Long term prep for chronic illness

[toehanus]

Been on OSA for a while. Don't post much other than the occasional smart-alec comment and a classified ad. After reading "Patriots" by John Wesley-Rawles several years ago, I have been in a semi-prepper/survivalist mindset. I have a very specifi prepper question regarding dealing with chronic illnesses in a PHTF situation. Here is my dilemma. I have mild-moderate ulcerative colitis. Wah, poor me. It is controlled with regular medication and the occasional round of steroids. How would one prepare to deal with a chronic illness (hypothetically, ulcerative colitis) in a long-term social meltdown? Is there a source for natural herbs or something that one could grow? Or, rather, should I get a lifetime supply of depends and lysol? Or, rather, rather, am I to be the expendable one who goes on all the dangerous recon/zombie killing missions since I won't last too long anyway? Thanks!

toe

p.s. I swear if somebody says any version of "this has been discussed before, use the search button....." I'll sling a nice wad of poo at them.

 

[Mike_60]

...am I to be the expendable one who goes on all the dangerous recon/zombie killing missions....

Hey if you're gonna volunteer....just sayin !!!

 

[gillman7]

If you use the search function..... J/K

There are some good books on Herbal Remedies. Some of the prescription meds are concentrations of Herbal remedies. I have High Blood Pressure and am looking into how to control it as well. I also had a spastic colon, which is not as bad as what you have, but was able to stop the attacks through diet. I think Badge Bunny was saying that she has some books on this, but I am looking at getting some resources. I have some now, let me get what I have together and PM it to you.

This is the part of SHTF that I am least prepared for, the medical treatment and training. Another option is maybe animal meds? Not sure if there is anything there, but if you know the active ingredients, you might research those as well.

 

[Mike_60]

I think gillman7 has the right approach. I’m ignorant about your condition, but I do know Birch was reportedly used by the Indians for diarrhea and dysentery. But I’d be very hesitant to mix herbal remedies with prescriptions. It might be worth your time to contact an herbalist and get some recommendations from them.

 

[OKC9-12LEDR1]

Been on OSA for a while. Don't post much other than the occasional smart-alec comment and a classified ad. After reading "Patriots" by John Wesley-Rawles several years ago, I have been in a semi-prepper/survivalist mindset. I have a very specifi prepper question regarding dealing with chronic illnesses in a PHTF situation. Here is my dilemma. I have mild-moderate ulcerative colitis. Wah, poor me. It is controlled with regular medication and the occasional round of steroids. How would one prepare to deal with a chronic illness (hypothetically, ulcerative colitis) in a long-term social meltdown? Is there a source for natural herbs or something that one could grow?

I have several thoughts on this subject, only it was One Second After that prompted me to look into ways to deal with my mild hypertension. I learned a lot on the subject of natural medicines, herbs and Essential Oils, but what this also lead me to was finding out where the majority of these autoimmune diseases originate. I will put in a plug here for Jack Spirko of TSP, TheSurvivalPodcast.com
I started listening to his program about 3 years ago. Jack has made quite a name for himself, having been on FOX and a guest speaker on Glenn Beck. A while back Jack interviewed a guy who talked about Lacto-fermentation and the Paleo Diet. A short time after that he has two more guests on his show, Robb Wolf who wrote the book The Paleo Solution (which I bought) and Dr Gregg Ellis who wrote several books on the subject of low carb nutrition.

It starts with your overall gut health. Most people eat too many grains, which our bodies are not capable of digesting. The other big problem is most people don't have the proper level of digestive enzymes in their stomach to digest the foods there (Gut Flora). When the food is not digested in the stomach, it travels through the intestine's, colon, ileocecal valve and so on. The semi digested food beaks down in those areas, basically rots the intestinal wall and does all kinds of damage. IBS, Crones, Colitis, Acid reflux, these are just a few diseases that are all caused by this problem. I am no doctor, maybe that is a good thing. I look to find a way to treat the cause, not treat the symptom.

