VaughnT Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Yesterday was my latest adventure. Dad had felled a nice red oak that he thought would be good for the bench project I'm working on, so we headed out to the 'back forty' to cut it to length and split in half. It had been down for about a month, but wasn't completely dry by any stretch. We got a good crack started and I put in a fresh-made glut to get things started. I gave said glut a solid whack with the hammer-poll of my hatchet just to set it, and the stupid glut rotated in the crevice, turning my swing and launching the poll of the hatchet into my shin. Quicker than you can blink, there was a xxxxxxx river of blood pouring down my leg. My dad and I just sat there and watch it for a moment; neither of us can remember ever seeing blood run so freely or quickly. It was maybe 20' to the atv, and my boot was filled with blood by the time I got there. Got back to the house and mom cleaned the wound. She's got over three decades as an RN and she was amazed at the blood flow. She thought I nicked a vein, but I really didn't want to go to the ER. Here's a shot just prior to the first attempt at a pressure bandage. It's been cleaned, but you can see the sock and boot are soaked. Certainly not much to look at, is it? (Just how much blood was there would become evident later when I washed that boot out!) Well, that wrap wasn't very snug. Of course, I didn't help the matter by continuing to work with my dad on that pesky log. So, I didn't think anything about it when the blood started running from under the bandage. Calling it quits for the day, I had mom do a doozy of a compression bandage on the sucker. We used a slew of gauze and this really cool sticky wrap stuff that looks like an ace bandage. I really like that product and will be sure to get more of it. Way better than gauze, especially if you're working by yourself, and I'll be sure to update this when I find out the name brand. So, being a good patient, I had a cleaned and wrapped wound, and I kept my foot elevated for several hours before bed. No signs of further bleeding. The pressure bandage worked. No stitches needed! This was my alarm clock this morning. 0630, brain fogged by sleep, I feel something wet "down there". Did I wet the bed somehow? How could that happen, and why's it waaaay down there? Then I remembered that dang cut! Waking up to both of my lower extremities painted crimson? That's better than coffee to get you moving! The three or four hours before bedtime wasn't enough for the blood to show through the gauze, but it was still flowing freely underneath. You can see how runny it is by the stripes at the ankle. That's simply the runs as I got vertical and walked a few feet to the bathroom (stopping along the way to get my camera!) The location of the wound couldn't have been more aggravating. The calf tapers and gravity helps to pull the bandage down, relieving the pressure against the wound. Because the muscle changes shape so much, a tight bandage in this position isn't a tight position in another position. All told, it's a very aggravating body part! The end result? Lessons learned??? A masked hatchet is still a threat. Velocity makes even a 90º edge razor sharp, and I never even thought to consider the poll of the hatchet a danger. Every warning in the world is about the edge of the stuff we forge, not the other end..... make a note. My field medical kit was pitiful. While I wasn't in any danger from this wound, medical help being only minutes away by atv (either a trained mom or the vfd across the street), dad and I were down in the woods using axes and chainsaws, and nothing in the medical supplies reflected that. A few band-aids and some neosporin are not realistic "first aid" when you're dealing with big tools. Granted, I had no need to flush this wound or dress, but I also didn't have that option. But the biggest kicker of all? Any guesses? Aspirin. Yep, I had been taking a bunch of aspirin over the last week or so for pain management and blood pressure. I never even considered its blood-thinning capabilities as it might relate to my getting a good cut. When clotting wasn't happening, I put two and two together. There's no history of hemophilia in my family, but my leg was sure acting like there was! This is a small wound, as things go, but the constant bleeding was an eye-opener. I got caught with my pants down - blindsided by two things that I never even considered. So, I get a couple days rest to let the stitches do their thing without strain. Yea me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Man, glad to hear you are ok and it wasn't a major wound! I had a history of nose bleeds when i was a kid so I use Tylenol as a rule, but I always thought it was just kind of a 'better safe than sorry' practice, I never realized how significant the blood thinner effect was! Definitely take it easy for a few days and let that knit up a bit before you slam it into a doorjamb or anvil stand or something equally sneaky :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Long a go in a place far away I was an EMT, and a soldier, and a forest fire fighter... Any way, to day I carry a pretty extensive first aid kit, it is horse eccentric but it's also cheap and effective. It's in a 6 pack size soft sided cooler, with a hard insert, red. The primary contents are cheap premie diapers (hoof bandages) cheep maxipads (excellent trama dressings), cotton bating (old towls or shipping boots for padding the wounded limb) vettrap (a coadhesive dressing like the stuff your mom used but cheaper and about 