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Thread: First Aid Information

  1. #1
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    Default First Aid Information



    I am going to start a new thread for first aid tips and information. This stuff could save a life, so feel free to post related (and informative)information.

    STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters.... S.T.R

    My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree.

    If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously..

    Please read:

    STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

    During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall, she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

    They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

    Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die, they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

    It only takes a minute to read this...

    A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally . He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

    RECOGNIZING A STROKE
    Thank God for the sense to remember the 3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!

    Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .


    Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

    S * Ask the individual to smile *
    T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE
    (Coherently) i.e. It is sunny out today)
    R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS .

    If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

    New Sign of a Stroke ------- Stick out Your Tongue

    NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.

    A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

    And, yes, feel free to copy, paste and send this to anyone you know....
         

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    Default Re: First Aid Information



    Thanks Brody. I have had some way too personal experience with this subject and did not recognize the signs. We in pathology, at the non-md level, often don't know squat about clinical knowledge.

    I am the one the family calls when they want some medical thing explained. Usually I look it up and render and educated opinion or say I don't know. When I find something relevant to working on the living in a first aid situation, or a get help now heads up, I'll post.

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    Good info brody, I learned this after my neighbor had a stroke. I'd like to add that strokes aren't something that just happens to old folks. I personally know of 2 men in their 40's that have had debilitating strokes.
    ___________
    Chris in Florida

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    Default Re: First Aid Information



    I am going to try to find some of my basic first aid CPR info and post it if someone doesn't beat me to it. It would be nice if other people will contribute and, when there is enough information, people will be able to do a 'copy and paste' handbook for their rigs.

    It might also be a good idea to post what people carry in their first aid kits, especially if they actually have some knowledge of how to use what is there. This includes anything that works that isn't actually a part of a regular, off the shelf first aid kit.

    Once again, I'll start with what I have in my 'basic' kit.

    Maxi Pads for stopping heavy bleeding.
    Duct tape for splints, very bad wounds, etc
    Sports tape for splints and wounds (paper tape is crap , so is the regular tape that comes in almost all first aid kits. I don't know what that is good for. It doesn't stick to squat...)
    Butterfly bandages
    Benadryl for anaphylatic shock (people alergic to bee/wasp stings-they need to still be breathing when you get them to a hospital)
    Ibupropen
    Prescription pain meds (for people I like)
    Big and small fabric band aids (plastic sucks and doesn't stick or last)
    New Skin (liquid band aid)
    Super glue or Tissue Glue (either works for skin tears and bad cuts)
    Splint material ( a chunk of gutter guard or metal plaster lathe works well, too. Used for broken bones. New Aspen branches work very well, too.)
    Lidocaine (any kind of alcohol will also deaden the area in a pinch)
    Syringe for the above plus a couple of extra needles
    3-4 suture kits
    Big gauze pads (thin and they can be cut to fit)
    Ace bandages x 2
    Temporary tooth repair stuff
    Oragel for tooth aches (again, any kind of alcoholic beverage like whiskey will also work. You just gotta hold it in your mouth and not swallow it until the pain is gone...)
    Surgical grade scissors (anything else is bunk)
    Good angled tweezers
    Dental floss (a good substitute for suture thread)
    Tyelenol
    Rolaids
    Fire starter (plus matches and a lighter)
    Rubber gloves
    A packet or two of flu powder
    Immodium for the runs
    Cough drops
    Scalpel with some extra blades
    A roll (or two) of 2" gauze
    A good anti-biotic ointment
    Eye wash of some kind (A little bit of salt and water will also work)
    Burn cream
    Signal mirror
    Spare batteries for headlamp ( Surprising how many people get jacked up at night)
    Stuff for bee and wasp stings (just to get rid of the sting). (Tobacco of any kind will also work as a poultrice on the sting, as will ammonia)
    A small, but comprehensive first aid book. (Even with nurses training and advanced first aid instucter's experience, I still want one of these around...)

    There is some more, but I would have to get it out of the truck. And, granted, the zipper on this quite small kit is a bit strained.... REI actually has a good selection of first aid kit bags, though I can't say very much about anything in their 'first aid kits'...This is the basic kit that goes with me everywhere-backpacking, climbing, wheeling, camping, hiking, etc. What isn't in it can be afro engineered in the field. Pathrat made a very good suggestion of bringing hydrogen peroxide, which I will try to find room for.

    With this kit, I have sewn up myself and other people, set broken wrists, fingers, forearms, ankles, etc, stopped some very heavy bleeding(again, both my own and other folks), anchored broken ribs, stabilized a broken back (with a couple of ensolite pads and duct tape- we were a ways away from any help and the person needed to be transported out), stabilized a compound fracture or two (ugly), stabilized dislocated fingers, wrists and shoulders and a bunch of other major and minor stuff, so it works. Bren keeps promising me a stainless steel surgical stapler and when I finally get it from him, this will go in there also. These things are quick!

