I don't know what I don't know.I need help.

I have been reading these threads for a couple of weeks. I have always believed that Situation X would come to be. At this point in my life I believe something will happen in the next 5 to 6 years that will create a situation where I will have to make a decision quickly.( as the song says, "Should I stay or should I go" ) Here are the things I am concerned about and could really use some guidance on.

I live in the city and part of my reluctance to posting this is due having to admit to leading a very clostered,sherltered and yes mostly pamperped life. I am 47. I am married to a man who is 52. He is in bad health. He doesn't need medical care often but needs a boat load of heart and blood pressure meds and diabetes meds daily. If Situation X were to happen, I don't know what the h I would do.

Depending on what the problem is, he would either tell me to go without him or I would take him with me. If we go somewhere, where ? I camped 1 time in my life as a child did not like it and have never done it again. My husabnd is an RN and was a boy scout, but that's only gonna take a person so far. If we were to stay in the city and there were military personnel on the streets or gangs raoming etc what am I gonna do? We are both only children. Do not own a gun.

I actually googled Survival for Dummies. It hasn't been written or not by that title. So as I said I don't know what I don't know. I don't want to get overwhelmed, as that is part of the problem now.

What 2 books would you read to try to figure out what is best for your situation and then how to implement it ?

I know we need to buy a gun. What kind of gun, ( in that money is an object. three or four hundred dollars is all I can afford for a gun at this time,) should I get? How much ammunition should we have?

I asked my husband the other nite what things a person would need for medical emergenicies. He and I don't share the same line of thought on this issue. He rattled off some things I hadn't thought of that made sense.
Medicine is a huge issue. Short of robbing a pharmacy I don't know how I would keep him alive and I worry about that. I realize I am rambling and am curious as to what direction I need to go from here. Thank you so much Jane

Well, if you really want to learn (I mean REALLY want to learn) to be self-sufficient on nothing, I recommend reading the Foxfire book series.

www.foxfire.org...

Written around what is considered the backward culture (which means not on the grid, and doing things for themselves) of the Southern Appalachian people, it will teach you everything from how to slaughter a pig to how to make your own soap (by the way, I said that in that order because you'll need the lard from the pig to make the soap ), and everything in between.

The first step in just "being prepared" is to have a "safe box". You can probably find countless websites on these. You can go to Wally world and pick up a big Rubbermaid box with lid and stock it up with staples, canned goods, etc. that would keep you going for a bit. Also, you can make up a small backpack with immediate needs that you can keep in the trunk of your car in case you are stranded away from home if something big happens. In it you would want maps, bottled water, snacks and some first aide items, as well as any meds you might need.

Next, you pre-plan a route out of the city and you PERSONALLY (that means you set down by yourself and consider the best things for the both of you) decide if you would try to take your frail husband or leave him behind. That's not a moral issue, that's a common sense issue that you will need to work through. Modify your safe box and your backpack according to what you decide.

And, you build a network of people in more rural areas that you can talk to in advance about allowing you to head toward their location if something bad happens in your city. That way you would know you were heading SOMEWHERE, instead of driving aimlessly.

Lastly, but most importantly, you live life to its fullest as if you'll never have to use any of this information, and take confidence you've taken common sense steps in the ever so slight chance that something nasty could happen.


[edit on 11-7-2007 by Valhall]

Have you seen the movie "On Golden Pond"? It might give you a sense of how you and your husband might interact in a bad situation. It's one of those sweet movies I usually can't stand to watch. It has nothing to do with survival but it does deal with emotions between a man and wife.


I'll be 61 in a couple of months but reading your post makes me feel much younger than your 47 years.

Lady if you really want to survive you have alot of work to do to get ready.

It would be alot easier to help you if we knew what area you live in. Do you have a car/truck? Do you know how to use a gun if you bought one? Are you able to stock pile your husbands meds.? Just how ill is he?

I am a survivalist. If at all possible I will survive. I am ready for the poop to hit the fan. I hope it never happens but it's best to be prepared.

If you could enlighten us concerning the questions I posed it would be most helpful in helping you create a plan of action.

I felt your fear and desperation in your post. In my opinion you still have time to get better prepared. Relax and get ready to start a new adventure. Give me some facts and I will be happy to share what I know with you.
Oh, have you read the survival threads on ATS? Some very good information there.

Dizzie

It seems kind of overwhelming when you first think about the possibility but you are asking questions and that is good.

Most people just say Whatever, if it happens it happens

You are trying to formulate a plan. GOOD!

