Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Swine Flu



The word pandemic strikes fear in the heart of many. Still, others will laugh it off; after all, the bird flu never materialized. Predicting the mutation of a flu virus is extremely difficult, if not impossible. Every generation or so experiences a pandemic that devastates many communities. But what should our response be when alarms are sounded?
I believe every wise mother should be prepared for family illnesses, be they the flu, the common cold, or chicken pox. When our daughter was small, I had a "Momma is sick" basket that I always kept stocked for those times when I was ill. In the basket were paper plates, plastic cups & utensils, and prepackaged foods. These items that I normally turned my nose up at were very much appreciated during those times. I also keep my medicine cabinet well stocked at all times. Here are a few of the items I never run out of:
Advil
Delsym - has a higher concentration of dextrometh.
Meclizine - great for nausea and/or dizziness (must be purchased from pharmacist, but no prescription is required)
Sudafed - also must be purchased from pharmacist because of Meth. laws
Immodium AD
PeptoBismal
Claritin
Benadryl
Bandages, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, gloves, surgical masks---yes, you read that right. If there ever is a pandemic, these may be on short supply.
While this is not a complete list of what is in our medicine cabinet, these are things I never want to be short on. Do I believe there will be a pandemic in my lifetime? Yes. Do I believe it will be the Swine Flu? No, no one really knows. Am I worried? No. God is sovereign over all things and whatever He does is best. Does that mean we don't need to prepare? No. We should prepare for illness the same way that we prepare for Winter, or any other change in our lives.

3 comments:

Andrea said...

I love the way you prepare! Very smart!

I am not fearful, either. Our hope and faith does reside in the Lord, and yes, He is God; He is sovereign.

I don't know what to think about the swine flu. Perhaps it's not too much worse that the typical flu.

We just found out that we have two unconfirmed, but highly probably cases here. All schools and daycares are closing, beginning tomorrow. I live in Huntsville, Alabama.

Many blessings to you. Yes, we are in God's care. I enjoyed your post.

Andrea

Mrs. E said...

What a good post!! :)
I like your idea about a
"mommy's basket!"
Hope you had a wonderful day!!!

Many Blessings~ Miss Jen

CallaLilly said...

Andrea- thanks for the heads up about Huntsville. We live in Chattanooga, which is really just a sneeze away from you...praying God's protection over your family and Jen's.