I am convinced you can deal with your problem and likely get off your meds all together. It will mean a life style change. Here are the links to those three podcasts. If you listen to the three of them, you will have a good understanding of the problems we have with disease and sickness in our society today. I have a lot more information on the subject, PM me is you want to discuss at greater length. Good luck.

http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/the-ancients-and-their-food
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/robb-wolf-on-paleo-nutrition-and-permaculture
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/greg-ellis-on-low-carb-nutrition

 

[toehanus]

Thanks for the responses. I actually have been off my daily script for a couple of weeks. My doc had switched me to a new med and I was actually feeling worse. So I tried a day without the med. it was the best I had felt in a long time. So I tried another day without it and so on. For the most part I have been pretty good.

I will definitely listen to those podcasts. I'm sure I will have questions. I eat way better than I used to but I would hardly say that I'm a healthy eater.

Ok of to see if I can kill some yotes.

tow

 

[OKC9-12LEDR1]

My doctor damn near killed me with a switch to a new BP medication. Luckily for me I had gone through something similar before and learned from it. They were trying a different med, not sure why other than they didn't think the first one they put me on was doing quite as good as they liked. I felt fine and my BP was in the 130/75 range. I have been a tad high all my life. The 20mg dosage of this new med they gave me caused my BP to drop way to low, I was working in the summer heat (105) and got dizzy, couldn't drive, out of cell range. Luckily my wife was there with me that day and she drove home. I call the DR that Monday and they said to cut the dose in half. I learned from the symptoms this experience gave me.

My DR was PRACTICING medicine, again, and changed my med once again. Again he prescribed a 20mg dose of some new med his pusher was peddling. Having gone through my previous experience, I cut the dosage in half before even trying it. Again it was on a weekend so the office was not open. I spend the next two days on the couch with my BP bottoming out, dizzy, couldn't walk, just about went to the ER. Probably should have other than I didn't feel like a $2-3000 dollar bill just tell me to do what I already knew. I went back to my old med after I let the new one get out of my system for a couple days. Had I taken the full dosage he prescribed, I don't know that I would be here right now. As bad as 1/2 dose hit me, I think that is likely the case. Think I have a bad attitude about the medical profession, damn right I do!

They have their place, but I have chosen to take personal responsibility for my own life where I can. I just wish I had got my head out of my A** on this a long time ago. I started working out right after I turned 50. 305 pounds at the time. I dropped 15 or so pounds over the next 8 years but the BP issue still came up. Felt better, much stronger, had gotten into herbal medicines and was heading down the right road but learning about the information included in those 3 podcasts changed my life. I dropped almost 60 pounds over the last 12 months, down to 230 now. I went Paleo. I never dieted, just changed what I eat, cut out breads, pasta, cut my rice intake to one meal a week, cut WAY back on processed sugars and most processed dairy products. Most people say 'What's Left' when I say that. I never went 100% paleo and still lost that much, this spring I will go 100% for a few weeks to drop another 20 pounds, then back off to the 80% level to maintain the weight.

One more thing I have learned about weight loss, it is really difficult to loose weight in the winter months. Like all animals, our bodies store up fats when the weather turns cold. We can't fight that. It is perfectly natural to gain 3-5 pounds going in the fall. Your body will fight you if you try to take that off too soon. Those New Year's resolutions don't work for most people, just for this fact. Wait till the end of February or early March to try your diet, you will have much more success at it then. Our bodies have daily, monthly and yearly cycles we go through, just look at your wife or GF and see the cycle she deals with. If you learn about these things, life is a lot easier.

Sorry to make this reply about me, just trying to show that people can take charge of their own health if they choose to do so. Most won't. If you are a prepper, you are truly preparing for the bad times that are coming, you better start with that person you see in the mirror each morning. I am determined to be there to protect my family and friends, to help others come through this and that won't happen if I fall over dead from a stress related heart attack.

