The main reason to sort through was creating an easily-accessible first-aid kit. With all the fun injuries happening in my house (got another one today!) I need to be able to grab everything quickly. As you might have guessed, 5 years worth of bottles made quite a mess to search through when in a hurry.
It made me curious to know how other people prepare for this, so...
What items do you keep around the house for first aid? Do you have a kit in your car, or something you can grab while headed out the door? Do you prefer natural solutions, only pharmaceutical, or a combination?
11 comments:
We're not really prepared at all. LOL
No really, I don't think we have any sort of first-aid kit. I do know where the neosporin and band-aids are, though.
I wasn't prepared at all until our rash (teehee) of injuries in the last 6 weeks. After having to send a friend out to buy sterile pads, medical tape, and other things for me, I want to keep it all on hand!
I think I've got most everything at home covered now, but I want to make something small I can grab on the way out to the playground. I swear, my kids would hurt themselves if I put them in pull padded suits (probably get heat exhaustion and dehydrated--yay coconut water.)
I keep my pill bottles on the shelf, and first aid in the medicine cabinet. That way, they are separate and easy to get to the emergency stuff. 'Cause, ya know, I'm accident-prone. I also make sure I keep hand towels in the kitchen that I don't mind bleeding on (don't laugh! One of those saved me when I lost the tip of a finger to a hungry mandolin, and it lasted me all the way to the Urgent Care!)
THEN I have a full first aid kit in the car, along for a massive wound pressure bandage from when I was in the Army, as well as a blanket and a few MREs.
Today someone mentioned at work that they keep potato starch in the kitchen (it apparently stops bleeding), then they rinse and dry the wound, then align the edges of the wound and super glue it back together. I know that sounds severe, but my grandma used that method too.
When it comes to supplies, I make sure all my gauze, etc. Are pharmaceutical-grade. I want my wound wrappings sterile. But I also keep Arnica oil on hand to treat closed wounds and under-the-skin infections (very, very carefully, but it works beautifully!) I also have a huge herbal selection from which to choose for poultices, teas, etc., and those are kept in a shallow rubbermaid container we keep under the bed (we have so little space!) and a shelf full of medical books- mostly herbal.
DISCLAIMER-Please do not use herbal remedies without the guidance of your physician, and only after having proper training! (that's not for you, chica, but anyone else crazy enough to read this rambling note)
Hope that helps- or at least, lets you know how crazy I am about my wound treatment. Lol
Re: Disclaimer--
I'm sure you're right there with me, cringing when people start throwing around Arnica as a cure-all for any sports wounds (I've seen people treat lacerations with it!! D:) regardless of safety. It's one of those things where I'm glad herbs aren't regulated, but at the same time oh my goodness people need to stop using them without training.
For some reason, people seem to think natural=harmless these days.
I tried to ask the person in Wegmans nature's marketplace about a remedy I was unsure of--I put it right back when she said "Oh I don't really know about any of this stuff, we just stock it." No way am I buying it without knowing exactly what it will do and how/why!
The potato starch sounds like a good idea. I used to work with a guy who would keep old cobwebs around because they stopped bleeding so well (he would wrap them around the wound and leave it as a bandage.) The cobwebs don't bother me as much, and I'm sure they'd do in a pinch, but it's more everything that sticks to them, you know? Just doesn't seem smart to rely on them normally.
I'm not so certain if I could just keep cobwebs on hand to stop bleeding, I think I'd be too paranoid it would have little eggs in it or something. (((shudder)))
And I haven't heard of people blithely using arnica for everything, unless it is in a homeopathic dilution. It's crazy how dangerous that stuff is. Even Lavender and Nutmeg- stuff you'd never have thought could kill ya...
I think that in the age of scientific discovery, people have forgotten that these potent drugs came from the natural sources, and were not made up instead of the natural remedy because it wasn't good enough!
Nope, using Arnica oils on open wounds. Crazy stuff. Maybe they didn't realize the difference between homeopathic and full-strength?
So tell me, how horribly ill did this arnica-oil-user get once that entered their bloodstream?
I forgot to answer that. XD
They didn't die, but they did get very sick over the next few hours. I think everyone chalked it up to the initial injury. Shock doesn't generally make you throw up 4-5 hours after an accident, though...you know?
I always always always throw away medicines when they expire. They lose their potency so no point.
As for first aid items, well I am ashamed to say that I'm a little lacking in that department. However, one of the things I am most proud of was learning how to make something work in a pinch.
If I were to stock a first aid kit, I would want (in no particular order): Bandaids (standard and butterfly), gauze 4x4's, medical tape, ace bandage, hot and cold packs, peroxide, betadine, saline (for flushing), ibuprofen, burn ointment, neosporin, mecical shears, an OB kit (dont judge me, weird stuff happens), and a CPR mouth guard.
I carry a CPR mouth guard on me at all times (it's on my key chain) and I think that everyone should be CPR certified, especially those with small children. You can usually find a free class at your local community center.
It ate my kit. No surprise there.
I haven't had CPR training since high school. Definitely need to do that again!
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