Preparendess Fridays: More of Stasha’s Story-Medicine

Here is the next part of Stasha’s story…Medicine in a time of emergency.   Stasha has a great story to tell about living in Bosnia during the Bosnian war.  We can all learn a thing or too from her.  (If you haven’t yet, make sure you read her other story about Water and an overview of her story.)

If your family has special medical needs you will have to decide based on that what medicine is important for you. I can tell you this, pain medication, fever reducers and antibiotics were in demand. We had none. Going to a hospital was out of question, hospitals were full of wounded soldiers and civilians, missing limbs and badly injured.
Medical supply is one of those things you can not predict how much you are going to need and what kind you are going to need, medicine can’t be rotated the same way food can so like I mentioned before this is something you will decide based on your family needs.
I would like to give you a list of things that I like to have, these are cheap things and are available everywhere, and if you have a limited budget like me you can still stock up on them. Distilled white vinegar,baking soda,bleach, hydrogen peroxide. These are the things you can use in baking, cleaning, disinfecting……the list is endless. Build from here based on your needs and as your budget allows.
For women I must mention, not having feminine pads will add a lot of stress to already difficult situation. My mom and I used some old cut up and folded cotton shirts, we did not know how long the war will last so these had to be washed and reused, I know maybe not pleasant to hear but it was my reality. If I had a choice back then I would’ve given up shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste……all of it just to have pads.
I saved one thing for the end because if you forget everything from this story I hope this one thing stays with you. It is very important that you go and see your dentist regularly, you DO NOT want to have to deal with tooth infection and pain that follows in any emergency situation. The only thing available to us during the war was tooth extraction and yes you guessed it, without Novocaine. I had my tooth extracted that way and I’ll just say it took a dentist and three nurses to keep me in that chair.

I hope all of you who are reading my story are able to learn something new, if not maybe by reading it you can feel somewhat better knowing that you already knew this and you feel prepared. If you have any questions please ask, maybe you can think of something that I didn’t cover. I will do my best to answer them. Thank you.

© 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

  • KFischer1018

    Another great post about Stasha’s story. I never thought about stocking up on peroxide, baking soda, etc for first aid purposes but it makes so much sense. I guess we should all learn a little more about holistic medicines, etc. There may come a time, like in Stasha’s life when medicines will be very hard to come by. Thanks for the first hand look at life during war. It really makes me think about what I can do to make sure we are prepared for any type of emergency (not just fires and tornadoes!) 

  • Johnna

    Thank you Crystal and Stasha for sharing Stasha’s hard earned wisdom. I have learned some very important points I had never considered before.Stasha thank you so much for your willingness to share.

  • Rita

    Thank you very much for sharing your experiences it is very helpful. 

  • Jan

    Stasha, I’d love to hear how you kept busy entertaining yourselves during this time of great stress. I’ve heard stories from Israel during weeks of bombings. Were you ever restricted to your own home for days on end? Thank you so much for sharing your story.

  • Donna

    Crystal, I love your bolg and have found so much great information on it, but I think that my favorite thing you have posted has been Stasha’s story. 
    I have wondered before what really would be the most valuable thing I could have in an emergency, and though i realize that her most valuable items may not be the same for everyone, it is still such good information to know.  I could have guessed that food and water would make the top 5 list, but I never would have thought of tools (I really don’t think of my shovel as a highly prized item) or a large pot in which to boil underwear.  
    I would love to hear more from her or others who really have been through survival situations. 

  • Phyllis

    Have you ever heard anymore from Stasha?