I was listening to some old TSP Podcasts today at the farm and ran across this one. It will help open your eyes to the world of herbal medicines. I buy most of my herbs and some of my essential oils from this guys company. He is a master herbalist with a prepper mindset. Gotta love the combination. Here is a link to his interview on TSP.
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/episode-689-dr-kyle-christensen-on-herbal-and-alternative-remedies

I highly recommend his book too, Herbal First Aid and Health Care. Buy it on Amazon, it's a lot cheaper than on his own site.
http://www.westernbotanicals.com/index.php

Here is one more link, most of us have lost loved ones to cancer. It is one of the biggest health related fears people have today. There are lots of things we can do to help us in this area, mostly in prevention. This is one program Jack did on dealing with it after diagnosis. Not making any recommendation on this one, but the information is pretty interesting.
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/pendlebury-on-alternative-cancer-treatment

 

[BadgeBunny]

If you use the search function..... J/K

There are some good books on Herbal Remedies. Some of the prescription meds are concentrations of Herbal remedies. I have High Blood Pressure and am looking into how to control it as well. I also had a spastic colon, which is not as bad as what you have, but was able to stop the attacks through diet. I think Badge Bunny was saying that she has some books on this, but I am looking at getting some resources. I have some now, let me get what I have together and PM it to you.

This is the part of SHTF that I am least prepared for, the medical treatment and training. Another option is maybe animal meds? Not sure if there is anything there, but if you know the active ingredients, you might research those as well.

I have some fairly general herbal remedy books, but just fired off the paperwork (and check) to start the degree program offered by a school that offers classes in various techniques of natural healing. I have a friend who got her degree from this school and makes a living as a Doctor of Natural Healing. Apparently in other countries if you wish to pursue some of these treatment techniques, as opposed to traditional Western medicine, you can bill insurance ... Huh! Who knew??

Anyway it's a 3 to 4 year study program, but I am really looking forward to getting the coursework and getting started.

I have studied the subject enough to be able to say with confidence that Mike_60 is right ... Do NOT mix herbal remedies with any prescriptions you are taking now without discussing it with your doctor FIRST. It is very, very easy to really fubar yourself that way ... I tend to always err on the side of caution and start with the least problematic (read: least toxic) remedies first ... All medications (including herbal tinctures, oils, extracts, etc.) are toxic. The trick is to find that fine line between helpful and hurtful and for everyone that "line" is different. That is why, even though the doctors give folks recommended dosages of medications, there is still the possibility for side effects -- some pretty nasty as you have seen from just a few posts here.

toehanus, you might check with a naturopathic physician (there are a few in the OKC area) and see what they recommend. What little I do know about treating it leads me to suggest that you try pre- and probiotics on a regular basis. Acupuncture (or acupressure) might also help.

Also, I found this: http://www.livestrong.com/article/117125-holistic-treatments-irritable-bowel-colitis/ I don't think a little peppermint oil would hurt you (and it might help) ...

I'm not telling you anything you don't already know when I say mind your diet and get some exercise. Finally, while this may sound a bit hokey, find a way to meditate for 10-15 minutes a couple times a day. It doesn't have to be some kind of fancy, transcendental stuff, just have a seat on the floor (or put your feet up in a recliner), turn down the lights, turn off everything that makes noise, close your eyes and focus on nothing at all for 10 minutes or so. It's a lot harder to do than it sounds, but with practice you will be able to "turn off" the stressors in your life for a few minutes. It is amazing how rested you will feel once you teach yourself how to do this and practice it with consistency. BTW, this is a trick my PT taught me when we were working through some fairly painful stretches for my neck injury ... She's the one who got me interested in this alternative medicine stuff ...

Ok, well not quite finally ... NOW, finally, I am NOT a medical doctor, nor am I offering medical advice with my post. I am simply offering up the suggestion that there might be another, less toxic, less "big pharma" way to treat certain conditions -- some of which have been mentioned here and some of which have not. That is all.

 

[Cinaet]

I've been talking this over with myself for several years. I decided I need to squirrel away a minimum of one month's supply of my scripts for a 30-day plan. That's not hard to do with most of my meds. But it's taken me awhile to build a 30-day supply of oxy. My doctor, rightfully so, limits my daily intake and if I miss one I can barely walk. My post 30-day plan has been to gather as much literature, hard copies as well as matching electronic copies, as I can find for my specific needs and gathering recommended over the counter remedies. Thank goodness for health food stores.

Edit: I also read everything BadgeBunny posts in the prepper forum. She's been at it for a long time and she's a wealth of knowledge where prep is concerned.

