The idle musings of a former military man, former computer geek, medically retired pastor and now full-time writer. Contents guaranteed to offend the politically correct and anal-retentive from time to time. My approach to life is that it should be taken with a large helping of laughter, and sufficient firepower to keep it tamed!
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Down with the crud
I'm running a fever and coughing up lumps, and Miss D. isn't doing much better. I'm afraid blogging will be light today. I'll try to post later, when I (hopefully) may be feeling more human.
Daughter brought home the crud from her Christmas break in Texas. Doc says it's probably some kind of variant of the Spanish Flu. I am not amused! Graduate School does not wait for you to heal up.
NEVER touch your face. EVER. Except, with perhaps, your elbow, if your nose is itchy.
When you enter the gym, go wash your hands (to help protect others).
Do not stand near anyone, or at least not close enough to get 'blow by' sneezes. Or coughs.
When you are ready to leave the gym: GO TO THE BATHROOM and 'scrub' your hands. I mean give them a pre-surgical scrub. Lots of soap, rinse. Lots more soap, rinse. Go up your arms a bit too. Do not shower there.... Shower at home! (Athletes foot anyone?)
I've been a gym rat since I was 18 years old (I am now 67)¸. I used get every stinking bit of crud that breezed through the gym, until my lifting coach (a REAL coach not a match-book trainer, I was a power lifter), told me to keep my hands the heck away from my face. He used more expletives.
A different note:¸
When flu is around, DO NOT EAT OUT. Ever. (We have stopped eating out completely. Cirrhosis is not a fun disease.)
Also, because you are older and we are so much more 'vibrant', there has been an upswing in Hepatitis (pick a letter). This can be transmitted fairly easily through food, particularly when kitchen help comes from a culture THAT DOES NOT WASH. (No running water, or if running water, filthy running water - nothing gets clean.)
If you are a diabetic: Go get a prescription for Metformin. NOT ANYTHING ELSE. Just Metformin. Take no other drugs. You will be better for it. (Go read the literature, see what I mean.
Lecture off. But seriously (and the preceding is also serious), I enjoy your blog and want you to have many, many more years writing it!
Chill out in your recliner or in bed. Drink hot liquids. Avoid all dairy products, as they encourage mucus production. Take guanfacine to loosen up the phlegm so you can cough it out.
Wash your hands after every nose blow, or at least use alcohol gel.
Store your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide to kill the germs. When you're better, replace the toothbrush.
It's taken me a week to get over it, and I'm still tiring quickly. But the weather has warmed up here in the Hill Country, and just sitting on the porch in the sunshine helped enormously.
One more thing: mix 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 1 part water. Gargle with it. It takes awful and gets all foamy, which might set off your gag reflex. Resist! When done gargling (try to do it for a total of 30 seconds), rinse with plain water (you'll really want to do this).
Kills germs like mad -- also kills bad breath. I use it after brushing my teeth. The one week I didn't gargle, I got sick. So back to hydrogen peroxide and water as a gargle.
hope you are feeling better this evening - and the anon. advice about gym hygiene was spot on! Gyms are as bad as kindergartens for breeding nasty microbes...
You are doing better than me when I get sick, All I want to do is curl up in a corner and whimper. The Gym advice is spot one, and I will try the Hydrogen Peroxide trick and see how it works.
Around my area influenza A and to a lesser extent B are raging. The vaccine is totally ineffective against the particular strain of A. The A seems more infectious than usual as well. Despite hand washing bordering on obsessive, hand sanitizer and even masks it burned through every staff member of a local clinic in a matter of a week. I got A myself and I generally have a very strong immune system and rarely catch bugs despite regular exposure. Worst flu year we've had in recent memory around here.
Recover quickly, both of you. You're in my prayers.
ReplyDeleteTake care of yourselves and get well soon. God bless.
ReplyDeleteGet better soon..
ReplyDeleteYou two get better as quick as you can.
