# Another hole in the preps...nothing like putting it to the test.



## Wildwood (Jul 2, 2007)

I'm always willing to share my shortcomings with ya'll in case it saves you a little trouble so here's another one.

A week ago Saturday my DH got a pretty nasty injury while riding his dirt bike. We've been blessed because he's rode off and on for the almost forty years I've known him and he's had a few minor bumps and bruises but nothing like this...a major laceration to his leg. It was a freak thing and he didn't have a wreck but a small tree someone had cut the top out of was sticking out into the trail and hit his bike, bounced off and got him in the thigh. It didn't impale him and didn't even put a hole in his pants but left a six inch long gash that was 4-6 inches deep. It missed a main artery...thank you Lord...but still made a nasty wound. The kind everyone that works in the ER had to come see and I still don't think they believed the pants had no hole.

There were several failures in this scenario. He got up and left me still asleep without leaving a note where he was going. He took his phone but didn't call me when he realized how badly he was hurt and rode the fifty to twenty miles out. He was in the mountains and since he rides hundreds of miles of trails, we would have never found him. 

He walked in the door while I was fixing lunch and told me he hated to ruin my day but we had to go to the ER and not the local one but on to the city. Coming from a man that has been to the doc a handful of times since I've known him, I knew it was serious. There wasn't a lot of blood but he refused to let me see it. In short order we had a house full of family including my sis who is an RN...he let her see and she's still talking about how lucky we were.. she immediately asked for bandaging materials and I had them, but as it turned out, just enough to get us to the hospital. It took a lot. It has to be bandaged for at least ten days but I'm thinking longer because even though the cut is healing nicely, the layer of skin it removed all around the cut is still like a burn...not infected but still very sensitive.

Bottom line, I had plenty of meds but the bandages weren't even close. I've already started buying extra ace bandages, gauze, non stick telfa pads, tape, etc. I realize in a SHTF kind of situation we could make bandages but in an emergency when you need something sterile and need it quick, you don't have time to disinfect. A large wound will use up a lot of what you have on hand. FWIW the ER couldn't believe how well it was bandaged when we got there so I have sis to thank for that and the supplies I did have on hand.

I didn't panic but my mind went kind of blank. We were thinking he would be admitted so we had to quickly gather things you might need for a few days away from home...things you don't normally keep in a BOB. I use to keep an overnight bag and a change of clothes ready when my mother was alive because we sometimes had to head to the hospital in the middle of the night..I'll be resuming this practice. He couldn't have caught me at a worse time. I'd spent the morning doing some heavy house cleaning, was sweaty and dirty and looking forward to a shower as soon as I got lunch fixed. He's still in trouble for not calling me. Yes I would have worried but I could have had everything ready including me and we could have hit the road immediately. Not to mention he could have given me his location in case he got in trouble on the way. Yep I had me a fit and I'm not through yet but he's still in healing mode so I'll give him a little while before I address this issue again...anybody want to buy a good used dirt bike?


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

One easy way to make sure you have first aid supplies is to make a first aid KIT, rather than just storing them in the house.

I use a LARGE fishing tackle box. That way, everything is always together, and you can take it with you to the accident without running all over the house gathering what you need.

It's also easy to look and see what needs to be restocked


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## ChristyACB (Apr 10, 2008)

Bearfootfarm said:


> One easy way to make sure you have first aid supplies is to make a first aid KIT, rather than just storing them in the house.
> 
> I use a LARGE fishing tackle box. That way, everything is always together, and you can take it with you to the accident without running all over the house gathering what you need.
> 
> It's also easy to look and see what needs to be restocked


Ditto!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

MAxi pads for big wounds....


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I'm glad your DH was ok, that sounded scary! I'm sure you imagined the worst, if he had hit an artery out in the woods!

