Critique - What do I Need/ Not Need

[KBA]

I'm not sure where to ask this question so I thought I would start here.

I thought I would ask the more knowledgeable what you all would carry if you were me and had to have a medical EDC bag that is a bug out bag of sorts.

My daughter has Glanzmann's thrombasthenia and is a patient at St. Jude. She does not produce a protein that makes her blood clot. If she is cut, even the smallest cut, it will not stop bleeding. If she falls hard enough for a muscle tear or etc, it will not stop bleeding. A blood transfusion is common for a head energy with this disorder. Due to all this she has to have two types of meds on her 24/7. These meds need to stay below 74 degrees. I like to keep it at below 72. We will be carrying this everyday everywhere we go.

In the event she has an injury or head trauma it is off to the ER as quickly as possible. Once there we skip intake and have to administer a med as quickly as possible. We just had a ER visit a few weeks ago, due to her falling off a chair and hitting her head. I learned quickly my bag at the time was not ready.

I will be using a Maxpedition COLOSSUS Versipack to carry a temperature gauged medical bag (That actually holds her meds and re-freezable ice pack) in the main compartment. This separate medical bag is 10” x 8”x 5” and is must have.

What else do I need for an edc, bug out, medical bag that my wife or I will be carrying everywhere? Anything here I don’t need?

Medical Bag –
Meds
Goughs
Bandage
Band Aids
Flashlight
Batteries
Battery Charger
Multi-tool
Multi-tool
Phone Charger
Extra Car Key
Emergency Info
Lighter
Fire Starter
Lint in toilet paper roll
Cotton balls
Whistle
Extra syringe
Emergency Contact list
Energy Bars
Aspirin
Duct Tape
Glow sticks
Money
Freezer Bags
ID Bracelet with medical info inside
Reflector Tape

Lastly, has anyone ever used Celox V12090 Blood Clotting Solution?

Thanks for the help

 

[gadgetgeek]

Get direct medical advice in regards to quick-clot or celox. It may be worth it in your case, but you need to get advice from a doc who is very familiar with both that illness, and the product. They can cause massive tissue damage if not used correctly, and may inhibit healing, and are very difficult to remove from a wound, causing your little one further pain.

I would add gloves, I know you probably don't feel the need to use them when dealing with your daughter, but they are useful, and may allow someone else to provide more help.

USB key with copies of medical info, well labeled. This can also contain scans of insurance docs, and other important stuff.

A "calmer" for the little one, something that will be familiar in the case of being in hospital, a book, or toy. Or even in the case of an unplanned night in a hotel. Kids can be pretty resilient, but every little thing helps. Keeping routine, so I'd go so far as toothpaste and a similar toothbrush, as home. Spare clothes. I wouldn't worry about the wilderness stuff, as much, your worst case is having a firefighter kick your door because your house is under threat, and you have to retreat to a friend's house or motel. So having some clean clothes, and a blanket will beat a heap of fire lighting gear. (a lighter won't go amiss, but don't over-do it)

to give context, my little brother was fed via a direct gastric tube for about 10 years, so my mom carried a backpack of all kinds of weird and wonderful stuff (she is also a nurse.) worst case was not making it home due to a road closure, and an unplanned night out. for him it was a case of potentially running out of formula (mom always carried an extra day) but due to other special needs, staying in unfamiliar places was tough on him.

 

[Hacked]

First off and foremost, I'm sorry to hear about what your daughter has to endure. I agree with gadgetgeek I would speak with her doctor about what would work best as far as clotting solutions and bandages. In my case I've only used clotting powder on my pets toes when an accident has occurred. Not sure what the brand was but it did seem to help.

The only potential helpful thoughts I have are to consider a battery based charger for your phone. A waterproof list of emergency contacts and addresses. If possible I would consider a spare phone that you could swap your sim card into in case something happens to your primary. I would imagine that the ability to control the situation as well as contact emergency first responders would be the primary concerns. GPS enabled phones where you could quickly look up your location at any given time may be worth while too. I don't want to give any medical advice however as I'm not a medical professional.

