The Sick Room for Christmas

[Jusa]

Well both Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner will likely be just soup for me and my husband. We went to a family party on Saturday and my husband had a cocktail road pop (don't tell the Po-po) for the drive. We picked up my son-in-law and he and my husband were both drinking from the Stanley cup. SIL had been traveling. Sunday my SIL came down with a fever and was feeling poorly, achy and swollen glands. Last night my husband developed a fever and sore throat. Today my youngest daughter started feeling ill, and she and her husband were hosting Christmas dinner for 25 family members, so it's been moved elsewhere for the still-healthy people and the sick ones and partners are staying away. My temperature this morning was 96.5 (I always run a little colder than normal) and I just got home, it's still the same thankfully.

I went to work today to knock it all out since my deadline for this project is Friday and no telling how much longer I am going to be able to stay upright. I did get my flu shot, thankfully, and as always, keeping my hands clean and sanitized. Thankfully I made a large pot of bean soup in the crockpot yesterday, so that will be good for our dinner tonight. If I am still feeling alright tomorrow I will make a large pot of chicken soup. My husband's fever has been ranging from 101 to 103.4. Right now it's 102.6. I am keeping it monitored and if it goes to 104, into the car and to the hospital we go.

Hope every one of you and your families stay healthy this holiday season.

 

[taxlady]

If I am still feeling alright tomorrow I will make a large pot of chicken soup. My husband's fever has been ranging from 101 to 103.4. Right now it's 102.6. I am keeping it monitored and if it goes to 104, into the car and to the hospital we go.

When someone's temperature gets close to 104°F, an alcohol rub or a cool bath can bring it back down to safer levels. It's probably best to avoid driving as much as possible during the holidays when people have been drinking.

Hope every one of you and your families stay healthy this holiday season.

Thank you and god bedring (Danish for good bettering) to your DH. Also, 7-9-13 that you stay healthy too. So, the Danish phrase had me thinking in Danish. "Syv-ni-tretten (7-9-13)" is pretty much the Danish equivalent of knock on wood.

 

[Jusa]

When someone's temperature gets close to 104°F, an alcohol rub or a cool bath can bring it back down to safer levels. It's probably best to avoid driving as much as possible during the holidays when people have been drinking.

Thank you and god bedring (Danish for good bettering) to your DH. Also, 7-9-13 that you stay healthy too. So, the Danish phrase had me thinking in Danish. "Syv-ni-tretten (7-9-13)" is pretty much the Danish equivalent of knock on wood.

Thanks, yes, I've been through this years ago with my 4 kids when they were young. Much easier to pick a child up and get them into a bath or rub them down than it is to convince a 165 lb stubborn adult male that I'm trying to help him and he should listen to me. But thankfully it's staying near 102, which still too high for me to feel comfortable about it.

Thank you so much!

 

[Jusa]

Oh dear. That’s awful.
Sorry I miss your post at first (must have been busy typing mine)
Hope everyone feels better soon

Okay, fever is down to 100.7. Not going to be well enough for Christmas but not going the wrong direction. And he is up out of bed and had breakfast (at 7pm). We will have some soup in a few hours and back to bed.

 

[BAPyessir6]

When someone's temperature gets close to 104°F, an alcohol rub or a cool bath can bring it back down to safer levels. It's probably best to avoid driving as much as possible during the holidays when people have been drinking.

Thank you and god bedring (Danish for good bettering) to your DH. Also, 7-9-13 that you stay healthy too. So, the Danish phrase had me thinking in Danish. "Syv-ni-tretten (7-9-13)" is pretty much the Danish equivalent of knock on wood.

I would like to question that statement of "alcohol rub." My sister, while in nursing school, heard a story about a family who gave their 4 year old a bath in rubbing alcohol (to lower her fever) and it almost poisoned her.

I am not sure if rubbing alcohol is necessarily safe? for fevers, as breathing in rubbing alcohol fumes could be dangerous?

Please correct this if my thinking is wrong. I've just heard the "using rubbing alcohol to lower fevers" isn't a good idea anymore.

