What about medical supplies?

I see a lot of information about gardening, food storage, water and weapons, but not much about being prepared for medical emergencies.

What would be needed in sitx, including any medical books that would be useful.

Medical topics have been discussed in various threads here on this forum.

There are at least four of us that I can think of that have medical experience in various forms.

Medical supplies are going to be a bit of a grey issue in so much as getting hold of any non-over-the-counter equipment/drugs and I wouldnt advise it unless you knew what they were for anyway.

There are various books around that give information on various medical conditions, injuries and techniques. Again, you are getting into the realms of expertise of professionals that are taught these techniques and knowledge. A little knowledge is often a dangerous issue.

I would suggest getting onto a First Responder/First Aid course at the very least or change your career to EMT/Paramedic, Nurse or Doctor.

reply to post by Wotan


Good comment, I cannot say seeing any threads on this recently though. As just have returned from National Youth Leader Training Staff. I also just spent a month as another camp staff for K-4 kids.

My experience as have been trained in life guarding, basic EMT training, and First Responder/CPR Training. What I can say on the issue is to keep a basic medic kit very hand, but also suggest a few tips on that....

-Very common when traveling long distances, under stress, or exerting much strength, dehydration is common among less-experienced campers and hikers. Headaches, will be common in sitx, or any situation while under stress. Most people would solve this problem by taking an Ib-profin. Little known to many people, the most common cause of a headache is dehydration.

Drinking two quarts, or two full Nalgenes a day will reduce this problem.

-Also, many cuts, blisters, or other wounds would be common. I would just suggest the Red Cross standard Issue Medic pack.

-Medical books would be large to lug around, so it would be very practical to just take First Responder training. It is extremely useful to use outside of sitx and would be in stix.

Knowledge will help. Books will not.

~~Truth_seeker

reply to post by Flory


The Red Cross has a First Aid book (small) and they have one for dogs (small), both of which fit into my first aid kit and is available on their website.

For the home, I have started to stock herbal and oil remedies and some OTC meds. Also, vinegar, peroxide, alcohol and witch hazel. These can be placed into smaller containers which will allow them to be portable.

I have enhanced my "First Aid Kit" with additional bandages, wound closures, Q-tips, a couple of water pouches, as well as a few Detox pads, and Visine.

Im not going to go into specifics of my medical kit which is quite extensive. Lets just say I can set up a mini OR of I needed to. But Im trained to intubate, put in chest tubes, central lines, IV etc.

However, unless you have training your going to kill someone. So.

I would reccomend that you take basic first aid. Or even get the Boy Scout Curriculum for the First Aid Merit badge. It will give you basic understanding.

I would have a supply of:

Over the counter (OTC) pain relivers, diarreha medicine, etc.
bandaids, anitbiotic ointment etc.
Splints, water treatment etc.

Siren mentions peroxide, but it does go bad after a while. 100% alcohol makes an acceptable trade.


If you can I would get several Z Packs. Its an antibiotic called Zithromax and its fairly broad spectrum.

Edit to add: Make sure you have a supply of whater "special" medications your family will need if they have a prexisting medical condition.

[edit on 7/26/08 by FredT]

reply to post by Siren


fyi, visine is probably one of the worse things you can do t you eye under any condition. why it's still sold? If can be good for a pink eye to relieve congestion, but typically you have rebound redness and injection after using it.

MEDICAL & NURSING BOOKS

Though these are UK biased books, they do give you the basics. I am sure that there are US equivalents available. I included a Anatomy and Physiology book in the list because without it, you may as well be in the dark and leave it to someone who does know when it comes to medical/nursing procedures.


Duff, J., & Gormly, P., (2007) Pocket First Aid and Wilderness Medicine. 10th Edition. Cicerone Press.
ISBN: 978-1-85284-500-1

Hudson, S., & Knox, C. (2006) Expedition and Wilderness Medicine. 2nd Edition. Expedition Medicine Ltd.

Nicol, M. et al (2005) Essential Nursing Skills, 2nd Edition. London. Mosby.
ISBN: 0-7234-3307-0

Waugh, A. & Grant, A. (2001) Ross and Wilson Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness, 9th Edition. Edinburgh. Churchill Livingstone.
ISBN: 0-443-06468-7

At least the above list may give you some ideas on books to look for.

Basic.

Keep it basic or your heading into unknow territory unless trained and up to date with usage of said equipment.

A good first aid kit with your regular medication added, and a few over the counter remedies. Problems arising that have a need for advanced surgical interventions are going to be sadly a time to die. You cannot gain enough experience quickly enough to cover these emergencies.

Do not just read a book and think 'i can do that', because I can say the first time 'i can do that knowledge' is needed, your going to be shaking like a leaf and forget nearl 90% of what you read.

Learn the basics off by heart, and then advance a bit if possible, and keep up to date.

I wrote about this in Herbal Medicne for Sit X.

A bit of medical knowledge is great: CPR, how to diagnose infection, cut down on swelling, stay hydrated, ect. is great, as is already said here, keeping it simple is key.

If you're in the wild trying to lug around a huge medical pack, that's going to cut back on your mobility, possible your life. If you're thumbing through medical texts that aren't already in the head, you may lose valuable time and compromise your patient's health.

