Preparedness With Medical Condition – Rogue’s 31 Days To Readiness [Day 22]

Being prepared can be overwhelming enough, but then trying to get prepared with a medical condition? That can certainly cause a bit more stress in ones life.

The medical condition doesn’t have to be something you yourself are facing. It could be something a friend or relative has and you’re partially or fully responsible to take care of them and their needs.

Here’s how to be prepared with a medical condition:

• You know your condition best – You deal with this condition on a daily basis. Take a personal inventory of how you’re managing the condition. Then think how you might be able to continue to manage it even in an emergency or disaster.
• Extra medications – Do you fill specific medications every month? Talk to your doctor about being able to fill a prescription for an extra bottle or two for emergency purposes. This would include all types of medications, as well as anything having to do with diabetes. If any medications or treatments need refrigeration, consider getting a mini fridge then a solar setup or gas/propane generator to keep the mini fridge running.
• CPAP machine – If you use a CPAP machine, look into getting extra batteries for it. You may want to consider getting a big enough solar setup or generator that would be able to charge your batteries.
• Oxygen machine – If an oxygen tank is needed, consider having a couple extra ones on hand.
• Alternative medication – Look into alternative, natural medicines for your existing medications. Talk to herbalists, natural doctors, etc. People have been using nature to help them with medical conditions for thousands of years. There may not be alternatives, and that’s alright. But it never hurts to look into them.
• Diet and exercise – Everything in moderation. Excess of anything is a bad thing. If you have diabetes, store foods that will be best for you in an emergency. There’s a wide variety of food storage options out there for anyone on any type of diet, including gluten free, keto, etc.
• First aid – Keep your first aid kit stocked with necessary items that might pertain to specific medical conditions. For instance, if a friend or family member is allergic to bee stings, do you have EPI pens available?
• Transportation – Make sure to ave proper transportation available should they need to leave the home due to an emergency or disaster. For instance, if they’re in a wheelchair, are you able to help them into the vehicle, as well as take the wheelchair?
• Keep everything within reach – I heard a tragic story of a man who couldn’t access his extra oxygen tank during blackouts in California and he died because of it. Make important things easily accessible, especially to the person with the medical condition. There may be caveats, such as they’re young, can’t be trusted for any reason or if they have someone around 24/7 to help when needed.
• Write down everything – If there are specific instructions for something to be done at certain times of the day (like taking medications), write it down. Make it all visible to anyone that could have access to that information (such as anyone in the household). This is especially important if there are instructions for what to do in case of a specific incident. Place these instructions on the fridge, in a binder on the counter, whatever is going to be easiest for everyone. Of course, there are always medical bands and tags that can be implemented as well.

If you’re prepping for someone with a medical condition, talk to them and ask them about their everyday needs. Take notes and prep for them the very best that you can.

Keep their comfort in mind, as well. Ensure everyone is well taken care of during the whole emergency or disaster.

The bottom line is, the medical condition exists now so it will also exist in an emergency or disaster; so plan for it accordingly.

See you in day 23!