 

[KBA]

Get direct medical advice in regards to quick-clot or celox. It may be worth it in your case, but you need to get advice from a doc who is very familiar with both that illness, and the product. They can cause massive tissue damage if not used correctly, and may inhibit healing, and are very difficult to remove from a wound, causing your little one further pain.

Surprisingly, when I asked the several docs we deal with at St. Jude, none of them had heard of anything even close to the suggested and asked me to research the idea and bring info to them. The condition is a 1 in a million, with less than 1,000 living cases in the world today. In short, they themselves are learning a lot as well. I believe you are right though. I'm just looking for something that would hold us over until we got to the ER if we are out hiking and her meds break. You brought up the main concern the docs did in how to get the stuff out without causing more damage. I tried joining a forum of the disorder but it has so few people on it and is hardly active.

I would add gloves, I know you probably don't feel the need to use them when dealing with your daughter, but they are useful, and may allow someone else to provide more help.

USB key with copies of medical info, well labeled. This can also contain scans of insurance docs, and other important stuff.

A "calmer" for the little one, something that will be familiar in the case of being in hospital, a book, or toy. Or even in the case of an unplanned night in a hotel. Kids can be pretty resilient, but every little thing helps. Keeping routine, so I'd go so far as toothpaste and a similar toothbrush, as home. Spare clothes. I wouldn't worry about the wilderness stuff, as much, your worst case is having a firefighter kick your door because your house is under threat, and you have to retreat to a friend's house or motel. So having some clean clothes, and a blanket will beat a heap of fire lighting gear. (a lighter won't go amiss, but don't over-do it)

to give context, my little brother was fed via a direct gastric tube for about 10 years, so my mom carried a backpack of all kinds of weird and wonderful stuff (she is also a nurse.) worst case was not making it home due to a road closure, and an unplanned night out. for him it was a case of potentially running out of formula (mom always carried an extra day) but due to other special needs, staying in unfamiliar places was tough on him.

All great suggestions I hadn't thought of, thank you for that. :thumbup:

 

[gadgetgeek]

If you can talk to some ER docs they might have a better idea. Its possible that hemophiliacs might have used it, and so someone might know how that went. Not an easy thing, My hunch is that the bandages would do better than the powder stuff. Its possible that something like an op-site bandage (the clear plastic sheets) could also be very effective, but I don't know.... I think the skin has to be dry.
I didn't realize it was that rare, but I know what you mean as far as info being hard to get. My brother's condition profile is pretty rare as well, to the point that I'm pretty sure he's been the subject of a research paper or two. Your other disadvantage is that I suspect a lot of parents would wrap their kids in cotton wool (happens even to healthy kids) and not ever take any risk. That's no way to live.

On the topic of phones, you can get really cheap flip phones these days, and with the phone off, you would only need to charge the battery every few months, so a three month "bag check" schedule would give a bit of piece of mind.

 

[KBA]

First off and foremost, I'm sorry to hear about what your daughter has to endure. I agree with gadgetgeek I would speak with her doctor about what would work best as far as clotting solutions and bandages. In my case I've only used clotting powder on my pets toes when an accident has occurred. Not sure what the brand was but it did seem to help.

The only potential helpful thoughts I have are to consider a battery based charger for your phone. A waterproof list of emergency contacts and addresses. If possible I would consider a spare phone that you could swap your sim card into in case something happens to your primary. I would imagine that the ability to control the situation as well as contact emergency first responders would be the primary concerns. GPS enabled phones where you could quickly look up your location at any given time may be worth while too. I don't want to give any medical advice however as I'm not a medical professional.

Hacked, oddly, your post didn't show up until I logged in on my ipad. Ive checked in a few times today on my work pc and your post wasn't there.

Thank you for the idea of getting a 2nd flip phone. I use a old dinosaur flip phone currently so it wouldn't be much to a get a 2nd. Thanks again for the suggestion.

All the best

 

[comis]

Sorry to hear about your daughter's condition, but it is comforting to know she has a parent like you, whom is responsible to get prepared.

