Thank you all for your support and feedback and information.

My mother's fever was less pronounced this morning but that is not very telling as she had just literally awoken - a time when it would always be less pronounced - and she took something and went right back to bed. she is having fluids. she doesn't really come near us too much and covers her mouth to cough.

we air out their room and really the whole apt pretty well daily. we only do it once daily because it is BELOW FREEZING and it is bad enough when we change the air once. all the "new" air is really KKKKKKOLD. i truly don't know how people manage in colder climates than this!!! (Like where you live, Hockey!)

i will have to get on top of disinfecting the bathroom daily...

right now i am worried about food. i guess i will have to go out today and get something my dad can/will/will want to eat for the weekend. can't afford to deprive him right now just in case he does get sick. he is a major red meat person and i cannot handle cooking red meat. perhaps i will offer to make a sort of burger-type thing with ground meat for him, which i can deal with. a good time to do them also because doesn't like these but isn't eating right now.

i am thinking of getting some chicken thighs for mom and making her soup - i even happen to have some fresh ginger which will help. even if she just has the broth, the chicken will keep for a few days when maybe she will be better, and that will be a "light" food for her. dad won't eat this dish so i can't just make it for everyone... sigh. i did get mom to have have a tiny potato last night (highly digestible) at least to even out her sodium (she had been just having clear broth - from powdered kind!) so that is tentative plan. of course, that is, hoping i can find chicken thighs and ground meat.

my hair is so dirty i think it will all fall out of my head but i don't know when i can wash it with this cold and also go out. maybe now.

i am very worried about dad catching this because he has mild emphysema, even though he did stop smoking years ago... that doesn't just go away, and when he catches anything nowawdays, it goes straight to his chest. it is upsetting that he could not have the vaccine. or... who knows... maybe the doc didn't remember and my parents didn't remind him about dad's emphysema (they don't really keep charts here... not like in the US.) doc told them they did not need to be vaccinated because they probably had some immunity from the Spanish Flu - as your links say Mari. Dad was just as happy not to get his arm stuck. I will be very unhappy if he catches what mom has. Anyway I will try to go shopping today dunno if he'll want to go with... kinda hope not.

It's frikkin cold, i'm not looking forward to it, but I don't really want him out in it. As it is he might insist. We don't have a situation where we can buy a bunch of stuff and freeze it. izzz complicated to explain.

i heard coughing = mom is awake. i'm going to see if she wants anything and maybe dad will have tea as it is almost 10 am.

thanks again for all your support.

oh... the doc gave an antibiotic - not to use before 4 days have elapsed... i will post more on that after i check on mom etc... because i am very confused. we cannot just "ask for an antiviral" unfortunately... docs do not respond to patients requesting such things here. ok... be back soon.



~ waves ~