Treating Severe Burns: You DON’T Have Enough Supplies

 

2nd Degree Burn on LegA little over three weeks ago I burned both my legs.  Now, as a semi-competent experimenter, I have burned myself a bunch of times.  However, this was serious.  I burned both legs, from just below the knee to the top of my foot almost 360 degrees.  The burns were deep second degree burns with a few thrid degree spots thrown in.

I was messing around with gas, an I knew better.  So when my wife said not to light the fire, I told her to be quiet.  That was pride talking when I knew I should not do what I was about to do.

Pride comes before a fall, and when the gas vapor ignited, the temperature was low enough it did not “whoosh”, but the wind changed and basically, I was engulfed.  Now it was only for a second, and did not do a lot of damage, but the fresh bug spray on my legs started to burn, which did me a lot of damage.

So now I have a reason to post about treating severe burns.  I am not a doctor, but as I said before I am familiar with burn injuries.

This Article is not About Basic Burn Treatment

We all know to cool a burn and not to apply grease or butter.  This post is about supplies and the daily aftercare.

When I first was burned, it did not immediately hurt, I played it off for a few minutes, so as not to “embarrass” myself around my wife.  However, once the pain hit, it was horrible.  For a old fat guy, I have a pretty high pain tolerance.  I have been pepper sprayed and tased enough to have lost count.  I have broken a leg, and have sliced crushed, and otherwise injured myself much more than the common man.

Not to put to fine a point on it, after standing in a cool shower for several hours to both cool the burn and control the pain, I had to lay in the bed and cry.  The pain was as close to unbearable as anything I have ever felt.  My wife wanted me to go to the Emergency Room, but I was afraid they would admit me, and I had the last class of my graduate certificate on Monday.  I could not afford to miss a day of work.  Additionally, if they did not admit me, I knew the only treatment was pain medication and a prescription for Silver sulfadiazine.  I had some left over from when I burned my kitchen down and got to buy my wife a new kitchen and plastic backsplash.

I had lots of roller gauze and non stick pads, so I felt that I would just deal with the pain.

Daily Treatment

My regimen was to put the Silvadene on, cover it with a non0stick pad (it took a bunch to get total coverage), and then wrap it with roller gauze.  For additional protection, I also used a ace compression bandage for light compression for the swelling.

I had a lot of swelling, and the reduced blood flow because of it caused me problems.  It took me an hour to get out of bed Monday morning.  When I put my foot down the blood flowing into the area caused me severe pain.  Additionally, stretching the burned skin by walking also caused a lot of pain.

Luckily, the more I moved, the less pain the skin caused.  Too bad I was in class all week and spent the time sitting at a table, and getting up at breaks.

The pain of getting up increased for a few weeks, and finally went away the start of the third week.

Blisters to Pop or Not?

After about 24 hours I started getting blisters, they were mostly around my ankles to start, but I kept getting more and more.  Eventually, I had several blisters that were the size of my fist.  I tried not to pop them, because infection is a huge concern with severe burns.  The weight of the liquid inside the blister caused the blisters to travel down my legs stretching and peeling the remaining skin.  Eventually, after about a week they popped on there own causing my wife much anguish when she saw the “blister juice”.

The smaller blisters never popped, and it is not recommended to pop them.  Sometimes large blisters are popped by medical staff to control how it is done so the skin does not rip.

I finally went to the doctor after 5 days.  I just could not take the constant pain and I was afraid of infection.  She gave me some pain medication, a new prescription for silvadene, and some antibiotics.  I was told I would scar, and that it would take about 6 weeks to heal.

Deal With Itching

The itching was terrible, still is after three weeks.  At the time, I did not know that itching is a side effect of the cream.  It is also a side effect of the healing skin.   I had several large areas where the first couple layers of skin was burnt away, and the entire area was sensitive and peeling, so a good satisfying itch was not available.  The only thing I could do was to lightly press on the injury and let the pain overcome the itch.  After some reading, I learned that anti-histamines could help with the itch, so I started taking the allergy medicine I keep around for when I get bee stung.  That actually helped a lot.

