What's in your First Aid Kit?

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Products like Quick Clot are now available to consumers with no prescription. I carry some.

Decent idea, albeit there are newer gen. products which stop the bleeding as effectively, sans the 2nd & 3rd degree burns. Something SERIOUSLY worth researching before you buy. As that s**t hurts, though it does save lives. But you need to be within reasonable distance of a surgeon, to fix the original problem, plus to clean up the "extra" mess which it makes.

A LOT of Very effective, & easy to use (relatively) tools & techniques have come out of 1 1/2 decades of war. If you're cool headed enough to use it, that, have the training/background, plus, can improvise (when jacked on adrenaline).

The catch(es). At a minimum, you're looking at several $K for a decent mid-level kit, to treat traumas for several days, or say a week (think burns, infections, & or both, if you're off of the beaten track). Ditto on $ for the proper training on how to use the mid-level & up gear. Not counting practice outside of, & after your classes are done.

The upside(s). Nowadays, it's a lot easier to have gear which is a bit more advanced than one's skill level, & get walked though using it, assuming that you've got a good comm's suite.
Plus, to varying degrees, others can talk you through improvising both equipment, & some "field Rx's" as well (McGuyver chemistry @ the medical, & or naturalpathic levels).

A fair bit of learning about this stuff (as well as finding it) comes from the sifting through the various info & gear that's out there. That, & figuring out what trauma level kit you're up for having & learning how to use same.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

... others can talk you through improvising both equipment, & some "field Rx's" as well (McGuyver chemistry @ the medical, & or naturalpathic levels).
...

An alternative method I learned a few years ago was packing a wound with sugar. Not to stop bleeding, but as an anitbiotic alternative. A new agey friend told me about it and I thought it was pure BS, but researched it and turns out it is even recommended by WHO for remote areas with poor antibiotic availability. The osmotic environement it sets up destroys bacteria cell walls.

Tried it on a dog with a bad gash and it worked beautifully. About a 1/2" deep by 6" long machete cut. Cleaned the wound well before packing, cleaned and re-packed a few times, and never any sign of infection, even here in the tropics. No closure method other than covering the wound (it was a very sharp machete so a smooth cut and not gaping badly). Now, you can't even tell it was a wound site...can't even find the scar...looks like it was fixed by a cosmetic surgeon.

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by monte

I've used superglue on a chipped tooth before. Worked well for a few days till the bit disappeared . Wishing I had some tropical ear infection antibiotic drops on board right now...

My first time around the coconut milk-run decades ago I treated 'swimmers ear' with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol. [I realize you may be wanting to treat a different malady...]

I used it prophylactically and as a treatment.

I never liked putting hydrogen peroxide in my ears; it seemed to fill my less than full cranium and the bubbling never ceased...

Good luck with treating your ear symptoms. That can be very irritating and even debilitating.

Cheers!

[monte]

Thanks mate, it seems to be on the mend. I did have some vinegar/alcohol drops which works to remove water. Fortunately a friend anchored nearby had some ear antibiotics which seem to be nailing it. Annoying to be out of the water for more than a week though.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

An alternative method I learned a few years ago was packing a wound with sugar. Not to stop bleeding, but as an anitbiotic alternative. A new agey friend told me about it and I thought it was pure BS, but researched it and turns out it is even recommended by WHO for remote areas with poor antibiotic availability. The osmotic environement it sets up destroys bacteria cell walls. ...

I have a book that was written by an MD around 1900ish. He was talking about wound characteristics of the then new "sub caliper" weapons, meaning 30ish caliper vs the old .45, .50, .65, etc calipers used previously. One of their treatments to prevent infection was sugar. The new "sub caliper" wounds caused less infections by the way.

The ancient Greeks used honey in place of sugar. I don't know if this is still true today, but there used to be Greek islands that were covered in plants poisonous to humans. The bees would collect the pollen from said poison plants and the bees would create poisonous honey. That maybe a completely useless piece of information cluttering up my mind but there it is.

Later,
Dan

[JPA Cate]

Honey is used to treat burns here in Oz, and one can buy "medicinal honey"; and i think it works because it's so sugary.

Ann

[terah]

I think that's Manuka honey - have had it in hospital to treat a wound post surgery. It's anti bacterial and anti inflammatory.

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