Posted on 04/11/2012 6:36:32 PM PDT by Kartographer
here are essentially two ways to heal a wound: 1) Primary intent: bringing the wound edges together via bandage, suture, or glue. 2) Secondary intent: allowing the wound to heal “as is” when primary intent is not indicated (such as a very contaminated, dirty wound with multiple deep entry points). It’s important to close a wound by primary intent for several reasons: 1) Hemostasis (stopping bleeding): because if you lacerated a vessel with your injury, you will need to ligate it somehow. Granted, if you lacerate a major artery, you will just need to apply pressure because ligating it may compromise blood flow to whatever body area it feeds. 2) Infection prevention: since our skin provides a barrier to bacteria, this is pretty obvious why closing a wound is important to restoring that barrier. There are, however, exceptions to this rule when the wound is fairly contaminated, and by closing the wound you may actually trap bacteria under the skin and cause a deeper infection. I will explain how to minimize this chance. 3) Cosmesis: if you have a deep laceration in an area where “looking good” or “not looking like Frankenstein” is important, then repair is indicated.
(Excerpt) Read more at modernsurvivalonline.com ...
Preppers’ PING!
I like meatballs. They taste gooooood!!!
I have an emergency med kit that came with 5 sutures.
I have yet to rip apart an orange and teach myself how to do it... poor orange!!!
At least it wouldn’t scream and wiggle...
Always carry instant glue with you. Best thing for cuts. Also great for cracked skin around nails. Gorilla glue is next best thing to cover cuts, just have to not be touching it until it sets.
You can practice on your cat. Just make sure the kids aren't around. They won't understand. After the cat is done with you you can sew yourself up.
Some good advice. Out here on the Farm, we’ve all tended to a lot of wounds, of all sizes and difficulties. It isn’t fun, but it is necessary to know how.
bfl
“After the cat is done with you you can sew yourself up.”
Here’s one for giving a cat a pill:
1. Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat’s mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.
2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.
3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.
4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of 10.
5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.
6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, holding front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold cat’s head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat’s throat vigorously.
7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.
8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with its head just visible from below spouse’s armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force cat’s mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.
9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse’s forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.
10. Retrieve cat from neighbor’s shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.
11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.
12. Ring fire brigade to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.
13. Tie cat’s front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table. Find heavy duty runing gloves from shed. Force cat’s mouth open with small spanner. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour pint of water down throat to wash pill down.
14. Get spouse to drive you to emergency room; sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Stop by furniture shop on way home to order new table.
15. Arrange for vet to make a house call.
Duct Tape
” I have an emergency med kit that came with 5 sutures. “
Murphy’s law says that things like that will never be around when we need them - flexibility to improvise with ‘found’ materials is paramount...
In my wrench-turning days, I treated an endless number of busted knuckles (okay - I was kinda clumsy) by cleaning the open, bleeding, wound with cold water, and then packing it with good ‘ol axle grease — elapsed time from “OUCH, damn it!!” to back-to-work usually less than 5 minutes... Every single one of them healed cleanly, with minimal scarring and no loss of function....
Practice on a hunk of beef or pork.. chicken doesn’t work as well because the skin slides around.
LOL That is so funny!!
As an ancillary note for “now” - make sure your tetanus vaccination is current.
I’ve heard dying of tetanus is particularly unpleasant.
I can personally vouch for adding #14b, which is to sit quietly for your tetanus shot before beginning your 10-day regimen of antibiotics.
It is funny. I haven’t read it in years and by the time I got to #6, I was laughing so hard I had tears running down on to the keyboard. My 3 cats are sitting here with heads tilted, wondering what crazy stuff I’m doing now. LOL. They’re having fun talking amongst themselves about me.
“Dogs have masters; cats have staff.”
I’ve found amazon to be a decent place to buy basic medical supplies. You can find suture kits and other basics for wound closure cheaper than walmart.
THAT’s funny, MfM! I’m going to steal that one and add it in, with proper attribution, of course. I can’t remember which cat site I found that on, but if I do, your #14b will be famous. Thanks.
14. Get spouse to drive you to emergency room; sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm, and removes pill remnants from right eye. Also, be quite still for your tetanus shot before beginning your 10-day regimen of antibiotics (MfM). Stop by furniture shop on way home to order new table.
Our oldest grandson is living with us while serving his MD internship at our local hospital. Saturday night, our youngest grandson (four years old) spent the night with us. We were watching a movie and eating popcorn. I asked a question of him. He said he couldn’t hear me. I asked “why not?” His response was, “It might be because of the popcorn in my ear.” (Who can possibly understand a four-year old mindset?) Eldest grandson(who just returned from a long shift in ER) got a Q-Tip from my bathroom, put some “Gorilla Glue” on the end of it, put it in his cousin’s ear, and popped the kernel right out.
It’s really handy having a Dr. in house....and thank God for Gorilla Glue.
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