Advanced First Aid Prepping. What to store and why.

(This is a section of a short group of txt files I was asked to write for a family that had the funding but wanted to ensure they obtained the most important things first. They were insistent on storing gold and silver. After I explained the reality of the situation they have followed along very well. I encouraged them also to scour the survival and prepping sites, to work on their food storage phases, once they have gear stored and have had some practice time. The following assumes its not a bit of good to be able to defend a life, if one can't first save a life. Now they have a set phased plan that follows solid and logical reasoning to specifically get their family up to speed based on the preps they already had and to reinforce those as they went along.)


Part II: First Aid when no help is coming.

So now you have clean water to drink and cook and have limited personal hygiene.


The next question is usually what do we need beyond water?


Food? Guns? Radios? Equipment? Everyone will tell you this is out of order. I'm here to tell you they are wrong. Beyond water and the 72hr bag you should already have...... Step II is Medical Training and Medical supplies.



Reason this out. What good does having years of food, a room full of supplies or a large arsenal do anyone..... if you start a crisis with walking wounded or worse? Your own family in medical trauma?



What good are you if you use examination gloves or non sterile dressing on an open compound fracture, or partially severed limb? You probably just finished the job with bacteria when you were trying to help. Only these are not strangers. These are your own flesh and blood. Proper supplies and training comes after water.



Disclaimer: Everything you do is your responsibility. If you give medical aid above your certifications and or licenses, you may be punished by law, eventually. You can think of this as theory advice. Your on your own. And you may find you really are one day.



Warning: Everything here was carefully researched. I sought out several experts in making my own decisions. You should as well. There is so much bad medical advice on the net right now, for even simple first aid, you need to check and double check everything you find and stick to real published medical texts and stay away from forums and web sources unless they have been verified as correct. Get trained. Know the difference. Arm chair experts cost lives.



Training:

CPR training for everyone.

Basic first aid for everyone.

Advanced first aid or first responder/EMT training for as many possible.

You can do basic on the web at your own pace and pay for your certification cards. You should be able to shop price and get CPR and basic first aid for $20 or around there, to have your cert cards sent in the mail.



Supplies:

You should have an advanced first aid kit. Here is a link for a pretty basic one you can get into around $50.

www.amazon.com...=sr_1_31?ie=UTF8&qid=1306102686&sr=8-31


(I am going to use vids by patriotnurse as they are good, functional, knowledge with no technical mistakes. She needs to lay off the caffeine, but hey its not the normal endless drone like some. )

Medical kit on a $50 budget:

www.youtube.com...



Advanced First aid kits:
I personally skipped dining out and counted my pennies for a month to afford the one I have used as a basic starter bag. I add to it every month at a slow rate.



www.amazon.com...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1306102950&sr=8-3

Remember, most all of these bags come EMPTY. Regardless of the pictures unless they say fully stocked. The one I ordered is fully stocked, and designed to assist till the ambulance arrives. But then again this Note is about no help coming. Being too remote or all services tied up for extended times.


And we have two vids on An advanced kit Similar to mine above but more extensive on medications and some Items. Its critically important to pay special attention to specifics. Lots of folks google portable field hospital and click on a $400 backpack and find out later on its for trauma surgeons in the field, and wont meet real world needs, or even deal with diarrhea, and other semi deadly things. Those kits are designed for helping to get ready to transport to a hospital, not for when your on your own.

Expanded first aid kit:

www.youtube.com...

www.youtube.com...

Pay also attention to where she is saying to buy these things. 1 large cold pack at the drug store cant compete with two small ones. $6 vs $2. Also pay attention to all of the dual and multi use items.

Bonus round:

www.youtube.com...





Stop Here.

Now the items that follow are above the level of what you will ever get training for. These Items are strictly for emergencies when no help is available.

Since your over your head at this point, there are two books to buy first. Seriously if you have to do these things for loved ones and there is no help, your in over your head. You need hard reference material.

www.amazon.com...

www.amazon.com...=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

Beware. There are fake books that sound similar. These are the real two.

Couple notes.

