Yes, I know I am not a trained medical professional and I am not pretending to be but through the years I have developed a few tricks that may help you when the viruses start to hit, which is NOW.
I don’t know about where you live, but everyone is getting either the stomach flu, a sinus infection or a cold around me. Because every person in our family has allergies and all my girls have asthma we are prone to picking up every little bug in town. For Tabitha and Trinity it usually works out OK, but keeping Tiara healthy is a full time job and this is what I have learned through the years.
This is my approach :
IF YOU FEEL A COLD COMING ON OR AN ALLERGY ATTACK:
Take an allergy pill. Don’t just ignore the sneezing and feel miserable because most likely you will get worse or get a sinus infection. I like to mix up the types of allergy pills I use. Find what works for your family and stick with that but these are the ones I use. For example I take a 10mg Loratadine (Claratin) in the morning and take a 10mg Celterzine (Zyrtec) in the evening. My girls take Zytec in the am and Benedryl in the pm
Take the Wellness Formula pictured above. I take 3 pills as soon as the symptoms appear, which is according to the directions. I take 3 pills twice a day until I feel better and then stop. The directions say continue but I like to switch to a Muliti-vitamin so when I need the Wellness formula again my body really feels the difference. This stuff really works and I start on it the second I am feeling like I might be getting sick. I give it to my kids, but they all weigh over 100 pounds. So be your own judge.
Always do NeilMed Sinus Rinse twice a day while sick and once a day if you have allergies. Totally natural and physically rids your sinuses of allergens. Love this!
IF YOU FEEL CONGESTED:
Take a decongestant with Guaifenesin, it will help prevent you from getting bronchitis or pneumonia. Try to find just a decongestant! Avoid products that have a combination of antihistamine/fever reducer and decongestant. It is hard to track exactly what you have given if they are combined in one medicine. Not everyone needs this put since Tiara is prone to pneumonia I always start her on this when I hear any congestion in her chest. I have a family member with serious ear infections and I suggested this approach to his Mom and it seemed to help him too.
RUN THE HUMIDIFIER ALL NIGHT! This will make all the difference in the world and really help everyone get a good nights sleep, even though it is miserably hot, it is worth it
I also put peppermint oil under my nose, on my temples and on my wrists. Be careful where you put it on the kids because you want to avoid getting it in their eyes so I usually don’t put it on their temples.
NAUSEA
If you can’t stop vomiting, you can try taking a Benedryl. They give this to cancer patients to help cut down on nausea and it really works. Plus it makes you sleepy and it is hard to sleep when you feel so crappy.
My kids tend not to recover from the stomach flu because they never stop throwing up for days. They usually end up dehydrated, so I learned early on what to do. If they don’t stop vomiting within 24 hours I always keep a prescription for Zofran on hand. Most doctors won’t give it to you but if you are desperate and you are concerned your kid is going to end up in the ER for dehydration just ASK really nicely, they may give it to you. You will wonder why the hell no one ever gave you this before. It stops the vomiting right away!
FEVER:
I am sure most of you know how to handle a fever but I have dealt with fevers up to 105 degrees, which can be terrigfying. This is what I suggest if your kid has a fever over 102 degrees. Plus for kids with epilepsy or other pre-exisiting conditions it is imperative to get the fever down as quickly as possible. Fever=more seizures.
Take cold wash cloths and put them under the arm pits, behind the neck, behind the knees and on the head. Every few minutes cool off the cloths by swinging them in the air really fast. Sounds silly but it works really well and that way you don’t have to keep walking to the bathroom every 5 minutes to rewash them with cool water
If you can’t break the fever and your child is really miserable the doctor may recommend alternating Ibuprofen (Advil) and Aceteminophen (Tylenol). You can give Tylenol every 4-6 hours and Advil every 6-8 hours. It would look something like this: Billy wakes up with a high fever at 2am, you give Advil. At 4am nothing has changed and he seems worse, you can give a dose of Tylenol. MAKE SURE TO WRITE DOWN ALL THE DOSES AND TIMES! At 8am he still has a high fever you can give Advil again. You could also give Tylenol again at this point, but I would choose just one. It is easier to overdose on Acetaminophen than Ibuprofen and my kids tend to react much better to Advil so I always use that. Use what works best for your kid.
CROUP
I have been through the croup cough with Tabitha and Tiara more times than I can count. Tiara usually ended up in the hospital but I always managed to help Tabitha get through the night.
If they can’t seem to stop coughing bring them into the bathroom and close the door and let the shower run until the room is super steamy. Tabitha used to sleep in the bathroom until the hot water ran out.
Put on the humidifier.
If they have asthma and you have a nebulizer, do a breathing treatment
If none of these things work and you kid is really little and you are starting to worry they can’t breathe right put them in the car with a big jacket on, roll down all the windows and drive to the ER. Most likely it will be freezing outside because the croup only hits in the middle of the night, so turn on the heater. Ninety percent of the time they will stop coughing by the time you get to the hospital and you can turn around and go home. The girl’s doctor told me this when they were little and I did it at least 5 times and only once had to go in to the hospital. Good odds!
NORMAL COUGH
If you have trouble sleeping at night because of a cough, first try an antihistamine because it may just be post nasal drip from allergies.
If you need a cough syrup I always Delsym. Works great and you don’t need much.
last but not least PREVENTATIVE CARE for Moms so they can care for their babies
Eat Healthy
Exercise
Take a multivitamin, vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Calcium, and lots of Fish Oils. I take 4000 mg per day.
Stay well and remember I am not giving medical advice nor am I a doctor.
xoxo tiffani
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My 11 yo has terrible allergies. But she is tiny. I’ll look into that brand — Wellness Formula. And I have never heard about Benedryl and nausea– very interesting. Hope we don’t have to try it soon, but if the need arises, I will.
I learned about the Benedryl from a nurse at UCLA, I have personally tried it!
This is super helpful! Only wish I would have had it a week ago. 😉
Greats tips Tiffani, thank you! I’m a long time Welness Formula user, it isn’t something that just mask’s the symptoms, it actually gives your body the necessary elements to heal itself and if taken early enough will actually stave off the sickness.
Stay healthy, all!
Nice post! I am a firm believer in “preventative maintenance” for the body. I always make sure I have extra Vitamin C, D, and Echinacea on hand year-round!
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