I have a friend just recovering from a bout with the flu that began about mid-December. Big, healthy, moose of a guy but just couldn't shake it. Lives with his wife and adult daughter (a nurse). He had a hard time with it and that got me to evaluating my own situation.

Most of us already have PD at a minimum and often more. Many of us live alone with little support and few resources. We are, to be blunt, at risk. Some of us have had flu shots and some have not, but none of us know if they help or hurt our wonky PD immune systems. And we don't know about those wonky systems themselves. It may well be that we are naturally flu-resistant due to the hypervigilant state. We just don't know.

So this seems like a sensible time to talk preparedness. What to do if you wake up tomorrow feeling like crap even more than usual. What you would be wishing you had already done. How you can best ride it out. And so on.

Feel free to add tips of your own, but let's stick to the practical things that can actually be done today rather than things that would be nice to have available, if only...

So, here are some of mine.
1) If you have little or no support, get cracking. Transform your bed into your own personal ward. That means meds, food, lots of water, toilet/bucket, phone, computer, an extra set of pajamas, tissues, etc. Aim for a two-week stay. Set up the microwave and a stack of single-tray meals at hand. Stash extra bedding under the bed in case you end up there. In fact, whenever possible, do that for everything. Get a case of bottled water and go through and break all the seals now while you have the strength. Get an egg carton or two and lay out two weeks worth of meds. Keep your others close by in case you spill the main supply. Call the people that you do have available and ask them to call daily if you need it. But you don't want them stopping by unless you do actually get it since self-imposed isolation is one of your defences. Let them know where an extra key can be found so they don't break down your door while you are gone to the grocery.
2) During the period leading up to getting sick, stay home if possible. If you must go out, wash your hands at every opportunity. Invest in a cloth mask and gloves.
3) Two things from the health food store-
A) Green tea both as a tea for gargling and as a tablet. The gargle prevents the virus from being able to attach to the membranes to enter your system.
B) NAC - N-Acetylcysteine - among other things it increases the mucal content of your lungs enabling a "productive cough." A wracking dry cough seems to be a major symptom of this strain and is what made things so tough for the friend I mentioned.

I gotta go now but will add more later. Anyone else?

-Rick