You need several sizes of sutures, as well as steri strips. 2.0 sutures are going to leave Frankenstein scars. They might be required when you have a partially severed limb. For face and other places, a selection of 4.0 and 6.0 sutures are needed. The larger the number, the smaller the thread and curved needle. Also remember, you will not likely have any type of local pain killer. The smaller and less invasive the better.


Children are not likely to allow you to 'raw sew' them lol. This is where the steri strips come in. put them close together pulling the wound closed once it has been irrigated and cleaned. Then use a small or cut portion of sterile telfa pad over the top of the steri strips and stick it down with good old duct tape strips. (Cause kids know they have been fixed right, when the duct tape comes out)

I have one of these field surgical kits. Its a very low grade of instrument. I have added another handful of surgical instruments. Including 2 of the #3 scalpel handles. There is a reason. The kit comes with a #4 handle. A #3 handle takes #10 blades and is smaller and more to size for emergency purposes. Two handles are important. Scalpel blades dull very fast. Changing blades mid stream should be avoided. When one becomes too dull you can just pick up a new one. I also added a butane torch similar to what crack heads use and a couple spare cans of fuel. Remember the guy stuck under the rock who had to amputate his own arm? I think he may have preferred to have a torch as well as a scalpel.

This was my starter before adding additional instruments:

www.amazon.com...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1306106391&sr=8-3

Toss out the penlight. Its dead. When you have studied what you may need your kit should have the same amount of handles down both sides instead of just one. You have to walk that path on your own. #3 handles are a must. None of these kits come with blades. 100 #10 blades are about 12 dollars. (which is cheap if you do hobby things too lol)

Do not confuse a field surgery kit with a dissection kit. They are completely different. Opposites you might say.


Here are the advanced items the nurse recommends.

www.youtube.com...

I also keep the adult ambu-bag. I dont have the LMA. I do have a standard airway set. Olsen forceps are the bomb.

If you have to give CPR on your own, the ambu bag will allow breaths far beyond where you become dizzy. You have one mouth and two hands. We know now that stopping breathing and compressions before the 25 minute mark is a mistake in some cases. We used to feel 10 minutes was the end of the line but with more people doing CPR each year we know that some people come back very late on, and recover fully. If its your loved one how long do you want to try?

I don't keep anything for infants. Just cant afford the extra things and all of the girls I know are not going that direction, if you get my meaning.

Quick clot!!!!

Every fool on the internet will tell you to get this first. Reality is if you cant properly flush and clean a wound, clotting it full of foreign matter is not really the best idea.

But it serves a purpose, and at the tail end you should add an agent to your kit once everything else is covered. But I know first hand that if you think you wont scream when you put quick clot on an open wound your a fool. It hurts bad! So does the other one. I think its sports clot or some other name.

The only clotting agent you should buy is Celox in 2 gram packets. Doesnt hurt a bit and it is the only clotting agent that works for people on blood thinners. Coumaden, hearipin, etc.


Celox in small packets it the only good choice to stop excessive bleeding. They come in 10 of the two gram packets. You can open one at a time as needed. Once you open the big packets you have to throw the rest away.



In closing, there isnt much point in doing anything in the way of food, supplies or arms preparations, unless you can help save a life. Or save your own. Will I be performing an emergency appendectomy? Not a chance. If I can find a doctor and supply the things needed for the surgery....well I would find the doctor. He likely doesn't have his own things these days. I understand I may have to remove things hanging by a flap of skin, or other assisting in order to dress a wound. That's the real world. But I would search for a real doc in every case, or the closest thing to it.

Hope this took a lot of the leg work away for you. I know this summer when I start spending time up at the claim, I wont worry so much about being remote, and alone, like I used to. Been thinking of a remote emergency beacon though.....

Well done, thanks for your effort putting all this together.

