The current flu situation, even if it proves to not be overly serious, has got me thinking about what pandemic-specific items we already have in the house, and what else might need to be be included. So far I've come up with the following:


* soap
* hand sanitizer
* bleach
* cleaning wipes
* hand lotion
* lip balm
* rehydration salts
* expectorants (i.e. guafenesein)
* pain relievers (i.e. acetaminophen)
* hot water bottle
* extra blankets
* extra sheets
* thermometers
* neti pot (for clearing nasal passages)
* sterile saline solution
* bulb syringe
* tissues
* canned broth
* lemon juice
* honey
* throat lozenges


Any other ideas...?

Bed -how could you forget a place to sleep.

"Dexter", or other show you like, on DVD.

Strong coffee - I find that when sick if I caffeinate myself and force myself awake and to do light exercise I can afterward dive into deep-immersion sleep for 12 hours or more. After that it is up again and just a matter of wash, rinse, repeat until the virus gives up.

If I just lay in bed I end up in a half-awake funk with sleep that is not restful. With sleep, waking and fever all mashing together. Time goes sideways as I dream about being awake, sleep drifts into my wakefulness, and fever fills in the gaps with snapshots from my subconscious garden of delights and horror.

gloves, mask, puke bucket, chamber pot (bed pan?)
A fan might be nice if you need to bring their temperature down.

Aspirin and Acetaminophen help reduce fevers as well as control pain. If they can't take those there are other ones that do that too.

Keep in mind that you should be seeking medical help early with this one. This is not a common cold.

Is aspirin a good thing to take when one has the flu or is thinning the blood counter-productive?

Reducing fevers. . . aren't fevers (higher than normal body temps) a defense mechanism to kill virus'? To a certain point high temps are a good thing. Too high and there are other issues (death), but shouldn't a typical fever associated with the flu be accepted as part of dealing with illness. Reducing temps to that 98.6 figure might not be the best thing when fighting a virus.

Am I mistaken in these thoughts? I never take aspirin or any other meds. Good water, good food and a few vitamins & minerals.

If you have toddlers/infants then pedialyte, or any oral rehydration liquid with electrolytes, maybe gravol to control vomiting.

Yes Russ. You are pretty much right.
Fever is a defense mechanism, but fever is a risk too if it is too high and causes damage to the person as well as to the disease.
So while fever is a symptom up to a point after that point it becomes a complication that has to be dealt with in its own right.

Temperatures above 106 degrees Fahrenheit can result in brain damage and possibly death. That high of a fever is pretty unusual and a very high fever is indeed an emergency situation that needs to be reduced.
Ice packs and cold baths might even be needed.

Up to about 102 or 103 degrees you are likely better to just make sure they have plenty of fluids and let them sweat it out, but above that you need to start worrying about the effect of the fever itself.

I don't know if the blood thinning effect would matter.

If you may be caring for others who are sick, and have to wear protective gear, you might consider materials to create a "decontamination chamber" and a "clean room" where you can let down your guard a little.

Plastic, stapler and duct tape to create a pair of doors. A place to take off dirty clothes and put on clean ones. A shower or at least a tap and spray hose. I like a couple of trigger spray bottles with a drop of dish soap and a dash of bleach to wash down everything from door handles to rubber gloves and shoes.

Inside the clean room, radio, TV, phone, internet, where you can gather information and contact family without upsetting your charges.

Do not discount the physical and psychological value of such a space. You can't help others swim if you're drowning yourself.

P.S., After I got hit with a norovirus a couple of years ago, the only thing I could look at and keep down, as I rose slowly from the almost-dead, was chicken cup-a-soup. Hydration, salts, and a few light calories -- perfect.

Remember that cold packs (reusable ice packs) placed in strategic areas (areas of large blood flow) can and do help to reduce one's temp. One must remember to protect the sites where the cold packs are placed to prevent cold injuries to the skin.

I generally place them under the arms, inside the legs, about the neck and on the breasts. I would also advise staying out of arms reach of the person you are applying them on. I have been on both sides of the ice pack and neither was pleasant. DW darn near changed my voice for me when she last had a high fever.

Careful with the aspirin and young children, I don't remember why but I do remember that it was a problem. (Maybe I cannot remember because mom gave me aspirin as a child???)

Reyes Syndrome. Low probability, but high consequence. Avoid aspirin & aspirin containing products in patients < 18.

I think you're referring to Reye's Syndrome?