The key thing to realize, though, is that in Sit X the medical casuality rate is going to rise, period. Anyone who needs pills to survive is gone. Anyone who needs surgery is gone. Some of the procedures that would be life-saving in a hospital setting would be deadly after Sit X. With respect to the poster's knowledge, putting in a chest tube isn't going to do anything but buy a few weeks or days if it's put in in a non-sterile environment and causes an infection.

The theory of my other thread was that instead of stockpiling, people shoud focus on learning what things in nature are good to keep them healthy. A stockpile will invariable run dry, but nature will always be ther.e

reply to post by Dan Tanna


I remember there was an illuminating part of The Stand like that, with a guy that had appendicitis. (Dn't remember if it got into the movie, though.)

Originally posted by asmeone2
reply to post by Dan Tanna

 

I remember there was an illuminating part of The Stand like that, with a guy that had appendicitis. (Dn't remember if it got into the movie, though.)

Apendicitis is a perfect example of a possible Situation X within a Situation X.

No amount of medical books are going to make you a Surgeon or a Medic. You have to know your limitations, ie; Training, Knowledge and Experience.

I have watched and assisted in countless Surgical Operations and there is no way in hell that I could perform them. In a really serious surgical/medical emergency under Situation X, the best you can hope for is to keep the patient comfortable and pain free until you manage to find a competant medical professional or until their death.

As Dan Tanna has said - KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid.

I have a large collection of medications it turns out I was allergic too. I keep them though. The antibiotics, pain and heart medications. If sit x happened, they would be good bargaining. Also, I have potassium supplements from my doctors. Have to have potassium. I also always keep on hand benydryl, asprin, bandaids,
vitamins, asthma inhalers, iodine, gauze.

I also keep oil of oregeno for myself, as its the strongest natural antibiotic.

reply to post by Wotan


Really, I think the people who had read medical books or watched a few "Code Blues" would be more of a danger to the patients than their actual affliction.

[edit on 27-7-2008 by asmeone2]

Originally posted by asmeone2
reply to post by Wotan

 

Really, I think the people who had read medical books or watched a few "Code Blues" would be more of a danger to the patients than their actual affliction.

[edit on 27-7-2008 by asmeone2]

You are probably right. I have participated in many 'crash calls or 'Code Blues' as they are called in the US and frankly, everytime, it scares the s*** out of me.

Its because Medicine & Nursing is so specialist that I am reluctant to impart too much information to 'untrained' persons for the simple reason that it can be very dangerous. It is very easy to turn a minor problem into a major one or even a life threatening one.

My advice will always be: Learn some first aid or become a health professional.

[edit on 27/7/08 by Wotan]

reply to post by Wotan


Well, I was actually talking about the TV show Code Blue.

If should go without saying, but is especially important during Sit X, that everyone practices preventative medicine and goes out of their way to keep out of a medical emergency in the first place.

By the way, wouldn't your "Situation X within Situation X" be situation Y?

Originally posted by asmeone2
reply to post by Wotan

 

Well, I was actually talking about the TV show Code Blue.

If should go without saying, but is especially important during Sit X, that everyone practices preventative medicine and goes out of their way to keep out of a medical emergency in the first place.

By the way, wouldn't your "Situation X within Situation X" be situation Y?

We call it the 2's in the UK because the call is 2222 (within hospitals).

Of course, Prevention is better than Cure. Thats why, really you shouldnt be a Rambo or a Bear Grylls (he shows the extreme side) in a Survival Situation unless it is the absolute last choice.

Good Nutrition, Hydration, Sanitation & Hygiene practice and Disease Prevention should be top priorities to your well-being and Homeostasis. I have said this before, but make sure you are up-to-date with innoculations.

Hehe, a sit x within a sit x to me would be a sit f***

Mods please delete this, i posted in the wrong thread

[edit on 27/7/08 by Wotan]

I am a former EMT-P. I have had additional courses in a host of rescue skills: swift water rescue, rappelling, tactical, basic fire suppression, and wilderness EMT to name a few.

I would recommend a basic EMT & intermediate classes for everyone and if you plan to be out in the woods for awhile, wilderness EMT or FR. Paramedic training is invaluable even if you never work as one.

As for books, Lippincot Med/Surg nursing, Wilderness Medicine by Paul Arbauch (SP?), an SF medic handbook, an EMT text (you'll get it with the class), and clinical procedures emergency med. by Roberts.

Once you have some good training, I would put together a first rate trauma kit. You can get IV supplies, et tubes, other stuff online, even at Amazon. Learn to suture as well.

In a real SHTF scenario, you and your family are on your own. And learn to ask some test questions to see if a person claiming to be a nurse, doc, medic is legit.

Siren mentions peroxide, but it does go bad after a while. 100% alcohol makes an acceptable trade.

Thanks for the info. My First Aid kit contains the alcohol swabs, and I just listed some of the enhancements I made to the existing kit. I should have mentioned that I put the expiration dates on where applicable.

Also, forgot to mention I have included a small snake bite kit.

I found this informative and covers the basics. They have recently added a Water Safety Handbook which they did not have before.

First Aid & Emergency Preparedness Quick Reference Guide

This is the link to the Red Cross Store.

www.redcrossstore.org...




[edit on 28-7-2008 by Siren]

Just ask your boss if you can chip in as a first aider, they'll send you on a course and you'll even get a certificate, but it'll give you a start and it'll be freeeeeeeeee.