GLP How many of us are sick today ?????unidentified respiratory illness?????Post if you cant stop coughing!!!!

Try using 3% hydrogen peroxide, tip head sideways, place a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in the clogged ear, you will hear a fuzzing sound. ONce the fizzing sound stops, drain ear. It can take up to 20 minutes for it to work, but it does and the hydrogen peroxide not only will clear the clog but also kill any germs that got into your ear.

I hope you feel better soon!

Thanks for the info DONTBEAFRAID it is very weird how pain shows up in disguise of another issue. I would of never known and lord knows the E.R. doctor didn't explain it to me!

What da fuck is this?

I mean really.

My thermometer battery is dead, so I tried to take my temperature with the "probey" thermometer attached to the oven and it reads 160 F.

You should have seen me with the cord attached to the oven and hanging out of my mouth...

Sounds like your out calibration.

Or wicked hot!

I hope you recover quickly dear.


------

Thanks Bowman! Miss seeing ya around here.

How many will die?

Differential Diagnosis: Meningitis versus a Respiratory Infection

One cannot usually evaluate YOURSELF if you have meningitis! Here's some things you can watch for PLUS things that they almost always say.

Rapid decline over HOURS. The worst headache of your life (it's an infection of your brain).Your neck is soooo STIFF. Vomiting on top of everything. Displays being mentally altered (not just sick). Seizures.You cannot rouse them. They are stuporous. No hunger or thirst. The light is so bright that they can't stand it. Possible skin rash.

[Note: medical professionals are listening for trigger words to red flag an illness. If you don't communicate well, then they have to be detectives and sometimes wizards to GUESS. Learn to read your body or your loved ones symptoms.]

It is very very difficult to evaluate meningitis in a baby. They can't communicate any of that so they're crying all the time. What's scarier is they get very weak because they won't feed. Not being able to rouse an infant causes most parents to freak out. [Note: I once knew some parents who made a simple mistake and fed their infant undiluted infant formula and she was blissed out and sleeping. She was fine, but they freaked.]

There are three kinds of meningitis: viral (most common), bacteria (most deadly and less common), fungal (very rare). All can be detected easily, but you're going to hate how they must do it. A spinal tap will reveal changes in your cerebro-spinal fluid since that fluid also surrounds the meninges of the brain.

If they're not paying attention (new resident, bad med tech) then a fungal case of meningitis can be missed.

Bacterial meningitis meant you allowed a bacterial infection, often from a respiratory infection to go TOO LONG.

It is not normal for an infection to be bad for two weeks. Sorry, it isn't. An infection that lasts that long means you are not doing something to make yourself heal. It's not blaming you. It's that all people need help, real help and rest, and sometimes you cannot do it alone. If you let an infection, particularly a bacterial infection last, then the sinuses of the head get filled. The infection spreads and way overloads you immune system to cope.

A respiratory infection could last two-four weeks, but it has a bad three days, might be bad a week. Longer means something is wrong. Some other infection, taking the wrong antibiotics, not getting nourishment, not enough rest, etc.

If you're pregnant, you don't screw around, but get treated when you can't seem to get well.

Contaminated milk or meat can have Listeria bacteria (hey that rhymes) in it, and this can cause bacterial meningitis. Classic case: someone in the summer ate a bad hot dog.

Viral meningitis: this happens in the Summer and the Autumn, most often due to West Nile virus, possibly Herpes Simplex. Classic: the patient thinks they have a "summer cold" and then exhibits the symptoms above.

Herpes! Well most of you are infected with Herpes Simplex I. You got infected at some point, and then when your immune system is down, then you get a cold sore. We think 80-90 % of people in the USA have it. On rarer occasions if someone has a cool breeze blowing on them all night, it might show up as Bell's Palsy (temporary but long lasting facial paralysis).

The other kind of Herpes, Simplex 2, is not common and a curse that is sexually transmitted.

Fungal meningitis usually is caused by Cryptococcal spores. It tends to happen in certain regions, or around bird owners who have been around contaminated bird droppings.

