after the american holiday. . . sickness arrives. . . :(

sorry i haven't been around much - trying to get online but it's hard. 3 sick kids and a sick husband all with croup like things in kids (flu in husband - hit him the morning of thanksgiving so he was not doing well at all that day) going on is hard for 'free' time.

but once i get everyone resting, i'l pop on

been trying all day but every time i come near the 'puter someone has a puking fit near me so not conducive to typing when ineed to get cleaning.

hope all are doing well.

one of the small 'perks' of autoimmune diseases is that i actually don't get sick from these kinds of things.

Well,Bless Your Heart!

One at a time sick is bad enough, but EVERYONE SICK AT ONCE?

You're gonna be one tired puppy by the time everyone gets back on their feet.

Try to get some rest in between.

Hugs,
Betty

Oh dear! Feel better, all of you!!

It's the season...but oy, it's tough when it hits.

Hope everyone's better soon!

(the pharmacies here have ads in the windows nudging all the mamans to stock up on cough syrup, tummy meds, pain and fever reducers...all with pictures of ailing kids and message that "it's winter again")

BettyAnn, so sorry to hear about the rough Thanksgiving for your family. I hope they are all better very soon. I'm glad you are able to care for all of them.

Hubby and I have caught another cold. He had to drive to Austin on Thanksgiving Day, poor thing, when all he wanted to do was sleep. We came home a day early so he could recupe' a bit before heading back to work tomorrow.

I never knew that some autoimmune diseases make you immune from viruses. Mine seems to make me more susceptible to them. Colds are especially not a good thing for me, and every time I catch one I think, "Is this the one that will throw me into respiratory crisis?" But so far I've been very lucky and I eventually get over the colds and keep chuggin' along. Maybe it's all in my head, but I think eating the healthy food from our gardens on a regular basis, and drinking lots of organic OJ and chicken broth when we have a cold or flu makes a difference in the outcome.

Unfortunately I've never found anything that helps with a stomach virus except time. Hang in there, and don't forget to take care of yourself, too.

it only treats the symptoms, but the BRAT diet is good for upset digestive systems -- Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast -- all easy to digest, and help speed the recuperation phase. (I also like a little bit of mashed potatoes in chicken broth to make a thin gruel - more filling than just chicken broth, but still easy on your ailing system)

To speed the healing process, make sure you eat plenty of yogurt - vanilla is usually the easiest to tolerate - and make sure that it says "contains live and active cultures" -- this helps repopulate your belly with healthy flora and fauna, which helps kick out the bad guys AND returns things to normal much, much faster.

LaFee wrote: To speed the healing process, make sure you eat plenty of yogurt - vanilla is usually the easiest to tolerate - and make sure that it says "contains live and active cultures" -- this helps repopulate your belly with healthy flora and fauna, which helps kick out the bad guys AND returns things to normal much, much faster.

Good point, LaFee. When my daughter was healing from a bout of food poisoning her doctor told her not only to get yogurt with active cultures, but get one that said it was probiotic which contains more strains of the good stuff. She also told her not to eat any dairy except the yogurt for two or three weeks, although I've forgotten why. (Although come to think of it she was on antibiotics, so it might have had something to do with that.)

I was told when one is vomiting not to eat anything at all - not even ice chips - until that phase is past. When one can again keep food down, then slowly add clear liquids (broth, gelatin, clear soda pop, etc.) and if those stay down then progress to the BRAT foods, and finally the yogurt and then regular foods as tolerated.

You have to keep the fluid intake coming, though - or you'll end up in the hospital with an IV bag attached to your arm. Dehydration is a very real risk with any type of gastro-illness.

Sports drinks like Gatorade are really excellent for dehydration - they replace essential salts and sugars in the bloodstream, as well as being quickly absorbed into the system.

(Make sure they're room temperature, though - temperature extremes will cause revolt in an upset tummy!)

thank you all:)

been pushing the fluids and everyone seems to be doing well.

we buy probiotics from health food store (stored in fridge) and i dose everyone 0- the kids have trouble swallowing capsules so i open them and put htem in their food.

put eveyrone on olive leaf extract and hopefully all will be well again soon.

the husband is back to normal; the kids are sounding real cruddy but as i type this they're running around the house like their bums are on fire and screaming happily so they're obviously not doing poorly - amazing how fast kids bounce back.

