Thanks for the link Rick!
looks like I'm not the only one questioning this and not finding a solid answer.
Yes, the penicillin is stored for a SHTF use. (expiration date = 4-2005)
While I can use a Doc. & RX easily, I do.
I usually try to do enough homework prior, so I am just paying for a confirmation of my self diagnosis.
I would not advocate anyone medicating themselves untrained, unless there was no other choice.
Last edited by mcgyver; 10-30-2009 at 08:19 AM.
Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.
I would not take something that far past it's expiration. Some medications/drugs/antibiotics become weaker as they become older, but some become stronger, while others still can break down to something that may be harmful.
Not sure how you came across the penicillin, but often people save what is "left over" after taking a course of antibiotics. If that is the case - #1 they are fortunate that you recovered without taking the entire course, and #2 they may not have enough left to be effective if needed.
Good advice form both of these guys. As a retired AF Independent Duty Medic, I have put in more than my share of sutures thru the years. Your advice is right on. Unless you have the ability to thoroughly evaluate the depth of the wound and any damage to underlying structures, as well as fully clean & debride as necessary, it's just not a good idea to suture in a field environment. Best to just apply a sterile dressing until better facilities/more qualified personnel are available. That being said, I carry some in my BOB
Originally Posted by Boker
You gotta be kidding... since when are lawyers cool? (And I gotum in my family.)
Now, Nurses are both cool and hot!
Chance favors the prepared mind.
I'm gonna take that as a marriage proposal. Now we just need a state to legalize same sex marriages. Oh and I'll have to get rid of my current wife. Kinda like her for reasons I won't explain on this board....
....One second thought, I think I'll keep what I have.
Just read an article that recommended LEOs carry tourniquets for self-use primarily. Would you comment on thier use? I always thought I had something to use with me at all times (well, almost).
When Wealth is Lost, Nothing is Lost;
When Health is Lost, Something is Lost;
When Character is Lost, ALL IS LOST!!!!!!!
Colonel Charles Hyatt circa 1880
Sounds like a good idea to me for LEO. They can usually get help to them pretty quick in emergencies, with exceptions being noted.
Wow.. things move fast in the ER.. don't they... jeez, whatever happened to dating first? No, on second thought, I'll keep my wife too.
Chance favors the prepared mind.
There are several self-applied tourniquets on the market at the moment. Some rather pricey. Here's a study that shows which ones are affective. Note the number of volunteers was really low (7) but it's the only study I've found on the subject.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16263675
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
Pretty interesting study. The few times I've had to use a tourniquet we just inflated a BP cuff. Cheap enough too. But probably impractical for a BoB
blood circulation
Hey Boker, I got one for you that I think could use some discussion. you may want to start a new thread discussing this so it'll be easy to find.
Many of us here hunt. I had the notion that some climbing stands are just not very comfortable, like mine.. I have a bearhug climber I made and truth be told, I don't have a lot of padding on my rear end. so...
one modification I made was to tie a rope from one side to the other and adjust the length to be like a sling I can hang my feet on, keeping the back of my knees slightly off the seat (which is just a piece of plywood). After sitting for a little while, being as still as possible, my legs go to sleep and I'm constantly moving and shifting and thats just not good when you are trying to be stealthy.
my point is I would really like to hear some discussion regarding blood pooling, and the dangers involved with clots forming from having the circulation cut off to extremeties. It was in the paper recently a story of a fella that had a heart attack while in his stand, the cause... a blood clot that moved up from a place where the circulation had been cut off.. this is a real danger and I think we all should be made more aware of it.
Boker or any other medical pros please help us out so we don't be dying in the trees! blood clots can be deadly!
Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. Helen Keller
My Plants
My skills
Eye Candy
Plant terminology reference!
Moving pictures
Have you considered T.E.D. hose? http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_...or_in_TED_hose
Even walmart sells 'em. http://www.walmart.com/search/search....y=0&Find=Find
We use T.E.D. hoses in most surgical patients that are with us for any length of time. I'm pretty limited in this area. Maybe some of the other medical folks will have a better suggestion.
Many years ago, in the Pre-Carter Panama Canal Zone, an SF guy made a night jump and landed high up in some trees. You are trained to try to do self-rescue by getting out to get the harness. He tried but was hung on a strap routed under his underarm for several hours. He died the following afternoon from what was diagnosed as a blood clot formed while hanging by his underarm. So training then emphasized that possibility. Move forward 4-5 years; I found myself in exactly the same situation, within feet of where the fatal incident occurred, and survived (obviously) but that's another jump story.
When Wealth is Lost, Nothing is Lost;
When Health is Lost, Something is Lost;
When Character is Lost, ALL IS LOST!!!!!!!
Colonel Charles Hyatt circa 1880
thanks for confirming GI, that the possibility is real. that really brings it home.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks