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Old September 18, 2012, 07:42 AM   #11
SerenityNetworks
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 13, 2012
Location: Allen, TX
Posts: 416
Dear Grubbylabs,

I absolutely did not take any offense at your post; it did not even cross my mind. I pray you took none with mine. I do think of First Responders as experts and always listen. Given a nurse versus a Paramedic/EMT (or similar) at the scene of an injury, I would opt for the care of the First Responder any day of the week. I only disagree with you on the antibiotics. For everything else, I agree with your opinions and rationales 100%, including the use of an occlusive dressing - and you stated it much more clearly than me - especially about using what you have and only using what you have training to use. (With the prevalence these days of civilian classes, hunters should be training, IMHO, especially those that frequent ranges.) Similar to you, all I ever used was an abdominal pad coated with petroleum jelly. My only thinking on the 'super stick' pads is simply space limitation. I want to keep my emergency kit to the size of a small camera bag that I wear on my belt with every outing.

Regarding the antibiotic, I do understand that 90% of physicians would likely agree with you; for several very good reasons. Yet I was once out in the field once for a few days. I received a small, deep, wound on my knuckles in the morning. I even thought the wound was "clean". I treated it and bandaged it. By evening there was redness surrounding the wound for about an inch. I marked it with a pen before going to bed, so I could tell in the morning if it was spreading or shrinking. In the morning I had solid redness to the wrist and streaks to my shoulder. I didn't even bother to break camp. I just went straight to the doctor. After a couple of shots of "liquid fire" (Rocephin) in the butt, a prescription, and packing of the wound (ouch), I was good to go. If I had been in the situation where I was injured and stranded then I could have been in tough shape. But all that said, I would not suggest carrying antibiotics without a proper prescription and instructions from a physician. Fortunately, I had one that agreed with me and trusts me not to take it unless the signs of an infection are present.

On the topic of fire:
Last fall I ran across the suggestion 'big al' had on the cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly. Whoa! Does that really work. (They didn't teach us that one in Scouts.) I carry the fuel cubes in the trunk and with my camping gear. But in my emergency kit is the magnesium fire starter (I got for a couple dollars at meritline . com) and petroleum jelly cotton balls stuffed into a straw cut in half. I just stuffed the saturated cotton balls into the straw and then used an iron to melt/seal the ends of the straw. Sealing the straw keeps the goo out of my kit.

Well, I'm rambling again. I'll quit.

Regards,
Andrew
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