Like many have said, the use of Celox is debatable one. I have recently attended a wilderness first aid class, and did specifically asked whether having/using the similar product in WFA situation is a good idea(since help could be hours or even days away), and the answer is no. Given her condition, I'd suggest to consult knowledgeable doctors or even email the manufacturer to ask for their input.

I am not a medical expert, but I would suggest to consider the following additions to first aid kit:
-a separate small bag for all things medical, so people/you could locate things faster
-possibility of using a small ice box on car to contain the backup meds your daughter needs, in case you guys are going somewhere warm/summer
-ID labelled on your daughter's medication and with written instruction to use, in case a third-party has to administer it
-steri-strip (to close up large wound)
-many non-stick gauze pads
-medical tapes
-antibiotic ointment packets
-antiseptic towelettes
-usb with all relevant info(as previously suggested), and simple waterproof notes in various places

Since this thread is asked in outdoor subforum, is this "bug-out" or "emergency" bag covers outdoor emergency for all three of you or mostly this is used as a "medical emergency"? If it is for 'outdoor emergency', then I would suggest at least the following addition:

Personal location beacon - this might be important, since her condition may require Evac and in case cell phone signal is gone
Large trash bag - Shelter/body temp
Water bag/water purification
Ferro rod/scrapper - or other means to start fire
Navigation - compass, local maps and info, etc

 

[KBA]

If you can talk to some ER docs they might have a better idea. Its possible that hemophiliacs might have used it, and so someone might know how that went. Not an easy thing, My hunch is that the bandages would do better than the powder stuff....Your other disadvantage is that I suspect a lot of parents would wrap their kids in cotton wool (happens even to healthy kids) and not ever take any risk. That's no way to live.

Gadgetgeek ~ I appreciate you sharing your story a bit about your brother. You may find this odd but I find it comforting that others have prepared wisely and made it. Thank you for that.

The last ER visit was a wake up call. They were not prepared for us. They honestly had no idea what to do and what they were wanting to do was all wrong. Thankfully, St. Jude has educated and prepared us enough to instruct them on exactly what they needed to do. The only problem was, we do not have a med degree, so they would not listen. They grouped together (at least 4 docs and several nurses) to discuss our input. In anger I just told them to listen and finally called St. Jude to have our doc instruct them. I could hear the St. Jude doc just ripping them a new one and 5 secs later they were doing what I said to do. The next day we had a sit down with the director of ER and set up a training, including a St. Jude doc, on getting the ER prepared. If we travel I assume it will be repeat occurrence in training, but I know more now.

Oh, lol, no over-protective wool safety suit here. We try to allow her to live as normal as we can while being proactive and smart. She is 2 1/2 now but I can see a strong will in her that she will need.

Sorry to hear about your daughter's condition, but it is comforting to know she has a parent like you, whom is responsible to get prepared.

I appreciate that. Thank you

Like many have said, the use of Celox is debatable one. I have recently attended a wilderness first aid class, and did specifically asked whether having/using the similar product in WFA situation is a good idea(since help could be hours or even days away), and the answer is no. Given her condition, I'd suggest to consult knowledgeable doctors or even email the manufacturer to ask for their input.

Im going to take yours and gadgetgeek's advice and hold back from picking that up. I consistently ask docs and until I hear a positive recommendation from a doc Im not going to try anything.

I am not a medical expert, but I would suggest to consider the following additions to first aid kit:
-ID labelled on your daughter's medication and with written instruction to use, in case a third-party has to administer it

Thank you for all the great suggestions. I appreciate that and had't thought of a few of those. Her meds are two types; one is for a a small natural bleed such as a nose bleed or a small bump that will cause a good size bruise. She takes this one orally. The second is for sever situations and it has to be given intravenously. We are being trained currently on this. We do have a laminated list of instructions in the event of a car accident and mom and I are incapable of instructing. This also contains emergency numbers, insurance info, St. Jude contact info, and other info.

