Posted: 12/14/2014 1:01:42 AM EDT
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Well, I'm sure that most of us have thought of these things, like band-aids, ointment, meds, etc. But what about training? Sure, we can all put on a band-aid / ointment, give / take meds, or a few minor things, but what about other things like stitches and such? How would the average person fare? Probably not as good as we would like.
I make this observation based on recent personal experience. Last Thursday, I accidentally (of course) got a 3/8" long x 1/4" wide splinter jammed underneath the fingernail of my left middle finger. It was broken off flush, so I couldn't grab it easily to remove. I tried to get my wife and 2 sons to help, but all 3 balked. My wife said to go to the ER, but with a $300 copay involved, I was inclined to get creative instead of going. Good thing I have a dremel tool with a cutoff wheel. I scored the nail (btw, that wheel gets hot quick), and used a box cutter to peel up the nail. Then I was able to remove the splinter, which thankfully came out in one piece. I made my finger bleed good to flush it out, used peroxide and then triple antibiotic ointment, and have kept it bandaged, changing daily. Also, I am taking some leftover antibiotics we had to help prevent infection. Yes, I know, I'm not a doctor, but I think I'll be okay. So, as I said before, do we and our loved ones have the training necessary for accidents like this? Hopefully mine will get more. I encourage everyone to take some first aid training as soon as feasible. Thanks for reading and stay sharp. |
| Find training and practice. KSA's > stuff. My children, brother and I recently attended this class : http://lonestarmedics.com/medic-1/ We had a great time as it was mostly hands-on and not one power-point slide was needed. We learned a lot and It was a great refresher on top of my rusty scout training from years ago along a lot more stuff we didn't cover in scouts. You can learn a lot by watching videos, but being able to get hands on with different gear, practice and work through timed/practical scenarios took it to the next level providing the tactile feedback on how things can work or may not work first-hand. In the end I did add some stuff to the FAK's and range bag, but with an understanding of why I need it and how to use it when needed. Highly recommended. |
| I'm Wilderness First Aid certified. It's geared more towards things like patient vitals, etc since you operate under the assumption that help is more than an hour away. It also deals more with improvising and making do with what you have rather than what the average medic would find in the ambulance. I hope to upgrade to Wilderness First Responder next year since I'll have an extra week of vacation. |