Last Edited by Don'tBeAfraid on 01/09/2013 01:50 PM

So far 9-10 days sick.
So now it's the 9th. Started getting sick on the 30/31st. Experiencing headache for last 3 days, coughing up brown/yellow crap, hard to breathe at times (like my chest has trouble expanding), still blowing my nose frequently, very fatigued. I've been using a cough expectorant (rare occasion, felt so sick I ditched my normal 'let it ride through' attitude)...
Never had a problem eating- most people lose weight when they're sick- I find it as an excuse to eat creamy risotto and cheesy potato soup. Gotta keep up the strength!
Ready to be done with this tho.

Does the mucus "smell" bad? If so, you likely have a bacterial infection. They will eventually go away, but only a dose of antibiotics (or foods that naturally boost the immune system) will help it to heal.

The color of mucus is an indication that neutrophils, special white blood cells with short lives, have invaded the infected region, then they die, then they are collected in mucus and color it. It's almost always an indication of bacterial infection. Viral infections produce clear mucus.

Just like on a stoplight, yellow can be a halfway state. It means use caution. It might be pale yellow, but if darker it means more and more neutrophils are in it. Plus there's a lot of white blood cells. They actually come in waves based upon the LENGTH of the illness. The immune system say, "Hmmm, the neutrophils didn't work, so I'm sending some other soldier, maybe spec ops (special forces) to deal with it.

White blood cells have lifetimes and special weapons and some have special attacks.
[link to en.wikipedia.org]


Creamy i.e. food with dairy exacerbates mucus production. You're putting in food components which build glycosaminoglycans, they are the building blocks of mucus.

Added link to show scientific evidence for my claims:
[link to scienceline.org]

Last Edited by Don'tBeAfraid on 01/09/2013 02:35 PM

I'm up to chapter eight already! Lots of good Info. Thanks!

I've been coughing like crazy, deep cough with congestion in my chest and sinuses. The weird thing is I don't think it's viral because I don't have a fever or typical cold or flu symptoms. Today I thought (after a couple weeks of this) that I didn't feel too bad but after walking at the store felt short of breath. I've tried all kinds of natural treatments and a coule inhalers and nothing really works very well. The only thing left is the hospital and oxygen if it doesn't get better. It seemed to start up when we had some rain.

that is what I suffered

try bottle of saline and 2 drops of peppermint oil in bottle

It could be an allergic reaction to mold. Fungal infections are not uncommon especially if you work in construction or your home is under rennovation, or something along those lines.

A cough can be triggered by all kinds of things. It would litterally take a full page to list them all. Does it feel like a tickling sensation that triggers it? If so, it can be a spasm from your phrenic nerve. It's the nerve that passes through your diaphram and can be caused by the lungs, liver, or stomach rubbing upon it.

Typically coughs are smooth muscle spasms as a result of a restriction in your airway, and the spasm is a reponse to eject the mucus plug.

Are you around a lot of dust?

Did you try the percussive therapy or watch the video?

What color is the mucus?

Here's a short list of things that can cause a cough:

Coughing happens due to a narrowing of the respiratory tract. In addition, a spasm of the smooth muscle of the tract can trigger a coughing fit.

It also could be an allergic reaction from a foreign material.

It could be asthma.

It could be mold in your home, a common issue.

It could be dust mites in your mom's bed and linens, and they trigger an allergic response.

It also could be silicon grit as a result of being around the substance, often happening to masonry workers.

It could also be tuberculosis. People get ill when young, they heal, the bacterium cocoons off as a caseous (cheese-like) granuloma, and then when weak reinfects them.

It could be an overabundance of calcium or potassium triggering smooth muscle contraction when not needed.

It could be a tumor whether benign or cancerous.

It could be the growth of incorrect tissue in the area, often scar tissue, and causing irritation.

It could be a problem with the formation of glycosominoglycans which are the building blocks of mucus, and hence the area is dry and cracked and irritated.

It could be a fungal infection of aspergilliosis that's infected her lungs with the material, and possibly the brain.

It could be a tear in the lining and so constant irritation and difficult to heal.

It could be a failure of the eppiglotis allowing food to enter the lungs, causing irritation.

It could be GERD causing aspiration of stomach contents while lying down and then spilling into the lungs.

It could be a foreign body that was apirated from poor food prepared in a restarant, and if glass then difficult to show on Xray.

