How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It - James Wesley Rawles [65]
Another option might be to find a dialysis center with a diesel-powered backup generator that is within twenty-five miles of a refinery that is also in oil country. The keyword to watch for in your Web searches is cogeneration. A plant that has cogeneration capability is likely one that could operate without the power grid.
Diabetes
Relatively small and inexpensive (less than $3,000) packaged photovoltaic power systems with inverters (such as those sold by Ready Made Resources) can be used to operate a compact refrigerator such as the Engel compact refrigerator/freezers sold by Safecastle. A system of this size could also be used to run a CPAP machine or other AC-powered medical equipment with similar amperage demands.
I strongly suggest that any readers who are diabetic or who have diabetic relatives look into the Weimar Institute’s NEWSTART nutritional and behavioral program. There are also some herbal alternatives for diabetics who are not fully insulin dependent.
For those who are indeed insulin dependent regardless of dietary changes, I recommend that you stock up on enough injectable insulin for its full potential shelf life.
Postsurgical
Another category of chronic illness to consider is the care of postsurgical ostomy patients—folks who have had a colostomy, ileostomy, urostomy, or similar procedure. These often require keeping on hand a large supply of medical appliances, bags, catheters, and so forth. Thankfully, most of these items have fairly long shelf lives and are not too expensive to stock up on.
Lung Ailments
There are some lung ailments that can be relieved (at least to an extent) by relocating. Getting to a more suitable elevation, moving to avoid pollen or fungi, and so on can make a considerable difference. If this is your situation, then I suggest that you make the move soon.
If you are asthmatic, you can get a prescription for a handheld nebulizer that has both AC and DC car-adapter capabilities as well as a rechargeable, gel-cell battery. Thankfully, most nebulizers have fairly modest current requirements.
Buying a woodstove—a key preparedness measure—is not good for someone who has an asthmatic in their family. If that is your case, then consider moving to the southwest, where passive-solar heating is an option, or moving to an area where you can use geothermal heating.
For the many folks who now depend on medical oxygen cylinders, stock up on extras. One alternative suitable for long-term scenarios is to buy a medical oxygen concentrator. High-volume units are fairly expensive, but owning your own would be an incredible resource for charity or barter as well as for your own family ’s use.
Medication
The high cost of some medicines makes storing a two-year supply difficult. And the policies of most insurance companies—often refusing to pay for more than a month’s worth of medication in advance—only exacerbates the problem. In these cases, I suggest 1) reprioritizing your budget to provide the funds needed to stock up, and 2) if possible, looking at alternative treatments, including herbs that you can grow in your own garden or greenhouse.
If you decide to stockpile—all the way to their expiration dates—this will require not only lots of cash but also very conscientious FIFO rotation of your supplies. To buy your medications safely and legally from a pharmacy, have your doctor write you a prescription for the generic version of your medications. If you pay for the prescriptions yourself, without relying on insurance, it will be more expensive, but you will be able to stockpile without a hassle.
As for using meds beyond their expiration dates, this requires some careful study. Some medications have listed expiries that are overly conservative. A few drugs, however, are downright dangerous to use