Personal location beacon - this might be important, since her condition may require Evac and in case cell phone signal is gone
Large trash bag - Shelter/body temp
Water bag/water purification
Ferro rod/scrapper - or other means to start fire
Navigation - compass, local maps and info, etc

Awesome! Thank you.
We are living on one income. My wife and I decided mom needed to stay home and eventually home school instead of trusting the school to handle all this. We are both teachers so we know first hand how schools would handle this.

Does anyone know of a good personal location beacon? I thought about a gps locator for her bag but the monthly subscription on some those is crazy and the battery life isn't great on some. Does a personal location beacon use a subscription. I have some homework to do on those.

I appreciate the kind words and input from everyone. Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving.

 

[Raymond1000]

This is about a 5 lb. emergency kit. It discusses first aid issues. Nothing is specific to your situation, but it may be helpful. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1200695-An-Educated-BOB

 

[Raymond1000]

Gadgetgeek ~ I appreciate you sharing your story a bit about your brother. You may find this odd but I find it comforting that others have prepared wisely and made it. Thank you for that.

The last ER visit was a wake up call. They were not prepared for us. They honestly had no idea what to do and what they were wanting to do was all wrong. Thankfully, St. Jude has educated and prepared us enough to instruct them on exactly what they needed to do. The only problem was, we do not have a med degree, so they would not listen. They grouped together (at least 4 docs and several nurses) to discuss our input. In anger I just told them to listen and finally called St. Jude to have our doc instruct them. I could hear the St. Jude doc just ripping them a new one and 5 secs later they were doing what I said to do. The next day we had a sit down with the director of ER and set up a training, including a St. Jude doc, on getting the ER prepared. If we travel I assume it will be repeat occurrence in training, but I know more now.

Oh, lol, no over-protective wool safety suit here. We try to allow her to live as normal as we can while being proactive and smart. She is 2 1/2 now but I can see a strong will in her that she will need.



I appreciate that. Thank you



Im going to take yours and gadgetgeek's advice and hold back from picking that up. I consistently ask docs and until I hear a positive recommendation from a doc Im not going to try anything.



Thank you for all the great suggestions. I appreciate that and had't thought of a few of those. Her meds are two types; one is for a a small natural bleed such as a nose bleed or a small bump that will cause a good size bruise. She takes this one orally. The second is for sever situations and it has to be given intravenously. We are being trained currently on this. We do have a laminated list of instructions in the event of a car accident and mom and I are incapable of instructing. This also contains emergency numbers, insurance info, St. Jude contact info, and other info.



Awesome! Thank you.
We are living on one income. My wife and I decided mom needed to stay home and eventually home school instead of trusting the school to handle all this. We are both teachers so we know first hand how schools would handle this.

Does anyone know of a good personal location beacon? I thought about a gps locator for her bag but the monthly subscription on some those is crazy and the battery life isn't great on some. Does a personal location beacon use a subscription. I have some homework to do on those.

I appreciate the kind words and input from everyone. Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving.

One of the things Doug Ritter discusses here are different locating and signaling devices, with evaluations. http://www.equipped.org/

 

[gadgetgeek]

The standard PLBs are a one time hit, the Spot and similar "trackers" are sub based. But in urban areas, you can use some cheaper stuff that runs off of the cell network.

My little bro recently got his driver's license, something that when he was 12-15 most of his docs said was unlikely due to his condition (communications difficulties mostly, they first thought it might be cognitive) it took until he was 20, and it is restricted, but he has his wheels now.

 

[grogimus]

Gadgetgeek ~ I appreciate you sharing your story a bit about your brother. You may find this odd but I find it comforting that others have prepared wisely and made it. Thank you for that.

The last ER visit was a wake up call. They were not prepared for us. They honestly had no idea what to do and what they were wanting to do was all wrong. Thankfully, St. Jude has educated and prepared us enough to instruct them on exactly what they needed to do. The only problem was, we do not have a med degree, so they would not listen. They grouped together (at least 4 docs and several nurses) to discuss our input. In anger I just told them to listen and finally called St. Jude to have our doc instruct them. I could hear the St. Jude doc just ripping them a new one and 5 secs later they were doing what I said to do. The next day we had a sit down with the director of ER and set up a training, including a St. Jude doc, on getting the ER prepared. If we travel I assume it will be repeat occurrence in training, but I know more now.

