Surviving The Flu

 

Surviving the Flu

I have just survived a bout with the flu. No special name other than debilitating. For days I eliminated fluids fast and furious (diarrhea and vomiting) and could not drink or eat. My bed was my refuge. 

I used my heating pad to help with the back pain. I discovered that my dogs large pee pads made the perfect sheet cover so I did not have to constantly change sheets. My oldest daughter who lives with me who also got sick recommended that I order a heated mattress pad cover and so I did, but it did not arrive until I was nearly well. 

However, upon recovery I did discover several things that I could eat and I want to share then with you. 

Through Walmart delivery, I ordered deli potato salad with mustard. Nibbling on the potatoes with that tangy bit of mustard taste, along with sips of ginger ale, helped give me strength to survive that miserable illness.  

When I got stronger and less inclined to faint from dehydration, I was ready to cook something. 

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I have always enjoyed chicken and rice together.  But I have never done this:

1 gallon water 

3 cups of rice

1/2 Walmart delivered roasted chicken 

4 chicken boullion cubes

1/2 stick of butter

salt and pepper

Add rice to boiling water with butter and salt. Boil the rice in the water. Drop in bouillon cubes. Add chopped up chicken and continue to simmer. Add more water if the rice gets too dry. I do not cook anything precisely. You may like rice firmer than I do. But this makes a tasty come back to solid food. This makes a pretty good batch. Remember my daughter was sick as well. She really liked this!

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Don't forget adding fluids. When I made my Walmart order I ordered LOTS OF FLUIDS! For some reason apple juice and ginger ale hit the spot the best. Ginger has always been an herbal remedy for stomach issues. When I first got sick, I drank a Coke. It did not settle my stomach like it always had before. It led the way with initiating the vomiting. A day or two later, Ginger Ale really worked! I also ordered Gator Ade but I have never been able to keep Gator Ade down. However, my daughter, who soon came down with the flu as well, finds that to be the best remedy. It is what my sister, the cardiologist,  recommends as she goes into the litany of replacement stuff. 

The next recipe is so simple but delicious if you like mashed potatoes and English peas. When you make your delivery order to Walmart for the roasted chicken from the deli, also order some Bob Evans mashed potatoes and a couple of small cans of LeSeur English peas. 

You will need:

one bowl full of Bob Evans mashed potatoes

1 small can of LeSeur English peas

1/4 stick of butter 

salt and pepper

Pour the English peas on top of the mashed potatoes. Cut up the butter around the bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put in Microwave for 1 minute. Then stir. Put it back in microwave for 1 minute more. Stir once more. Then eat. Not all at once. But I find that delicious!

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Of course, everyone recommends Tylenol for fever and Phenergan suppositories, etc., but when one is nauseous and afflicted with diarrhea, keeping those in long enough to do any good is nearly impossible. 

I am told the flu in its many varieties is everywhere. It is survivable.