Tag / humidifier

by Kelly Mattei

Safety/Wellness Items I Have Ordered for My College Daughter

Safety/wellness items I have ordered for my college daughter.

As parents, we never stop worrying, do we? Our daughter is a junior in college. A few weeks ago, she fell ill…mono/pneumonia/bronchitis. It was scary when I could hear deep wheezing through the phone, so I jumped on a plane and went down there. She is living in an apartment with three friends, but I was surprised they didn’t have some of the basics for illness/wellness and safety. I’m sharing, so you can double-check that your college student has the necessities if he/she gets sick. Here are some items I ordered or picked up for them while I was there:

  • Thermometer. I swear my daughter had one in her medicine box when she went to school, but it wasn’t there anymore, and none of the roommates could come up with one either. This is an absolute essential. In fact, go ahead and get two of them, because you know one will go missing.There are lots of them out there, but get the one I got from Amazon here. *Also, make sure they have the meds they need if they do get sick: acetaminophen, ibuprofen, cough and cold meds, etc.
  • COVID/Flu Home Test. Y’all, I had the flu in January. I feel pretty sure I acquired it standing in line at Customs when I came home from Mexico City. When I started feeling badly, I thought, “I guess I’ll be going to a germ infested doctor’s office tomorrow to get tested for flu.” But then I checked to see if there is a test on Amazon. There is, and it was delivered to my home overnight. With one sample, it tests for COVID, Flu A, and Flu B. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ITEM! Soon after receiving the test, I knew I had Flu A. After that, I knew I wanted to keep those tests on hand during flu season at my house. I also got one for our daughter at her college house. If she tests positive for flu A or B, she can call her doctor or an online doctor and get Tamiflu. ***Also, encourage your child to get a flu shot!*** Purchase the test here. (While you’re thinking about it, go ahead and order one or two for home…you’ll thank me this flu season if someone gets sick.)
  • Cold Mist Humidifier. As soon as my daughter was diagnosed with pneumonia, I knew she needed a humidifier. When I mentioned it, she said, “The doctor recommended it too.” I actually ordered one at a local drugstore for her to pick up, even though she was sick, just so she could have it quickly. This is one of those things we should just have anyway. Order one at Amazon here.
  • Pedialyte. A proven brand for replacing electrolytes and staying hydrated, Pedialyte makes powder packets that you mix with water. Powder mixes are easier to store than bulky bottles, and these last a long time. They’re good to have on hand for mono, pneumonia, flu, or even stomach issues. Get them from Amazon here.
  • Multivitamin. When I had mono as a teenager, the only things my old-school doctor recommended were lots of rest and a good multivitamin. These college students burn the candle at both ends. Get them a multivitamin, simply because you don’t really know what they’re eating or how much rest they are getting. Get a good one from Amazon here.
  • Ring Doorbell. While I was there, one of my daughter’s roommates mentioned that she would feel a lot safer if they had a Ring Doorbell, so you know I had to get one. I opted for the wireless one for easy installation. It’s not cheap, but it’s the lastest model and easy to install. Get it at Amazon here.
  • Window Alarms. Another safety feature? Window alarms. If your kids have a ground floor bedroom, they might feel safer with window alarms on the windows. For under $30, you get alarms for four windows. Get the ones I purchased here.
  • Portable Safe. I know, the words “portable” and “safe” don’t go together, but this one attached to a fixed item. She doesn’t have any real valuables, but she does have some small items that might walk away if someone didn’t ask to borrow them and forgot to return them. No, I don’t mean her roommates. I mean other people who visit. Sometimes, there are lots of people in their apartment. This safe attaches to the shelving in her closet and has a combination lock. Get it here.
  • She’s Birdie Personal Alarm. You’ve probably seen these before. Highly recommend. At about $30, it does offer a little peace of mind. Get it here.
  • Pepper Gel Spray. If you’re really concerned about safety, pepper gel spray can be a great thing to have. Instead of the old school liquid spray, this won’t blow back on the person spraying it. A friend told me about it over lunch yesterday when she was telling me a story about a guy walking into her daughter’s room! The guy was friends with someone else who lived there, but that’s not OK. Get the pepper gel spray here.***Just make sure they don’t try to board an airplane with it.***
  • Door Security Bar. After the Idaho murders, our daughter became more aware of real dangers. We have door security bars on all our exterior doors at home, but she wanted one for her bedroom door in her apartment. If your child lives somewhere that people might be in and out of the apartment or house at all hours, it could be a good idea to have one of these to secure the door. Get it here.

This list, obviously, is not a complete list of everything they need for health and wellness, but it’s a start! Don’t forget you can likely order groceries for them through Instacart! ***Also, remember to check/replace batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors! *** Do what you can for your child!

***I am an Amazon Associate, so I am compensate for items purchased through my links.***

by Kelly Mattei

I’ve Been Out of Circulation

I’ve been out of circulation.