You Don’t Have Enough Supplies

As a long time prepper, I have more than just some bandages in the bathroom closet.  I felt pretty prepared for first aid emergencies.  Actually, as far as the initial treatment, I was about as prepared as anyone could be.  However, it was the twice daily dressing changes, and the daily ointments that gutted my supplies.  I now know just how ill prepared I am.

Going to the pharmacy, box store, or the local dollar store just doesn’t cut it when you are going through 4 sets of gauze, a tube of antibiotic cream, and 2 boxes of non-stick 2×3 pads daily.  I was spending huge amounts on supplies, and my wife was tired of running to the store.

I went to amazon and bought in bulk.

This gave me great savings, and was convenient.

3 inch Conforming Stretch Gauze Bandage Rolls

I bought a three pack of 3 inch Conforming Stretch Gauze Bandage Rolls.  This gave me 36 rolls per order.  The gauze I selected cost $12.00 and came with prime shipping. 

To be fair, I am not as happy with this gauze, as I was with the 2 pack I got at the dollar general, but that was about $4.00 a box so it was really apples and oranges.

This gauze is not sterile, and it comes in a bulk paper container, so once you open it 12 rolls are exposed.  However, going through 4 a day mitigated the problem.

From now on, I will have a unopened pack in my medical supplies.  I still will have a smaller amount of higher quality roller gauze for smaller scale incidents.

75 non-adherent pads

In the same order I got a bulk pack of 75 non-adherent pads.  Because of the size of my wounds, I was going though boxes of smaller 2×3 pads.  Because of this I bought the largest pads I could find.  These were 3″ x 8″ and were labeled as “No Stick Non-Adherent Film For Ouch Free Removal”  These absorbent cotton bandages cost $17.33 (prime shipping) for a box of 75 or $0.23 each.

I find that I can cover the worst areas of the original wounds on each leg by wrapping three of these bandages around each leg.  After three weeks, my right leg is not completely healed, but the skin is not intact or scabbed over.

Most of my left leg is scabbed or has intact skin.  Currently I am using only one pad per dressing change.

Since these are sterile, it works well with the non-sterile roller gauze.  I plan on keeping a box in my medical supplies after this injury heals.  Since the large size makes it not as flexible as smaller pads.  It is my intent to also buy a large bulk box of similar pads in the more used 2×3 or 3×4 size.

Metal Style Clips Elastic Bandages Spares

Lastly, while I can hand wash my ace compression bandages, and they stay relatively clean as they are covering the roller gauze, and are covered by my pants leg.

I found that with a lot of use, the metal clips break or get lost.  Also, some of my newer ace style bandages come with a wierd elastic clip that just doesn’t hold.

While ordering all the other supplies  I found a bulk 50 piece set of metal style clips for ace bandages.  the 50 peices only cost $3.79 and was free shipping so I bought a pack.  Unfortunately, it comes from china and is very slow to ship.  I haven’t gotten these yet, and I stopped needing the compression bandages because the swelling period has ended.

I recommend getting some spares, but buy them in advance.

In Conclusion

The best burn treatment is prevention.  My mom says that this means I should listen to my wife more.  So do my co-workers.  I work with some great people, they have been very supportive, while making fun of the limp and my stupidity.

Be careful when working, if this injury occurred during a disaster, then it could have easily gotten infected and could have killed me.  As it stands, it really impacted my abilities, and takes up a huge amount of time in my daily schedule.
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5 Tips on How to Raise Environmentally Aware Kids

*Note from Dave:

I did not write this, but I do take environmental stewardship seriously.  I don’t believe that carbon dioxide is a pollutant, and I think that straw bands are worthless virtue signalling. I also believe anyone that says the “science is settled” on man-caused global warming is an idiot that does not understand either science in general or the specific idea of man climate change.

Actually, I dislike the tone of the opening paragraph.  However, I do thank we need to raise our children to respect the environment and to know how important it is to make the world better.  I try to raise a my son to be better than I am, but I also try to leave him a world better than the one I was left.