We had our own little test of the first aid supplies a few weeks ago when my son cut three of his fingers deeply with his pocket knife. He came home from the walk-in clinic stitched up, with gauze and tape. I had plenty to change the dressings the next few days, but by the time we were using multiple bandaids to cover the stitches I realized we were running low. We don't use that many bandaids, but when we do have an injury that calls for them, we need a box full over several days.

I made a quick trip to Walmart and got about 10 boxes of fabric bandaids. We like them a lot better than the plastic ones. I got mostly larger sized because they can be cut down, but a box of small ones is mainly useless.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I read a study that was done comparing the use of feminine napkins (individually wrapped, unscented) to sterile dressings and they were comparable. So get several large packs of pads and put in your kit.


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## cowboy joe (Sep 14, 2003)

Glad DH is OK. I put money aside every year into a healthcare savings account. This is a use it or lose it proposition (no refunds or carry over into the next year) so by late November, I see what's left and use the money to buy first aid supplies. Works out well as long as I hide them from DDs as they'll go through a box of band aides in a day for a papercut.


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## StephanieH (Mar 4, 2009)

A couple of years ago my husband was bit by a brown recluse and since then I have kept a ton of gauze and bandages on hand. It was unreal how much we went thru at that time.


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## Zipporah (Jul 30, 2006)

Glad he's ok.



> MAxi pads for big wounds...


. ditto.Buy some cheap old style ones that don't have the "wings".


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

I'm so glad it worked out. I do agree after he's healed some more you may have to seriously :bash: to get a little better sense into him.

I know those types of things are even scarier when you remember them, than when you are living through them.

Angie


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

He's going to have a cool scar  

I ride too(but never alone). I carry a few maxi pads in my camelback, along with a few bandanas, duct tape, WATER ONLY in the bladder, antibacterial stuff, an ace bandage, large gauze pads. Bandaids are useless in what you can get yourself into out there. Ace bandages are not very usable though, they don't stay well when you're riding/active--make sure it has safety pins, not those stupid metal clips. Duct tape is da bomb. Or masking tape, it's not as sticky.

Basically you need to wash out the wound the best you can (the water), cover it so no more dirt can get in there, or stabilize the break(duct tape and a stick), or stop the bleeding, etc. I also have a spoon which makes a great wrist splint. You can get away with a quick and "dirty" bandage job until you can get to help. Blood will be cleansing the wound too. In the first response you don't need to be anal about sterile, clean socks and t-shirts or sheets will work--you need to stablize the person, address bleeding and clean out what you can, then address pain and transport. Then the next step is what the hospital would do--a more thorough cleaning and sterile bandaging.

Don't sell his bike. His kind needs the bike to stay sane. Hopefully you can impress on him to tell you where he's going and to call ahead next time  or better yet YOU get a bike too and tag along 

So how did he wrap up his leg to ride out? did he have stuff with him or improvise? I want to know!! He must be a tough guy, not a lot of people could get themselves out again like that. THat is going to be a hard row to hoe as that heals, it will need to heal from the inside out.

I know guys who put maxi pads in their helmets for a sweatband. But you wouldn't want to repurpose those as a bandage (ewww).

***
And by the way smoking just makes everything worse, extends healing time because you have suffocated blood. Stop it now!


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Zipporah said:


> Glad he's ok.
> Buy some cheap old style ones that don't have the "wings".


Yes, the cheaper the better! All those extra absorbent covers and extremely thin pads don't work. The old fashioned Kotex maxi pad our mothers used are excellent for soaking up blood. I had some for years that I got in the hospital (when our last was born) that were a foot long and three inches thick. Yikes - I could have saved a life with them!


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## no hurry (Mar 16, 2008)

Does anyone know if female incontinence pads would work like the maxi pads? I keep the incontinence pads for my dog's diaper (he has spells where he marks *everything* the old coot!


