Real Life First Aid Experiences

Not saying it's the best or the worst, but this is the manual that was recommended to me...

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wilderness-first-responder-buck-tilton/1113111039?ean=9780762703920

I spend dead time in camp reading it or at least flipping through it now and again.

Got my resupply mission completed as well...
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T McArthur said:
I second bob91yj's suggestion. I have Wilderness First Responder on my bookshelf right now.

Another good one: Medicine for Mountaineering: And Other Wilderness Activities which sits right next to it.
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Excellent point - we need to be cognizant of medical emergencies at higher altitude. One such malady to be aware of is High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE). Always carry an ample supply of a Phosphodiesterase inhibitor such as Sildenafil Citrate when travelling in the mountains and staying at altitudes over 10,000 feet for extended periods. I always carry it. :D
 
TangoBlue said:
Excellent point - we need to be cognizant of medical emergencies at higher altitude. One such malady to be aware of is High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE). Always carry an ample supply of a Phosphodiesterase inhibitor such as Sildenafil Citrate when travelling in the mountains and staying at altitudes over 10,000 feet for extended periods. I always carry it. :D
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Also keeps the gf or wife happy. :cool:
 
I was a WEMT and am currently a WFR. Had a guy on a trip I was leading fall asleep at a fire pit with his feet propped up on the rocks surrounding it. He was wearing Crocs so the heat melted them to his feet. It was his screaming that woke me up. We wrapped the feet in sterile gauze and transported him to the local hospital. Local EMS was volunteer and did not have enough volunteers to run the rig.

He had 2nd and third degree burns over most of the soles of his feet. With skin grafts and a great doctors, he is able to walk again.
 
Crocs make great shower shoes. The key is to remember they are rubber and rubber melts in the presence of a heat source. Oh, and dont drink so much that you pass out next to the fire. ;-)
 
kmacafee said:
Crocs make great shower shoes. The key is to remember they are rubber and rubber melts in the presence of a heat source. Oh, and dont drink so much that you pass out next to the fire. ;-)
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There is a time and a place for everything. Much of life can be attributed to discovering the right time and the right place
 
Over the last 16 years working as a EMT then as a paramedic I've has my share of 1st aid experiences all around Kern County in both urban areas of Bakersfield, Shafter, Tehachapi and East Kern and beyond and wilderness like the Pacific Crest Trail, Dove Springs and Redrock Canyon. No matter where I go I am useless without my equipment. Go through your kit regularly. We go through ours monthly from top to bottom. I learned early on in my career that you check your equipment daily. I trusted a coworker then responded to a call and my equipment did not function at all. Learn your equipment as well. If you have a commercial kit then learn to use the entire kit.
 
I agree with everything Tim says above, and I don't mean to take anything away from the point he is making about keeping your kit replenished and up to date. But I bet he's not really useless without his kit.

I agree that the kit is important, but as Tim emphasizes in the last line of his post above, learning how to use it is crucial. Taking a first-aid class so that you can recognize the early signs of distress can be more valuable than anything you can carry with you. Environmental problems such as hypothermia, heat stress, altitude related problems, shock, dehydration, and some illness or internal problems can present a lot of symptoms before they become serious. If recognized early, a lot of these can be "treated" with water, shelter, rest, etc.... before they become a complex evacuation. Or the evacuation can begin while there is still time/weather/daylight. Prevention and early recognition are solid gold when you are a long way from help. And that knowledge doesn't weigh anything. We all love the trucks and the gear, but when your friend/child/spouse is in trouble, some good first aid training is the best overlanding gear you ever bought.

The WFA, WFR, WFEMT courses are great. They are also fun if you are into that sort of thing, and you can go as a group or a family. If you don't already have the training, consider one of these courses (or any other) as one of your outings this year. And take your camping buddies with you in case it's you that needs help.
 
reviving old thread, because I wanted to share.
When I was in Iraq in 2007 I went to turn some heavy gauge sheet metal to an army unit to make some mine rollers plates for our unit we decided to unload the sheets by hand which were a lot heavier than expected, I ended up dropping it and scrapping a good 60-75% of the skin on my left hand in the process. I was thinking its not that bad as we went into the trailer luckily I had my bandana and wrapped it up immediately, they helped me run water on my hand wrapped it in a bandage and I made my way to see the corpsman at HQ (who was useless) he gave me motrin and said to come back tomorrow to clean the wound out and add some ointment.
second time in 2008 I smashed my hand with a forklift tine (no broken bones) and then had to place my hand in ice water for a few minutes made my way to the Base trauma where the corpsman took x-rays to make sure I didnt break any bones, they sent me away and gave me motrin. LOL moral of the story is Motrin fixes everything thanks US Navy
 
jcast327 said:
reviving old thread, because I wanted to share.
When I was in Iraq in 2007 I went to turn some heavy gauge sheet metal to an army unit to make some mine rollers plates for our unit we decided to unload the sheets by hand which were a lot heavier than expected, I ended up dropping it and scrapping a good 60-75% of the skin on my left hand in the process. I was thinking its not that bad as we went into the trailer luckily I had my bandana and wrapped it up immediately, they helped me run water on my hand wrapped it in a bandage and I made my way to see the corpsman at HQ (who was useless) he gave me motrin and said to come back tomorrow to clean the wound out and add some ointment.
second time in 2008 I smashed my hand with a forklift tine (no broken bones) and then had to place my hand in ice water for a few minutes made my way to the Base trauma where the corpsman took x-rays to make sure I didnt break any bones, they sent me away and gave me motrin. LOL moral of the story is Motrin fixes everything thanks US Navy
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Ooo... this reminds me of when I was IRO at the Joint Forces Brig in Okinawa and was the "Magistrate" for Pretrial Confinement. This session is now in order.

Let me get this straight @jcast327...

In 2007 you moved heavy gauge plate steel that was "heavier than expected." (imagine that - heavy gauge plate steel was, uhh, heavy) You likely were injured because you didn't have enough assistance or use MHE to safely move said heavy gauge plate steel. That resulted in an abrasion injury to 3/4 of your hand which is pretty flippin' impressive and more consistent with a meat grinder set on "hamburger" type injury. The Hospitalman gave you Motrin, an anti-inflammatory with mild analgesic properties, cleaned the abraded area and applied an ointment (ostensibly antibiotic to prevent infection after cleaning and debridement of your injury). That's consistent with the standard of care for that injury.

In 2008 you smashed your hand with a forklift tine - pretty heavy piece of steel in my experience, and if it was field gear it was probably a big 'ol tine at that - I'd definitely want some assistance with that heavy piece of steel to avoid injury - but you mishandled it - dropped it on your hand in fact. So, the Hospital Corpsman performs an X-Ray to rule out any bone fracture, and assuming there was none, administered to you Motrin which is an anti-inflammatory and mild analgesic. Again, consistent with the standard of care.

None the less, you managed to survive your deployment. Probably got a NAM for that pump, too. Thank you for your service.

But back to the matter at hand... and you think the HM was useless, Bee? Shipmate - who was your leading Chief... somebody named Darwin? You are Navy Medicine job security, I tell you what!

By the way, The Navy thanks you too, and was especially happy to award you a DD214 before you injured yourself even more! :D
 
Guilty on both counts, kitten, except I was a dick drawing Navy Commander. Just calling it like I see it, Bee.

However, if your Butt Hurts, I prescribe Motrin 800mg thrice daily per os (that means mouth). But you probably already guessed that! :D
 
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