I'm also assuming the "alcohol" used here is isopropyl alcohol, and not spirits like vodka etc.

 

[Jusa]

I would like to question that statement of "alcohol rub." My sister, while in nursing school, heard a story about a family who gave their 4 year old a bath in rubbing alcohol (to lower her fever) and it almost poisoned her.

I am not sure if rubbing alcohol is necessarily safe? for fevers, as breathing in rubbing alcohol could be dangerous?

Please correct this if my thinking is wrong. I've just heard the "using rubbing alcohol to lower fevers" isn't a good idea anymore.

I'm not sure, but I never did, it was lukewarm baths and it worked. I never had to go to ice or cold baths. Maybe it's a diluted solution?

 

[BAPyessir6]

I'm not sure, but I never did, it was lukewarm baths and it worked. I never had to go to ice or cold baths. Maybe it's a diluted solution?

From a personal experience story I know that using ice to rapidly lower body temperature is a last resort that shouldn't be used unless nothing else is working. Basically the heat followed by ice directly on skin can cause a possible cardiac event/heart attack.

Short story! When I was 18, my sister passed out while tanning when it was 105 Fahrenheit out. We got to her and put ice directly around her neck and wrapped ice packs in towels to put on her armpits, and when the paramedics got there they told us to "next time use cool cloths" or cool water cause the temperature shock can mess with your heart, even if you're young.

That even includes, apparently, ice packs wrapped in towels.

She woke up within minutes and was/is totally fine, but she is pretty sensitive to heat now and is more likely to pass out due to hot days.

The body is so fragile!

 

[dragnlaw]

I'm also assuming the "alcohol" used here is isopropyl alcohol, and not spirits like vodka etc.

Well that takes all the fun out of it.

Not surprised that a child of 5 reacted to rubbing alcohol.
On an adult - I can't see a problem. Unless there is another condition that would suggest otherwise. But I also believe one has to use common sense and truly think of consequences when doing anything.

Unfortunately common sense and consequences aren't taught in schools anymore.

 

[Jusa]

From a personal experience story I know that using ice to rapidly lower body temperature is a last resort that shouldn't be used unless nothing else is working. Basically the heat followed by ice directly on skin can cause a possible cardiac event/heart attack.

Short story! When I was 18, my sister passed out while tanning when it was 105 Fahrenheit out. We got to her and put ice directly around her neck and wrapped ice packs in towels to put on her armpits, and when the paramedics got there they told us to "next time use cool cloths" or cool water cause the temperature shock can mess with your heart, even if you're young.

That even includes, apparently, ice packs wrapped in towels.

She woke up within minutes and was/is totally fine, but she is pretty sensitive to heat now and is more likely to pass out due to hot days.

The body is so fragile!

That's useful information, thank you.

I'm glad the lukewarm shower worked for my husband.

 

[BAPyessir6]

Well that takes all the fun out of it.

Not surprised that a child of 5 reacted to rubbing alcohol.
On an adult - I can't see a problem. Unless there is another condition that would suggest otherwise. But I also believe one has to use common sense and truly think of consequences when doing anything.

Unfortunately common sense and consequences aren't taught in schools anymore.

What is this school of which you speak???



My only worry would be what/how much is being absorbed through the skin of an adult if rubbed with isopropyl, that is, if you're rubbing the entire body with it. I do know (as I have a bottle) that on the back of the isopropyl bottle it says to not "rub it over large areas."

Now a bigger question. If I rubbed myself all over with vodka for some reason, and it absorbed into my skin, could I get drunk from it?

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Unfortunately common sense and consequences aren't taught in schools anymore.

Common sense is like deodorant. Those that really need it, seldom use it.

 

[Jusa]

Common sense is like deodorant. Those that really need it, seldom use it.

Antiperspirant works better than deodorant since instead of masking odor, it helps prevent it to begin with.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Antiperspirant works better than deodorant since instead of masking odor, it helps prevent it to begin with.

Who are you channeling, Proctor or Gamble?