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## Colorado (Aug 19, 2005)

My mother was one that would not keep first aid supplies and such around. She would save an old wore out pillow case to make bandages. Dad nipped a finger tip in the planner I was one had to do it up. Just on the tip and little of the nail but he had to be done up. I tore up a pillow case that was old and we were still using clean in the drawer and Vasoline was all there was. I wrapped it up as he said to. Teen ager. I must of did a neat job as my brother that evening thought dad had been to the doctor for it. My dad gave him a look and told him I did it up. No tape of any kind. I had to tie it on. No finger guards. I do have them in my stuff. I still use old pillow cases for bandages. I wash and tear in strips and iron and into zip sandwich bags and then those in to a gallon zip to put on the shelf. After reading the thread I went to check how many I had and gallon full. I am alone and if I needed a bandage maybe I could not tear one so I tear and they are clean. Then have a couple extra old pillow case clean and bagged. The other day I split an end of a case and it will get wash and bagged too. Still an all not that much but there is guaze and tape and such in the first aid stuff. What I have would not last a very long time that is for sure. I use bandaids mostly. So have boxes of them. I probably need to buy a couple more boxes of bandaids. And then I added a pair of crutches to the first aid stuff. When I needed that week end I did not have any or a knee support, Several now .


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I know if you wet any kind of cloth and microwave it for a minute or two, it's sterile and safe to use as dressing. Same as ironing it - in the old days they used to iron bandages but they didn't realize they were sterilizing them. Not "hospital" sterile but good enough for field dressings.


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

Glad he was able to get himself home. I'm wondering what he did to control the bleeding until he got home. Did he have a bandanna or something tied around it? 

Thanks for the reminder to stock up on medical supplies. I picked up a few "binders" that are made to fit a wrist, ankle, and knee from a dollar store a few weeks ago. They are cheap ones, only $1 each on sale, but better then nothing. I also got a few boxes of ace wrap, and a couple packages of "vet wrap". The vet wrap is like ace wrap, but it sticks to itself and nothing else, good for making a temp cast or holding any type of bandage in place.


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## Wildwood (Jul 2, 2007)

Boy I'm glad I posted this...there's some wonderful tips in this thread.

I would have never thought of ironing to sterilize and I like the idea of turning old sheets and pillow cases into bandages and having them ready just in case.

Mom-of-Four this made me laugh..._I had some for years that I got in the hospital (when our last was born) that were a foot long and three inches thick. Yikes - I could have saved a life with them! _

wyld thang I promise not to sell his dirt bike. He's hard core and would get rid of me first. We are in our fifties and I've been there and done that. He's too good for me, there's no way I could keep up with him so I won't be getting another one for myself. However I will be impressing a few things on the old coot allright LOL. Honestly I've put up with this so many years and he's been pretty blessed. At some point I got over the gut wrenching worry...you can only worry so much in one life time. Thankfully neither of us smoke so he should heal up nicely. I will be putting together something along the lines of your kit for him and hope he'll find room for it.

As for how he stopped the bleeding...believe it or not it bled very little considering how bad it was and the wound was extremely clean since the tree did not poke through the pants. As a matter of fact he didn't realize how bad he was hurt...said it felt like someone punched him with their fist but he did see a small spot of blood on his pants and thought it was an abrasion. As the spot got bigger he got worried and stopped to drop his pants and take a look and about passed out when he saw how bad it was. He did ride with one hand and keep pressure applied to it with the other. Honestly when I saw the amount of blood on his pants, I couldn't believe he was hurt as badly as he was. Had it gotten the artery, it would have been a different story. On the other hand when he stood up you could see the muscles flexing and the sinew. It was very deep but instead of being cut, it's like the impact just split the skin, fat and muscle but missed the blood vessels. At the hospital they were amazed that he could walk and was in very little pain. My sister the RN keeps having moments of panic over how bad it could have been and she is one cool customer. Since we work together she keeps sharing these moments with me but I'm trying real hard not to think about it.


