Thread: Medical Incident - Some learnings for your first aid kit.

I really appreciate you posting this thread @hotbarrels. It has been a very timely reminder for me to sort my shit out as I went through my first-aid kit today and realise it has been pilfered over several years and is missing a lot of important elements.

Also the discussion about your back problems is timely. I am 51 and can no longer do half of what I could at a younger age primarily due to two major surgeries over the years. And the fact that I wasn't that strong in the first place. Something that really gets me worked up is spending time with the young fellas in the bush, those that insist on carrying whole animals out when boning them out in situ is by far a more sensible idea. This is particularly true of the pig hunters.

Why do I get worked up about it? Because in my peer group there are way too many guys who have fucked their backs, knees and hips doing the manly thing in the New Zealand bush. There will be quite a few on here that know exactly what I am talking about. If you are lucky your surgery will mostly fix you and result in a more comfortable pain free existence, but a great many people find surgery provides partial relief only and by no means returns them to anything like their former capabilities. It really is a good idea not to break your body to the point it needs surgery, in the first place. It's a miserable existence living with constant pain in your 50s 60s and 70s.

I've picked on the pig hunters because we all know what the iconic photo for any young pig hunter looks like. The 150lb++ carry. It really is a very bad idea for a young body to be doing that kind of thing on a regular basis. I get particularly upset when I see younger kids carrying loads that are way out of proportion with what their bodies can handle.

Call me a sissy whatever, but I'm right on this fellas. A lot of blokes will never admit it but if they could have the time again they would've invested in better knives and a decent backpack.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

I really appreciate you posting this thread @hotbarrels. It has been a very timely reminder for me to sort my shit out as I went through my first-aid kit today and realise it has been pilfered over several years and is missing a lot of important elements.

Also the discussion about your back problems is timely. I am 51 and can no longer do half of what I could at a younger age primarily due to two major surgeries over the years. And the fact that I wasn't that strong in the first place. Something that really gets me worked up is spending time with the young fellas in the bush, those that insist on carrying whole animals out when boning them out in situ is by far a more sensible idea. This is particularly true of the pig hunters.

Why do I get worked up about it? Because in my peer group there are way too many guys who have fucked their backs, knees and hips doing the manly thing in the New Zealand bush. There will be quite a few on here that know exactly what I am talking about. If you are lucky your surgery will mostly fix you and result in a more comfortable pain free existence, but a great many people find surgery provides partial relief only and by no means returns them to anything like their former capabilities. It really is a good idea not to break your body to the point it needs surgery, in the first place. It's a miserable existence living with constant pain in your 50s 60s and 70s.

I've picked on the pig hunters because we all know what the iconic photo for any young pig hunter looks like. The 150lb++ carry. It really is a very bad idea for a young body to be doing that kind of thing on a regular basis. I get particularly upset when I see younger kids carrying loads that are way out of proportion with what their bodies can handle.

Call me a sissy whatever, but I'm right on this fellas. A lot of blokes will never admit it but if they could have the time again they would've invested in better knives and a decent backpack.

Reminds me of a quote from a guy who was part of the FBI Hostage Rescue Team. He was commenting on an exercise gone wrong and people being hurt.

He said: "they crossed the line between Hard ass and Dumb ass"

@hotbarrels
Burning yourself whilst lighting a BBQ classes as an idiot.
Cutting yourself whilst cutting up a deer not so much.
What are these Israeli bandages you speak of?

Originally Posted by Flyblown

Also the discussion about your back problems is timely. I am 51 and can no longer do half of what I could at a younger age primarily due to two major surgeries over the years. And the fact that I wasn't that strong in the first place. Something that really gets me worked up is spending time with the young fellas in the bush, those that insist on carrying whole animals out when boning them out in situ is by far a more sensible idea. This is particularly true of the pig hunters.

Well I turned 52 last week. I injured my back at work at the age of 20, and thinking that I was bullet proof I went against doctors orders and kept working - I couldn't afford to stop work, or so I thought. Well, as I said in my opening post, I'm an idiot.
A couple of weeks later I was wheeled into hospital, put into traction for two weeks and was in a brace for three months. Took three years before I could get out of bed and not have to grab hold of something to keep me upright as the nerve compression pain hit my lower limbs. 30 years on and my back is like a hand grenade with a loose pin. At any point in time its like someone walks up behind you and drives an ice pick into your spine about 2" up from the belt line. Can be rather embarrassing standing talking to someone and the next minute they are helping you up off the floor.
I have only partial feeling in my left leg, which aches constantly (image tooth ache, what I call a 'bone ache', from your hip to the tips of your toes), I get up to 20 cramps a night in my calf muscle, and every morning when I put my feet on the floor, my heel feels like the bone is shattered. Have had to call the ambulance twice to get me off the floor at home after the worst events.
I haven't had surgery. The surgeon's say I'm too higher risk. Not sure what life is going to be like at 70??

Dunno what to say after reading that.

Young fellas. Take note.