 

[BadgeBunny]

I've been talking this over with myself for several years. I decided I need to squirrel away a minimum of one month's supply of my scripts for a 30-day plan. That's not hard to do with most of my meds. But it's taken me awhile to build a 30-day supply of oxy. My doctor, rightfully so, limits my daily intake and if I miss one I can barely walk. My post 30-day plan has been to gather as much literature, hard copies as well as matching electronic copies, as I can find for my specific needs and gathering recommended over the counter remedies. Thank goodness for health food stores.

Edit: I also read everything BadgeBunny posts in the prepper forum. She's been at it for a long time and she's a wealth of knowledge where prep is concerned.

I know what you mean about the pain medications. While I am so much better than I was a year ago, if I do a lot of physical work (or shoot a lot) my neck will flare up, which typically is a couple, sometimes 3 times a week. The only thing that gets it back under control is oxy. I can either take one oxy and lay down, then get up feeling pretty decent and finish it off with a couple of ibuprofen or I can spend the next week in bed bawling my eyes out (because I hurt so bad I can't even see), poping ibuprofen every 6 hours, praying to die, until the nerves in my neck and head decide to calm back down. I am only slightly amused when someone says to me that it's all in my head (because it's really all in my neck and I have the MRIs to prove it! ) or when they wonder outloud if I "might" be dependent on painkillers. I tell them why yes, I am dependent on painkillers, but not for the reason you are thinking ...

I don't know the origin or pathology of your pain (I'm guessing your back if you are having trouble walking when you hurt, but that's just a guess) but you might try the meditation stuff too. Don't sit if it makes you hurt, just find a position that's most comfortable to you. I'll dig up the links my physical therapist had originally sent to me (if I didn't delete them ) and PM them to you. But the jist of the articles was that even permanently damaged nerves can be "trained" to calm down a bit upon certain signals. Meditation, deep breathing techniques and sometimes even just closing your eyes for a few minutes call all be the signal to your nerves to "take a break" so to speak. I'll admit that it does not make my pain go away completely, but I can tell a difference now within seconds of "going there". It's not hard to learn, but it does take some practice.

And thank you for the compliment. I just know how I feel sometimes when I'm researching a subject -- and there are so many subjects within "preparedness" that you need to be proficient at. It's just overwhelming. Not to mention that what is right for me may be the completely wrong way for someone else to approach being prepared. All I know for sure is that I was not lucky enough to have somebody who was willing to help me without "testing" me, or without me "owing" them, or without just being absolute turds if I asked a question that apparently was supposed to be already carved in my forearm for future reference.

I swore if I ever got "good" at this I'd NEVER be that person, so ...

If folks have a question I try to answer it. None of this super secret squirrel stuff. You don't have to prove to me you are worthy of the information before I share it. If I don't have time to point you in the right direction now, what kind of person do you think I'm gonna be if things ever go sideways?? Yeah ... not somebody I'd want to be around either ...

Just because somebody doesn't do it the way I would do it, doesn't mean they aren't doing it "right". Everybody had different degrees of worry for different scenarios. And besides, who really knows what disaster is gonna befall us next -- I tend to think we are more apt to suffer at the hands of Mother Nature than we are any NWO -- others think the opposite. BUT ... any amount of prepping is better than no prepping at all.

There are just as many ways to prep as their are people in the world. Anybody who tries to tell me they have the perfect way to prep and their way is the only way gets marked off the "friends" list in a heartbeat. Same with folks who are always "testing" others ... Well, IF you prove yourself worthy (mostly by just groveling at my feet because I've been at this longer than you) THEN I'll share a little, tee-tiny bit of information with you. Some folks may be less prepared than me but they are still my EQUALS ... Well, unless they turn out to be just turds ... and then ... well ... *sigh* you still gotta try to be polite (but don't ever turn your back on them) ... lol

In the end, if things go sideways, we will all be in this together. Those folks who look forward to the "impending tribulation" worry me most. More than the folks who are not prepared at all, in fact. Anyone who can't wait for the world to fall apart because they think they can move up a notch, so to speak, on the backs of others who are less prepared (or just plain old unlucky in life) disgust me. There is a special place in hell for those folks, whether the S ever HTF or not ...