Sorry yall were sick during the holidays.. And it is amazing how kids bounce back quicker than adults. But in our home the biggest baby is my husband. When he gets sick, he acts like hes dying. Maybe I am just inconsiderate. Our son was sick at his stomach thanksgiving evening for just a few hours then he was fine. I gave him charcoal gel tab. I can't seem to get rid of this sinus pressure. My ear has been draining some thin liquid and my eyeball has a lot of pressure. All on one side of my head.

very curious--what does the olive leaves do for you?

We like semi-homemade eggdrop soup when we feel pourly.
I make Lipton chicken noodle soup that comes in the packets. During the last
minute of cooking time, i add a whisked egg slowly to the soup. (one egg per packet)
I also don't use all the water that the soup directions give. I like my chicken flavor stronger.

Get well soon.

I love chicken soup for when feeling poorly, but recently I've found a homemade Hot and Sour soup which I actually like even more. The vinegar in it doesn't bother my tummy at all and seems very clearing... (and between it and the chili oil, it clears my sinuses, too!) It does have an egg dropped in as well.

they're doing better - got them in bed wehre they're all 'reading' books under their new desk lamp/bed lamps.

the olive leaf extract is found in capsule form at my local health food store. it's a natural antibiotic.

i give it/or take it 1 capsule 4x day for 10 days.

works great.

i'm allergic to all the major meds (sulfa, penicillin, tetracycline, erythromycin, keflex of cephalasporins) so not easy to dose me.

i also make sure to get lots of extra probiotics in everyone to replenish the 'good' gut flora.

seems like everyone bounces back pretty fast.

the husband was only down a couple of days really.. but dragging a bit afterwards. he had the flu. blech. turns out many folks have the flu - and most of them were vaccinated. i don't vax so of course folks always assume that we're stupid. . well, this time - obviouslly the birds in japan didn't get teh right version of whatever they blend together. ... . or however they decide what strains to give the masses.

well, mini soapbox is over. *grin*

i hear chaos upstairs so i'm thinking they're not sleeping/reading now... sigh..

Megan wrote:I love chicken soup for when feeling poorly, but recently I've found a homemade Hot and Sour soup which I actually like even more. The vinegar in it doesn't bother my tummy at all and seems very clearing... (and between it and the chili oil, it clears my sinuses, too!) It does have an egg dropped in as well.

Hot and Sour is one of my husband's favorite soups. Would you share the recipe, please? We still have these awful colds, and that might taste good to him after a long day at work today.

thanks for the info on olive leaf extracts. I never knew-----learn something everyday.

BettyAnn, Glad they are all on the mend.

You are the only other person I "know" who is also allergic to almost every med known to man! I thought I was the only one and was really feeling lonely.

We hardly ever go to eat at anyone else's house because I'm allergic to onions, garlic, beef, yeast, a lot of fermented things and most cheeses because of the natural occurring molds in them. People don't seem to understand the repercussions for me of coming into contact with these things. Sometimes they will forget and use onion and/or garlic powder which I don't always detect and will have a bad reaction to.

I will have to remember the olive leaf and try to remember to get some at the healthfood store the next time I'm in town.

Megen, Yes, please share the recipe for the hot and sour soup. Sounds like something DH and DS would love.

Betty

betty - must be a 'betty' thing. *smile*

we've had an allergic household ever since i had first living kid. so i understand how hard it is to eat at others homes. folks just don't realize.

growing up, i had tons and tons of allergies - had to get weekly allergy shots 2 times/week for years so i could be in the real world - my mom always joked i was allergic to everything and myself - it seemed as though i was reacting to something all the time. it was not fun.

but then i got older and it seemed as though many of my allergens weren't triggered as much.

other ones did instead.


the olive leaf extract will cost about $20 for a 10 day supply. we always keep an unopened bottle in the pantry -and when the seal is broken, it goes on the shopping list so we always have it. my husband is even sold on it.

It's not my recipe; I'll check to make sure the owner is okay with sharing it.

I'm very late, sorry! The recipe is now posted here. Hope you all like it as much as we (and Megan and her husband) do!