I’m often asked how I got through an extended illness with two small children to care for, alone, for just about 24/7. Hubby was home only one or two days a week when I was sick. I pretty much had everything on my own and for a large part of it, I was either vomiting 24/7 or the first half of the day. My oldest was 1.5 when I went through hyperemesis with my son. Then they were 1.5 and 3. 5 when I became seriously ill for a couple of years with celiac. Here’s what I did in an effort to cope.
hospital
What will you do when you get that call?
A few days ago, my best friend got that phone call that everyone dreads.
Your daddy has had a heart attack. The doctors don’t think he’ll make it through the night.
GET. HERE. NOW.
She did what everyone would do. She grabbed enough for a road trip, threw it in the car and took off for a long drive. All she could think about was getting there as fast as possible.
On the way there, she called me to let me know what was going on. Trying to stay calm, she recounted the conversation and what details she knew. She told me later that she didn’t even think about food until she hung up the phone with me, about half-way through her drive. She was headed to a large military town, but it only has one grocery store chain and no health food stores. She has multiple food allergies and doesn’t fare well when exposed to an allergen.
Her daddy did make it through the night. She was having to go to her mom’s house do laundry and had to run by the store to buy basic necessities. She was then faced with the dilemma of having to go to the limited-selection grocery store and find safe food, figure out what to fix without having any of her recipes with her, find safe pots and pans to cook it in at her mom’s house, and keep it safe and segregated in the fridge while a trail of friends and family come through the home. It took time away from being at her daddy’s bedside and provided to be a considerable stress.
Of course, if you have a cast iron stomach and can handle fast food, pot-luck, or hospital cafeteria foods for as long as you need, you’re ok in the food department. But what about clothing? Toiletries? In a rush to get out the door, would you forget something? If you have children, would you have to suffer through their boredom and confusion while you’re going through what can arguably be considered one of the most stressful events in your life?
What would you do? You’re lucky if all of your family lives locally, you can just call a friend and have them swing by your house and drop off whatever you might need and you can run home for food and sleep. But if you have any family out of town, how can you prepare so that you don’t have to worry? Is it possible to just grab-and-go, knowing you have what you need?
You need a bug-out bag.
Stroke- Act F.A.S.T!
When Mom sees this blog post, she will undoubtedly balk at being referred to as ‘elderly.’ I love you, Mom, and I want you and Dad to have the best care possible, no matter how old you are young you feel. 😉
Now on to the public service announcement…
You owe it to yourself and your parents to begin educating yourself on conditions common in the elderly people your parent’s age. If you are local to your elders family and they depend on you for help, know the signs and symptoms of different emergencies and when to take action. If you’re like me, your elders parents are not open to alternative medicine and a traditional foods diet. We must be prepared to deal with the medical needs they have, within the realm of comfort that they have in relying on mainstream medicine for their diagnoses and treatment. The fact is, if you have a elderly parent with mainstream beliefs, you might one day find yourself dealing with the medical community as they go through a stroke, a heart attack or illness from another cause. There’s no better time than now to begin educating yourself, so you aren’t side-swiped like I was this week when we hit a speed bump.
I have learned much about natural remedies in the last ten years, but this week has thrown me for a curve ball. My dad had a minor stroke. Mom and I were both quite shocked at the news. No one in my family realized he was having a stroke because none of us knew the symptoms.
The signs of a stroke are found in the acronym F.A.S.T.:
F– Face. Look for a facial droop or an uneven smile.
A– Arm. Look for weakness or numbness in the arm. Dad couldn’t grip or pick up anything on one side.
S– Speech. Look for slurred speech, difficulty speaking or understanding.
T– Time. Call 911 and get to the hospital immediately. The sooner you receive treatment, the less likely you are to have long-term damage. Ask theEMS to take you to the closest stroke center.
Risk factors for a stroke include high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, smoking, heavy alcohol use, obesity, lack of physical activity, an irregular heartbeat and a family history of stroke.
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KerryAnn Foster runs Cooking Traditional Foods, the longest running Traditional Foods Menu Mailer on the internet. KerryAnn has over nine years of traditional foods experience and is a former Weston A. Price Foundation chapter leader. Founded in 2005, CTF helps you feed your family nourishing foods they will love. Each mailer contains one soup, five dinners, one breakfast, on dessert and extras. You can learn more about our Menu Mailers at the CTF website. For a free sample Menu Mailer, join our mailing list. You can also join our forum to chat with other traditional foodists and learn more.