4" wide and 15' long, stored in a small plastic tackle box that holds 6 it's isles If it gets squished as it sticks to its self, kids and careless stockers can ruin it) 4x6 non stick gaus, provadine iodine, drinking water, salt and a spray bottle. ( mix at .5% each salt and iodine, use spray bottle on stream to irrigate wound) duck tape (secures hoof bandage as well as emugency founder package) Now I keep some cloth finger bandages, superglue and coming soon, Celox if I get really stupid. Now this works for me, it can patch up a horse or me untile I we can get to the vett (wish the state would let him treat me too) As to the Celox, it is an artificial clotting agent made from shrimp and crab shells that will plugg up a leak fast, and the doctored don't have to scrape and wash it out like Kwikclot (it uses potters clay) stuff ain't cheap but it's standard issue on the battle field and for EMS thesis days. You can get it in little 2 gram nose blead packs that work well on small nail and hoof knife cuts. Any way, just food for thaught on what you can put to gether to slow down the leak till you can get patched up, that is if mom isn't around to bail you out (like your mom, mine always asked the same question, "is it bleeding?" If it wasent "stop wining" if it was " wash it off and put a brandade on it" after a wile I just went in and cleaned it up and if a brandade wouldn't cover it I used a wash cloth and went to the vett, err doctor) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aden Cassidy Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Me, duct tape and extra thick tissues for an emergency bandaid/bandage. Have cut myself fair bit when I was little mucking around with things, find this is great to use. Wrap/plug the wound with the tissue and wrap the duct tape around it, stays nice and tight and can seal the edges too. Will be almost leak proof. After that if needed get fixed up properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Glad you ok. Aspirin is good stuff but it needs to be used carefully. If injured, stop what your doing and apply first aid to stop the bleeding. As Charles says, there are items that you should carry and have close at hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 As a former EMT myself, the old wound clot stuff containing crab shells caused a life-threatening allergic reaction to individuals with seafood allergies. Anaphylactic shock is no joke. I think the new versions are safe for everyone now. Rule #1, don't make a bad situation into a disaster. And yeah, I still carry a trauma kit everywhere I go. As I have gotten older and wiser, I mostly treat other folks with it. My last self-inflicted wound required stitches and an emergency room visit was getting pine trees off a roof after Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 "let that knit up a bit before you slam it into a doorjamb or anvil stand or something equally sneaky" You have no idea how much that idea scares me, Chinobi! I'm hobbling around like a geezer, moving super slow and making real sure there isn't anything in the way of my leg when I take that next step! :D I'll be making up a decent kit as soon as I can. It needs to be something that can be left on Pop's tractor, though, as he's the one out there putzying day in and day out.... but he sure won't remember to carry it out of the house with him. That means it can't be anything that won't survive changes in the weather while it sits in an ammo can. Thank you for the well wishes. I'll be back up and running before ya know it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Couple of things I've learned from the docs when they have patched me up. Don't ever put anything in a wound that they have to scrape out. Tripple antibiotic ointment and such is ok for small scrapes but it's patrolium jelly bases and has no place in a wound that will need stitches. Irrigating the wound, in the field will greatly reduce your chances of infection. A can of sterile saline (non-buffered) works well, drinking water if nothing else. Take a first aid class (or have your mom teach you ;-) when things go side ways you will revert to your training. Carry a cell phone, even one that has no plan will still dial 911 (remember that # I've had Peaple ask me for the # to "911") many local despatch centers can triangulate your phone (much more common in rual counties and receive text) Carry a two part kit, one for the small stuff, a good quality bandaid will reduce your chances of an infection, infection is a real risk. And something a bit more substantial for a big mess. Vaughn, glad your ok, Glenn is right about aspirin, the doctors are getting where the don't even like to use children's aspirin any more, still great stuff for a headache but not long tearm. Glad your still with us, even if I rib you about your mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 No worries, Charles. I'm glad mom's still around to patch me up when I do something stupid. She's great at cussing you for being stupid while at the same time fixing what you and teaching you how to fix yourself! Working in an ER and raising three boys probably makes her the most experienced nurse in history! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 It's not as epic as Frosty's tree but I bet we can get some mileage out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 yea, Frosty set the bar pretty high with that one, im not sure we really want to encourage any competition in that field either XD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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