Whether the worst happens or not, it can never hurt to learn how to live/survive without the conveniences we enjoy.

You picked the right forum to as the question but I ask you to click this link

Survival

It shows you all the threads relating to survival, there is a wealth of info in here to help get you started with your individual plan.

Val suggested the FOXFIRE series of books and I second that, I have an almost complete set of the books myself.

You figured on a few years before sit x, that gives you time to plan a camping trip, get out there, start a fire, gather your own food, get some experience so everything is not BRAND NEW, if sit x happens.

As your husband learned while in the scouts

Be Prepared

I think it's great that you are working on a plan. I am a 40's female as well and I'm also working on my survival plan. First of all, I read the survival threads here on the site... they are a great reference.

I also reference the generic websites such as ready.gov but only as a starting point to learn how to build your initial survival kit based on your geographic location.

My bf recently took me out to a shooting range for the first time and I loved it. I got to rent a few guns and test them out to see which ones I'm comfortable with. Pretty soon, I will be purchasing one.

One thing that disturbed me is that your husband is an RN but yet he's on so many meds. That's scary. A LOT of medical issues can be alleviated by changing the diet... that means going organic. Most people have no idea how important this is but there are dangerous chemicals in processed foods and the personal care products and household products that we use. If you eliminate that stuff, you may be able to eliminate most of his medical problems. Just to prove my point, I cured my own severe depression by switching to organic foods and products. I was on meds for 7 years. Now... no more meds. Some websites that I use for my research are:

Newstarget
Cosmetics Database
The Hundred Year Lie

A few other things that are on my preparation list are - self-defense classes, survival courses, growing my own foods, and financial strategies to prepare for an economic disaster. One more thing that is on my list is finding a husband/partner that shares my interests because I don't want to do this alone.

There's so much information here on ATS and lots of people willing to help.

Take care,

Annestacey

I was in a simialar boat Jane, about a year ago. Then I started talking to these folks.

Spend time looking over the threads in here, make sure to check out the How to Defend Yourself on a Budget post, which was the forerunner to the whole Survival Forum here on ATS. You may have to weed through some of the fluff but there is a lot of good information.

Get yourself a bug out bag togeather, and customize it to your needs.

If you plan on purchasing a weapon, make sure it is something that you can carry for long distances comfortably, shoot accurately (with practice), handle the recoil, and readily find ammunition if Sit X happens. I would suggest either a weapon that is chambered for 5.56 (highly suggest the Ruger Mini-14) or 7.62x39 (SKS or AK). Both are reasonable in price for the weapon (the Ruger is a bit more pricey, SKS' you can get for around $200). Both are good survival rifles that have manageable recoil, and would work for hunting. Do your research and talk to the people in both the weapondry forums and the survival forums. Orangetom and Northwolf are a couple of the most knowlageable guys I have had the honor to talk to about survival rifles. I myself have a Mosin Nagant 91/30 (7.62x54)which is a beefier rifle then the previously mentioned that I use for deer hunting, but is manageable for me. My next purchase is going to be a 10-22 (.22LR) for small game hunting, and an SKS (7.62x39) for my main survival rifle. All 3 rifles have common factors among them, all are under $300, and all have cheap and relatively accessable ammo, the mosin is a little harder to get in my area but I can get 880 rounds on
Gunbroker.com for $150, which is a steal.

Take pride in your wanting to be prepared. Your already a step ahead of the average Jane.

[edit on 8-11-2007 by DropInABucket]

[edit on 8-11-2007 by DropInABucket]

I have been thinking the same thing too. Jane have you decided which direction? Maybe some women should get together for a practice run...

I see you didn't see fit to answer my few questions. I can understand that you have no idea who I am or if I could be harmful if I knew too much personal information about your life.

I am only harmful to those that would harm me or some helpless person.
It would be so much easier knowing a few things about your area and the limitations of your husband due to his illness.

It is a good idea to have a gun in your home even if you aren't expecting situation X. You want to feel safe from any intruders. I would suggest you keep it simple when choosing a weapon. A simple pump 12 guage shot gun is an excellent choice. It's easy to load and shoot. I would suggest another gun to add to the shot gun. That would be a 38 revolver. A wee child could load and shoot a 38. I use it as my personal hand gun. All you do is load and pull the trigger. No cocking or any chambering a round is necessary. Of course neither gun will do you any good unless you learn how to use it. You must get instruction on whatever gun you purchase.

Now that I am older I prefer lighter weapons. I am a gun collector and have been most of my life. When I was born my dad wanted a boy but I came out a girl so he treated me like a son and taught me many good things concerning guns, hunting and building.

