Liveaboards and Cruisers get the flu/sick too

[Kenomac]

Pick up a suture kit and seasick meds, you're more likely to get cut or seasick on a boat rather than contracting a cold.

Coming from two registered nurses who also have a daughter who's an RN. We also carry an AED.

[zeehag]

as not everything is bacterial i also keep acyclovir in my kit. helps. prevents replication of virus. sounds good to me. yes has side effects but hydrstion helps relieve those.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by john61ct

My approach is if it doesn't kill you makes you stronger, the key is a diverse and locally appropriate microbiome.

Expats in third world places usually stop the belly aches within three years, but only if they're adventurous.

Fecal transplants help speed things up, the original research was done by DIYers.

DIY Fecal transplants??

It doesn't get any kookier than that, congratulations... you win.

[toddster8]

I think that stocking some kind of anti-nausea (anti-emetic) could be pretty important. Inability to take in fluids can be rapidly debilitating - got some experience with that. I'd have to do more research or talk to a doctor to find out what kind would be best to carry. I've got a few days worth of promethazine left over from the above-mentioned "experience." But it's not something you'd want to take if you were "driving."
Come to think of it, there are also a few dusty bottles of vicodin that I've been sent home with at various times. (The pain always seemed preferable to the pain-killers at the time.)

As far as kleenex - I have none on-board. As a teen, I had overwhelming seasonal allergies, before there were any effective medications. A box of kleenex would last me half a day, at best. I just got used to carrying handkerchiefs, and washing them. (Years later, I learned that walking around with brightly-colored bandannas hanging out of your jeans pockets had specific code meanings for gay dating. No wonder I got so many funny looks in college. D'Oh! )

(Oops, that was responding to post #60.)

[toddster8]

Originally Posted by zeehag

as not everything is bacterial i also keep acyclovir in my kit. helps. prevents replication of virus. sounds good to me. yes has side effects but hydrstion helps relieve those.

Um... Acyclovir only inhibits a few kinds of viruses - not viruses in general. Not cold and flu viruses. Like other antibiotics, using it wrong could cause resistance to build up.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

DIY Fecal transplants??
It doesn't get any kookier than that, congratulations... you win.

Most scientists and doctors thought Pasteur and his “germ theory” were crazy too.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...ent-experiment
http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disor...cal-transplant
https://www.theverge.com/2016/5/4/11...ome-ibs-c-diff

[Terrapin]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Pick up a suture kit and seasick meds, you're more likely to get cut or seasick on a boat rather than contracting a cold.

Coming from two registered nurses who also have a daughter who's an RN. We also carry an AED.

What happens after you use the AED? You're probably a long ways from an ER, ICU, Cardiac Cath Lab or cardiac surgery suite.

[Meanderthal]

Originally Posted by Terrapin

What happens after you use the AED? You're probably a long ways from an ER, ICU, Cardiac Cath Lab or cardiac surgery suite.

I'd expect 2 registered nurses would know AEDs are only for certain rhythms and have a follow up plan. Maybe they'll tell us more :-)

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Most scientists and doctors thought Pasteur and his “germ theory” were crazy too.

The Excrement Experiment - The New Yorker
The Rise of the Do-It-Yourself Fecal Transplant
https://www.theverge.com/2016/5/4/11...ome-ibs-c-diff

Here's one very good reason your DIY fecal transplant is the kookiest of ideas:

Hepatitis B

I can provided a hundred more if you like.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Terrapin

What happens after you use the AED? You're probably a long ways from an ER, ICU, Cardiac Cath Lab or cardiac surgery suite.

Originally Posted by Meanderthal

I'd expect 2 registered nurses would know AEDs are only for certain rhythms and have a follow up plan. Maybe they'll tell us more :-)

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...rd-141085.html

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Meanderthal

Still, this brings to mind--how do you cope and what do you keep on hand? What if you are on passage? Is there whining? I whine to myself.

Meanderthal, I hope you are feeling much better .
I am usually ready to write my will each time I have a cold . Copious cups of tea with honey and lemon, plenty of sleep and lots of TLC seem to do the trick for me.

I admire you for retaining your sense of humour and taking grumpy posters in your stride so well.

