Chance Favours The Prepared Mind

Chance Favours the Prepared Mind - Louis Pasteur

As the weather gets warmer, summer time activities are being pulled out of hibernation, and some of the activity restrictions have been lifted, people are venturing further from their houses than they have in months. Work will be picking up soon when spring break up is done. We are gardening, camping, boating, fishing, hiking, going on picnics; anything we can do to escape the four walls which have confined us. First from winter, which we are used to, then from the pandemic, which we are definitely not used to! Some things that the pandemic has brought to the forefront of our minds is the importance of being prepared and being able to be self reliant. We can’t go back to February and stock our cabinets, but we can be more thoughtful in the future and develop good habits. The panic of some created hardship for others, and none of it was necessary, if we all had some basic knowledge and routines.

Many massage clients are booking appointment to deal with the aftermath of accidents—sprained ankles, pulled muscles, dislocations, scar tissue, whiplash, etc. We have talked a lot about body mechanics, equipment and other injury prevention habits at work and at play. Now I want to talk a bit about what to do when an injury occurs. With seniors, most injuries occur from slips and falls in the home, but with working age people and children, most injuries occur when we are out and about.

Knowledge is power. The first thing everyone over the age of 12 should do is take a first aid and CPR course. There are even special “home alone” classes for preteens. Even if your kids have no interest in babysitting, they should take the babysitters course. The majority of the class is first aid and emergency response. The same goes for swimming lessons and water safety. We are surrounded by lakes, ponds, creeks, and rivers.

I have taken my first aid every 3 years since I was 15, from a wide variety of instructors. I have learned that each instructor brings her own experiences to the class and they tend to teach to a certain target audience. Once I was slotted into a class in the city with a group of rig workers—that was an experience, lots of major trauma and chemical burn practice! I had one class taught by another massage therapist, in an entire class of massage therapists—which focused a lot on medical emergencies that could happen during a treatment. Not so much on wounds and splints. My high school gym teacher focused a lot on exposure, dehydration and sport related injuries. When you live in a rural area, or your recreation takes you into the back country, I suggest that you take first aid from someone who is involved in search and rescue.  How you react in an emergency when you are 5 blocks from the hospital is very different then when you are an hour out in the backwoods with no cell service. The insight and knowledge from an experienced search and rescue volunteer is invaluable.

So now you have knowledge, what’s next? Equipment. Anytime you venture from home, you should be prepared. Every vehicle should have a first aid kit. You can buy one ready made, or build one yourself. One of the best Christmas presents we got was a roadside emergency kit with booster cables, blanket, reflectors, etc. On a rainy day, I was cleaning closets and came across a camera bag from pre-smart phone days. It was a nice size with several compartments and a sturdy strap, perfect for a first aid kit, and the truck needs one, because the truck kit is with the camping stuff! I only had to pick up a few items, the rest I was able to scavenge from around the house. A few came from corporate giveaways and other freebies.

Case - Depending on where you keep your kit, different styles are more appropriate. A large flat plastic box fits nicely under a vehicle seat and protects from wet foot ware. Small cases with straps or fanny packs are good for cycling or walks. A small kit for frequently used items in the glove compartment (you don't want to dig though all the luggage on a road trip looking for gravol or tylenol). Toiletry bags, cosmetic cases or lunch boxes work nicely too, they usually have a water resistant liner and are quite sturdy. If it's likely to be banged around a lot, or you want to attach it to something (camper or truck toolbox), you may want the metal box style with latches. Whatever you use, it should be clearly labeled and everyone should know where to find it.

Chemical ice pack—I always include one in my kits. They only cost a few dollars, and you have instant ice no matter where you are, which can make a huge difference if you have a long trip to a hospital. They do need some protection from being squished, if the inner bag is popped accidentally, it needs to be replaced.

Hand/foot warmers—Even in the summer people can suffer from hypothermia if they get wet or are in shock.

Mylar blankets—They don’t look like much, but they really keep the heat in. I tried to make a space costume for Halloween with some once, it was unbearably hot to wear within 2 minutes!  They are also highly reflective, which is helpful if you are lost.