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## halfpint (Jan 24, 2005)

The biggest hole I see in this issue is not the lack of first aid supplies, but that he went out riding alone. The husband of a friend of ours went out riding about 15 years ago and didn't come back when he was supposed to so his wife got some friends and went out looking for him. One of the friends found him the next morning about 12 hours after his accident, and he was just barely alive, and unfortunately died on the way to the hospital. His wife was told that if he had been found quickly he probably would have lived, as he basically bled to death. Many of the places people ride around here don't have good cell signals, so having a cell phone is no good if there is no signal or you're injured in a manner that you cannot use it.

I'm glad that he is going to be fine and was not injured worse.

Dawn


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

thanks for sharing the gory details, the way it sounds, maybe it won't take so long to heal as it seems(I imagined cut muscles? they sound more separated?)

my stuff fits in my camelback(it's a walmart knockoff actually) with lots of room to spare. If I were to go somewhere really remote I would throw in the Tylenol with codeine. The water only thing I have used a lot with road rash, washing stuff out. I also carry water purification tabs, matches, a SHARP knife, a flashlite, ha a MAP, and a Sharpie incase I need to write on someone their name or some sort of info about the injury if I had to leave and get help. 

The other night Bear Grylls peed on himself where bugs/chigger thingys had stung him, he said the ammonia in the urine neutralized the venom, and urine is relatively sterile too.

My hub has gotten a broken shoulder, collapsed lung(from a cracked rib), a dislocated thumb which he popped back, a hematoma that I got to clean up the spectacular blood fountain telling the kids "no daddy's not going to die..." from riding. I've broken a wrist out on the trail which I fixed up. 

Your hubby was probably doped up on adrenalin. I know my hub says with his stuff, me with my wrist(it only started hurting about 30 minutes later, though I could tell something was wrong), and stories of my riding friends all say that usually there is no pain right off(including one guy who broke his femur and the bone broke through the skin and he rode out a few miles to the helicopter on one leg...) because of the adrenalin. Course you already have the adrenalin mainlining because you are riding

Hope all goes well with healing up! A great story for the grandkids!

PS, the collapsed lung or a busted spleen are really dangerous. A cracked/lacerated spleen is not so obvious, and some people bleeed to death internally because it's overlooked. With a collapsed lung the heart can squoosh into the empty lung cavity and get pinched--heart attack on a stick. Off the top of my head you need to lay the person on their side so the collapsed lung is on the top(gravity keeps the heart where it should be).


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

I wanted to add this about the sharpie pen, it's handy to write on anything, you can outline an injury(if you had to go for help, the person may lose consciousness or might not be able to tell the rescuer what is wrong), write a person's name on them (makes it easier to ID you if you die lost and it takes awhile to find your bones, sounds weird but you could write a note to your family too...), you can write down directions to follow. When things get scary it helps to have something to write things down, and you can write on a shirt, an arm, a piece of bark. You can write down trail numbers and backtrack. 

I have used the Sharpie to write down a string of trail numbers on a piece of duct tape and stuck it to my bike for a roll chart. Haven't used it to write a farewell note tho, but would be glad to have it!


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## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

Thanks for sharing, hope dh really, realy thinks about this. Good ideas here.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

So glad everything turned out alright.

Thanks for this - Our 1st aid stuff is strewn across boxes and shelves. I bought six queen-sized cotton sheets rather than bandages - we will tear them to the sizes we need- I guess I need to find them. Maxi pads - maybe that is why we had that case of them that I gave away? Oops. There is so much to learn and do!


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## salmonslayer (Jan 4, 2009)

A suggestion to stock for serious wounds with massive bleeding are Isreali bandages, Celox or QuickClot. I've seen them used on massive traumatic injuries including penetration wounds and amputations when I was in Iraq and they really work. These arent cheap but you dont need to stock a whole room with them and they are amazingly effective. 

