of our systems. Weakened immunity allowed the sneaky flu to get by our internal warriors.
In April, we stressed our bodies by working too hard when planting the garden. We worked in the heat for over a week and spent almost all our time getting our garden ready for planting. Yes, that was a very important task, but the task wasn’t balanced with the necessary rest or nutrition. We did not eat well during that time and had quick meals that didn’t support optimal health.
We also currently have multiple family members dealing with very serious health issues and we have been very stressed over their suffering. It’s hard to see people that you care about so deeply go through health challenges. When your heart aches for a loved one, it certainly stresses the immune system.
And we chose longer hours at Ryan’s job which has resulted in a decrease in sleep. Our bodies simply cannot operate at peak performance if we aren’t recharging with adequate sleep. Inadequate rest shows up in so many different areas of our lives and the first place is generally in our health and immune system.
Could This Illness Have Been Avoided?
Could all these immune suppressing activities have been avoided? Some of them, yes but unfortunately not all of them. Sometimes, there are just situations that require us to push our bodies beyond what is healthy. We may have a deadline that is completely unavoidable or a sudden change in circumstances that causes our daily routines to be interrupted. But, when we do have a health setback, we can analyze what would have been helpful to make even the unexpected situations and sicknesses easier to bear.
Four Ways To Prepare For An Unexpected Illness
Here are four actions I plan to take to make our next illness go as well as possible.
Have Nutritious Quick Meals Prepared
When Ryan was sick the first week, I spent most of my time preparing homemade stock, soup and broths to help his body heal. In order to cook truly nutritious foods, it takes time. If I had come down with the flu the same time that he had, we would have been at the mercy of sandwiches, quick processed foods or take out. That really wouldn’t have been ideal and could have led to prolonged illness.
I’ve set a goal to have some nutritious meals prepped and ready to go! I will be canning some homemade soups and putting together some casseroles or crock pot meals for the freezer. I want to be able to have something that I can dump out of a jar and heat up or just heat in the oven.
If you have any tried-and-true recipes for canned convenience meals, please drop a link in the comments. I would truly appreciate any help from some veteran canners!
Have Home Remedies Ready, Even If It’s Not Flu Season
If you use a lot of home remedies for seasonal illnesses, don’t let them run out or let your stock get too low to last through an entire illness for multiple family members. Colds, flu, and other respiratory illnesses typically show up during the winter months but aren’t limited to just one season.
Thankfully, I have a recent batch of homemade Elderberry Syrup on hand and one large bottle has gotten us through this flu.
I allowed my stock of homemade pain-relieving magnesium rub to run out and I haven’t felt like making a new batch while I’ve been sick. It would have been so helpful for pain management during the first day or so when my body ached all over.
I suggest having an ample supply of natural pain relievers, cough remedies, natural antibiotics, and antivirals on hand before you need them. You will NOT feel like using the mental or physical energy needed to make medicine when you are suffering from the flu.
One hard lesson that I have learned during this illness is that all the “ingredients” in the world are nice but useless if you haven’t taken the time to prepare the medicine before you actually need it!
Don’t Write Off All Allopathic Remedies
Our family always tends to steer towards natural remedies for health complaints. But wisdom says not to eliminate certain over-the-counter or even prescription allopathic medicines when they could be helpful. I haven’t taken ibuprofen in several years, until the second day I was sick with this flu. My fever was high and normally I would just let a fever run its course. This time, my body reacted to the fever with extreme bone pain in my hips and legs and muscle spasms. I needed to rest and get some sleep and I didn’t hesitate to take a few ibuprofens when I felt like the benefit outweighed the risk.
Sometimes, there is a genuine need for allopathic interventions. It’s smart to have those interventions available. I suggest keeping different types of pain relievers, allergy medications, cold and flu remedies, and cough syrups in your medical pantry. You may be able to handle a complete illness with just nutrition and herbals. But, if the time comes that you need something different, it’s best to have them at hand.
Organize Your Medical Supplies
Since my medical pantry was partially organized before I came down with the flu, I was able to locate most supplies quickly. This was so helpful because I would have hated to have had to explain to someone else all the places that a needed supply MIGHT have been! I guess having medical supplies handy is a benefit (can you call it a benefit?) of chronic illness. I monitor my health more closely than most people, so I usually have monitoring supplies close at hand.
In fact, I have a rolling cart that contains everything needed for a quick vital signs assessment. Learning to take vital signs and interpret the results can be helpful when deciding if additional medical interventions are necessary. There are many instructors online (YouTube etc.) that offer free training on how to monitor vital signs. If your assessments indicate that consulting a health professional is necessary, the details you collect will be helpful for a proper diagnosis.
These are the items that I keep on my medical cart.
- Thermometers. I keep digital and manual stick thermometers and digital forehead thermometers ready for checking temperatures.
- Pulse Oximeter. A pulse oximeter measures the oxygen saturation in your blood and your pulse rate. Your oxygen saturation is an important number to know in order to assess your lung function. Pulse rate measures heart rate and can be used as an indicator of illness.
- Blood Pressure Monitor. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on your blood pressure. Too high or too low readings can help you decide if you need additional medical assistance.
- Stethoscope. A good quality stethoscope can help you analyze your respiration rate (the number of breaths you take in a minute). You can also listen for lung function sounds, wheezing, etc.
- Otoscope. An otoscope is a tool that physicians use to examine the ears, nose, and throat. You can find a decent otoscope online along with directions on how to use them. Otoscopes are great to have for a quick assessment of a possible ear infection or throat issues.
- Blood sugar monitor. Blood sugar monitoring is a necessity if you are diabetic. Even if you don’t have diabetes, it’s important to be able to test your blood sugar. Your doctor can sometimes write a prescription for a monitor and the monitoring supplies. If that’s not an option, the monitors and the supplies are available over the counter.
- Vital Signs Monitoring Sheets. If you are going through an illness, it’s a good idea to keep a written record of your vital signs. You can also jot down how you are feeling, what remedies or medications you take, and when you take them. This paperwork would provide valuable information to your physician if you were to need additional medical interventions. There are many free printable vital signs sheets available online.
I hope this post is helpful and makes your next sneaky cold, cough, flu, or illness a little less stressful! If you have any additional tips I may have missed, please share them in the comments.
With love,
Elisha