ReplyDeleteDaughter brought home the crud from her Christmas break in Texas. Doc says it's probably some kind of variant of the Spanish Flu. I am not amused! Graduate School does not wait for you to heal up.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS IMPORTANT, PETER.
ReplyDeleteWhen you are at the gym:
NEVER touch your face. EVER. Except, with perhaps, your elbow, if your nose is itchy.
When you enter the gym, go wash your hands (to help protect others).
Do not stand near anyone, or at least not close enough to get 'blow by' sneezes. Or coughs.
When you are ready to leave the gym: GO TO THE BATHROOM and 'scrub' your hands. I mean give them a pre-surgical scrub. Lots of soap, rinse. Lots more soap, rinse. Go up your arms a bit too. Do not shower there.... Shower at home! (Athletes foot anyone?)
I've been a gym rat since I was 18 years old (I am now 67)¸. I used get every stinking bit of crud that breezed through the gym, until my lifting coach (a REAL coach not a match-book trainer, I was a power lifter), told me to keep my hands the heck away from my face. He used more expletives.
A different note:¸
When flu is around, DO NOT EAT OUT. Ever. (We have stopped eating out completely. Cirrhosis is not a fun disease.)
Also, because you are older and we are so much more 'vibrant', there has been an upswing in Hepatitis (pick a letter). This can be transmitted fairly easily through food, particularly when kitchen help comes from a culture THAT DOES NOT WASH. (No running water, or if running water, filthy running water - nothing gets clean.)
If you are a diabetic: Go get a prescription for Metformin. NOT ANYTHING ELSE. Just Metformin. Take no other drugs. You will be better for it. (Go read the literature, see what I mean.
Lecture off. But seriously (and the preceding is also serious), I enjoy your blog and want you to have many, many more years writing it!
ANONYMOUS
Condolences, sir.
ReplyDeleteI tried to warn ya, but alas, too late:
https://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2018/01/psa-flu-2018.html
Chill out in your recliner or in bed. Drink hot liquids. Avoid all dairy products, as they encourage mucus production. Take guanfacine to loosen up the phlegm so you can cough it out.
ReplyDeleteWash your hands after every nose blow, or at least use alcohol gel.
Store your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide to kill the germs. When you're better, replace the toothbrush.
It's taken me a week to get over it, and I'm still tiring quickly. But the weather has warmed up here in the Hill Country, and just sitting on the porch in the sunshine helped enormously.
Rest and get better. We'll still be here.
One more thing: mix 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 1 part water. Gargle with it. It takes awful and gets all foamy, which might set off your gag reflex. Resist! When done gargling (try to do it for a total of 30 seconds), rinse with plain water (you'll really want to do this).
ReplyDeleteKills germs like mad -- also kills bad breath. I use it after brushing my teeth. The one week I didn't gargle, I got sick. So back to hydrogen peroxide and water as a gargle.
And take guaifenesin, not guanfacine. The one loosens up phlegm, the other sends you to pee over and over and over....
ReplyDeletehope you are feeling better this evening - and the anon. advice about gym hygiene was spot on! Gyms are as bad as kindergartens for breeding nasty microbes...
ReplyDeleteFind a store that sells Golden Ginger Ale. It's easy on upset stomachs, tastes good, and even on cold days, good for fevers.
ReplyDeleteC-90
Hey Peter;
ReplyDeleteYou are doing better than me when I get sick, All I want to do is curl up in a corner and whimper.
The Gym advice is spot one, and I will try the Hydrogen Peroxide trick and see how it works.
Around my area influenza A and to a lesser extent B are raging. The vaccine is totally ineffective against the particular strain of A. The A seems more infectious than usual as well. Despite hand washing bordering on obsessive, hand sanitizer and even masks it burned through every staff member of a local clinic in a matter of a week. I got A myself and I generally have a very strong immune system and rarely catch bugs despite regular exposure. Worst flu year we've had in recent memory around here.
ReplyDelete