Oh, lol, no over-protective wool safety suit here. We try to allow her to live as normal as we can while being proactive and smart. She is 2 1/2 now but I can see a strong will in her that she will need.



I appreciate that. Thank you



Im going to take yours and gadgetgeek's advice and hold back from picking that up. I consistently ask docs and until I hear a positive recommendation from a doc Im not going to try anything.



Thank you for all the great suggestions. I appreciate that and had't thought of a few of those. Her meds are two types; one is for a a small natural bleed such as a nose bleed or a small bump that will cause a good size bruise. She takes this one orally. The second is for sever situations and it has to be given intravenously. We are being trained currently on this. We do have a laminated list of instructions in the event of a car accident and mom and I are incapable of instructing. This also contains emergency numbers, insurance info, St. Jude contact info, and other info.



Awesome! Thank you.
We are living on one income. My wife and I decided mom needed to stay home and eventually home school instead of trusting the school to handle all this. We are both teachers so we know first hand how schools would handle this.

Does anyone know of a good personal location beacon? I thought about a gps locator for her bag but the monthly subscription on some those is crazy and the battery life isn't great on some. Does a personal location beacon use a subscription. I have some homework to do on those.

I appreciate the kind words and input from everyone. Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving.

I would hazard a guess that your biggest challenge will be dealing with doctors unfamiliar with her condition. I work as an administrator at a health care facility caring for people with some rather rare conditions. Physicians are trained to have absolute faith in themselves and that can be a liability when faced with the unknown. I would suggest getting a laminated summary of treatment options for common problems your daughter may face along with detailed contact information for St. Jude's and putting them in whatever backpack/briefcase/purse/whatever you will always have available. In my experience most doctors are wonderful people but there are definitely a significant portion with a superiority complex who outright dismiss anyone who isn't also a physician. Having treatment information laminated and always available with a recognized letterhead may make them take better notice of you. If all else fails, jumping down a recalcitrant doctor's throat is better than letting them do something harmful.

 

[Codger_64]

Oh man, I am late seeing this thread, but you are getting some good advice here!

If I had to prioritize I would say this: First, load a thumb drive with the help from your doc at St. Jude (God bless Danny Thomas and his legacy). First, emergency procedures for her condition, second indepth info on her condition, third contact info, fourth her medical records. A lot to pack in there but essential to her getting the correct treatment stat. Arrange the info so that it is easily accessed in order. And make a couple of copies. They are cheap and oh-so portable.

Second, the comfort item. A duplicate of a familiar favorite toy. A small stuffed animal or a "mini-me" doll. The actual may get lost, contaminated or left behind in a rush to get help, but having an exact duplicate would be great. If the duplicate were sterile as possible that would be great.

Medical supplies, other than her specific meds, would be limited to pressure bandages IMHO. I would forego all those clotting agents for reasons already mentioned. However you might spend some time going through the manufacturer to the actual research developer to see what their thoughts are in using them for emergency application. (Do a patent search to find the inventor behind the product). I hazard to guess that they did work on the use with more common hemophiliacs and transplant/chemo patients who lack clotting factor either naturally or induced. It may be a dead end but it is an avenue to explore.

I have no medical training other than basic first responder, but was known to my young daughter as "Doctor Dad". I worked with medical researchers in the intellectual property field for years and growing up had a lot of personal trauma to deal with myself, and then with my children. So mostly my forte' was using common sense while remaining calm no matter the emergency. And keeping the child calm by comfort and distraction. Smile, play word games and sing, let them know that everything is under control no matter how dire the actual circumstance. These things can go further in many circumstances than the contents of a "BOB".

This is all I can think of and a poor offering from a layman, but I hope something I said can help you with your precious.

 

[KBA]

Thank you all for taking the time to give me some great feedback and a few links to read through. I apologize that I do not have the time (about to eat and put up the Christams tree/house lights) to respond to each of you but thank you, it really is appreciated.