Another thing to consider is the ability to give IVs which can help replace blood volume, treat for shock, and is critical for treating heat casualties. If your a farmer, or you live in remote areas, you really need the ability to quickly replace fluids and giving an IV isnt hard. It can be sometimes difficult to buy saline IV bags and needles depending where you are but you can get them on the Internet


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I did buy one package of QuickClot the last time I was at Gander Mountain/Bass Pro Shops. It was $10 for the small size, but that was all I could afford at the time. It's in my little first aid kit in the bathroom, just in case.


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## Wildwood (Jul 2, 2007)

halfpint said:


> The biggest hole I see in this issue is not the lack of first aid supplies, but that he went out riding alone. The husband of a friend of ours went out riding about 15 years ago and didn't come back when he was supposed to so his wife got some friends and went out looking for him. One of the friends found him the next morning about 12 hours after his accident, and he was just barely alive, and unfortunately died on the way to the hospital. His wife was told that if he had been found quickly he probably would have lived, as he basically bled to death. Many of the places people ride around here don't have good cell signals, so having a cell phone is no good if there is no signal or you're injured in a manner that you cannot use it.
> 
> I'm glad that he is going to be fine and was not injured worse.
> 
> Dawn


I agree completely and I hope he's gotten a good scare from this. Thanks for sharing the story...I'll be passing it along to him. Yes he's a good rider and yes he's careful but good riding didn't prevent the tree being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I'll be looking for a source for QuickClot and IV supplies.

Thanks everyone for all the great tips! I've learned a lot.

_Edited to add...I appreciate everyone's kind thoughts too._


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## Colorado (Aug 19, 2005)

Quick clot sounds like a good one to have. I am a bleeder. I did get some flex wrap. Farm store is higher than medicals at Walmart .I should put a pair shears in the stuff too. Better than hunting a pair. 

Will a sharpie write when real cold? Ball point I found would not and signed my license with a bullet. I carry short pencil. 

I do not think I could jab a needle in. I bought butterflies just in case and hope to never use. 

My nephew has case they have first aid stuff. They haul around. Small suit case. I have metal first aid kit I haul got the case for 25 or 50 cents and was nice and clean and empty at yard sale. Had been boy scouts. Has the rubber seal to keep out the dust but does not hold much. When I started stocking it was all I could do to have it with stuff. I could not afford to have two kit stocked. 

One time here years back I asked the thrift shop if they had sheets. No, if they had any they went to the hospital for them to use. They were white then. Now they have colored to sell. WWII they rolled bandages and what were they rolling? Sheets. Wide bandage (sheets)can always be made narrow. So I added safety pins. Things now have velcro on them.


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

Wildwood said:


> Yes he's a good rider and yes he's careful but good riding didn't prevent the tree being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
> 
> .[/I]


He needs to quit lookig at his fender. My friends suggest taping a photo of Rosie O'Donnell in the buff on the fender to cure that. You tell him that from me 

glad he lives to ride another day :goodjob:


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## Wildwood (Jul 2, 2007)

wyld thang said:


> He needs to quit lookig at his fender. My friends suggest taping a photo of Rosie O'Donnell in the buff on the fender to cure that. You tell him that from me
> 
> glad he lives to ride another day :goodjob:


LOL...thanks, I'll do it.


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## ihedrick (May 15, 2005)

Would the powder you use to stop animal bleeding work on a person? I forget hte name of it, but its used when you dock tails and such. May be cheaper and more easily accessable.


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## Hobbes (Apr 1, 2008)

well I checked my stock of gauze last night... good thing I didn't have any bloody/major injuries lately. I had enough for about two or three changings, but that was about it. Definitely put on the top of my med-to-buy list!


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## Hobbes (Apr 1, 2008)

I got plenty of cayenne in my first aid closet - hope I don't have to use it. I need to dry some more yarrow... I've heard that the large tea bags are good for bleeding too. One of my uncles who is on blood thinner was told by his doctor to always have some handy in case he gets a cut.


