The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

Nargleblast

Some people are unaware of the meaning of the word allergy, that is  why, when someone says they're allergic to something, medical professionals ask exactly what happens when they come into contact with that substance. A true allergy can be life threatening, and the symptoms Thriftwizard describes are symptoms of an allergy. Having an upset gut is not a sign of allergy, it's a sign of sensitivity to that substance - unpleasant, but you are unlikely to end up in intensive care on a ventilator because of it.

If you have an allergy then carrying an adrenaline pen at all times is important, likewise having a warning wrist band or pendant. You might not be able to get a stock of steroids to keep at home, unless your GP agrees to prescribe some, but you can buy chlorpheniramine over the counter, so it's worth keeping some of that in stock. Other than that, if a severe allergic reaction occurs, it's a 999 situation. Once your airways start swelling up, it won't be long before you stop breathing.

prepareathome

Ensuring my Epi-pens ( i have two to carry always given by GP) are in date is always part of my preps plus if not used I keep my old ones until they go cloudy as might not be as potent but still useful in an emergency situation.

DigForVictory

Ah, Steristrip! Thankyou, that’s on the shopping list. I do have a roll of duct tape in the car but the right tool for the job (especially when it’s your dominant hand that’s dripping) saves a lot of swearing. (That the duct tape matches my car paint is a lucky coincidence.)
@Thriftwizard, so long as the medic alert is correct, yes, please, wear it out & whenever masked. If it’s only partly right, please consider updating it? (SOS talisman wearer for the peace of mind!)

daz378

Tough day in work today....but been working  9 hour shifts since thursday and next day off is saturday...one of the middle aged  guys i look after with learning difficulties ...picked up a poster showing a Halloween party   about  30 minutes taxi away...but needed pre booking   and with covid would have needed permission  risk assessments  etc....but he was quite insistant getting angry etc...managed to distract him and calm him..went for a walk   and he was ok....hope hes ok tomorrow...colleague on annual leave...so extra hours...being vague on purpose   to maintain confidentiality..so tiring being a carer at the moment...you all take care

RAS

I have the "opposite" problem with a dietary intolerance. Obviously I discuss it if I eat out, including take away. Many places are now so freaked out by the well publicised deaths caused by dietary allergies that it takes some effort to explain the difference.

Even though one normal portion could render me bed-bound for several days, I'm not going to pop my clogs on their premises. And the teensiest little bit will give my a mild reaction the following day, which doesn't affect my health as long as I'm strict for the next week. Any more than that and I'd know within half an hour and can take action.

Si_Clist

Hmmm ... if you keep a stock of tinned corned beef, stand by for price rises due to the problems with Covid in Brazil and the huge rise in shipping costs.  Tesco's website's been OOS of the Prince's tins we usually buy (mainly because of the 4-5 year shelf life) for quite a while now, and I for one won't be at all surprised if it's dearer when it's available again.

Auntycaz

prepareathome said:

Ensuring my Epi-pens ( i have two to carry always given by GP) are in date is always part of my preps plus if not used I keep my old ones until they go cloudy as might not be as potent but still useful in an emergency situation.

I agree about keeping old ones until they get cloudy. When I worked in a pharmacy we went through a period of having trouble with supplies of some of them. Better to have a slightly out of date pen than none at all. If you have to carry an epipen make your friends and work colleagues aware of this and where you keep it. 

houseinafield

Si_Clist said:

houseinafield said:

... although my experience is way down the scale of most of you here.

No matter.  Alternative viewpoints are often just as interesting as other folks' experience when it comes to prepping

Hmmm.  What's this freeze dryer you've got on order?  Two of us here very curious to know more ...

I think it's been well answered but I found this short explanation...

"What's the difference between Freeze-Dried Food and Dehydrated Food? Freeze-drying removes 98% of the water in foods while dehydration removes about 80% giving freeze-dried products a much longer shelf-life. Freeze-dried food is flash frozen and then exposed to a vacuum, which causes all the water in it to vaporize".

Other differences are that the food looks almost exactly the same as it started out and very little nutrition is lost compared to dehydration. My reason for buying is that meat and fish, both cooked and raw can be dried, as well as eggs, milk and whole meals ie spag bol. 

I think meat prices might well go through the roof in the not to distant future. We don't eat a lot of meat but we eat fish a few times a week - mostly tinned - and quite a lot of milk and eggs. I've been buying Nido (more than usual thanks to you!) but it'll be interesting to see how it turns out in the drier.

Si_Clist

houseinafield said:

...  We don't eat a lot of meat but we eat fish a few times a week - mostly tinned - and quite a lot of milk and eggs. I've been buying Nido (more than usual thanks to you!) but it'll be interesting to see how it turns out in the drier.

Thanks for that   And this is exactly what I meant about alternative viewpoints. We don't eat much meat either apart from chicken, so we keep good stocks of tins of corned beef and Tesco's various tinned chicken meals (the £1.50) ones, all of which have very good shelf lives.  Like you, we don't eat much fish either apart from tinned, so that's what we keep stocks of.  We also use quite a lot of milk, so we too use Nido (now there's a surprise!).  And as for eggs, we fall back on powdered whole egg, which comes in with the best part of a year to BBE.

We therefore manage very well for the items you've mentioned by just buying them and putting them in the cupboard, so I guess either I'm missing the point (which is more than likely), or you're going to freeze dry other stuff which justifies the expense and the running cost. 

Sorry but I'm intrigued by this, so the next (and hopefully final) question has to be - are you reckoning on using it for fruit and veg?

Toonie

Antihistamines always form a part of my preps as I have oral allergy syndrome (sometimes called pollen food syndrome) and over the years I've had to take an antihistamine if something I was fine with causes a new reaction. Thankfully the only thing which has ever caused a very severe reaction is easily avoided (no blueberries thanks!) and cooking the fruit denatures the protein that causes the reaction meaning I can still have apple crumble. It also means my DP has to always peel the potatoes or he'll get sneezy spuds! (When I was single I wouldn't bother peeling spuds, just scrub, slice and chuck them in).