dealing with the flu in tight quarters.

[11bravoxray]

I've yet to make the transition to a small vehicle to live. But recently I came down with the flu and the wonderful bathroom trips it entails. When I searched this topic on the forums no threads popped up. Was wondering how vandwellers deal with being sick with such a small space and limited bathroom access.

Thanks

 

[wagoneer]

welcome don't get a flu shot

 

[hippiechk]

@wagoneer...i will never tell yet secrets! But now that you've mentioned it...:

 

[mockturtle]

Well, the bathroom is closer. Been in that situation. The only big problem was that I had to take the dog out a few times. BTW, I think you are probably referring to a gastrointestinal virus which isn't the 'flu', per se. And a flu shot has no effect on the noroviruses that attack our GI tracts.

 

[Lampie]

I had food poisoning a couple months ago, & I live in a camper van with my husband

I ended up sending him out for a walk in the middle of the night. I keep good, solid plastic bags in a separate area, specifically for 'gross' purposes.
I dealt with it the same way I would have, had I been in the privacy of a bathroom. I sat on the toilet, put a bag in a spare bucket, & well, that's probably enough info to get a good idea *LMAO*

Hot water bottle on my tummy, ginger tea, & a damp cloth on my forehead, & I was pretty much fine the next day.
hope this helps

 

[Van-Tramp]

I haven't been sick since I started full-timing in my van, not even a runny nose. I have had a few allergy problems (the AZ dust really stirs up my allergies) but no virus or infection. If I did though, a plastic walmart bag will hold near-liquid-projectiles from either end of a human and I always have a ton of those nearby.

The flu and common cold are mostly spread from person-to-person. Us van dwellers tend not to hang around too many other people and I suspect do not get sick as often. There was a study some time back that showed that public restrooms are much less likely to get you sick then your own desk in your office. The theory is that the restroom are cleaned regularly while your desk can go months between any real cleaning/disinfectant and the items on your desk are often shared with other people who also rarely ever clean/disinfect.

 

[wagoneer]

hippiechk. smack!!! big kiss right on the lips.

 

[hippiechk]

mockturtle...you are correct in that a gastroenteritis is not caused by infuenza neither per se nor at all..

Norovirus is only one of a vast miriad of reasons for a gastrointestinal upset...calciviruses (my own personal nemesis), astroviruses, rota, adeno - or we could talk parasites...protazoans...food allergies anyone...is it really necessary to contend every little point?

Puke...into a ziplock with a slider & a handful of paper...slider makes it easier in the dark to be sure its sealed, paper prevents splashback. All vandwellers know crap belongs in a bucket...get some clumping catlitter if its bad!

Now I am taking my bitshie influenzad self to bed to hack up a lung and scratch at my throat...common cold my butt! Sounds like meds time at the TB clinic in here...

 

[angeli]

From the herbal corner:

for influenza the best advice I can offer is Dr. Christopher's favorite - red raspberry leaf tea. Lots of it. And lots of water. Don't get dehydrated.

If you have sore throat along with it, a good cup of warm water with a spoonful of salt is a great gargle for that. Several times a day. You can even use it by taking some in your mouth, bending your head over a bowl, and then letting it run out your nose. Ick, I know. Make sure you have kleenex near to hand. Will clear your sinuses.

Add a hydrogen pyroxide ear wash out - three times each side with a towel on your shoulder for the rinse. And do it sitting down2 or 3 times a day. Sore throat should be history.

If there is lots of mucus, comfrey leaf tea is a several thousand year old remedy for that.

If it's gone to bronchitis or worse - raw garlic - a small piece of a clove crushed on the end of a spoon with honey and a touch or lemon juice to cut the garlic acid is the best herbal antibiotic I know of. Every two hours to start, then four, then 3X a day, then twice. By the end you might be able to take a whole clove. Better than a flu shot. Best if you can find organic, as studies show that more of the 'good stuff' has been found in organic vs. the usual. But if the usual grocery store garlic is all you can get, it's STILL the best.

