First Aid

U

UW Mitch

Joined
Nov 2, 1999
Messages
1,437
Okay, I know we were told to stop cutting ourselves a few weeks ago, but I'm dumb, and cut my thumb at work today. (BTW, sharp knife==deep cut)
I ran water over it, dried it, and put on a bandage.
When I came home and was ready to re-dress it, I realized that I didn't even have a first aid kit!!! So, I'm going to start compiling a first aid kit...unless someone can recommend a good one.

I'm planning on putting in it, bandages, gauze, scissors, a knife, and neosporin. Right now this is all that comes to mind. I know there's a ton of stuff I left out, so help me think.

Thanks in advance,
Mitch
 
Mitch sorry to hear about your accident.

A few things to add to you med kit...
Steri-strips
Butterfly bandages
medical tape
super glue o.k. it's an option. With steri-strips you probably really don't need the super glue. There are a lot of pros and cons with it's use. Care must be used or complications can arise.

The trick is to know when it's something that you can safely and competently deal with on your own.

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~~TOM~~
 
OK, this is strange, but a EMT one time told me one of the best things to buy for your first aid kit was female sanitary napkins!!! they are sterile, neatly wrapped , and make superior absorbant wound dressings at a fraction of the cost of the large dressings you can buy at medical supply stores. These and a roll of masking tape and a bottle of zinc oxide foot powder will stop staunch the bleeding on a big gash.
 
A small knife, of course.

Beyond that, you hvae to ask yourself what kind of incidents this kit will respond to. Often, a kit for the house is a supplement to a medicine chest which is where you deal with common problems that can be brought to the chest, such as small cuts. A kit for household use is primarily for larger accidents where the victim can't be brought to the kit. On the other hand, in a serious accident, the household kit is only a bridge until emergency services arrives. So, you have to ask where you live and what EMS response time is. I live about 1/2 block from a fire station. Response time is quite good. If you live in a rural area, response time's can become quite long.

A CPR face mask should be kept at home, and not one of those little shield things, but a full mask. You get a better seal and breathing is more effective with a full mask.

Sanitary napkins are an excellent suggestion. They're perfect to control bleeding from large wounds.

Non-adherent dressings for burns are good.

Tape, tape, tape, and more tape. You go through the stuff fast.

Saline solution sold for contact lenses is great to wash eyes out with.

Syrup of Ipecec (SP?) for poisoning.

Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCL (SP?)) is an excellent product to have on hand as a first response to most allergic reactions. I don't suffer from alergies myself, but I still keep some Benadryl around. Several years ago, a dinner guest at my house had a very serious allergic reaction ending up hospitalized. He thinks it was the Benadryl that kept him alive to get to the hospital.

You also have to consider any special needs that you might have that are unique to your area.



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.4cs.net/~gollnick
 
Here is a basic kit I am going to put together for my mom
-4 3" roller gauze
-ACE bandage
-5 sterile 4x4 pads
-5 sterile 3x3 pads
-2 5x9 dressings
-Triangular Bandage
-Numerous Band-Aids of different sizes
-Steri-Strips
-Penlight
-Bandage shears
-Tweezers
-Aspirin, Tylenol and Benadryl
-Latex Gloves
-One roll surical tape
-Small roll duct tape
-One tube triple antibiotic ointment
-Small cold pack
-Space blanket
-Card listing contents of kit and med expiration dates

------------------
Knife Medic "Weilder of Fingerdicer,Healer of Minor Owies,Instigator of Laughter"
 
I can't believe no one has mentioned Isopropyl alcahol. It is a disinfectant, fever reducer, helps sore muscles and can even be used as an emergency fuel source. I would also recommend "liquid bandage" you can buy it at any drug store or supermarket. It is the safe alternative to krazy glue. In my opinion it works better. It is thicker and helps disinfect. Here are some more recommendations:

small scissor
bee sting/bug bite swabs
smelling salts
instant icepack
energy/nutrition bar


------------------

Louis Buccellato
http://www.themartialway.com
Knives, Weapons and equipment. Best prices anywhere.
-------------

"only the paranoid will survive":)


 
Lysol Toilet Cleaner for cleaning the cut.

Opium to keep the swelling, bleeding, breathing down.

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I am not a doctor, but i know if you do that, you will die.
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"If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"
Such a funny quote, true or not.
-ediconu

[This message has been edited by unocide (edited 02-03-2000).]
 
Just give me a bottle of cheap whiskey and a bullet to bite on! Now that's what I call a First Aid kit!

One note, BTW, about Neosporin and other "triple antibiotics", they contain Neomycin. Some people are allergic to Neomycin. When treating someone you don't know, it's best to use a double antibiotic cream (which are available). It's almost as good and doesn't carry the risk of an allergic reaction.


------------------
Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing! http://www.4cs.net/~gollnick


[This message has been edited by Gollnick (edited 02-04-2000).]
 
Dayum, you guys are good! I think Gollnick has BTDT. A big bottle of sterile saline is great for someone who is panicking about having "something" in his eye. I'd add tick removal tweezers to the regular tweezers. And you can never have too many flashlights. I always have anti-histamine tablets, because I have "hay fever". A couple of times I've given them to people who had sudden rashes, or other allergic symptoms. How common are bad reactions to common anti-histamines?

New Skin(liquid bandage) ought to come in a knife-nut size.
wink.gif
That's what I use if(when) I cut myself playing with my knifeses.
------------------
Protect your Right to Keep and Bear Arms!
There are two kinds of people in the world;
those who need closure

[This message has been edited by Ewok (edited 02-04-2000).]
 
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