Agnostic.com

51 18

Living alone when you're sick. How do you feed yourself?

Today I was diagnosed with pneumonia. Started an antibiotic and was referred to an ENT doctor.

Have had a recurrent sinus infection since July. Already took two courses of antibiotics. Frustrating. I'm usually very healthy. I'm an athlete, for heaven's sake!

That's why I was so slow while hiking last Tuesday. Not surprised I have pneumonia. Have been coughing hard, running a fever and feeling exhausted.

This morning, I started a big pot of chicken broth from frozen chicken bones I saved in the freezer. Broth simmered for five hours. The house smells wonderful.

Now I'm simmering chicken-vegetable-noodle soup with garlic, ginger and other herbs. Hooray!

Chicken vegetable soup: prescribed by mothers across the world.

LiterateHiker 9 Sep 20
Share

Enjoy being online again!

Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.

Create your free account

51 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

1

Spend a lot of time inhaling the steam and vapors from the soup. That should help too. I usually don't have much of an appetite, so soup fills the bill, though I rarely make my own. Did make a couple of gallons of cabbage and sausage soup earlier this year though. Thankfully I rarely get sick. For the 42 years I worked in the public sector, I hardly ever took sick days. Loads of high dosage vitamin C (8 grams or more a day) as soon as I felt something coming on, rarely had more than a day or two before things improved.

1

Grubhub.

1

I do it the same way I look after my livestock when I am sick, I force myself to do what is necessary to sustain, then put my ass back to bed. A couple of years ago I got pneumonia in the middle of calving season both my cows, their calves and I survived.

1

By planning ahead and just eating enough to get better, that way you can avoid having to deal with the bathroom too much. Keep your drink in a container next to your bed and hope your illness doesn't last long. It won't be fun so try to sleep through most of the time.

1

I was really sick earlier this year and my wonderful mom was so worried, even though she lives in a different town, ordered soup and some of my favorites from local place near me and had it delivered. I had to send her a pic to show I was actually eating 🙂

1

keep the phone near you can't gt up call 911

1
1

Sounds like you’re doing all the right things. I hope you feel better soon.

1

I find living alone and being ill one of the most lonely activities ever. I don't need constant attention but to hear a human presence in the house is comforting. I do all of those things; make the broth etc but it is awfully lonely. I prefer to be the healthy one looking after my poor sick companion.That is more fun.

1

I forgot to add please get well soon ?

1

Chicken soup is good. I once knew a Jewish lady with 2 chickens. One got sick and she made chicken soup of the other one to help the sick one. It all worked out just fine.

1

Is go for the chicken soup also its complexity varies depending on how I feel ?

1

Last time I got really ill I stayed at my parents. I had the flu and didn't eat for a week, so the cooking part was simple.

1

Same way I did when I was married. I drag myself out of bed and get some food. But now I see that you mean what kinds of food. I eat the same.

2

If really sick, Grubhub!

1

You need plenty of rest and fluids and the antibiotic. The soup will be delicious and nourishing and will be comforting. After the antibiotic is finished the cough may persist and you may still feel tired for a week or two, sometimes a second course is required. Hope you recover quickly , but don’t try to excercise too soon, rest instead.

1

Very few times that i was really bad sick, once I needed to drive to another town to go to a doctor, almost exploding from migraine, and then sleep on the parking lot because the heavy painkillers were making me too sleepy to drive, by the morning the migraine was still there, I did't even went out of the parking lot and back to the hospital.
But in general when sick I bake a lot of stuff, just season on the same glass that will go to the oven, watch some series for the baking time and enjoy XD

1

I was 60 years old before I lived alone. I loved it until the first time I got really sick. Then it was a little weird.

2

I cook in batches so I can pop things in the freezer & have a few days of food in the fridge. When I make soups or stews in large batches, I can a few pints to put up. I keep protein shakes in the house for grab & go. When I am sick, I have friends who are out here like a flash or who take me to their house where they can keep an eye on me (if they leave me home, they know I will try to do chores).