It could be an occupational exposure to a chemical while working and causing daily allergic irritation.

It could be exposure to aspestos or fiberglass and the particles are irritating the lining of the tract.

It could be some form of pulmonary edema (fluid) causing a choking sensation like a drowning victim experiences.

Some medicines have coughing as a side effect, most notably ACE inhibitors and Beta blockers, both used for high blood pressure. Look at all of her medicines in a Physician's Desk Reference for reactions.

It could be the combination of taking certain medicines and triggering an issue.

Last Edited by Don'tBeAfraid on 01/10/2013 07:35 AM

@ don'tbeafraid

giving you green for all of the information you give. you really enjoy helping people

nice

That's very kind of you and appreciated. I use it for ban immunity. I'm a prolific writer, something you'll notice in my sig. There's in essence a full book of prepping material there.

My goal is to help as many people as possible since I believe that things are ramping up and serious. It wouldn't take much to toss us into the abyss because our global financial crisis. There's all the political instability in the Middle East as well with the Muslim Brotherhood, Iran, and Syria. Add a pandemic or some other event, and I think it would be the straw that broke the camel's back.

Greece and Spain's economies are terrible. The entire global financial system is connected, and we still have those financial instruments called derivatives that could collapse the market overnight. Same thing with quantitative easing.

If things do collapse, either short-term or long-term, then a lot of people would be on their own. Most people have perhaps two weeks of food in their homes. It could ugly quick. It's Winter and therefore issues with heat in my Hemisphere. There's no rainfall, not for months, and if gardens were planted then insufficient harvests for many months. It's the most worrisome time for a prepper.

A lot of healthcare could be done at home. In fact I think a lot will end up that way. There's no free lunch. If a government gives you something, then something is expected in kind. Most likely that's taxes, but given the economy and raising taxes, that usually makes the economy stall.

What could happen is mandated changes in diet, exercise, making health milestones, all by government employees? What if you're very overweight and now since on Obamacare, they tell you must lose 40lbs? Losing weight on ones' own is a good idea. The government doing it? Scary and Orwellian. Since we know that obese people have higher health care costs, it's a small leap for some government official to suggest it.

Last Edited by Don'tBeAfraid on 01/10/2013 08:49 AM

Have to admit I haven't smelled it, but tastes nasty. I know I'm hoping the residual effects aren't going to turn into bronchitis or pneumonia, keep trying to cough that crap up.

Definitely know about the dairy and mucus- In school I was in choir and the teacher always warned us about the 'dangers' of dairy when singing-I didn't notice any increase in production, although I'm sure it did to some point.

So many people sick tho....there's near 3,000 people admitted to the hospital (this was a few days ago) and you think about how many DON'T go in-this is a really scary outbreak. Wishing all those who are sick a quick recovery!!

It's a very serious number of cases. Respiratory infections come from diverse causes. We won't know the root cases for awhile until tests come back. We're looking at the aggregate of all the cases and assuming that they're all of one kind of virus or bacteria, when in fact they're probably lots of kinds. That's why I posted several ways to discern between kinds for differntial diagnosis.

There are some basic things that will help everyone. Do those things to give yourself relief.

Learn to discern the differences and communicate them to your health care provider.

If things get "hairy", and they certainly might, then it would be wisdom to have supplies. If you only purchase what you would ordinarily eat, then you lose nothing. If you don't purchase them, and things get bad, then you probably will have trouble finding them. Some of you are experiencing that now with medicines. Not good.'

NOTE: Never swallow mucus if you can help it. It happens, but is very bad for you. If you can spit it up or blow your nose. Your sinus are connect to your pharynx, so it can got that way, but if it does a lot, then bacteria mixed with it, and some actually clings to the side of the throat and comes BACK UP. It's a classic way to get a fresh bacterial infection on top of whatever you have.

Last Edited by Don'tBeAfraid on 01/10/2013 07:57 PM

Has anyone tried chewing frankincense?

I'm getting my ass kicked right now...hardcore coughing to the point my stomach muscles are sore, aches, constant sweating, diarrhea, and feeling "out of it" in general.

