…or some other similar remedy to chase away this flu.The future Baron is gradually improving. His cough is slowly receding, but he still has a fever, which is troubling.
On the other hand, the fB’s girlfriend, who visited with us a week ago, developed her own version of this creeping crud. She went to the doctor yesterday, and he told her that what she had was the common cold, and not the flu, swine or otherwise. Her symptoms were all but identical to Dymphna’s and mine.
So it could be that she unwittingly brought a whole new virus into the house and infected us all with it.
Dymphna’s cough is worrisome because of her asthma. We are hoping to avoid the emergency room between now and Monday, when we can visit our regular doctor.
I’ve had a relatively high fever, at least for me — 100.8° (38.2°) this afternoon. The Ibuprofen only puts a slight dent in it. As a result, most of the time I just sleep or lie around and read Elmore Leonard and Jack Vance books.
Last week Dymphna concocted a home remedy for the FB that I’ve been taking since I got sick: fresh ginger root ground up and made into a syrup, with seltzer added. It’s very strong, and only slightly sweet. Makes my buccal cavity sit up and take notice.
Tonight I will post another (only slightly abbreviated) news feed.
More later.
[Nothing follows]
6 comments:
hey B&D...get better!...
some snake-oil that worked amazingly well on my wife's bout with upper respiratory/sinus/throat infection...
combine:
a peeled & quartered onion
2 cloves of peeled crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of honey
let stand
in a zip-lock bag 8 hours..
remove
onion & garlic...
take honey
as you would Romilar or cough syrup...
this is an old Smoky Mountain remedy & got of the web some time ago...
this worked better than anything else my wife tried...
Lee / Columbus / islam delenda est..
This one sounds interesting. The Smoky Mountains is full of folk remedies.
I presume you let the stuff stand at room temperature...
Commerical cough syrups don't work at all for this condition.
Okay. Here is one that is an old New Orleans remedy that I received from a friend some years ago.
In a large glass:
Hot water
Lemon
Honey
And as much Cayenne pepper as you can stand.
I know, it sounds pretty gross. But that pepper? Oh brother! If it doesnt incinerate those bugs it will at least give you a good sweat. : )
I've heard that one as well. Damn well works too. If nothing else it convinces you that what you've got can't be that bad.
If ya'll (including fB's girlfriend) have a fever, then it's very unlikely that you have a cold. The common cold in adults typically does not bring on a fever. The flu does.
As swine flu is the only game in town these days, it's probable that you all have it (esp. if fB was actually diagnosed with it -- that wasn't clear to me, i.e. if he was tested for it or not?)
If you don't have a really high fever (like 104 F, in which case you should be seeking medical attention), then I suggest not taking anything like Ibuprofen to stop the fever. A fever is one of the body's methods for fighting off a pathogen -- influenza A, for example, does not do well in such a hot environment. Last time I had a bad bout, I just rode out the fever of 102 that I had. Only last a day-and-a-half then. Again, if you have a really high fever (like 104 F), get help.
The antibiotics that fB is/was getting for bacterial pneumonia were probably pretty pointless since, in some cases, the swine flu virus itself is actually traveling down into the lungs and causing viral pneumonia. Thus the need to really be vigilant (as you have been doing!) -- antibiotics won't help. My cousin's son (18) was hospitalized in an ICU unit due to viral pneumonia from swine flu. (His mom is a nurse, so she knew to hustle him into a high care unit ASAP). Thankfully he pulled through.
Mucinex Extra Strength is terrific for handling deep coughs (really clears out the ol' windpipes) -- and Mucinex PM suppresses the cough so you can sleep at night. But, I have no idea if it's ok for folks with asthma to take.
Bed rest, lots of fluids, TLC from friends & family are, of course, all recommended -- the latter in the highest dosages possible! :-)
Be well!
I got this advice in an email. and posted it on my blog.
Seems like good advice.
It helps to keep any problems from getting worse.
Lots about washing hands, using warm salt water to gargle and clean out nostrils, but let me add, if you are coughing up phlegm, do spit it out, keep a cup by you to hold the spit, and wash it out regularly.
Also, doctors in the US have been ordered to report ALL flu as swine flu, regardless if it is seasonal flu or HINI. In fact they do not even test for it anymore.
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