    Bottom line-if you have a first aid kit, know how to use it. Any of you guys with military experience ought to kick in your knowledge base here, too, as it is sure to be more than my own, especially any ex-Special Forces folks.

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    I think Brody has pretty much covered it. I carry what he does, and add some Advil Cold and Sinus or other such thing when I go out overnight. If you carry meds, keep an eye on the expiration date since usually they are not used. I have not yet acquired Lidocaine.

    For eyewash, a small bottle of plain saline for contact lenses will do just fine for an eyewash. The nozzle is shaped right and until you break the wrapper, it is sterile.

    I am getting together kits of medical tape and gauze in a medium size zip lock biohazard bag. Why? Because for one, gauze is great as a pressure bandange to stop the bleeding. While brushing up on First Aid basics, I learned that you should not be lifting the pressure bandage to check if the bleeding has stopped: it will disrupt the forming clot. IF you bleed through it, there are issues and just keep adding more padding and more pressure. Tape to keep in in place. Two, in the worst case of a lost digit, you can wrap the severed finger in the clean gauze, put it in the biobag and stick it in a cooler, if you have it. You don't want the part touching ice.

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    Thanks for the input on the displaced digits, Pathrat. I forgot about that one. Surprisingly so as I have done just that quite a few times on construction sites where people have lopped off digits. Just missed one the other night, too. Happened right after I left the site. Guy was using a nasty ******* chain saw blade on a 4" grinder for coping logs to fit, it slipped and he ran it across his hand. People call that tool the 'widow maker' and I told them that they couldn't pay me enough to work with it, so don't bother asking...

    So far, since I have been working in Fairplay, I have had to splint a broken forearm, tape a sprained wrist, tape a sprained ankle, and butterfly a nasty cut. As sick as it sounds, I am sorry to have missed the chain saw thing...probably would've been the day's high point. I have only patched up four wounds like that-two bullit wounds, a table saw disaster, and a metal working mess, so it would have been interesting. Oh yeah....and a party disaster where a kid ran a 3 wheeler through a barbed wire fence and Frankensteined himself...thanks to the mighty Maxi Pads for that save. Ditto with butterfly bandages. Too stupid to give away pain meds to and besides which I figured a little pain would intensify the learning experience....

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    Interesting stories, and I am glad you have the experiece. I have yet to work on live patients for anything more than a decent cut. The staff from the OR does not like seeing what I do and I don't really like seeing what they do. There has to be others here with some experience???

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    Thanks for posting up this info, it's great knowledge to have! I know my first aid kit is lacking big time. I'm looking forward to gathering more supplies should the need ever arise.

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    Thanks, I need to update all my kits!

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    Wow, I'm not prepared at all.
    ___________
    Chris in Florida

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    I really have to thank you for posting that info about the stroke brody.

    At work today an older lady named Carolyn who I've worked with since I've started appeared to be having one, had it not been for me reading this thread I'm not sure I would have even noticed. She came up to me three times today to ask me what the date was. I told her the 3rd and she asked what month and I actually thaught she was just being silly or something. The next few times she asked me really made me worried. I told my boss that I was worried about her because of this and he said she had already asked him what date it was twice. She also came over to ask Tina(who she carpools in with) if they had clocked in on two occasions. I asked Carolyn to stick out her tongue because it was really the only test I could remember from this thread, she stuck it out acting a bit silly but it didnt seem to go off to either side, I didnt think that was a definite way to see if it was a stroke. I asked Tina if Carolyn was ok and and she said she was just acting a little weird because they pass this house that Carolyn used to live in and she said Carolyn just kept on mentioning it. Carolyn also kept going back and forth between the break area and the work area. I mentioned that this seemed like a stroke so we all got a little worried. We went and found Carolyn and asked if she was ok and she started Crying and said she didnt know. Tina took her to the hospital and when she called in a little later they said the Catscan did show some indication of a stroke. Still not entirely sure if it was a stroke or not. Tina said Carolyn didnt remember anything that happened this morning. Last I heard was they were waiting on the MRI.

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    Thanks Fred and it seems that you did the right thing, even when the going got weird. Bottom line thanks have to go to LaDawn who sent me the information to begin with. Nice to have helped someone at any rate. Tis a real good feeling....

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    Nice Fred, it's nice to see this bit of information helped you help Carolyn. Better is that you acted on what you suspected, best wishes to her for a rapid recovery.

    Well done.
    ___________
    Chris in Florida

  14. #14

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    Thanks, I'll find out more about her today.

  15. #15

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    So it seems like it was a mild stroke. She will see a neurologist on Friday and she'll be back to work on Monday. Thanks again guys.

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