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## Wildwood (Jul 2, 2007)

Hobbes what is the cayenne for? I'm guessing pain or stopping bleeding.

My mother almost bled to death when she was a child from a cut on her forehead. They lived back in the mountains where you have to pipe in sunshine so there was no getting help in time and my grandmother said it would not quit bleeding no matter what and she had plenty of old home remedies. They had a neighbor everyone considered a little crazy and she grabbed my mother and filled the wound full of black pepper. It stopped the bleeding but my grandfather had a fit...said it would cause a discolored scar and washed it out. The bleeding started back and he was forced to reapply the black pepper. She had a scar but no discoloration.

My other grandmother had a similar situation when she was a young wife home alone with a baby and no close neighbors. A little spot on her face started bleeding for no apparent reason and nothing would make it stop. Eventually she got it stopped with flour but she said it was scary and strange at the same time. One of those things that didn't worry you at first because it was such a little spot but it just kept bleeding. It must run in the family because I had the same thing happen and it was a little blood vessel on the edge of my lip. I was home alone with babies too but mine was a little easier to get stopped.

wyld thang I gave DH your message and he just grinned. I also read him all your suggestions for a first aid kit...thanks for that. I also read him halfpint's post and hope he takes it all to heart.

Edited to add...wyld thang DH wants to know what kind of bike you ride .


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

Hi Wildwood, I have a Yamaha wr250f (2007) it's "my other lover" (can I say that? ) It's got a yz pipe and mods done to it to have yz-type power.

I remember from the first Foxfire book(I think) that spider webs are supposed to stop bleeding. It's kinda freaky to read about how people would heal burns and injuries etc, certain people had a gift for it, and supposedly some could even do it without being there. That whole Foxfire thing was genius! getting kids and old folks together to preserve history as a way to educate, brilliant!


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

One thing I didn't see mentioned was the possibility of him taking some sort of communication device - though I know it can be hard to find anything useful in the mountains - and a GPS. If he can communicate and has a GPS, he might be able to let someone know where he is. I know that's a bit iffy in many situations, but something to consider if it will work for you. 

My husband has started to take some long conditioning walks in the hills around here, but he tells me where he is going and I have a good idea of the route in case he doesn't come back in a reasonable time. He's diabetic, so I'm a bit more careful than I might be otherwise. He takes a walkie talkie, but the hills rather block it part of the time.


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## Wildwood (Jul 2, 2007)

GrannyCarol said:


> One thing I didn't see mentioned was the possibility of him taking some sort of communication device - though I know it can be hard to find anything useful in the mountains - and a GPS. If he can communicate and has a GPS, he might be able to let someone know where he is. I know that's a bit iffy in many situations, but something to consider if it will work for you.
> 
> My husband has started to take some long conditioning walks in the hills around here, but he tells me where he is going and I have a good idea of the route in case he doesn't come back in a reasonable time. He's diabetic, so I'm a bit more careful than I might be otherwise. He takes a walkie talkie, but the hills rather block it part of the time.


We are considering something along those lines. DH knows quite a bit about that sort of thing so I guess we'll be setting aside some funds for that. It'll be useful for our son who is an avid hunter too.


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

Actually those little radios can reach a long ways if you can get a good line of sight (and you pre determine which channel to be on). I have a pair which the range is supposed to be like a mile on the flat, and is more like 100 yards if that in tight hills, but I have a spot on top of the ridge here at home where I can listen to people and truckers out on I-5, at least 30 miles away with a clear sight line. Cell phones generally dont' work at my house, but I do think Verizon does(cell towers in the right spot I guess).

There was a story a few years ago of a climber stranded on Mount Hood, he was calling out on his little radio and a little boy 50 miles away heard him and called 911 and the climber was rescued. Line of sight! Also radio waves sometimes do weird things bouncing and ricocheting, plus wind and clouds, you just never know.

Anyways, those little radios are more powerful than they let on, and carry extra set of fresh batteries too!