In answer to your query of what is kept on board, our medical kit is a fairly standard one I think. Injuries (including burns) are our most likely event, so we are well armed for that. In terms of drugs, we initially carried painkillers (asprin & paracetamol), broad spectrum antibiotics (oral, ocular and topical), drugs for nausea, diarhoea, allergic reactions...... Also antivirals (Tamiflu & Relenza), as Bird flu was an issue at the time.

In a decade, asprin was the only oral drug needed, and as drugs were easily available over the counter in Greece (scarily so, as long as they weren't codeine based), very little was replenished when expired, but we will arm ourselves well again before crossing the Pacific.

The most commonly used other items have been bandaids & wider Elastoplast strips that are cut to size & Betadine for cuts, plus tubes of unit dose saline for ocular foreign bodies, plus alcohol wipes & needles for removal of other foreign bodies. Eventually these were kept in a small, very easily accessible box in the galley. The rest has basically been untouched, other than to throw out expired items.

SWL

[BandB]

95% of what you'll do is basic first aid. For those who haven't had first aid courses, I'd recommend a good one. However, if you're going to cruise long distances and cross oceans, I'd recommend a Medical Person in Charge Course. It was such a learning experience and I do feel I could do things needed now. Some of them I'd get advice from a trauma center we subscribe to before proceeding, much as an EMT might from a hospital.

On the first aid courses, these were the subjects:

Subjects Include:
Legal Issues
Communication & Documentation
Anatomy
Patient Assessment
Respiratory Emergencies
Cardiovascular Emergencies
CPR
AED - Defibrillation
Bleeding & Shock
Burns
Environmental Emergencies
First Aid Kits
Sterile Techniques
Pharmacology
Toxicology
Musculo-Skeletal Injuries
Spinal Injuries
Lifting & Moving Injured or Ill Patients

For the MEDPIC, here was the summary of the course:

Subjects Include:
Suturing & Wound Care, IV Therapy, Medication Administration & Injections, Pain Management, Infectious Diseases, Behavioral Emergencies, Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat, NG Tubes & Urinary Catheterization, Altered Mental States, Specific Diseases, OB/GYN & Infant Care, Complications of Drug & Alcohol Use, Poisoning & Overdoses, Rescue & Death At Sea, Legal Issues, Communication & Documentation, Anatomy, Patient Assessment, Respiratory Emergencies, Cardiovascular Emergencies, Defibrillation (AED), CPR, Bleeding & Shock, Burns, Environmental Emergencies, First Aid Kit, Sterile Techniques, Pharmacology, Toxicology, Muscular & Skeletal Injuries, Spinal Injuries, Lifting & Moving Injured or Ill Patients.

That course did include lab time spent at a hospital ER. I honestly didn't know if I could do that. How would I react to the blood, the pain, all going on around me. I found that with the training and there on site, I reacted as needed, all patient centered. Things I thought I could never look at, I went straight to. Now, after the shift on the floor, that's when it all sank in and the things I'd seen and I felt it. But I left knowing that if someone had a cut and needed stitches, I could do that or someone needed AED, I'd do it, and that I could give an IV and I could help someone with pain.

As to an AED, I carry one because I don't ever want to wonder, "what if I'd had one?" If I have it, do all I can, and still don't save the life, that's one thing. However, if I don't have it, aren't trained, didn't try, I know I'd feel a lot of guilt.

[weavis]

Cuts and bruises seem to be the main disorders in my boating life. Antiseptic wipes and coverings are a staple. A variety of suture kits.
I use Arnica 200c and tincture for bruising. A neccesity for mountain climbers in Switzerland.

Im not out of range for the necessity of a large medical kit. probably only 50 miles or so to shore, so my kit caters for in the main physical emergencies. I do have some anesthetics in the kit.

Im not a registered nurse..

[Meanderthal]

Lots of good info coming in.
I'll try to make a summary post when I'm on the laptop.

[minimalism]

I had this problem once I started livingaboard: I was always under the weather. What worked wonders for me was getting a small air purifier (I have a 30ft power boat, so a small one was just fine). After a week, I felt a lot better and havent been sick since.

tip: clean the filters monthly.

this is the one i have: https://www.amazon.com/Holmes-Deskto...e+air+purifier