Caveat 1: My “official” credential is 10 years as an Emergency Medical Technician (Basically I’ve been trained to keep patients alive till we get them to the hospital) as well as decades of looking after my own brood and grandbrood. If you think someone has to have a PHD to talk about medicine then move on, don’t waste another second on this tip sheet. I am not a doctor, seldom watch them on TV and if you take my advice, you could end up sick or dead so use it at your peril. I also detest lawyers who prey on people trying to help other people.
Caveat 2: Medicine, like politics, is host to a diverse array of opinions and philosophies. My philosophy is “do the best you can with what you have.” If you think you need a perfect answer for everything, move on.
Note: I’m dealing more with concepts than techniques. See links below for a plethora of resources.
Emergency Medicine in a Non-911 World
In the world of 911, the main items you need to know are ABC, CPR and STB. I’ll include links below for these basic emergency treatments. But what if you find yourself in the middle of CHAZ? Or an actual, for real pandemic where everyone is justifiably afraid to go out in public and the hospitals smell like morgues. Or if the national power grid goes down. And don’t minimize good old, homegrown disasters such as earthquakes and tornadoes. Suddenly, 911 won’t be there for you and you might have to make do for days or weeks without professional medical care.
Rule 2: Safety (correlates with Zombieland Rule #4; Note: I’m saving Rule 1 for last)
When learning EMS, they hammer us with scene safety to the point that every testing scenario starts with the mantra “Scene Safe, Body Substance Isolation.” In a non-911 world, safety climbs the hierarchy pyramid and is, in my opinion, second only to preparation in importance. Safety means wearing protective gloves while doing chores; staying out of trees; proper knife handling; respecting fire and all the activities that start with "hold my beer while I try this".
In non-911 conditions, a simple cut can become a deadly infection. An allergic reaction can strangle. A toothache can debilitate almost as much as a fractured bone. Speed is the enemy of safety so take your time, practice your OODA (link below) and make good choices about what you’re going to do.
Rule 3: Deal with immediate life threats.
CPR: If someone is unconscious, check their heartbeat and breathing. If their heart is beating, and they’re still breathing, put them into the recovery position. If they lack either, start CPR.
Bleeding: If a person is bleeding, especially if it squirts every time their heart beats, then apply pressure, tourniquet or other measures. See STB below. Note: All bleeding stops on its own -- eventually. But that might be too late so don’t delay.
Anaphylaxis: Discomforting factoid: Did you know that a person can have anaphylactic shock to a bee sting even though they've been stung without problems before? Basically, your body over reacts, resulting in a constricted airway. Unless you have known allergies, you probably don’t have an Epi-pen lying around so the quicker you can get some Benadryl into their system the better off they will be.
Rule 4: Fight the infection
In a non-911 world, infection can be your biggest enemy. Don’t give it a chance to get started. A minor wound is like an open door for those germy critters to attack you. If the wound is not a gusher, such as a scrape, road rash, or minor cut, take the time to clean and disinfect before wrapping it up. I carry iodine pads in my pocket first aid kit and I keep betadine solution in our home first aid kit.
Also, just so you’ll know, I know a guy who knows a guy who uses Fish Mox (amoxycillin) from the pet store when he needs an antibiotic. He says there are several pet antibiotics (Fish Flox, Fish Pen) available for pets which have the same dosage as prescriptions would have. I'm not about to tell you this is a good idea, it's just something I've heard of so do your own research.
One of my favorite infection fighters is the lowly 10cc saline flush. It has enough saline to clean typical wounds and you can squirt it right into the wound for better cleaning. I keep them in my truck bag as well as our home kit. I carry a couple of flushes and a couple of rolled gauze bandages in my fancy EMS cargo pocket when I’m on duty.
Rule 1: (sorry, it’s not cardio) Prepare ahead of time.
Dufus stared at the gaping wound and wondered “do I have any gauze?” Don’t be a Dufus. Below are links to resources which help you learn what to do and how to do it. The items mentioned in the resources are items you need to consider for your non-911 medical kit. It’s like cheap insurance: You’re happy if you never have to use it and even happier when you do. Here are a few pointers and concepts to help you prepare. What have you done today to get ready?
Gauze has no expiration date so keep plenty of it. I prefer the rolled style in 2" width. Tape deteriorates in storage, don’t waste money on it. Learn how to "tuck the tail" with your rolled gauze or use elastic bandaging.
Most medications, especially in pill form, last far beyond their expiration date. Stockpile over the counter pills such as Benadryl for allergic reactions and Imodium for loose bowels. Aspirin is an NSAID which also helps with cardiac chest pains. Do your research on these and other medicines.
Knowledge gets rusty so refresh it from time to time. Below are some resources which give you plenty of study material to peruse while not watching the kneeling sports on television.
Psyche: There’s a darker side to preparation and it’s in your mind. In a non-911 world, what do you do when you revive someone from a heart attack? Will they survive or have another heart attack? How long can you do chest compressions if you're the only one doing it? If you tell me half an hour, you're super human.
Recognizing the limits: Preparation means having those hard conversations about “heroic efforts” and “Do Not Resuscitate” orders. Let’s take it another step darker: What if you, or a family member has diabetes requiring insulin which needs to be refrigerated? (Or some other condition requiring daily meds.) How will you handle the inevitable in a long term situation?
Speaking of medications, how long can you last without a refill? Will cutting your pills in half still gave you the therapeutic results you need? Can you get an extra 3 month supply now? These questions should be answered now, not during a non-911 scenario.
Finite Resources: How much of your resources will you share with others? Their emergency, likely caused by their decision not to prepare, is NOT your emergency unless you choose to make it so. There are good reasons to be a benefactor but you need to consider your priorities now instead of waiting till the passionate moment is upon you.
Resource Links:
Below are some resources which I recommend. There are many out there but these will get you started:
OODA Loop Train your awareness.
CPR: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/hands-only-cpr.html
Stop The Bleed: https://www.stopthebleed.org/resources-poster-booklet
Doom and Bloom: For lay people, these folks are probably the best resource you’ll find. I’ve met them personally, they taught me to do sutures and staples (I won’t say it will look pretty but I can close most wounds). They offer classes, books and supplies. http://www.doomandbloom.com/
Hesparian: Where There Is No Doctor: An amazing compendium of medical information tailored for limited resources. I have the printed and pdf versions. I recommend you buy the book in print but if you’re tight on funds, search for “free download” and you’ll find it on the interweb. They also offer “Where There Is No Dentist.”
Note: This book offers lots of community organizing info as well. See “Ditch Medicne” below for hard core medical procedures:
https://store.hesperian.org/prod/Where_There_Is_No_Doctor.html
Ditch Medicine: Illustrated, hard core emergency procedures. It’s simply a pdf of scanned images of the pages but the price is right.
Dixie EMS medical supplies: Let’s face it, you can find it all on Amazon but most of my stuff comes from these folks. http://www.dixieems.com/ Basic medical supply is a competitive world so do your own research.
Bleach loses its efficacy over time. I keep pool shock available to create bleach which is good for chlorinating water for drinking and cleaning. When they mention that this stuff off gasses, they aren’t kidding. Whatever container it comes in, get another, air tight plastic container to put that container in. Trust me on this one!
https://www.instructables.com/id/Pool-Shock-for-water-Purification/
Antibiotics: Doctors would hate me for sharing what you'd find if you searched for Thomas Labs on Amazon so I'm not going to mention Thomas Labs at all.
(c) Randy Hilton 2020