Ive been doing a little homework on PLBs and actually wrote ACR Artex for more info and suggestions for more urban use. Living on one teacher's income we can not afford a subscription right now, but I like the idea of having a secondary form of emergency communication if we are out of cell phone service. It may be a little bit of overkill, but a little extra peace of mind is worth it's weight in gold.

Another thing you all helped me realize is that the Colossus is not going to be large enough. I have a Chubby, but order one more and will attaching them to the Colossus.

If the wife and I ever have a date night, and we need a baby sister, that baby sister has to be trained and know what we know. We take them to St. Jude to be trained at least once. I say this to say that the extra room in the bag with these attachments should prove to be easier to navigate for the sitter.

Thank you again everyone for the knowledge and time. I hope you and yours enjoy the holiday.

 

[Raymond1000]

Thank you all for taking the time to give me some great feedback and a few links to read through. I apologize that I do not have the time (about to eat and put up the Christams tree/house lights) to respond to each of you but thank you, it really is appreciated.

Ive been doing a little homework on PLBs and actually wrote ACR Artex for more info and suggestions for more urban use. Living on one teacher's income we can not afford a subscription right now, but I like the idea of having a secondary form of emergency communication if we are out of cell phone service. It may be a little bit of overkill, but a little extra peace of mind is worth it's weight in gold.

Another thing you all helped me realize is that the Colossus is not going to be large enough. I have a Chubby, but order one more and will attaching them to the Colossus.

If the wife and I ever have a date night, and we need a baby sister, that baby sister has to be trained and know what we know. We take them to St. Jude to be trained at least once. I say this to say that the extra room in the bag with these attachments should prove to be easier to navigate for the sitter.

Thank you again everyone for the knowledge and time. I hope you and yours enjoy the holiday.

If you can afford it, look into satellite phones. There is nothing extra to carry and you have coverage everywhere.

 

[Chignecto Woodsman]

How quickly can he learn to use celox safely?

And would cayenne pepper be a useful addition? It supposedly will work to clot (which is strange because when eaten it actually works against clots), although one may have to figure out if it is safe to use all-around or if there are possible adverse reactions; especially for those with rare conditions.

 

[mec003]

I have a 7 year old and 2 year old. A few things I carry that aren't mentioned are snacks/drinks and a small tablet of some kind. When my kids tend to get over excited, they get wreckless. So the tablet is nice to help settle them down. We have games, movies, coloring apps, etc. It helps get them to sit still for a bit. Maybe something to consider if you are in a place that you afraid your child might get hurt.

 

[gadgetgeek]

Raymond, good thought, but Sat-phones are a part of the comms we use where I work, and its the "nice to have" category, its still backed up by a Spot for location tracking and a PLB for emergencies. Lots of places and times where they won't get signal, and in cities they can be useless. They are getting better, but not worth the worry in my mind. I've used them a bunch, and rarely got a good call out.

Cayenne pepper in a cut? I can't imagine that would feel good. We are talking a little kid here, even the clotting bandages are not painless, but ouch.

Mec003, good call. Also an amazon fire can be had for like 50, and the fire kids edition is on sale for the holidays, and its got a break-it, replace-it policy.

 

[BlueLifeKnife]

One quick comment, during an active shooter training event, we were informed that quick clot products are something that should only be used in life or death situation. Reasoning, some of the products generate enormous amounts of heat when added to a wound. They work in clotting the blood however, severe nerve and tissue damage have been reported as well as extreme pain for the patient during application.

 

[Raymond1000]

Raymond, good thought, but Sat-phones are a part of the comms we use where I work, and its the "nice to have" category, its still backed up by a Spot for location tracking and a PLB for emergencies. Lots of places and times where they won't get signal, and in cities they can be useless. They are getting better, but not worth the worry in my mind. I've used them a bunch, and rarely got a good call out.

Cayenne pepper in a cut? I can't imagine that would feel good. We are talking a little kid here, even the clotting bandages are not painless, but ouch.

Mec003, good call. Also an amazon fire can be had for like 50, and the fire kids edition is on sale for the holidays, and its got a break-it, replace-it policy.

When the cell system is overwhelmed by calls, a text message will often get through.