And from the point of view of an old curmudgeon broad such as myself, nothing beats a good porta potty. Thetford rules. I don't use the toxic blue stuff, tho. Dawn blue works fine, I've found - and in the Florida heat, too. I've heard some like Fabuloso purple.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Just went thru a terrible 2 weeks of being sick. I never use my luggable loo but it was a life saver. No way i coulda made it to a bathroom. I guess it wasnt the flu but other than lack of puke it was the wost illness i remember having.

Need to get the rain to stop so i can air out the van....the smell wasnt bad but you catch a faint whiff every now and then. My fantastic vent is unhooked so that might have helped.

---

I think if i had the option, id have been in a house tho, being sick in a van sucks.

 

[angeli]

Hope you are doing better now, Dazar.

 

[hippiechk]

@ Angeli ...Thanks! Nice to hear from a natural type. I've been doing serious vit C, RLT and as far as I'm concerned if'n you can't munch a clove of garlic...or 6, you're not trying *laugh*.

Someone suggested 3 shots of Jack with a little honey and lemon...I'm thinking...I don't even drink and I'm still thinking *smile*.

 

[angeli]

Hi Hippiechk,

Sounds like you've got a good handle on it! A good dose of garlic will cure most things, including infestations of people! LOL!!

I don't drink either, but a friend used to tell me she'd take a bottle of Jack to bed on those nites! Lots of quilts and sweat it out. For me, I think an infusion of equal parts of peppermint leaf and elderberry flower, steeped as long as possible so it's really strong, and then to bed under a good warm blanket. Does the same thing as the whisky in sweating out the fever, but without the pain of hangover in the morning!

 

[sassypickins]

This isn't related to a tummy upset but, like Angeli, I've found hydrogen perioxide to be a great deterrent to cold germs taking hold. At the FIRST little tickle (is it in the throat or the brain, I'm never sure ) that I might be catching a cold or sore throat, I gargle with hydrogen peroxide and also put a drop or two down each ear for a few. And I do it again later just for good measure. If if do it right away - we're talkin' stop everything and just do it - it stops dem germs in their tracks. And I always, always, do the little "Boy, am I clever for winning out and for under 10 cents!" dance.

 

[mockturtle]

Do you dilute the H2O2 for gargling? I have used it in my ears on occasion.

 

[peacetara]

I've been sick in Ferdy several times. I use an old 5 gallon bucket that has a good sealing lid (got from restaurant free, was used to hold pickles), for when vomiting is in order. I've never had stench problems with it, as long as the lid is closed, and a solid cleaning once I get better of course. Now I have a port-a-pottie so likely in the future I'd just use that.

Otherwise I don't find it that much different from being sick in larger homes. I'm down with a cold right now, yuk!

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Hope you are doing better now, Dazar.

Im doing a million times better now...it was a terrible cold

 

[greybeard23]

I have made my own tincture of Elderberry, which I carry several mason jars full of. At the slightest sign of tiredness or runny nose I take a couple tablespoons. It will stop a cold or flu in its tracks and if you do come down with the flu, you can rid yourself of it in a couple days, rather than a week.

I have found just going out in public you can easily come down with something. I went to a coin hunt a week ago, the next day I was incredibly tired and new something was up. I took a couple swigs and the next day was just fine. I know one person I shook hands with was not feeling well.

I have been using this for many years and have people every year come to me asking for it.

It was interesting that at the coin hunt I overheard a conversation about elderberry tincture and them using it. It was the first time I had ever heard someone else using it outside my circle of friends. This person was from Montana and swears by it. It was interesting because the next day I needed it.

 

[sassypickins]

@mockturtle - I just gargle with a capful straight - it's the brown bottle 3% household grade I'm referring to, btw- But you could add a little water if you wanted.

It's foamy and bubbly in the throat and to me not distasteful but very mild - I wouldn't advise swallowing any but I hear it's not the end of the world - best to research that for ones self.

I forgot to say I do a rinse gargle with water after a few minutes.

 

[ccbreder]

Have two buckets. Drink lots of water. Stay warm. Get a flu shot!