That being said, here is the article:

The environmental issues are not a joke. We get calls to action all the time. People from all around the world are taking the Plastic Pledge. We’re becoming more aware of the damage we’ve been doing to our planet, and we want to take it back or stop it as much as possible.

Everything starts with education. When we become aware, we change our actions. When we teach our kids to be friendly with nature, we prevent damage.

But children can be careless sometimes. You take them to a picnic, and they throw the cans of Coke in the water. You explain that’s not okay and they pick them up, but do they understand why it’s not okay to pollute the nature?

It’s time to talk with your kids. Don’t worry; you won’t be providing full environmental education that would make them bored. You’ll be teaching them how to love the nature and show that love through actions.

We’ll give you essential tips on how to talk to your kids about nature.

First, Take Them Outside!

Let’s get one thing straight: you can’t teach your kids about nature if you don’t show it to them. Sure; there are beautiful TV shows and even apps that can help you teach your kid about plants and animals. But they do not replace the real experience.

So get outside! Even if the weather is cold, hot, or rainy, you can still find a nice place to go to. Your kid might complain about the wind, but you’ll tell them that it’s necessary because it spreads seeds to help the plants grow. If it’s raining, you’ll explain how important water is for everything that’s alive.

Be a Good Example

Your kids watch your every move. They like copying what you do. So when you go out in nature, be mindful about your behavior. If you see plastic or other things that don’t belong there, pick them up even if your family didn’t throw them. Always carry bags where you can collect the trash and then throw it where it belongs.

Your kids will appreciate seeing your responsibility towards nature. They will see you making contributions, and they will want to do the same.

Take Some Nature Inside

Ula Richards, a writer for BestEssays, spends most of her time at home: “By the time I’m done working, it’s already too late to go out,” – she says. “When I don’t have someone watching my kids, they have to stay at home with me. But I don’t let them spend the entire time stuck on a screen. I always find a way to bring bits of nature inside. Rocks, sticks, shells… whatever. We also have many plants around the house, so the kids can take care of them.”

When you don’t have the opportunity to take them out every single day, that doesn’t mean the kids can’t stay mindful about nature. Playing with rocks and shells is fun! Planting herbs and watching them grow is even more fun. Using them in the food you prepare is the ultimate lesson on how nature contributes to your life.

Explain How Important the Environment Is

You won’t do this through some intellectual talk that your kids can’t understand. Simplifying works, but saying “Nature is important” simply doesn’t cut it. Instead of saying, you should start showing.

So when your kid eats a banana, you can talk about bananas. Explain how they grow and how they help your kid grow. Show them photos of banana trees, so they will understand they come from the environment. Show them what to do with the peel. They can use it to clean their teeth or treat their skin.

Nature gives us benefits beyond the obvious use of its products. Explore them together with your kids!

Teach Them to Appreciate Fresh Air

When you’re walking around the city, ask your kid to be mindful about the air they breathe. How does it feel?

Then, when you’re in nature, ask the same question. How does the air feel?

The simple thought of air is very important for raising environmental awareness. The air in the city is polluted. It doesn’t feel fresh, and it often makes you tired. The moment you step into the unpolluted environment, you feel a difference. You’re able to take deeper, longer breaths and they have an awakening effect on you.

Your kid will feel the difference, too. That alone is enough for them to start appreciating clean air and take action against polluting it. They will understand why it’s important to ride a bike or take public transport instead of using the family car all the time.

This is the planet where all kinds of miraculous things have happened and will continue to happen. Dinosaurs used to roam these lands. Where is the future headed? One thing is sure: the future will be nice only if we take care of our planet. If each one of us were slightly more conscious and less responsible for pollution, we’d be living in a better world. Everything starts from ourselves and from the way we teach our kids. So teach them well!

How to Protect Your Home and Survive a SHTF Crisis

How to Protect Your Home and Survive a SHTF CrisisIn recent years we have seen an increase in the increased risk and possibility of SHTF crisis type situations actually happening. Most emergencyies are relatively small.  However, that is not always the case. To be honest, if you really want to keep your family safe, you definitely wouldn’t want to risk planning for anything other than the worst case scenario!