Natural items (can be grown)
-----------------------------------------

Tea tree, natural antiseptic, (soap, hair, skin, mouthwash)
Comfrey, healing herb, bone repair and wound repair (mouth wash to help teeth enamel repair)
Milk Thistle, liver detox (helps liver repair damage)
Sea Kelp, iodine (thyroid)

if you can find one try to find a first responder course.

learn about chem bio and nuclear etc.

theres a right way and wrong way to put on a gaskmask and suit.

and then learn proper first aid in those scenarioes as well.


i think that that one if one the things most people overlook

knowledge is power and to have it is just another tool in your arsenal and food prep

It would be great so have more members participate in the survival show, chat or skype in and we can cover many of the same topics and issues being brought up here.

My big thing for medical kits, is tourniquets and tri angle bandages, those will save a life until can get the wounded to a doctor. If the wound is an arterial based, the above items will save them until can get surgery, but not always...

Hemcon is better than quikclot, but use what ever you can get. Any thing that works should be used, even make shift coagulants like powdered sugar will work, but still have to apply a pressure dressing. There is always cauterize...




In any case, the best medical first aid reference to date is the combat life savers course, the civilian cpr and first aid was rewritten due the the techniques we use in the military.

pdf linked below;

COMBAT LIFESAVER COURSE: STUDENT SELF-STUDY

I actually met these folks up at Rock Rabbit Lakes in the Cascades. Couple in their early 40s with 4 kids. youngest looked 8 or 10. They were out of water and had been circling lost for a while. Had my pocket dog with me, so I didn't look too over intimidating. Absolute rookies, baking in the 100 degree sun. had watched them open and shake water bottles getting the last drops out. Took em up on the hill and filtered everyone some spring water that was cold out of the rocks. Then walked them out to their car. Traded emails and just this winter I got an email asking a ton of questions so we had a sunday dinner and I have been writing these short planning lessons and getting them up to speed after looking over the small closet they were starting on their own. Nice folks really.

Originally posted by zookey
Natural items (can be grown)
-----------------------------------------

Tea tree, natural antiseptic, (soap, hair, skin, mouthwash)
Comfrey, healing herb, bone repair and wound repair (mouth wash to help teeth enamel repair)
Milk Thistle, liver detox (helps liver repair damage)
Sea Kelp, iodine (thyroid)

edit on 3-6-2011 by zookey because: (no reason given)

These folks are really green. I think there will be that session coming soon.

I have seen milk thistle pull someone back from the edge before. All good choices you have there.

Originally posted by neo96
if you can find one try to find a first responder course.

learn about chem bio and nuclear etc.

theres a right way and wrong way to put on a gaskmask and suit.

and then learn proper first aid in those scenarioes as well.


i think that that one if one the things most people overlook

knowledge is power and to have it is just another tool in your arsenal and food prep

I have the adults convinced to follow through with the first responder course. Gas masks and suits are coming but they have almost nothing and they need to learn everything, so its small bites. I have done many 18 min sessions with scba and ziplock suits. the pounds just sweat right off of ya lol.

I agree practicing the same things again under poor conditions is worth doing just to see how hard it really gets.

Tampons are great for gunshots or so we were told when I was in the raf

Originally posted by ADVISOR
It would be great so have more members participate in the survival show, chat or skype in and we can cover many of the same topics and issues being brought up here.

My big thing for medical kits, is tourniquets and tri angle bandages, those will save a life until can get the wounded to a doctor. If the wound is an arterial based, the above items will save them until can get surgery, but not always...

Hemcon is better than quikclot, but use what ever you can get. Any thing that works should be used, even make shift coagulants like powdered sugar will work, but still have to apply a pressure dressing. There is always cauterize...

In any case, the best medical first aid reference to date is the combat life savers course, the civilian cpr and first aid was rewritten due the the techniques we use in the military.

pdf linked below;

COMBAT LIFESAVER COURSE: STUDENT SELF-STUDY

Excellent reference! The first responder bag comes with a Grafkette tourny, but I have a good adjustable on my own shopping list as well a a coil of heavy tubing. These folks have the $ but no sense, so its easier for them to collect the right things much faster than I can.

Dried foods; beans, peas, rice, etc= carbs and protein.
Even ramen noodles, cheap and lasting, can mix and match with the dried food for cooking.