Last week, I woke up one day with a fever and a sore throat. I recognized the feeling…it felt like strep throat. When I was growing up, my mother would say I would catch strep throat “if someone who had it walked within 500 feet of me.” I’m beginning to think that might have been true. The last time I had it, I was in my 30s. I’m 53 now, so it’s been a good run, but I still know what strep throat feels like…and looks like. So when I woke up with a sore throat and fever, I felt sure I had strep throat, but I knew I needed to get a COVID test too.

I went to my local Urgent Care and got a COVID test first. I did not get the rapid test, because I don’t trust it. I know too many people who have gotten false results, and I wanted to know for sure, so I got the PCR test. I knew I would have to wait a little while for the results…and isolate…but that was OK. I also told them I wanted a strep test. The doc did a rapid strep that came back negative, but that wasn’t good enough for me. I literally said, “It looks like strep and feels like strep. I still think it’s strep. I need you to send it off for a culture.” The next day, my PCR results said I did not have COVID. And after waiting three miserable days with 102+ fever and a horribly sore throat, the strep culture results came back positive, and the doc prescribed an antibiotic.

The moral of the story? Don’t trust those rapid tests. I don’t care if you’re a doctor and you argue with me here…I don’t trust those, and this experience was a prime example of why you absolutely must get throat swabs cultured when you think you have strep throat. If you don’t learn anything else from me, learn that. I can’t guarantee I can teach anything else, but I can teach you that.

Soon after I started the antibiotics, I started feeling better. What a relief! When I say I was miserable, it is an understatement. I don’t think I have felt that badly since I had mononucleosis when I was 17. No joke. It was horrible…and I lost six days of my life!

And of course, the next day, my husband said to me, “My throat is sore and I have fever.” He called his doctor’s office and explained the Hell I had just been through with strep, and they immediately ordered an antibiotic for him…sight unseen, because strep is that contagious.

I’m not sharing all this just to complain. I want to share a few things that made us both feel better while we waited for antibiotics to do their job…just in case you find yourself waiting for some antibiotics or suffering from cold or flu:

  • Icees and Slurpees. When our daughter was a little girl (she’s now 17), anytime she was sick, one of us would run get her an Icee at Target or a Slurpee at our local 7-11 store. She thought Icees/Slurpees cured all ills, and truly, we may have been on to something. When I was so miserable last weekend, my husband got me a Slurpee, and it made me feel so much better. The cold on my throat was a Godsend! In fact, while I was drinking it, my daughter walked to the bedroom door (no closer, because she didn’t want to catch it) and said, “That Slurpee will make you feel a lot better.” Therefore, I highly recommend Icees and Slurpees, if you can get them. You have to stay hydrated when you’re sick…why not with a frozen drink?
  • Cool Mist Humidifier. Lots of illnesses make your throat dry or cause you to have nighttime cough. Strep made my throat dry, and that made me have a hacking, dry cough at night. I read online that a cool mist humidifier might help, so I ordered one online at Walgreen’s, and my husband picked it up same day. When he got it home, I set it up and added a little DoTerra Breathe essential oil. What a difference! The humidifier kept my throat from drying out, and the essential oil made my room feel like a spa!
  • Hall’s Cough Drops. I’ve tried them all, and nothing worked as well as Hall’s Cherry Cough Drops. They taste good and soothe your throat.
  • Chloraseptic Spray. Chloraseptic makes lozenges too, but I prefer the spray, because I can target it right to my throat when I need it. If I felt my throat starting to tickle as I was getting ready to fall asleep, I’d spray a few sprays, and that did the trick. We keep it on hand all the time. Always follow directions when using…might not be advisable for children.
  • Cool, damp washcloth. Never underestimate the power of a cool, damp washcloth. My husband has finally learned that from me. When you’re sick, a cool, damp washcloth can help in lots of ways. Since this time, I had fever, I placed a cool, damp washcloth on my neck when I was trying to sleep or anytime I was feeling worse. Something about it is soothing. If you have a stomach bug, it helps then too…wipe your face, cool your skin…whatever.
  • Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea. Wow! This stuff might not work miracles, but it might make you feel like it’s working miracles for a short time, anyway! It’s actually called a Honey Citrus Mint Tea, and it contains all the perfect ingredients. A friend brought me one (thanks, Dawn), and I love it! I had no idea it existed! It’s even good on a cold morning when you’re not sick!
  • Soup. We’ve always been told to have soup when we’re sick. It helps. I don’t know why, but it does. I have a friend who sent over some yummy, homemade, vegetable-beef soup, and it made me feel so much better. (Thanks, Linda.)

I certainly don’t claim to know everything about strep throat and recovery, but I do know what helped me feel better with this most recent bout. Obviously, you want to have plenty of analgesics and pain reducers (Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen) on hand, but all the things listed above brought me some relief. The first thing I recommend? Don’t get sick.