Basic First Aid

rcfaCleanliness is next to Godliness.  This saying is very important, especially if you get cut.  In good conditions it is very important to insure that if you get a cut you get it cleaned out and keep it clean.  If times get rough, this strategy becomes so important that it could save your life.

Yesterday while working around the house I had accidentally thrown something in the kitchen trash.  Thank goodness there was only one days’ worth of trash in there; the can was almost empty, almost.  I reached in and sure enough, my finger found the sharp edge of a can lid.  Ouch!  It was a pretty deep cut.  I was concerned, the only can that was in there was from the cat food, it has been in there over night and I was concerned that old meat residue was in the cut.

Immediately I went to the sink and started rinsing out the wound.  It bled like crazy.  I reach over and grabbed the bottle of 91% rubbing alcohol and started to pour it on my finger.  I also poured in some hydrogen peroxide after cleaning the cut with soap and water. Applying pressure, I tried to get it to stop bleeding which it finally did and then I applied some anti-bacterial cream and a band aid.  I repeated the process before I went to be and then again this morning.

Was all that over kill?  No, I don’t think you can clean a wound too much.  Obviously, I don’t want to get it infected, plus, all that cleaning is good practice to insure a cut gets cleaned out very good.  I remember watching the movie “After Armageddon” which is about a global disaster.  Toward the end of the movie, around 1 hour and 15 minute mark the man gets cut, he tried to clean out the wound, but didn’t do it very well, and didn’t have anything to disinfect it. At the 1:18 mark the narrators talk about cuts and antibiotics.   In the end he ended up dying from the cut.  Yes, it was just a movie, but, it is true that if you get a cut and it gets infected you could lose a limb or worse your life from it.

Legacy Food Storage

If you haven’t seen the movie, I highly recommend it.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8rYaPfFLgo

Now I am in no way a medical person, honesty I tend to get very light headed at the site of blood.  I know I need to attend a basic first aid class, everyone should actually

It is also important to have a good supply of basic first aid supplies like:

After my cut yesterday, I was glad that I keep rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide right at the kitchen sink so I could quickly apply it to my cut.

You can also make your own natural disinfectant with vinegar or lemon juice, salt and water.

Regardless, my little cut was a big reminder of how important it is to keep basic first aid supplies close at hand in areas where there are sharp objects and especially in areas where you least expect getting a cut.  A cut or scrap will never happen when or where you think it will. Always be prepared with a small first aid kit regardless of where you are.

Legacy Food Storage