This site has a great list: 11 Emergency Food Items That Can Last a Lifetime

reply to post by Shadowalker


rom all the western movies (but seriously) the multi-purpose whiskey, as much as you can.

and this is handy too: Tree of Heaven, ailanthus altissima...

reply to post by Shadowalker


Does there come a point at which you just have to say "I can't help this person"? Even if it is a member of your family, unless you've gone to medical school even with the tools, there are just some things the average Joe couldn't even attempt to do. I'm thinking along the lines of appendix, c-section or some other type of "surgery" needed to save a life. What about having cyanide tablets for those, or other scenarios? Is that just to morbid to discuss?
Also, is it possible to obtain antibiotics to have on hand and if you can, do you have to be a Dr. to be able to discern which ones to use for certain infections? Do they have any kind of shelf life at all? It's one thing to talk about tee tree oil to prevent infections in mild to moderate wounds, but in the event of bones sticking out of the flesh, etc. seems to me rubber gloves and tee tree just won't cut it.

reply to post by lazydaisy67


Unfortunately there comes a time whenever treating someone seriously ill or injured that you have to face the fact they are just too poorly to help, at this point all you can do it make them comfortable. Not too sure about the pill thing, I have worked with patients that are clearly beyond any form of help, my goal is to make their final times as easy and pain free as possible.

In some cases or scenarios even if they were in the ED they would be beyond help. Ruptured Aorta for instance or major head/chest trauma.

There comes a time when as sad as it is, its time to call it a day and leave them in peace

For a severe fracture where perhaps a bone/tissue is protruding from the injury, ensuring the would site is clean and covered will certainly help. I have dealt with open/compound fractures that can only be rectified in a sterile environment such as a surgery room. Messing with open fractures/manipulating them back into roughly the correct place would only ever be considered if there was a compromise on circulation. In a shtf type scenario I would consider this because its the best thing to do next to leave them in harms way. Anti-biotic medication does have a shelf life and a short one at that. Cleaning the wound site, protruding bone or tissue with clean water and dressing the fracture site would be priority and then more cleaning and correct infection control would come later once a secure/safe/clean area was found.

Yes, training will give general guidelines.

But when its your family you may want to continue on in hopes things turn around. Be careful not to just kid yourself. When the focus changes from care to compassion and its a loved one, its hard to give up

Excellent post!

To answer the question about throwing in the towel: as others have said, yes. While it may be difficult to do (especially in the case of a family member), you may get to the point where you are wasting supplies and energy for nothing.

Also, please keep in mind that certain injuries may need to be treated at a higher level of care, but you can usually stabilize them until you find that doctor, nurse, EMT (you catch my drift-anyone who may be able to help) who will perform the life saving intervention.

Without a cardiac monitor it is a very bad idea to "call the code" before the person is literally cold and stiff. I only say this because there are numerous cardiac rhythms that "appear" the same on the outside, but are completely different medically. When these arryhthmias are left untreated, they almost universally result in death; However, if treated with the proper medications (ie: adenosine, amiodarone, lidocaine, atropine, etc), they can quickly return to the norm.

Ultimately, it will be up to you whether or not it is time to cease efforts. In that case, I think we'd all agree that having the extra training and confidence will help you make the right decision.

I suggest going to a police supply such as www.galls.com and looking at their trauma/first aid equipment then consult someone in the field,if you dont have lots of training on what to buy......we concentrated on stopping blood flow,trauma management and infection control.....having "enough" equipment and supplies isnt a viable concept but you dont have to sell the farm to get ample stocks....we discovered the true "dollar stores"(everything in the store is `1.00) carry all sorts of ointments(hydrocortisone,antibitoic and benadryl)bandaids,gauze pads etc.....you will need whatever you stock so choose wisely

New folks need to maintain the focus on the top three killers.

In the PAW a trauma kit wont really serve much of a purpose. Without a hospital, trained staff and equipment, many of the gunshot wounds and other extreme cases will be lost. If you have a doctor among you then advanced things are worth storing.

Starting out you need to store supplies for Diarrhea, respiratory infection, and skin integrity.

Those kill more than all the other things put together.

Just wanted to put this in my ATS as a thread..

Shall be ordering info tommorrow.....

Cheers

PDUK