Disposable poncho—We get them at events, but if you don’t have one kicking around, they are at dollar stores. The last thing you want in an emergency is to get wet.

Wet Wipes—Chances are you don’t have sink handy to wash your hands before bandaging that banged up knee. I horde the ones from fast food, because they are individually wrapped. A package of wipes dries out really fast once it’s opened. Although I have re-hydrated them with my water bottle.

Disposable gloves, CPR one way mask, face masks, alcohol wipes, hand sanitizer—It’s just as important to protect yourself, and you can use the alcohol to clean tweezers before using. 

Bandaids, gauze (roll and pads), bandage tape, blister bandages, elastic bandage—Pretty self explanatory. For space saving and protection, I take them all out of their boxes and put them in ziplocks. I label the blister bandages on each one, because they are really expensive and hard to tell apart.  More than once I have seen people dump out the whole kit on the ground to look for something, the bags keep everything dry and clean. I also keep some Q-tips in the bag to keep dirty fingers out of ointment.

Tools—Scissors, tweezers, a small jackknife (one of those freebies!), safety pins (pin them all together, so they don’t scatter), a mirror, a whistle, lighter, matches, pen & paper, sharpie.

Topicals—Antibiotic ointment, anti-itch/sting cream, sunburn relief, etc.

Meds— Not all first aid is injury related. Many times on camping trips or road trips, someone has gotten sick. It could even just be the middle of the night in a hotel room, a sinus cold rears it’s ugly head, but there is nothing open. These will vary depending on your family. All first aid kits should have Aspirin, in case of a heart attack. In mine I always have ibuprofen, acetaminophen, allergy pills, anti nausea, cold and flu meds, and antacids. If you have a prescription, it would be a good idea to have a few doses, just in case you forget them or run out. I have a package of tiny ziplock bags that are just the right size for a few tablets. Make sure they are clearly labeled. Blister packs are easy to cut up, but I always make sure each section is labeled. I know that loratadine is the generic name for Claratin, but my kids don’t. We have used our portable medicine cabinet far more then the big bandages!

Dental—I like to keep some individually wrapped dental picks handy, those popcorn kernels can be murder! Ever since I broke a tooth camping, dental wax for braces is in my kit. The tooth didn’t hurt, but the rough edge was very irritating.

You know the needs of your family, both medical history and risk according to your activities. Pack your kit accordingly. If no one in your family ever gets car sick, you probably don’t need gravol. If you go on a lot of walks and hikes, you want a small, lightweight kit for a back pack. If someone is prone to nosebleeds, you want a lot of tissue. If a family member is diabetic, you want to include hard candy. When my boys were small, I had more big bandages for knee scraps and kept some stickers for morale in the kit. I also had to have both children and adult pain relief. We spend a lot of time in the woods, out of service, so my kits are pretty big. 

Once a year, I like to go though my first aid kit and replace any missing pieces and update expired products. I check that the ice pack is intact and make sure everything is clean. I pack it so the most used items like small bandaids and Tylenol are the easiest to access.

I think the most unusual first aid situation we had, was while camping in Kananaskis. The couple in the next spot over, came in search of benadryl. They don’t know what their dog got into, but his face was puffed up and covered in big hives. I’m so glad that we were able to help them, the poor thing looked so uncomfortable.

There are also some things that don't fit in a first aid kit, that we should always have in our vehicles. These include flashlights, blankets, water, ready to eat snacks, and candles. People only worry about being cold in the winter, but break down at night, or have to change a tire in the rain, and you can get pretty chilled. Blankets can also be used to create shade. A car on the side of the road in the summer gets unbearably hot, very quickly.

The better prepared we are to respond to an emergency, the less far-reaching the consequences. The sooner you can get swelling down on a sprain, the quicker it will heal. If you are able to properly splint or support an injury, the less likely you will have those compensating pain issues we discussed on May 19th. The more organized and calm we are, the lower are stress levels (and potential headaches) and the less likely we are to panic. With panic, comes poor decision making and increased likelihood of shock. 

So before you go out and about, be prepared. Then you can kick back and have a wonderful time, with peace of mind.