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

This looked like a good new thread for our new friends to give a look through.


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## starwalker (Oct 7, 2005)

You never know what will happen. Our resident Zombie was helping my son cut down some saplings to clear the property for our horses. My son had given him instructions many times before on how to properly use the axe while splitting firewood. Low and behold the idiot planted the axe into his calf, cutting his calf muscle through. He was RUNNING to the house. I yelled at him do not run you moron. Stop and drop. (he pumped blood to the wound by running) Of course it wasn't bleeding much UNTIL he ran causing his heart to pump harder. 

He should have stopped, dropped and called my son to him to get help. Tony was close by but he didn't say anything to him. It wouldn't have been such a bloody mess. I had the supplies and wrapped it. After 9 hours at the er he came home with near to 30 staples.

Then after the first week off his leg I told him to get his butt up and use that leg some so it wouldn't draw up the muscle. I had to literally make him walk. It aggravated me to no end he'd hop after it was closed and healed. 

I know I sound bad but you just don't know this boy.


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## Junkman (Dec 17, 2005)

Cyngbaeld said:


> I read a study that was done comparing the use of feminine napkins (individually wrapped, unscented) to sterile dressings and they were comparable. So get several large packs of pads and put in your kit.


What brand did you get? All I could find had fragrance on them?
Junklady


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## sand flea (Sep 1, 2013)

Seriously? Buy what you think you'll use first. Then, double it. I guarantee you'll want more than that, but homemade bandages would serve as a back up... or perhaps you'll be able to run to the store for more. 

I use two smaller, clear, waterproof totes for first aid supplies. The larger one is set up just for wounds, sprains, etc. The smaller one has the typical OTC first aid/remedies. I got clear cases because someone other than me might be needed to do the doctoring and they could quickly find what they needed.


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## sweetbabyjane (Oct 21, 2002)

I hope your husband remembers where the tree was so it can be removed before someone else gets hurt.

Glad he is going to be ok,
SBJ


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Lots of people keep medical supplies around.. The problem is, they only keep enough for the emergency... They almost never keep enough around to take care of a serious wound for a few weeks... 

I've been stocking up for a long time just because of this... When something happens, you usually don't need a whole lot of supplies, but it's after it's taken care of that you have to be prepared for the long term care..


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

I keep in my car a "trauma" kind of first aid kit after coming upon a young man who had been stabbed and slashed in the neck (seriously, it looked like someone tried to behead him). I only had a roll of paper towels in my van and used that but even the grocery store that we were at (it was midnight and I was picking up my daughter) had nothing but 2x2 gauze. I asked for sanitary napkins and used that over the paper towels to absorb all of the blood. SOOOO, now I have a small red bag in the door of my van with 4x4s, 2 abdominal pads, large sponges and non-latex gloves. I can grab that quickly if I come on an accident and I have the rest of the supplies in the house as well. 

One day I was at the barn ready to go riding and was actually on the mounting block with a foot in the stirrup when my phone rang. It was my husband. "I have a medical emergency. I need you to come get me." He was on the boat and hit his toe as he was running to grab the mooring and degloved his baby toe. So here I am on our sailboat with my muddy and poopy riding boots and covered in horse hair - dressing his toe with the bone sticking out. The doctors at the hospital said that it should have been me in there! LOL But it was the same kind of thing - he stayed overnight, we had NOTHING for the overnight (we were close enough to run home and grab some things then go back). You just never know!

