How do you handle being sick.

[chuckr]

We carry a variety of antibiotics and get them updated with docs we visit such as dermatologist - and as an ex isolated duty air force medic and back country emt i can take care of a bunch of stuff -
but stuff does happen - I got a bug when we travelled inland to Romania and Bulgaria and when we got back to the boat in Albania I had pneumonia - I started on antibiotics and by the time we made Saranda I was not doing well and went to a doc. He put me on a whole bunch of meds and inhalers and told us to sit along with our agent who would not check us out without the docs permission (they knew me) and we sat for a week and I laid in bed and read and recovered
Knock on wood we have not had any injuries while underway - did tear a shoulder tendon during a winter layover and surgery but that was when we were waiting out winter so may not count in your quesiton

[zeehag]

i broke my back on board--self cared me back to good.
i donot sail when i am sick.
had flu in ensenada in 2011--hunkered down and got over it.
life goes on

[astokel]

So you guys haven't heard of the flu shot or are you inoculation deny-ers? I have one each year (free in the true north) and I keep my immune system healthy by eating well and exercising daily.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by astokel

So you guys haven't heard of the flu shot or are you inoculation deny-ers? I have one each year (free in the true north) and I keep my immune system healthy by eating well and exercising daily.

there are folks who are allergic to the vaccines.
there is also the FACT that vaccines for influenza do NOT include the particular strain popular each year.
viruses morph. they change. what works against one years strain will not be appropriate for another.
enjoy.
personally, as i have an allergy or sensitivity to something in the make up of the substance delivered, i become much sicker when i am given the flu vaccine than without it.
i RARELY get sick, as i protect myself well.

[seasick]

Wife came down with Dengue symptoms two days out of the Virgin Islands bound for Panama. Nothing for it but to ride it out. With just we two aboard, it was a bit scary. She was down for a week and didn't really recover for three more weeks. The virus ended up acting as an oncolytic and cleared the bone cancer secondary to breast cancer that was expected to kill her. Three years later she is still cancer free.

[oldsalt_1942]

With latex gloves?

[captmikem]

I picked up Dengue Fever in Tonga, nothing to do but grin and bear it for about 10 days, not fun but it did beat living in a city and driving in city traffic.

Don't worry about it, the majority of people find excuses not to go, just do it.

Michael.

[alansmith]

There are so many things that can go wrong with the body especially as we age. Things like shingles are very deabilitating and require some pretty potent narcotics. My coworker was flat on his back for almost ten days. How about a tooth that goes bad offshore? Make sure your teeth are all repaired and no hidden time bombs not addressed.

I would also recommend activated charcoal...we use it in the emergency room for poisonings and absorption of toxins. It is cheap and effective when your intestines want to become a garden hose. People do get bad food. Can be picked up in most local Rx over the counter. Serious stuff like the doctor above noted of strokes, heart attacks, and such...the shizzle is on.

[JPA Cate]

Flu shots aren't 100% protection, even if you're somewhere they're offered.

What we did when it happened to us, we both were exposed to flu before we left, and we were 3 days out to sea when struck. What Boatie said, we hove to, for three days, ran the anchor light at night. Jim recovered first, and we sailed back to where we had left from, till I was well enough for us to take off. The Customs of the country allowed us to get off the boat to go for health building walks, without the formality of being checked back in.

Ann

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by astokel

So you guys haven't heard of the flu shot or are you inoculation deny-ers? I have one each year (free in the true north) and I keep my immune system healthy by eating well and exercising daily.

Yep, ages ago I got the flu shot for a number of years, & each year I got super sick. Including 104deg fever, in the hospital where the MD calls your family type sick. But since then no shots, & not sick at all.

Note that for me at least, if I start to notice feeling run down, Echinacea helps my body to stop anything such as a cold from even becoming a footnote in my medical history. Taking it for a couple of days seems to work wonders, so it's more than worth keeping some on hand.

The other good remedy/preventative is a hot toddy. Some lemon tea with a shot of scotch, or rum, & lots of honey. It too seems to help to stop any bug trying to take hold if you catch it early.

The catching things early being a key factor in getting sick or not. For me the red flag is a scratchy throat. What's yours?

[mjgill1]

Haven't had an antibiotic in many years, though I still get sick occasionally. Years ago, I read some of Dr. Linus Pauling's work on high dose Vitamin C. It truly is miraculous! The theory (should be a law) is that when you get sick your body goes into a state similar to scurvy. Basically, the body will utilize great amounts of C to help beat whatever is ailing you.

I believe Dr. Pauling is the only individual, or one of very few to win 2 Nobel Peace Prizes solo for his work. Unfortunately most modern docs have never heard of him or high dose Vitamin C therapy . I won't comment on what could possibly be the reasons for that.

Basically, when you get sick you titrate your body up to bowel tolerance using ascorbic acid powder (1 g/hr or more as needed with plenty of fluids) and maintain that for the duration of your illness. What was a 10 day infection with or without antibiotics is now gone in 2 days. You still feel like crap, but for a lot less time. When you start feeling better, taper off over the next day or two and then maintain a gram or two a day as a maintenance dose. Ascorbic acid powder is easily obtained at a health food store or even on Amazon of all places.

There's a website called DoctorYourself.com: Andrew Saul's Natural Health Website It's somewhat commercialized but you can glean quite a bit of information from it.

Good luck,

[a64pilot]

I am a believer, been taking mega doses of C for 20 years.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Long.../dp/0870710966

[ghendoaus]

Originally Posted by mjgill1

Haven't had an antibiotic in many years, though I still get sick occasionally. Years ago, I read some of Dr. Linus Pauling's work on high dose Vitamin C. It truly is miraculous! The theory (should be a law) is that when you get sick your body goes into a state similar to scurvy. Basically, the body will utilize great amounts of C to help beat whatever is ailing you.

I believe Dr. Pauling is the only individual, or one of very few to win 2 Nobel Peace Prizes solo for his work. Unfortunately most modern docs have never heard of him or high dose Vitamin C therapy . I won't comment on what could possibly be the reasons for that.

Basically, when you get sick you titrate your body up to bowel tolerance using ascorbic acid powder (1 g/hr or more as needed with plenty of fluids) and maintain that for the duration of your illness. What was a 10 day infection with or without antibiotics is now gone in 2 days. You still feel like crap, but for a lot less time. When you start feeling better, taper off over the next day or two and then maintain a gram or two a day as a maintenance dose. Ascorbic acid powder is easily obtained at a health food store or even on Amazon of all places.

There's a website called DoctorYourself.com: Andrew Saul's Natural Health Website It's somewhat commercialized but you can glean quite a bit of information from it.

Good luck,

+1 for high dose vitamin C - if powder not available chewable tablet style Bit C is as effective.
A good read on the subject if you can find it is Appendix B in a book "Death by Calcium" “by Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD”. It specifies dosages etc.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by ghendoaus

+1 for high dose vitamin C - if powder not available chewable tablet style Bit C is as effective.
A good read on the subject if you can find it is Appendix B in a book "Death by Calcium" “by Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD”. It specifies dosages etc.

I prefer liberal quantities of Tequila and Tang to up the VitC intake.

[VetTails]

The travel doctors in Australia will consult with you before a trip and then you can buy little pack with basic antibiotics etc based on where you are travelling. They also have instructions on when to take what.
I am a vet so can self treat in an emergency, but thought they were really good. Especially if your out at sea antibiotics if you get an infection can be make or break!

Sheridan
www.vettails.com


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