 

[Jusa]

Who are you channeling, Proctor or Gamble?

The guy's name was Procter, not Proctor. And deodorant and antiperspirant weren't invented during their lifetimes.

 

[caseydog]

I would like to question that statement of "alcohol rub." My sister, while in nursing school, heard a story about a family who gave their 4 year old a bath in rubbing alcohol (to lower her fever) and it almost poisoned her.

I am not sure if rubbing alcohol is necessarily safe? for fevers, as breathing in rubbing alcohol fumes could be dangerous?

Please correct this if my thinking is wrong. I've just heard the "using rubbing alcohol to lower fevers" isn't a good idea anymore.

I'm also assuming the "alcohol" used here is isopropyl alcohol, and not spirits like vodka etc.

My sister is a retired RN, and she recommends a bath with tepid water (not cold).

Alcohol and water do the same thing... evaporative cooling. Alcohol evaporates faster, so it cools more, but water is a better choice all around.

CD

 

[caseydog]

Now a bigger question. If I rubbed myself all over with vodka for some reason, and it absorbed into my skin, could I get drunk from it?

It's not the dumbest way people have abused Vodka.

CD

 

[taxlady]

I would like to question that statement of "alcohol rub." My sister, while in nursing school, heard a story about a family who gave their 4 year old a bath in rubbing alcohol (to lower her fever) and it almost poisoned her.

I am not sure if rubbing alcohol is necessarily safe? for fevers, as breathing in rubbing alcohol fumes could be dangerous?

Please correct this if my thinking is wrong. I've just heard the "using rubbing alcohol to lower fevers" isn't a good idea anymore.

I'm also assuming the "alcohol" used here is isopropyl alcohol, and not spirits like vodka etc.

There was no suggestion of using alcohol for the bath. I was also suggesting this for an adult. And has been mentioned further down this thread, a little common sense goes a long way. It had never occurred to me that someone would try to use the rubbing alcohol for the cool bath. That does sound like a terrible idea.

Rubbing alcohol can be several types of alcohol, but they are denatured to be unpleasant to drink. BTW, a regular sized bottle of rubbing alcohol is less than a litre in size. That would take an awful lot of bottles to make a bath.

 

[caseydog]

There was no suggestion of using alcohol for the bath. I was also suggesting this for an adult. And has been mentioned further down this thread, a little common sense goes a long way. It had never occurred to me that someone would try to use the rubbing alcohol for the cool bath. That does sound like a terrible idea.

Rubbing alcohol can be several types of alcohol, but they are denatured to be unpleasant to drink. BTW, a regular sized bottle of rubbing alcohol is less than a litre in size. That would take an awful lot of bottles to make a bath.

My parents used rubbing alcohol on us as kids for fevers. But, according to my sister, the hospital RN of 40-plus years, that is no longer recommended. Same with ice baths. According to her, tepid water, or room temperature water at the coldest, is recommended.

CD

 

[taxlady]

My parents used rubbing alcohol on us as kids for fevers. But, according to my sister, the hospital RN of 40-plus years, that is no longer recommended. Same with ice baths. According to her, tepid water, or room temperature water at the coldest, is recommended.

CD

I'm going to guess that your parents rubbed the rubbing alcohol on you kids. They didn't try to bathe you in it. But, if you go back to my original comment, I recommended a cool bath, not a cold bath, or an ice bath. And, when you have a high fever, a room temperature bath feels cold.

 

[caseydog]

I'm going to guess that your parents rubbed the rubbing alcohol on you kids. They didn't try to bathe you in it. But, if you go back to my original comment, I recommended a cool bath, not a cold bath, or an ice bath. And, when you have a high fever, a room temperature bath feels cold.

All the posts on this topic have run together. My post was not aimed at any one person. I replied to you just following a general path of discussion. I know you never suggested bathing in rubbing alcohol. I don't think anyone actually did.

My basic point was that, once again, things people used to do routinely are not recommended anymore. One of them is using rubbing alcohol for fevers.

CD