Oh and one more GREAT thing, IMO. I was looking up RoadID for running because a friend of mine died on the street near my house when he went out running and blew a valve (heart defect they didn't know about) and he had no ID on him so it was hours before the family knew about it. Well, RoadID now has an app for the iPhone (it's still in testing so I'm not sure when it will be on android too) that is great for times that you will be out away from home on an "adventure" kind of thing. You set it up so it sends an e-mail or text to certain contacts telling them "I'm going ______ and will be gone for ______." It then has a setting where if you are stationary for more than 5 minutes, it will send a text to that contact saying that you haven't moved in 5 minutes (but it gives you warning beeps that it will be sending this so you can stop it if you stopped for a rest or to talk to someone). But the best thing is that it can give that contact a "bread crumb" link where it's similar to "find my phone" where they click on the link and it shows where you are. I actually used this for driving home from my brother's house 6 hours away because my husband kept texting me on the way down asking where I was and how I was doing on time and it was annoying. He was able to know exactly where I was and he even gave me a heads-up on traffic as I was getting near the areas where there was traffic! But it would be GREAT for someone going out on a hike, a bike like this, a trail ride or something similar. It will give your "home" contact person enough information to help you should you ever become injured or lost.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

I've seen some warnings against using quick clot type products. I'd do some checking with medical personnel before buying that.


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## BlueRose (Mar 7, 2013)

Thank you for bringing this thread bck Angie learning more everyday. Thanks


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## longshot38 (Dec 19, 2006)

Cyngbaeld said:


> I read a study that was done comparing the use of feminine napkins (individually wrapped, unscented) to sterile dressings and they were comparable. So get several large packs of pads and put in your kit.


yep they are recommended by the instructor at the standard first aid course that i did last fall, as well as, by the instructors in the Med Response course i did years ago. after all they are designed to absorb blood and liquids and hold them.

dean


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

Tampons. Yup! You got it. Unsented cheap tampons for puncture wounds. Weither it be gun shot or stab wound. It will help coagulate the blood. Also for a major gash. Dollar general has ceap packs of non scented pads and tampons. THeir first aid supplies are reasonable. To make a pad stop sticking add a light layer petroleum jelly to the pad.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

I don't know that I would ever put a tampon in a wound unless it was a dire circumstance. A pressure bandage would be the better (and safer) choice, IMO.


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

The tampon is only ment for life or death. Abdominal, sucking chest wounds, gaping hole in thigh. The fun stuff.


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## BigM (Mar 22, 2008)

I'm glad it turned out ok. Sounds like a close one!

I have to ask, what brand are the pants??


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## Freya (Dec 3, 2005)

Ooh this thread is 5 years old and I had forgotten about it! Thanks for the bump up!

Maybe the OP will come back and update? :clap:


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## Wildwood (Jul 2, 2007)

Oh my goodness that was quite the ordeal! I did eventually forgive DH . 

It was a lesson learned for him and a real wake up call. He became much more cautious after that injury and realized just how blessed he was that things turned out like they did. On the rare occasion he does go out alone, he makes sure to communicate and never has gone that far alone again. I really do believe it took away some of his joy for riding. His bike has been broke down for several months and he still hasn't gotten it fixed even though I've encouraged him to. A few years ago he started a small log furniture business and I think a lot of his energy goes toward it and he spends his extra money on new tools instead of bike upkeep. Also we have a three year old grandson that thinks papa hung the moon...that may be the main reason he's much more cautious.

He does have a huge ugly scar to remind him of that day.


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## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

If he's out in the great nowhere a lot you might want to check into spending a few bucks (couple of hundred) and get him a personal Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, aka EPIRB.

Its a satellite so it will work anywhere in the world so you don't have to worry if you might or might not have cell phone service if there is a major need for help.


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## stickinthemud (Sep 10, 2003)

no hurry said:


> Does anyone know if female incontinence pads would work like the maxi pads? I keep the incontinence pads for my dog's diaper (he has spells where he marks *everything* the old coot!


Did anyone answer--are incontinence pads good for first aid too? They don't seem to be as well wrapped as regular pads.


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## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

stickinthemud said:


> Did anyone answer--are incontinence pads good for first aid too? They don't seem to be as well wrapped as regular pads.


They'd work, as well as disposable diapers. The main use is to catch the blood from a wound while keeping it covered.


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