First aid?

Giving yourself sutures in the field is an excellent way to test the quality of your antibiotics later...

I agree - there are better ways to close a wound for the DIY-er
 
Don Rearic said:
The only problem with a lot of Doctors, real or imagined, on the Internet when it comes to survival is this, they can't get it through their thick skulls that sometimes you can't just run to the ER. So when it comes to things like QuickClot and Sawyer Extractors and closing wounds in the field, they condemn it out of hand. Not all of them, but a lot of them. Which makes them about as thick skulled as most Doctors I have met in real life, too. Everyone can value a great Doctor but people oftentimes forget that not everyone with M.D. behind their name is a good one.
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Our "go-to" guy on this type of stuff is a SWAT Team medic and man that's been in the field for a long time, Hugh Coffee.
 
What the person's experience is and what their outlook is when it comes to survival in the field is going to make all the difference in the world.

I have had discussions with Doctors and various medical personnel online and when you talk about things like wound closure, they say never do it, yadda yadda yadda and what they're doing is protecting their "guild" more than giving out lifesaving information.

Once you get a good person to show you the way, never let them go. :D
 
Don Rearic said:
Once you get a good person to show you the way, never let them go. :D
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That's the truth if I've ever heard it!

My dentist showed me how to numb teeth and I've had a couple of docs that have show me how to do some things that most wouldn't. I still don't trust myself doing advanced procedures but at least I have a very basic understanding of how to stop someone from bleeding out for example.
 
Edit to add: I really think I could do heart surgey if someone would explain it to me and give me a little time to practice :D
 
William.45 said:
Nitrile gloves, tweezers, medical tape, moleskin, ace wraps, tourniquets, band-aids, santi-diarrhea, ibuprofen, lip balm, vitamins, antibiotic cream, pain relievers, insect repellant, gauze, scissors, quick clot, sun repellant, and a snake bite kit. That is the kit I keep in my camping pack. I could probably make it smaller/make it larger but it does what it needs to imo.
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You can ditch that snake bite kit. It's dead weight that will not help you in the United States. ;)
 
See what I mean?

First of all, if you are talking about "Cut and Suck" types of snakebite kits, go ahead and shitcan them. They just expose healthy tissue to the venom when you cut into the bite wound.

If, on the other hand, you would be some distance away from a hospital that had antivenin on hand, a Sawyer Extractor is about the best you can hope for if you have to walk out, etc.

People, well-meaning or not, will condemn that entire line of thought. But the fact of the matter is, if you get that thing on the bite and use it aggressively, the difference in venom you extract could mean the difference between being able to walk out of an area to get to a hospital, etc. It could mean the difference between a treatment of a couple thousand dollars and three quarters of a million dollars.
 
good friend just went to seminar yesterday for snake bites at utmb...they said the best course of action in our area is to treat the wound for infection and stabalize the victim and keep them calm....on a healthy adult the bite from a rattler, cotton mouth, or copper head will not likely be leathal....the infection will be......now that said if it is a coral snake anti venom will likely be needed....those are the only poison snakes in our area......
 
drew1095hc said:
good friend just went to seminar yesterday for snake bites at utmb...they said the best course of action in our area is to treat the wound for infection and stabalize the victim and keep them calm....on a healthy adult the bite from a rattler, cotton mouth, or copper head will not likely be leathal....the infection will be......now that said if it is a coral snake anti venom will likely be needed....those are the only poison snakes in our area......
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Yep, but it's probably gonna do some wicked tissue damage :)

image003.jpg
 
Geared Ex said:
that is one gnarly picture! you can keep all those poisonous critters down there
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Yeah, but just think about it. If you get bit you get to see what the inside of your body really looks like!
 
What kind of snake bite was that, El Jefe? Seems to be a hemotoxin based poison. The swelling is more than likely from a reation to said venom, but I've never seen swelling cause a skin split so far from the point of origin.

I'm no doctor, but I've done some field medic stuff in SAR, and I've never seen a bite go that far. Spider, yes, snake no. The brown recluse bite my brother got, forced the docs to split his hand between the two middle fingers, to the wrist, to drain. They set a wick and kept the hand split for 2 weeks, and my little bro's hand still swelled up to the size of a novelty basketball.

Moose
 
We have a well stocked packed set up. I'm constantly adding things to ours. One HUGE suggestion I can make to everyone is to NOT carry latex gloves. I'm HIGHLY allergic to latex and I chunk all sets of latex gloves that come in any kits we buy. In an emergency situation someone might not be able to tell you they're allergic to latex. You don't want to make a bad situation worse. Even if the person has no previous reaction to the latex you don't want it to be their first reaction.

I'll pull apart our kit a little later and take pictures of the contents.
 
Moose, the skin was cut to relieve pressure. It didn't split.
 
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