So let’s take a look at some of the main steps for how to protect your home and survive a SHTF crisis. You’ll probably find a calm and analytic approach may even save your life, if you do your planning well in advance.

1. Start by Assessing What You Need

If you haven’t made an inventory of what you might need in a crisis situation, it’s never too soon or too late to do so. Evaluate your needs, and see what you don’t have. Do you have enough batteries for radios and flashlights, got yourself a hand crank lantern? Do you have a portable generator in case the power goes out? Have you prepared a place to stock up on food rations and water?

All these considerations have to be kept in mind. Make a list of all the necessary survival tasks and supplies, and then do your best to check every item on that list as soon as possible.

2. Get Your Home Ready

Installing new strengthened windows, strong metal doors and a sturdy fence can be among the best means of keeping your home safe in a SHTF situation. Additionally, you will want to replace all outside locks with some heavy-duty deadbolts and prepare a few secret hiding places that friends or family members can use, if they find themselves outside at a bad time, possibly even having to run away from an angry mob.

3. Top Up on Supplies

When it comes to food, make sure you get supplies that will last for a long time. Cans of soup and meat are a great idea, and you should also get stocked up on cans of peas, beans, pickles and other vegetables. If possible, avoid buying large quantities of white bread and food that tends to go bad after a shorter period of time. Instead, consider getting your own flour and preparing survival bread by using one of the numerous recipes you can find online, although truth be told, if you cannot get by without bread when you have ample other foods stored, then you are going to struggle!

4. Instruct Your Friends and Family Members

Even if you don’t have all the supplies and weapons you need, you can gain a great deal of assurance simply by instructing family members and friends on what to do in an emergency.

Consider setting up a code for easy communication or a special knock to avoid opening the door to looters. Also, instruct your children to stay in areas you designate for their safety.  They should keep away from the windows.  Teach them to communicate immediately if they hear strange noises.

5. Keep Up with the News and Emergency Broadcasts

You’ll need to have a minimum amount of electricity allocated to radios and phones. It might be the case that your phones are not working and the likelihood of an internet connection will be slim at best.

However, an emergency radio can be great for keeping up with emergency broadcasts and getting the scoop on what’s going on outside, when you have to sit tight, and when it’s safe to go out.

Before a crisis happens, always check the most important local and nationwide news bulletins. You can even set up a Google alert on your phone.  That way you’ll be alerted if a SHTF situation is at hand.

7 Affordable Gifts You Can Get Your Prepper for Christmas

christmasLooking for unique prepper stocking stuffers?

If you’re after regular gift options you can find everywhere else, this may not be the gift idea list for you.

You won’t find pocket knives, paracord bracelets, waterproof matches, or flashlights here.

About this time of year, there’s an innate desire within us to gift something unique.

Perhaps, something you haven’t thought of before.

Hopefully, we can help inspire you with some new gift ideas that your prepper can add to their arsenal.

Toilet Paper Tablets

When we first saw these, we couldn’t have been more excited to share them as a gift idea.  They’re cheap, small, chemical-free, and they’re simply brilliant.

  • Add water
  • It expands
  • Open it up
  • It dries

You instantly have emergency toilet paper, a make-shift diaper, or even a fire starter.

They’re perfect for disaster situations, hunting, camping, the bug-out bag, etc.  It might be a good time to upgrade your survival kits with these convenient, space-saving tablets and leave the toilet rolls for the bathroom.

Adventure Medical Advanced Clotting Sponges

The thing about preppers, they prep for everything as much as possible, and this includes medical supplies.  These newly, redesigned sponges have moved away from using exposed powder on wounds to using a hemostatic sponge that holds zeolite beads.

The idea is to soak up water molecules from blood and leave behind blood platelets and plasma that work to clot the wound up to three times faster than the body’s natural process alone.  Beef up your prepper’s medical supplies with the latest life-saving supplies while sticking to your budget.

Game Stockpile

Sometimes we get too distracted by the physical priorities of prepping that we may neglect supplies that help to ensure our mental and emotional survival.  If you have the space or just a bookshelf to spare, make room for some games.