2

I know this can be a bummer. You have friends that will go hiking with you why don't they come to your aid? I am an introvert and sometimes lack social graces. But, I am the first to help another when they are in need and do so often. That is what friends are for and it will come back to you. One friend came by the house every night for 2 weeks to wash my dishes (since my accident I am not supposed to get my left hand wet - but that changed yesterday as 2 pins came out - yay). People have brought me food and offered to do other chores (in the beginning, one guy, he is married, even offered to help bath me. He said he did that for our friend in his later stages of Parkinson's). Of course it is a lot easier here but one needs to cultivate friendships. Too bad you virtual fans can't send you virtual wellness.

@JackPedigo

My hiking partners are all married. It doesn't occur to them to help me.

You're lucky to have friend who helped you. Two of my best friends are out of town for a week. If they were here, they would help me.

@LiterateHiker That's good. However, it is not just luck; it is work and caring. Many of my friends are married too. True, central Wash. is different than the coastal islands.
BTW, waiting for the ferry yesterday I spoke to a friend (our age) who told me he had to be flown off island to island hospital in Anacortes. That hospital couldn't help him and he was given a long, very expensive ambulance ride to Bellingham. He had pneumonia and the virus spread to his heart. It was serious but caught in time.

3

If I were alone and sick, I would call for delivery which is the easiest way of feeding yourself, especially nowadays with a myriad of choices, including Uber Eats, Chinese, pizza, etc.

2

Wow that sounds good. Care to share a sample ?

2

TV dinners and Stouffer's chicken pot pies

1

That is one of the best prescriptions I have ever read. We went to the same Medical Schools. I would go the herbal additives in your soups. Being Athletic may include walking Pneumonia which is not something that Google Doctors know much about. Its Sept. going into Oct. and your in Washington State which is another concern. Has the rainy season set in? I was stationed in Seattle for 16 months from 1967-69 and I can say that I had my share of what your up against.
I got walking pneumonia while working construction in NYC in July and never knew what hit me. I would go home feeling fine and would wake up like I was in a prize fight my lungs were aching so much. I would take a hot shower and get on two cotton shirts after smearing my chest with Vicks ( Try JR Watkins Chest Rub) and put a sweatshirt on top and be prepared to wake up soaking wet, but soundly slept. No prescriptions needed or co payments. Also wore the sweats during the day to soak up the sweats and avoid the chills.

@Nevermind345

I sleep under a down comforter. Have been sleeping soundly and waking up in a big sweat.

As a slender, heat-producing ectomorph, with high exertion I sweat heavily. While hiking, I learned to change my clothes on my upper body.

When my shirt is wet with sweat, I get deeply chilled. Have had hypothermia twice while hiking. Dry clothes are essential.

Living in Eastern Washington, we don't get much rain. In the winter it snows.

@LiterateHiker I have the same problem when I go oversea and it begins with a head cold that goes right down to my lungs with my head feeling like I am sleeping in a Fish Bowl. It only happens when I go overseas, and it happens every trip because I go for 6 weeks or more.

4

Before my current career I was a pretty good chef of 15 years. If I may offer some advice. Chicken broth only needs to cook for and hour unlike other stocks that need long times on the stove top. You can have a completely homemade chicken noodle soup ready to eat in 3 hours.

Cracking the bones helps too...

@darthfaja

Interesting. I have been using The Joy of Cooking instructions for making chicken stock.

Martha Stewart advises cooking chicken stock for four hours.

@LiterateHiker they are not wrong, but it’s not necessary. Joy of cooking is a wonderful book and far be it from me to argue against Martha.
However it isn’t necessary.

I put all my ingredients in cold water and bring them to a boil. Turn it to a soft boil for an hour. Strain the stock and put it back on the stove. Debone the chicken and cut up the bones. Put the bones back in the stock and bring back up to a boil. Reduce to a soft boil again and keep replacing lost liquid with cold water. Typically it is best to cool over night.

I’m not saying my way is right or the only way. It was just how I was trained. If you love your version then certainly don’t change it. I’m sure it’s wonderful. I am just offering a way to help you speed up the process if you like. I skip the cool down, but I shouldn’t.
Bon appetite!

@darthfaja

Thank you so much! I learn something every day. I appreciate your help. Kathleen

Write Comment
You can include a link to this post in your posts and comments by including the text q:183274
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.