You have to decide if you are going to take your stand where you are living now or if you are going to try to escape the area. No matter how many supplies you collect you will need a way to transport them if you decide to make a run for it. If you have a vehicle keep it in good working order and full of gas at all times.

I have things to do and must end this post for now. Will be back online soon.

Marilyn

The posts in this forum have answers to all of your questions and more... be sure to read through as many of them as you can. They will also offer other good sources of info like books and other websites.

To answer some of your most basic questions,

You should be mentally prepared for the fact that in a survival situation, your husband might not make it. Even people in the best health could be in trouble in a survival situation. Try to exercise and eat well to keep yourself in good health... you don't have to start running marathons, but even if you start taking brisk 30 minute walks after dinner on a daily basis, you may be able to reduce your blood pressure to the point that you may not even need medication any more, or as strong a variety.
There are probably herbal remedies to many of your husband's health issues if you want to learn how to recognize and prepare the plants. For example, there are plenty of blood-thinning plants even as common as garlic which you could substitute for aspirin if you ran out. Diabetes is a tricky one though.

You don't really "need" a gun for survival unless you are extremely worried about someone looting your house, or you plan on actually going into the wilderness and hunting. You'll also need a gun liscence and you'll probably want at least a little training. The general consensus is that you'd want a rifle or shotgun for survival purposes. Probably a shotgun is best for both hunting and short-range defense. You should be able to pick up a pretty basic shotgun for $100-$200 at a place like Wal-Mart. You would probably want two kinds of ammunition: small shot for things like birds, rabbits and other small animals, and larger shot (or slugs..basically bullets for shotguns) for larger things like deer.

Hello all. Thanks for your responses. I don't feel so dumb. I will try to answer your questions and make this a little clearer.

I live in a suburb of Columbus, Oh. My husband had a massive heart attack 4 yrs ago and had triple bypass surgery. He is also a diabetic and has high blood pressure. He works and enjoys life but to be honest, him running through the woods is never again gonna happen in this lifetime. He doesn't need to go to the Dr often being a nurse he knows what his body is doing and I can stock pile probably 3 months worth of meds but beyond that I don't know. I thought about buying that book about medical cures they don't want you to know about for some possible natural solutions to his problems.

I am concerned that if something were to happen that he felt he would be a hinderance that he would tell me to go. I am in good shape he might feel I had a chance on my own. I will cross that bridge when I get to it. He really doesn't think something like this will happen so I have to plan for him as well, but that's OK. I don't mind.

I own a car but buying a pickup or an suv (although I hate to due to the cost of gas) can be done. I have never shot a gun so I don't have a preference as to what I buy.

One thing that worries me is lets say I do head for the hills( because at this point if i were to go I would head for the desolation of WV and hope it was a good choice) if I am out there shooting someone is going to hear that, my where abouts are known even if I am not.

I read one post about making soap and skinning a boar and thought how am I ever going to do this? I will be the one doing 85 % of it and when I think about it it feels like someone dropped me off in downtown Hong Kong blindfolded and told me to find the airport. I just can't get there from here. I am going to try though and really appreciate all of your help in this. I have read the survival posts for hours on end. They got me to thinking about if I would stay or if I would go.

If I stay in the city, that is another whole set of problems. For instance if someone came to my home and was intent of harming us or our property I would have no qualms shooting them. NONE. I would live die or kill for my husband. Literally. Dizziedame thaks for the advice. I really mean it and appreciate anything I can get. I guess I need to make a list and start going through my options as far as if I stay what will I be facing and how can I overcome it and if I go what am I going to have to learn to do. Take care all .

In all seriousness, this is the only book you will need:



The only book you will ever need

Hope this helps.

Originally posted by seejanerun
I thought about buying that book about medical cures they don't want you to know about for some possible natural solutions to his problems.

Don't buy that book. There are TONS of grassroots health websites where you can find lots of information on natural cures. Just print out some information and store them in a binder.

Seejanerun, take a couple of deep breaths. Relax. Humans have been surviving for a longtime. You and your hubby can too.

First off, you need him on your side on this if at all possible. You said he's in the medical field. Explain it this way. He doesn't expect to have to use CPR if he works in a hospital, but that doesn't mean he doesn't take the time to learn how. This is the same way. Learn the basics and have a plan, then hope like hell you never need to use it.

Now there are plenty of threads here and elsewhere that can lead you in the learning phase. But books by themselves make good doorstops. Practice. There is nothing worth a flip if it's all in your mind. You have to get some time in doing it to have a "feel" for it.

