we are doomed/ sorry/ I can’t get meds, no garden, no family. no cccar, no money , senior citizen, widowed, what now

You may try camo netting, usually easy to find at Army Supply Stores. That might break up the silhouette of your chair, like a gilly suit does a person. The main reason I am responding is to let you know about a natural herb that helps with pain management. It is called calves lettuce and grows everywhere. Most people think of it as a weed, but if you boil it down and drink the juice off of it, it does help. The younger shoots have a better taste while the older shoots are more bitter, but all of it works. I have mixed mine with a little bit of whiskey to help preserve it and hide the taste a bit, and just a little goes a long way. It even works on my migraines if I take it at the first sign. When my back went out, it took the worst of the pain away but did not eliminate all of the pain, but it was manageable.

Vickey and anyone else renting a space, there are gardening options available for anyone. Try placing open backed shelves at your windows, placing potted plants there should allow sunlight for growth, and you can place sun loving plants in the direct lights and shade loving plants in the dimmer areas. Also, think about a plant light. You can get quite a bit of growth from your plants with a plant light. Try supplementing your crop with canned goods and store bought non-perishable foods, and possibly even considering canning your crop. This will extend their life for long term storage while fresh fruit and vegetables will perish over time. If you are going to use the plant light and “force grow” your plants make sure you have nutrients like magnesium that you can add to your plants soil. A good plant food once a month should work, and there are types that are specific for food crops that wont cause contamination.

Chris, I realize I am late to responding to your article, however I wanted to reach out in thanks to you for writing it. My families main plan is to bug in if possible but we keep bug out bags ready incase of the need to evacuate in an emergency. My mother is permanently disabled and has limited mobility. My older brother is a disabled Iraqi and Afghanistan vet, I have problems with my back and knees, and my daughter has Epilepsy. Bugging out is surely not desirable, but we are hopefully prepared if necessary. For our mother, we have hiking sticks and we have constructed a Native American styled sling so that we can take turns pulling her along behind us if necessary. It folds up nicely and stores in the rafters of the garage easily. This can also be useful if someone is injured or my daughter is too tired to walk after a seizure. We are pretty prepared, however, the issue we have is having surplus medications on hand. Many of my families medications cannot be stopped without dire consequences, such as my daughters Epilepsy medications. However, with all of the regulations that have been placed on medications recently, it is difficult if not impossible to keep extra medications on hand in case we are unable to attain refills in an emergency situation. I have researched many natural medications, however so many vitamins and herbs have not undergone testing and research so there is not definitive proof of just how effective they are much less what dose is appropriate for each person. For example, some sites state that valerian can help control seizures, but other articles contradict that by stating that valerian should be avoided as it can increase sedation levels that already occur naturally after a seizure, which can slow the breathing and heartbeat to dangerous levels. Choosing to try valerian would be a risk, how much would be needed to help control the seizures but not enough to endanger her? There just isn’t enough information, and it places my daughter in a dangerous situation. Missing just one dose can cause seizures to begin, what if we run out? What if the bag holding her meds is lost on the path, or washed away in a flood, what if we cannot get more before she runs out…my daughter would be endangered and I would be helpless to prevent it.