Originally Posted by csmiffy

@hotbarrels
Burning yourself whilst lighting a BBQ classes as an idiot.
Cutting yourself whilst cutting up a deer not so much.
What are these Israeli bandages you speak of?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuQeov-CR78

great read.....and a wakeup call for us all.... I sat on my pack years ago and knife went through sheath,out through side of pack and cut across my shin,wrapped in scrarf and carried on for the week,no big deal untill I went to remove it later.
I know how you feel about that last backsteak..... I had hindquarters hanging in garage and went to bone it out,slid knife around it and sliced through end of ring finger of left hand.....Ive cut myself many times over the years but this one haunts me...I can still feel the knife sliding through when I think on it...Mrs bought me a mesh glove after this...why the hell didnt I do it years ago??? all the dressing out of animals and fish I do at home now..the glove goes on.
insulation tape and a hunk of rag/teeshirt /hanky can do amazing things at a pinch... the most important thing in my first aid kit is the bit kept between my ears.
having started out as SAR volinteer my first aid kit for that is its safe to say a lot bigger than what Id normally carry.

Originally Posted by hotbarrels

I see that he is selling QuickClot. Be careful of this product. When I was researching stuff for my FAK a couple of years ago there were a number of reports of people receiving chemical burns and permanent scaring from this product. Testing also showed that Celox was faster acting than QuickClot.

I have had some off line discussion with someone in the know, and apparently this is no longer an issue with Quikclot.

Originally Posted by YosemiteSam

Here's all the advice you need (attached) from the experts at the New Zealand Resuscitation Council. It backs up a lot of what you guys have said.

Interesting read. I have always tended to steer away from tourniquets, but again after some off line conversations and some internet research I now believe that a CAT type tourniquet in the carry first aid kit would be a prudent idea. Had my injury been more significant, a TQ could have been very useful, even if it is only to stop a bleed long enough for you to sort your shit out and get an appropriate pressure bandage in place over the wound, particularly if you are solo hunting and have no one to assist you. It gives you two hands to work with rather than one.

In searching around for a CAT tourniquet, I came across a company called MediTrain, and they have a emergency stop bleed kit Emergency stop bleed kit
This is extremely well priced at $40, and made me question if the TQ is a genuine CAT item. Its not, its a copy, but I purchased a kit anyway just to see what it is like quality wise.

In the kit you get:
1x Tourniquet
1x Israeli (trauma) bandage - 15cm
1x Wound dressing #15
1x Pair gloves
1x Shears
1x Sharpie
1x carry pouch

The bag they currently have is not quite the same as the photo on the web page and it is a smidgen bigger. Its dimensions are such that you a huge amount of spare space to add all of the other components you might want to make it into a full blown FAK. I tried the TQ out and it definitely works. Considering its low weight, I am adding one of these to my kits. Heaven forbid I should ever have to use one.

This kit is a great starting point for anyone who doesn't already have a FAK, and for those who already have a kit needing an upgrade, the TQ and Israeli bandage alone make it worth the purchase.

Originally Posted by hotbarrels

In searching around for a CAT tourniquet, I came across a company called MediTrain, and they have a emergency stop bleed kit Emergency stop bleed kit
This is extremely well priced at $40, and made me question if the TQ is a genuine CAT item. Its not, its a copy, but I purchased a kit anyway just to see what it is like quality wise.

In the kit you get:
1x Tourniquet
1x Israeli (trauma) bandage - 15cm
1x Wound dressing #15
1x Pair gloves
1x Shears
1x Sharpie
1x carry pouch

The bag they currently have is not quite the same as the photo on the web page and it is a smidgen bigger. Its dimensions are such that you a huge amount of spare space to add all of the other components you might want to make it into a full blown FAK. I tried the TQ out and it definitely works. Considering its low weight, I am adding one of these to my kits. Heaven forbid I should ever have to use one.

This kit is a great starting point for anyone who doesn't already have a FAK, and for those who already have a kit needing an upgrade, the TQ and Israeli bandage alone make it worth the purchase.

That seems pretty decent at the price and room to chuck FAK in the bag too. I've just ordered one. Cheers @hotbarrels

As a young fella (think 12-15), I used to carry 4 & 6 cylinder cast iron engine blocks around the garage at home and sometimes at the part time holiday job.
Shoulders, knees and hips have been giving up over the years.
Osteo-arthritis caused by abuse of the 'chassis' over the years, from a young age is the end result.
Right hip was replaced at our cost, because we'd just moved into a new home, and couldn't wait for the public system (which rejected my case).
Apparently not being on morphine 3 times a day and still being pretty mobile was the excuse.
Getting into the long winded process, through the public 'non-system', of going for a right shoulder joint replacement.
Wish me luck guys - our health system is f##cked - compared to when we went to Aus in the mid 80's last century.

Textbook self-rescue. Well done. Warm blood can be very slippery on hands making it difficult to perform small motor tasks. Good suggestion to pre-prepare the fiddly stuff like placing a flag on a tape end.

Thanks for sharing. Made me check my medical kit to ensure I had all the right stuff. Hope you get better soon mate.

Carry a CAT tourniquet
Beware of shitty imitation versions tho
Massive bleeding = TQ high & tight on the limb
You can improvise with anything tho

Great thread, thanks for being so candid.

I rate Celox, this leaked very very badly.....razor sharp Mercator through a hock, just on dark, operating by feel, I didn’t realise the blade was upside down. I had Celox in my belt kit and wrapped it with surgical tape.



B

Originally Posted by shift14

Great thread, thanks for being so candid.

I rate Celox, this leaked very very badly.....razor sharp Mercator through a hock, just on dark, operating by feel, I didn’t realise the blade was upside down. I had Celox in my belt kit and wrapped it with surgical tape.

B

Ouch!