Caught COVID-19? - Now what?

[PatriciaBateman]

There's some amazing threads going regarding general prepping, plans, updates (Prepping for a pandemic threads in particular), my sincere thanks to those keeping us updated!

As part of a family with several "high-risk" categories , I really wanted to start condensing information together in one place about what to do if/when you actually catch it - ie. preventative measures have failed, and providing you are well enough to be managed at home.

The Basics
Vitamin C & Vitamin D (immune support)
Paracetamol/ibuprofen - some finer details to consider about whether it might be better to allow fever to take its course.
Throat lozenges/difflam spray
Oral rehydration fluid/syringe
Olbas oil and/or Vicks vapour rub
Hot water bottle to keep on chest (aids vapourisation and increases blood flow to lungs).

Other things I'm currently looking into that may or may not be helpful
Oil diffusers & tea tree/eucalyptus (basically like olbas oil for symptom relief but possibly some anti-viral action also?)
Elderberry syrup products (ie. Sambucol) - strong antiviral action against influenzae viruses at least
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11399518

I'd love to hear about anyone else's ideas or studies they've found - even if it's just "may be helpful" stuff.
I think I've maxed out on what I can do to minimise our chances of getting ill. Now I really want to prepare a plan about what to do/try if we catch it anyway.

I would add protocols for if you live with someone. Antiseptic spray and clean all door knobs and main surfaces morning noon and night - decide beforehand on which main surfaces to put on the list. Watch how people open doors, what part they touch etc to see where at risk parts are. Now I’ve said that I will start doing that!

My mum is in her 90s. She doesn’t go out much but I do, I commute across London for work. I worry about spreading it to her.

If it’s just you and your mum you can try and split much of the house up. Are there two bathrooms? If you each have a chair in the lounge and a seat at the dining table then it’s laundry kitchen and bathrooms.

My parents are fairly healthy but we live with them and have a 1 and 4 year old so keeping surfaces clean and not spreading germs is completely impossible, which does bother me. I’d hate to get them sick.

Vitamin C and eating as cleanly and as healthily as possible the next few weeks will help.

I agree @MyHairIsSoapy . Building up your immune system (with the occasional lapse to wine /chocolate/ yum of choice ) is a very good way of approaching this

I'm glad I sold 75% of my stocks off last week. The rest can just sit there until it's all over. I reckon they'll be hit even worse when a pandemic is finally declared.

I still need to stock up on more stuff - haven't got any fruit juice and not much flour and bread flour - but I'm feeling fairly well prepared compared to most people now. Most people seem to be thinking 'OK, it's fairly serious' now, but still not quite realising the gravity of the situation we could be in.

Woops, sorry, I meant to post that in the general thread!

Sambucol looks really good.
It also sounds familiar, is it a readily brought thing? Pharmacy? Health food shop?

I got it on Amazon. I saw Sambucol gummies in Tesco today.

Some ideas gleaned from the longer running Prepping thread. Just wanted to capture them here so they don't get lost in the stream!

Thank you @RhubarbTea and @RocketQueen21

RhubarbTea Fri 28-Feb-20 19:50:18

I think the singe best thing people can do for their immune system and general health (apart from good hand hygiene) is to get enough sleep. Studies have shown that getting adequate rest helps massively with healing but also to prevent people catching stuff in the first place. So, don't get run down, use a relaxing app like the Calm app to help you fall asleep at night if need be, and try and get 8 hours.
Easier said than done when people are feeling tense as well... But so worth remembering.

RocketQueen21 Fri 28-Feb-20 19:38:16

Not sure if I’m being helpful and something like this may have been shared before? so apologies if I’m repeating but some essential oils are useful when inhaled regularly through cold and flu season using an oil diffuser. I’ve been researching this for a while. Essential oils such as lemon, bergamot, pine and lavender are effective. These oils are especially good in helping with pneumonia which I understand Covid19 can cause. I’ve just ordered a relatively cheap diffuser off amazon for under £20 and plan to get it up and running as soon as it arrives Sunday! Obviously I’m no medical expert so please do your own research but I thought it can’t hurt to try 🤷‍♀️ Please be careful if you have pets as some essential oils can be harmful to them .

A really interesting study on essential oil vapours and various respiratory pathogens. Still reading around this.
Seems to be focusing on anti-bacterial rather than anti-viral effects, but ?may be useful in helping to prevent secondary bacterial infection.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6064118/

"We conclude that cinnamon bark oil possess the strongest antibacterial activity against all the respiratory tract pathogens used in our study. On the whole, it should be highlighted that cinnamon, thyme, peppermint, and citronella also showed potent antimicrobial activity in vapor and in liquid form; in contrast, clove oil was more potent inhibitor in liquid phase."

I don't draw any conclusions from this myself yet, and certainly wouldn't recommend anything directly on the back of one study. But placing it here so others can do their own reading/investigation.

I'm a firm believer in using natural remedies to support the immune system.

We are taking multi vits, vit C, vit D and Zinc. Zinc is especially important to support the immune system.

If we were to acquire the virus we will use:
Colloidal silver
Echinacea
Herbal tea for fighting viruses
Tea tree oil in the burner

I know many of you will think I am batty but I feel much more in control.

I wonder whether it is worth looking at the self isolation advice from gov.uk and the video on self isolation by Dr John Campbell and writing down what you would do / your plan.

Just because your head might be all over the place if it actually happens and so it would be good to have it written down.

Rosemary
Chamomile

I make rose hip oil seasonally as it's amazing to get you through the winter.

Dont brush off natural remedies

Just to mention that decongestants containing pseudoephedrine (Sudafed is the obvious one) are not a good idea for anyone with cardiovascular conditions, as they'll speed your heart rate up and raise your blood pressure.

Personally I'm a big fan of the good old fashioned steam inhalation. A bit of boiling water in a saucepan with a towel over your head, deep breaths, and a good nose blow. Good for both the upper and lower respiratory tract.

Sleep.

Evidence based recommendation to boost immune function.

I’d better switch off this device and do it 😁

Yes to zinc along with the vitamins C and D.

Also magnesium to help with relaxation and sleep.

I’m a fan of iodine too.

I have all the stuff you listed, always do, but honestly don't expect to be in contact with the coronavirus.

This is interesting; I've read people on here talking about 'preppers' but never before delved - thought it was something to do with preparatory schools :-).

Is this why Tesco was full of empty shelves when we went this afternoon?

@Jux

That'll be the people who haven't been prepping continually in dribs and drabs for weeks now.

Often the people who don't prep at all and then panic-buy last minute, all at the same time... exactly what preppers avoid.

I have all the stuff you listed, always do, but honestly don't expect to be in contact with the coronavirus.

I'm glad for you and hope that is the case.

Unfortunately, not only am I personally very likely to come into contact with it, I also have family members in the high-risk categories.

I didn't know that some essential oils could be harmful to pets... Which ones are specifically harmful to cats please?

With vitamins, is a multivitamin enough or are you taking things like zinc etc separately? We currently have a dissolvable vitamin c each day plus a multivitamin but wondering if I need to change that up

I should also add, my own remedies for cold/flu (not to cure but to ease) are menthol crystals in hot water and breathed in or sprinkled into a hot shower.
Eucalyptus tied around the shower head is also lovely when you’re congested

@KaterMurr

Me too! Feeling some comfort in cash, although if you are feeling brave have a look at gilts.

I would take a multi vitamin rather than specific. Vit a is very important, and the b group plus d and c. Get some sunlight too, very important for vit d.

If you are going to mask up, I would sprinkle tea tree oil on the mask.