Survival-themed games and cards are plenty.  But, I can tell you from experience, you can quickly fill this available space with cheap options from a thrift store with board and card games, coloring books for both kids and adults, and vintage classic toys like Legos and blocks.  $20 can go a long way when you’re stretching the dollar while building your stockpile.

Traction Cleats

This is another space-saving and convenient supply to add to your list of stocking stuffers.

The thing about emergency situations is you can never be quite sure where you’ll be when it will happen, or where you’ll find yourself.

Traction cleats will help give your prepper a sense of security of sure footedness.  Accidents, trips, and falls can quickly change a situation from bad to worse and then life-threatening.

Equipping your mobility with a sense of security may make all the difference in an emergency.

Gun Magnets

If your prepper has an arsenal of firearms, you may want to consider gun magnet mounts.  Hidden gun compartments and shelves can get expensive if you’re not particularly handy with tools, although we’re sure you can figure it out how to build one yourself.

For an instant fix to hiding your firearms in places that provide quick access, a gun magnet set is definitely a unique gift idea.  Here is a list of unique presents for a gun lover you might want to look over as well.

Binoculars

We all know optics play an important role in being prepared for your survival in many different scenarios.  So, I don’t think we need to get too much into its benefits here.

Also, it doesn’t mean you have to spend hundreds of dollars to land a quality bino for your prepper.

You can spend less than $100 and still see brand name manufacturers like Nikon, Vortex, and Celestron.

However, these gift ideas aren’t just for the prepper, these are some unique gift ideas for the hunter as well.

Bonus: Honorable Gift Mention

Berkey Water Filter

Okay, so this gift idea isn’t technically on the affordable end of the spectrum, but it’s so deserving of a mention.  A Berkey water filter is an excellent gift because it can be used for everyday use and not just for when the SHTF.

How would I know?  I have one.  It sits on the counter, and it provides peace of mind knowing that it’ll be there to provide some of the cleanest drinking water not only for prepper situations, but for everyday life.  Granted, filters may be considered high-maintenance parts as Dave mentions here.

Having the Big or Royal Berkey may not be affordable at this point.  If you prefer to equip your prepper with some bug-out bag upgrades, the Sport and Go Berkey may be the “right-now” solution.

Alternative Gift Ideas

Sometimes, gifts for a prepper or a prepper family can go beyond a physical present.  Here are some ideas that can mean the world to that special person:

  • Offer to help your prepper on a special project. A lot of the time, prepping is time-consuming, and a lot of it is done alone.  Get the kids involved and build bug-out bags together, practice using your prepper gear, or spend a night without electricity and running water and improvise on what you can do in a real-time emergency.
  • Babysit for free for your prepper spouse, family, or friends. They may need some productive time to shop for or pick up supplies, work on a project, do some canning, or gardening.
  • Use your food storage. Baking goodies or cookies to give as a gift has been done for as long as humans have thought of others.  It gives you a chance to put your first-in-first-out method to use.  You can then refresh your stockpile once everything goes on sale after Christmas.

A Gift from the Heart

One of the most appreciated aspects of a prepper’s attitude is you can never have too much of anything.  Whether you’re gifting them another pack of MRE meals or another book on canning recipes, it’s always appreciated because extra knowledge and supplies never get old.

But, beyond that, a thoughtful gift has a lot more meaning than how much it costs.  Looking for a unique way to stretch the budget while giving something meaningful is a win-win.

From Fire Outbreaks To Earthquakes: Know How To Protect Yourself When Trapped Inside A Building

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Emergency situations can arise anytime, anywhere! The worst place to get stuck in an emergency situation, like a fire outbreak or earthquake, is inside a building because unlike an open ground, the exit points are limited.

Yes, all buildings are required to have adequate safety codes to protect all the people inside the premises, like fire alarms, warning systems, and security systems, etc. There were over 1 million fires in the US in 2016, and over 12000 earthquakes occur every year around the globe; specifying the significance of foolproof evacuation plans and safety procedures.

During an emergency, the primary concern is panic. It is nearly impossible to control the crowd, which can enhance the damage further.

