I have been talking like crazy about Rainbow Gatherings for months now. Ever since I found out about them. I've been trying to convince my brother to go with to a Gathering, but he keeps saying he doesn't think it's his type thing. Yesterday his friend from high school called and asked if he wanted to go to the Ocala Gathering next year. Now he's all excited and can't wait. What the hell is with this kid? I told him he'd have to eat vegan while at the Gathering and he said no. He'd bring some steaks. I tried to explain how that would be impossible and the reasons why he shouldn't even if he could. Then he starts to think that Vegan may be cool to try, despite the fact that he had been harrassing me not an hour before about becoming vegan. But his buddy does it while at the Gathering, it must be cool. This kid is such a freakin' trip, I tell ya. Luckily, he's a big strong guy that can be put to a lot of use while in the woods. Well, since he's wanting to go now, I should ask. He has asthma, really bad, that is triggered by allergies, which he has a lot of. Many of his allergies have to do with plant life. He uses an inhaler, but he also takes a few nebulizer treatments every day. Is there any way for him to be able to use a nebulizer in the woods? He has to plug it in so I don't know how that would work. Any asthmatics know what to do?
Sorry to say...but taking him there would pose a VERY high risk. As an asthma sufferer (although it's a lot less severe) I just think that it's a very bad idea. Just suppose he loses the inhaler (anything can happen), what then? Or maybe something really drastic happens then you'd be far from a hospital and he'd need immediate medical care. Plus isn't there a possibility the allergies can be triggered by some stuff wherever you're going? I just wouldn't recommend this. And no, I doubt that he could use a neubulizer in the woods. Think about it and let me know! L_S
Well, I don't know what gatherings are like in South Africa But here in the States it would be extremely likely to find someone with an inverter in their bus or van into which a a piece of medical equipment could be plugged. But I wouldn't say I'd bet my life on there being one at the A-Cola gathering, or next year's Ocala, or any regional gathering. If you can make it to New Mexico, that would be a safe bet, however. If this is something he needs to stay alive, the smart thing to do would be to buy your own inverter that you can hook up to your car battery. And, no, he would not have to eat vegan in the woods. As a matter of fact, a strict vegan diet might be difficult to maintain. Plenty of kitchens cook meat.
It really bothers me that people think that all Gathering food is vegan because I don't remember there being many vegan kitchens....reminds me of the diet nazis who tried to tell all kitchens what we could & couldn't serve back in the 90's. My crew are meat eaters & opportunivores; tho we always serve veggie dishes at Gatherings, even if we are lucky enough to also have a meat dish to share. In PA'99 we had a bro who brought in 300lbs of meat & only had 5 days to get it all cooked & served. A lot of kitchens are vegetarian, but there are several who will serve meat if they have it. On the nebulizer, we bought a 400 watt inverter for about $40 and that would be plenty enough juice for the nebulizer....course he's need to make sure that he had a 12-volt battery to draw from. There are also battery pack/inverter combo packs that run about $100, some of them even come with a battery charger. If your bro only uses it for his nebulizer, it would likely last a week or more. As an asthmatic, your bro will want to avoid the nighttime fires as much as possible, especially pine wood fires, but other than that he should be fine with the proper tools (plenty of inhalers & a way to run his nebulizer)
Many times someone has a generator at front gate and I know there are RV's you can plug into.,but if you need an emergency treatment when you are in RainbowLand then that could be a little dangerous. I agree with everyone that meat kitchens are in the majority. Just try and Be Prepared,as if you going camping in the woods,cause that's what you are doing. The only difference is that you are surrounded by Loving,Caring Rainbow Brother's & Sisters. So don't Worry you'll be AOK, just Be Prepared.
Thank you. It seemed that from what I read, vegan was the diet at rainbow. Sorry for the mistake. He'll be happy to hear that. I didn't even think about the cars. We'll probably go and get an inverter before we go. For emergencies away from his nebulizer he can rely on his inhaler for a bit until we can get to the nebulizer. I'll just have to make sure that he gets plety of medicine before we go. I'm trying to get to NM gathering, but I know he's really set on Ocala next year, so we will def. be there. His friend has been to a gethering before and can help us along when we get there. Thank you for your help.
If your brother....or is it his friend?....with the severe asthma will be going to NM, you ought to touch base with the CALM folks in advance. ANYONE with a severe, potentially life threatening, health problem who plans on attending an Annual Gathering should. And you might want to camp in that neighborhod.
yep always a good idea to check in with CALM when one has medical issues. I seem to remember the dry air of NM helping with my asthma in '95, but it was easier to breath in the valley where we were camped than it was on the mountain where the bus was parked.
Thank you. How would I get in contact with the CALM people? We grew up in Phoenix, AZ and it wasn't as bad there. So I imagine NM would be pretty similar. But he does have dust problems too. And it's my brother with the asthma, not his friend. It's Ocala that I'm mostly worried about. Alot more foliage to deal with.
I'll make it easy for ya, sis. http://www.starsrainbowrideboard.org/welcomehome_mirror/rainbow/calm/ At any other time I'd hook you up with Littlewing. An RN who has worked CALM off and on for many years. (and my wife) Unfortunately, she won't be in N.M. this year. I would suggest you contact Calamity Jane. She's deep into CALM and a Nurse Practioner. For the record...I always carry a few Albuterol refills in my med pack. While I only work CALM at Ocala, I do carry my med pack at ALL gatherings. I am always at your service if needed. Zen
Thought of something else. It might be wise to buy a set of GMRS two-way radios. Lots of folks carry them, including CALM personnel. In an emergency it could be a blessing. They're less than a $100 for a really good set. Zen
