Catching the flu this year has been my most memorable nightmare. I don't think I can ever remember being this sick. And if the third time's a charm, I guess that means I'm done (although you wouldn't know it if you heard my cough). I don't know if I caught this three times because I was told by an old coworker that I would, and thus putting it into my subconscious, or if it actually takes the body three times to kill this particular plague.
I'm not big on putting anything in my system which explains why the few over the counter meds in my medicine cabinet were expired by a year! Also using natural remedies is just sort of how I was raised. This predicament started with lots of phlegm running down the back of my throat, an extreme sinus headache, and a very bothersome sore throat to boot. But what was more unnerving, as others I have spoken with echoed, was the nausea, (all three times). The sinus headache forced me to purchase two OTCs, (and my budget said that those two OTCs was all I was going to get). I also remembered to grab a 2-liter bottle of ginger ale (always does the trick).
It was at that moment that I remembered that I already had ground ginger in my cupboard that I use in my stir-frys. I thought, all of this time I had my remedy right there. But then I thought, I no longer keep empty teabags and adding ginger to hot water is just yucky. It's so fine that it would just fall out of my tea infuser. Then it hit me, all I had to do was to undo a regular tea bag and refill it with the ginger, (smack on the head-a V8 moment). So all of this time I had exactly what I needed to calm my stomach.
It took me standing there in shock at the prices of the OTCs to remind me that I had what I needed at home all the while. I did get something for the extreme sinus headache, but I only took one; taking two was the recommended dosage. I didn't even bother taking the night-time flu syrup; I could have left it at the store. Hopefully by the next time I need it; it will still be there, unopened and expired by a year. Try to stay well this flu season.
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This reminded me of something my son told me a few years ago and I sent it to thriftyfun. He does a lot of driving with his work and he is outdoors a lot so he started taking 1/2 of the noted decongestant for his pollen allergies.
How about getting a flu shot and not getting the flu at all? That's what I do. Give that a try next year. It's a lot less suffering!
Hi Louise, yes, I have thought about the flu shots but when I was a kid, my mom took one and nearly died from it. It was just the two of us and when she came home from work one time, (because she was sick as a dog from taking a flu shot) the poor thing could hardly make it up stairs to get in bed.
When she dozed off and woke back up, she was talking to folks in the room who weren't there, sweating profusely, and scaring me half to death. She told me not to call the ambulance, but don't think I didn't think about doing it anyhow. So I sort of don't want to go that route. And because we try not to take meds/OTCs, we tend to respond differently when we do take something. Thanks though. In my area, folks are catching whatever this is anyhow - yikes!
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