Bayou Renaissance Man On Medical Preparations

Peter Grant of the Bayou Renaissance Man blog has over the last few weeks published some posts on prepping which address medical preparations and concerns:

• "Building a reserve supply of prescription medications." He has a couple ideas on how to do this legally. The first requires careful tracking of dates, but it is simply to refill a prescription as soon as your insurer allows you do so (check with your pharmacist), which may be up to a week prior to when your current prescription runs out. If you do this over a period of time, that excess between when you can refill and when you otherwise would have run out will build up and provide you with a buffer. The second requires a willing doctor and the necessary funds to pay for extra prescriptions without assistance from your health insurance: basically, you need a doctor to write extra prescriptions for you that you can take to a different pharmacy, and for which you will pay cash rather than submit the claim to your insurer. (BTW, don't try and do this with controlled substances such as narcotic pain medications or certain other drugs because it is probably illegal, will be tracked by your state, and makes you come across to your doctor as "drug seeking" behavior; and, if you are treating for chronic pain, it may even violate drug contracts you may have with your provider). 
• "Medication reserves: it's not only about the tablets." Don't forget about eyeglasses and/or contact lenses. A reader of his relates that you can purchase a year's supply of daily wear contact lenses, but those lenses can actually last for weeks with appropriate care, thus stretching out that year supply substantially. Similarly, once you have a prescription for eye glasses, it can be relatively cheap to purchase back up pairs in simply frames; and/or reuse old frames by having new lenses installed. The same can apply to other medical gear. For instance, years ago I injured a leg and needed crutches to get around for a while. Rather than rent crutches, I spent a little more (and it wasn't much more) and purchased adjustable crutches that I have kept around. 
• "Emergency preparations: don't fool yourself - get real." This post is not so much about gathering medical supplies, but taking a realistic assessment of your physical and medical condition when making your plans for when SHTF. For instance, Grant notes that because of his severe back issues, getting fighting fit and bugging out on foot just aren't realistic; so he instead concentrates on preparations for "bugging in". And its not just injuries; old age can take its toll. You simply are not going to be able to do the things at 50 or 60 that you could do when you were 20 or 30.

But his suggestions go just beyond health related concerns. For instance, if you plan on bugging out, you might opt for freeze dried food because it is compact and light weight; whereas if bugging in, you can get more "bang for your buck" purchasing canned foods. Another example he gives is storing gasoline, noting that no matter how much you store (and it will probably be quite limited based on circumstances and local law) you will eventually run out; he suggests a small electric powered vehicle "such as an e-bike, a golf cart or a tiny electric car or truck actually makes sense in a 'bug in' situation, if we can afford it" and have a means of recharging it (Grant mentions both solar panels and generator, but the generator poses the same issues as a gas powered car--one the fuel is gone, you won't be able to sue it again).

Realistically, you will want to prepare for multiple situations. For instance, temporary power outages or having to evacuate and relocate for a few days is much more common than TEOTWAWKI. Thus, it may behoove you to store some extra gasoline (for a car, generator, chain saw, etc.), extra propane (for cooking), a gas generator (in addition to solar panels for power outages), or have a packed 72-hour kit to be used for an evacuation even if your long-term survival plan does not rely on them. All those items can pull double duty for camping, if that is your thing.