The safety procedure depends on the type of emergency, i.e., the evacuation procedure of a fire outbreak will be different from the safety procedure of an earthquake or in an active shooter situation. One should recognize the right path to ensure safety in an emergency situation.

Read ahead to learn about ways which will protect you and the people around you in severe emergency situations:

Keep Calm

As already mentioned above, panic is the worst enemy in an emergency. It is advisable to keep calm when you feel that you are in danger because it is difficult to think straight if you panic. Although it is easier said than done, you have to understand how important it is to act in the right way to protect yourself and the ones around you.

You have to assess all the options that are in front of you in case of a fire outbreak, earthquake or hijack situation, etcetera because running to the nearest exit is not always the correct step; sometimes, there are other options too. Think straight to know what you can do to minimize the expected damage.

Familiarize Yourself with the Safety Procedures and Routes

You must familiarize yourself with all the safety procedures and routes of your office building to make sure that in the event of an emergency, you can help yourself and others to exit the building unharmed. Every building has an evacuation plan and directions to take control of an emergency, like fire buttons for fire outbreaks, an evacuation route for earthquakes and other measures for similar situations. If you are visiting a building for the first time and you come across such a situation, you must follow the steps that the incident control officers are telling everyone to ensure safety. Don’t panic and run towards the exits because it might cause unnecessary chaos in the building and increase the damage.

Run Towards the Nearest Exit

The first thought that comes to mind in an emergency is to run towards the nearest exit, right? Even though it is mentioned several times above to avoid it, you must assess the situation and do it. Don’t just run towards the nearest door; take an informed decision to know how to exit the building in the fastest manner and run towards the gate that will ensure it. Sometimes the front entrance isn’t the quickest exit, so it is advisable to know your ground before you start running.

Don’t Be a Hero

Yes, you must protect the children and old people near you if you are stuck in an emergency situation; however, it is not always the correct step. You may slow down the evacuation by coming in between them and the incident control officers. It will help if you protect yourself before you start helping anyone else to make sure that you don’t put anyone else’s life in danger. Although you should act like a hero, i.e., be alert, be quick, be smart and be responsible, you should recognize a foolproof path before you help anyone else.

Don’t Be a Coward

An emergency situation is enough to showcase how noble you or anyone else is. If you are one of the incident control officers or a regular in that building, you must take responsibility of everyone trapped in it with you, i.e., help them exit the building unharmed. Not everyone will be familiar with the evacuation procedures, so you should keep your calm and guide them towards safety to minimize severe outcomes. Don’t be a coward, who runs away from his ethical duties!

It is not a Joke

No matter how brilliant your sense of humor is, you must never consider an emergency as a joke because it can put someone’s life in danger and you will be solely responsible for it. Don’t joke about fire outbreaks or any other emergency situation because it can cause panic, which can have adverse consequences. Similarly, in an emergency, you must not joke about anything at the assembly area, not even to calm down other because it may reduce the severity of the situation in their minds; making them careless towards the safety procedure. Keeping calm is essential, but being too laid back will have severe consequences.

Some Quick Tips On How To Protect Yourself When Trapped Inside A Building:

Fire Outbreaks

  1. Press the fire button
  2. Grab a fire extinguisher (near you), and try to minimize the intensity of the fire
  3. Run towards the nearest exit
  4. Close the doors behind you (if no one is behind you) to reduce the damage
  5. Call the authorities once you are outside the building

Earthquakes

  1. Press the warning system to alert everyone else
  2. Run towards the nearest exit
  3. If it is not possible to exit the building, take cover under a hard table to protect yourself from falling debris
  4. Call the authorities immediately if possible

Active Shooter

  1. Press the warning system to alert everyone else and call the security guards
  2. Run towards the nearest exit
  3. Hide, if you are unable to exit the building
  4. Fight if you have no other choice

Some safety steps are common in most emergencies because the approach is same, i.e., put yourself as far away from the situation as possible and make sure you don’t put anyone else’s life in danger.

Now that you are aware of the right safety steps don’t be afraid of an emergency. If you come across any, follow the correct procedure to ensure utmost safety and minimize the expected damage.