Go camping. go boating down a river, hike a few trails. Get past seeing the outdoors as another country. You don't need to really rough it, at first anyway. But at the very least, get to where you're comfortable in such places. All the knowledge in the world will be wasted if you're scared stiff the first night out when an owl hoots.

Then, as this becomes a hobby, work in the things that you are learning from the books. Make a fire without matches. Use a compass. Read a topo map.

But most important of all, remain calm and use common sense and logic.

You CAN do this.

reply to post by seejanerun


Situation X is comming, and you are not alone. Being in the US is the worst thing you can do. It best that you move overseas, my sugestion is south america. Good wather, cheap prices, good health care and general shelter from current world situations. There is no safe place within the US

Alot of good advice is on this thread, I posted a thread myself awhile back about how much is too much when prepairing for a sitx I want to be as prepared as I can be with the budget I have but not so much as to consume my life, My most important assets are my firearms, I wont live without them, I believe that in any sit-x one will need firearms to defend themselves a baseball bat is only good against a druged up punk pissing on your lawn...believe me I know.

reply to post by seejanerun


Glad to have you onboard here at the ATS survival forums. some of the best prepairdness minds in the world are here.

I would like to start by saying that bugging out isn't always a good idea right away. There is a thread here that will help give the knowledge to survive in the city.
What to do when you just cant leave (city Survival)

I commend you on sticking by your husbands side. My wife and children are all to me we all live together or we all die together thats just the way it is.

A sight as big as this can be a little over whelming for a beginner just take it slow and read read read. its a daunting task but it is achievable

Happy Firday!

I have a question. If a sitX were to happen and a person stayed in the city, if Martial Law was declared or there were troops at the intersections how would a person get out of the city to get into the country or wherever. On the one hand it would seem that they couldn't be on every corner. Are there specific roads they would be on and what criteria would be used by the gov't to decide where to place their troops. I realize the gov't all ready has these plans in place .

I am wondering how did you decide what roads you would take to get out of the area you are in. (not the exact roads, just how you chose them) I have decided since I don't know what will cause the events leading to survival I need to have two plans one for staying and one for going. I am going to work on the leaving plan first since for me that will be the hardest
to do. Thanks, Jane

Welcome to ATS, Jane. I'm new to this too, I'm a forty year old suburban mother of two kids. I am just beginning to learn so many things about preparation and survival for me and my children.
First and foremost don't panic. Read. Read every day. The more things you read, you expand your mind and open it to all sorts of new methods to survive in any given situation.
Make a list of things you have on hand, and another list of things you should obtain to survive in the event of even a weather disaster. Each week or whatever pace you set, get something new from your list. Maybe just extra canned goods, or a cord of fire wood, etc.
The great thing is that you are aware and planning now. Better late than never.
As far as the evacuation plans, I've read the advice about finding out where everyone else is going and don't go there. In the case of people with medical needs, I'd be very inclined to stay put. It's a gamble either way. To get away from the crazies and criminals, you also get further away from medical help if you ever needed it. Good luck on your decision.

bugging out to WV
with a gun that your not willing/accepting to kill with
and 'invading' anothers turf your not familiar with
whether in a pik-em-up or fancy SUV
does not make your party anything more than Victims



btw, your significant other, might understand... but might be
keeping from you, that the meds he's taking are helpful
because his body/metobalism is receptive to that particular
RX, & his system has adjusted to the repetitive, on-time doses.
(it took me 2 years of various meds to find what worked best->
and another year of useage for the med to actualy stabilize my HBP)


sometimes it's best to adopt an 'Alamo' last stand perspective,
good fortune jane & family

reply to post by seejanerun


There is a plan soon to be in place or in place (depending upon your location) that gathers information beforehand so assistance may be provided. Details about this are provided by the National Fire and Protection Association which has a booklet available to download online entitled: Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide For People with Disabilities

www.nfpa.org.

For free copies of the new emergency preparedness brochures for older Americans and people with disabilities or more information about emergency preparedness for individuals, families and businesses, visit www.ready.gov, or call 1-800-BE-READY.

The Red Cross has published a few booklets as well, two of which I just recently purchased:

1) First Aid and Emergency Preparedness (Quick Reference Guide)
2) Dog First Aid (which includes a DVD)

Both are small enough to carry.

In addition to the Red Cross website some other informative websites are:

www.fema.gov
www.backwardshome.com






[edit on 9-11-2007 by Siren]