On some occasions, if one has gained a lot of weight, is pregnant, or the abdominal muscles have weakened, the Linea alba portion of the stomach muscle, that midline gets weak. You can restrengthen them, but because of your weight, it seperated. You need a support otherwise it will be very painful. Later get one of the Ab wheels and kneel...and very slowly go a little, tiny bit out and then back to start again. If you that slowly, that seperation will go away as you strength it. Don't overdo it and go all the way out and back. You can build to that later.
[link to 3.bp.blogspot.com]

[link to www.360fitnesssuperstore.com]


I feel for you. That's painful. The Linea alba is fibrous, but a support for the six pack underneath. All people have a six pack, it's just surrounded by fat. Watch the complex carbs later. You stretched the Linea alba and the belt effect it had had been overcome.

Last Edited by Don'tBeAfraid on 01/10/2013 07:50 PM

You're welcome. It's called referred pain. It's why classically a person has a heart attack and might complain of their shoulder hurting, then keel over.

It happens many places on the body, depending upon the nerve that is trigger, often internal to the body.

See this medical pic:
[link to drugline.org]

Liver pain could be referred to the right shoulder. A heart attack could cause pain all along the left arm.

Last Edited by Don'tBeAfraid on 01/10/2013 07:54 PM

Glad you're better now.

This is very different...

People that rarely get sick are getting it.

Everyone saying its the worst and longest lasting they have ever had. (it was for me too)

It is highly contagious.

News casts all over the nation are reporting hospitals are overwhelmed.

Its odd to see hospital staff in masks.

Welcome to GLP, stay well.

You have given a wealth of very good information. Thanks for all your posts, and for caring for others.

Nephew in PA came down with the flu today.
Daughter-in-law in CA, yesterday.

The following is very mystical and not related to the topic so ignore this if uninterested and go on to the next post.

Frankincense is part of an ancient tradition in the East. It doesn't grow in the USA so we have little information on using it here. Herbalists use the locally gathered herbs typically since that is practical. Because of overuse, we might actually cause extinction of it.

When burned, it releases powerful phytochemicals. People used it to get closer to God. I believe that I feel closer to God when doing that. It is a very special herb and should be reserved for that because we have so few trees of it.

We know it has powerful medicinal properties for digestion, potentially for female medicine, most certainly to remove inflammation particularly in arthritis, and I would bet is sort of a miracle. I'm not joking.

I would urge caution in ingesting it. People often use things that are incredibly powerful and don't realize what they might do.

Last Edited by Don'tBeAfraid on 01/11/2013 08:31 AM

I have had to use the nebulizer for two weeks following having this congested cough twice since October.

The WEIRD thing is this; Had a metallic smell when breathing......odd.

The way smell works is that tiny molecules in your nose impact on the olfactory nerve. Your mucus is the medium (the sea if you will) that allows those molecules to travel in. The sea is constantly (every ten minutes) replaced. Surprised? It's a mundane but vital aspect of sensation.

When the respiratory tract is clogged or cracked or both, then it impacts smell. The molecules can't travel and materials within the "sea" may be deposited which interfere with the sensation of smell.

When you use a vaporizer or nebulizer (better kind of vaporizer with medicine in it), then moisture and or moisture and medicine allows clearing of the sea. This allows a relaxation of the opening so more air is passed through, it is wetter, the mucus clears, and your sense of smell improves.


Iron is a component of blood. Most likely since the sea(mucus) in which molecules travel to the olfacory nerve cells also has cracked irritated areas and dried blood in it, you're smelling that.

By the way, those olfactory nerves are a part of the Limbic system of your brain which invokes memory. Because of that, a smell can trigger a memory like smelling a perfume, an orange, warm cookies, etc.

One actually can use that to help prepare for exams. Another use might be to help Alzheimer or dementia patients. Demenitia might come from 11 different kinds of illnesses.

Last Edited by Don'tBeAfraid on 01/11/2013 08:56 AM

this thread needs music...

Very soothing and relaxing 7:17 minutes.

I have whatever it is that's going around.

However, you hardly notice I have the symptoms, but they're there, only very mild symptom of occasional cough.

I've been putting several drops of OREGANO OIL in my water bottle that I carry around with me and drink it throughout the day. Great stuff. It's what's keeping me from being horribly sick like everyone else I see.