Pneumonic Presents

March 3, 2010 1:39 PM

My sister has pneumonia. Help me put together a care package.

My sister is 26 and living two thousand miles away. And she has pneumonia. I'd like to put together a care package for her, but I have no clue what a pneumonia patient craves. So, hive mind, what should I send her? Hilarious Victorian remedies like smelling salts particularly encouraged.

posted by stargazer360 to Society & Culture (14 answers total)

I would suggest gatorade or other electrolyte drinks, and salty snacks. Having pneumonia tends to make people need more salt (there's an immune response to pneumonia that is anti-diuretic, tending to make your body hoard water and need more salt to maintain the right electrolyte balance). I never loved the taste of salt as much as I did when I had pneumonia.
posted by medusa at 1:42 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

Pneumonia makes you feel like complete hell and sucks all your energy, so I'd go for things that can be enjoyed while lying flat in bed. Audiobooks, music, maybe really nice fuzzy/snuggly blankets/slippers? Things that you can enjoy when lying propped up on pillows stoned on cough syrup.
posted by oblique red at 1:51 PM on March 3, 2010

when i had pneumonia i loved frozen treats. my throat was so sore and they were calming. maybe get her a "make your own fruit Popsicle" kits? i use them to make gatorade pops when i have bronchitis.

these bath salts are also incredible. you can usually find them at walmart/target/walgreens/rite-aid
posted by nadawi at 2:04 PM on March 3, 2010

All I wanted when I had pneumonia was sleeeeep. Ear plugs? Excellent pajamas?
posted by The corpse in the library at 2:19 PM on March 3, 2010

Response by poster: I love the bath salts — that's pleasantly Victorian. And salty snacks I can do, fo' sho'. I never would have thought of an audiobook, that's excellent. Plus maybe a cushy eye mask?

The hive mind rocks. Keep 'em coming!
posted by stargazer360 at 2:23 PM on March 3, 2010

Popsicles are an excellent suggestion, but being 2000 miles away I don't know how you could easilyh provide them. I've had pneumonia something like 13 times, and the first half of those were in the pre-Internet, pre-DVD days. Heck, it was in the pre-cable days (for our family, anyway) so for those nights when I had to attempt to sleep upright in a chair (because laying down only caused endless coughing fits) I had to turn the radio on for entertainment once TV stations signed off at 2 or 3AM. So I think that anything that could entertain a bedridden sleep-deprived patient, like books or DVDs, would be welcome. Perhaps some CDs of old-time radio shows would keep her amused.
posted by Oriole Adams at 2:38 PM on March 3, 2010

What about a lacy handkerchief or two?
posted by alynnk at 3:00 PM on March 3, 2010

target has a brand called "bathery" that makes an amazing sleep mask (it has a pad that sits under your eyes to help block light better and not have the whole thing resting on your face). can't find a picture online, though.

and i was thinking something like this for the popsicles.
posted by nadawi at 3:04 PM on March 3, 2010

Netflix subscription, unlimited watch online option, if she doesn't already have one.
posted by chez shoes at 4:52 PM on March 3, 2010

comfy bed pillows (the kind that are perfect for sitting upright but still being comfy - lying flat on your back is not recommended for pneumonia as your lungs fill with fluid.) also, a humidifier, if she doesn't have one already. DVDs and video games and things like that are nice in the later stages, when you're feeling better, but if you've got it bad you really can't concentrate on anything other than sleeping.
posted by jennyhead at 5:55 PM on March 3, 2010

When I had pneumonia, my wonderful sister kept me alive with quarts of soup from our favorite Vietnamese takeout. I didn't have the energy to cook for myself, and it was the only thing for which I had even the faintest appetite. It's a little more challenging from 2,000 miles away, but maybe you could arrange food delivery from some place local?

As far as Victorian remedies go, a mustard plaster would be useful and appropriate. You could make up a kit with mustard powder and rags and instructions. Tisanes would also fit the bill, and I'm sure any natural foods store would have loads of herbal teas designed to soothe coughs.
posted by timeo danaos at 5:58 PM on March 3, 2010

I wanted someone to put me out of my misery when I had it, but that's kind of a downer for a care package, so I'd second the humidifier (warm steam) and painkillers for the nasty fevers and sanity-destroying pain in your ribs and lungs from coughing. I'm always a fan of chicken soup, 7UP, and trashy books/magazines when I'm sick too. But basically I just yearned for a decent hour of sleep.
posted by cecic at 6:48 PM on March 3, 2010

A heating pad. The worst part for me was coughing so hard that I worried I'd broken a rib, and it was weeks before I felt better.
posted by Madamina at 7:36 PM on March 3, 2010

Response by poster: Awesome, awesome. Thanks, everyone!
posted by stargazer360 at 5:51 AM on March 4, 2010