Hi there /out/ists!
I recently found myself in a situation that made me ask you this question:
How do you treat small injuries like cuts when you don't have with yourself any pharmaceutical product nor bandaids? What are the options?
>>725666
M.D. Here.
Clean it with fresh water (drinking water if you have it) or alcohol if you have it. Direct pressure to stop any bleeding. Keep it covered and clean, watch for signs of infection: redness, swelling, pain, hot to touch, fever etc.
Get it checked out by a professional if any of the above ASAP.
And try to put some triple antibiotic ointment in your pack (bacitracin et. al)
Stay safe while /out/
>>725666
You don't, always bring first aid
>>725669
Witch doctor here.
Sacrifice chicken.
>>725671
In 40 yrs of /out/ing I have never once needed a first aid kit. Sure I get the need for them but it's really wasted space/weight in reality.
>>725666
I will add that I was at a beach so I had plenty of saltwater, is it a good idea to clean your cut with it?
>>725677
No chickens available either :(
>>725679
Different kinds out people do different kind of things.
Thus, the fact that YOU have not needed one does not make them waste of anything, really.
>>725684
Computer technician, here.
You'd need a slightly more concentrated saline, and it would also need to be sterilized. Boiling it until reduced to half volume should be enough. Keep in mind though that you should only use salt to sterilize small cuts, using it on large areas of exposed damage nerve tissue can cause shock.
Wash it off dirt, lick/spit on wound, put some tape or whatever I have if necessary.
http://www.science20.com/news_releases/histatin_why_licking_your_wounds_actually_works
Not OP, but I have a related question.
If I have an open cut that gets visibly dirty, but I don't notice the cut until after it closes up, should I reopen the wound so I can clean out the dirt?
(That's what I have been doing.)
I took a tip from my old line cook roommate and started carrying cornstarch and super glue.
Lick it for a while and then press a clean tissue on it.
>>725798
I couldn't lick it since it was in my foot, and I hadn't a clean tissue either.
Carrying bandages is a meme for LARP fags. It's the 21st century and I don't know of any Military fag I camp/hunt with that still carries a huge med kit. Just carry some antiseptic, burn cream, a banana for burn wrap, bite/sting kit, and super glue. I carry super glue for every cut or scrape. Make sure the kind you get is 2-octyl cyanoacrylate and not regular hardware store cyanoacrylate. They will usually like a medical sounding name to them, like LiquiBand or GluStitch. You can use regular super glue but it may cause skin irritations like itching. If you wanna go cheaper, you can get veterinarian glue like SurgiLock or VetGlu.
>>725677
Homeopathic doctor here.
You need to rub honey and garlic on it.
>>726044
>honey
This is actually true though.
Resin works wonders.
>>726164
so is sacrificing chickens, don't knock it till you try it annon :^)
>>725679
You're either full of shit or your idea of /out/ing is going outside to check the mail
Honey is good for cuts. Also antibacterial.
>>725666
sphagnum moss has a small amount of iodine in it. I can be an option. Mostly clean out the cut with boiled water, then cover with sterile covering.
But I carry gauze iodine and hockey tape as a minimum usually. I like the iodine because I can also disinfect water if need be.
>>725679
it's like car insurance. You just need it when you have an accident.
>>725677
>>725669
Hey doc, when I was ten I got a similar cut like in the op image. Treated it as such at home but didn't get a tetanus shot, also didn't really keep it covered just sort of air dried the blood so it could coagulate. Put some of that red dye on it too, forgot what is called.
Anyways, even if I didn't have that dye would air drying really be so bad? Also are tetanus shots absolutely necessary?
Sap from ever green trees. Where I live it's spruce. It does sting though but that's what the native people used.
>>726042
>a banana
You dont say..
>>726215
Tetanus shots are usually a good idea, lockjaw is not pleasant to have by the sounds of things. Though most people get tetanus shots at some stage in their early life and they last a long time, you're probably still ok from your last one.
>>726215
>red dye
iodine
>>726288
Yes, tetanus shots last a long time. No reason not to get one every decade or whatever.
My feelings about first aid kits relate to my childhood, though. I think I would bring one on a long journey, but I grew up on a farm and was fucking myself up all the time. Usually falling off my bike and getting road rash on gravel or dirt. Scratched by animals or stickers/thorns. Other small wounds. Rarely washed, rarely cleaned. In fact I still have a piece of gravel in my thigh that I didn't get out when I fell off my bike while wearing my swimsuit as a child. So a lot of the neosporin/bactine/whatever shit seems a little excessive to me. Exactly how wrong am I? I mean, I scratched myself up A LOT back in the day.
Also, if you're concerned about space, and want something dual purpose, then back sugar. Good sugar packing wounds and stuff. If you don't get wounded, then you can eat it. Win-win?
Pharmacist here.
Let your dog lick it.
Psychiatric here, it was your mom's fault. Talk to it.
I get either cut or burned just about every day at work, first and second degree spots from welding and gouging inside small pipes. I never really treat anything further than iodine, I go trough bottles of this shit fast. I'm covered head to toe so shit getting in wounds is rare for me.
If I don't put iodine in them they will get a pink rim around them, very little swelling and become tender to the touch, this is the infection setting in, sometimes I reopen a wound to irrigate it with iodine. Is this ok?
>>725679
You don't need it until you do. That's the whole point how can you be so full of shit
>>725666
>666
Shoot yourself. The devil said to do it.
>>725666
>>725669
This guy knows what they are talking about.
I would also advocate using a plantain poultice. It isn't as good as modern medicine, but it is better than nothing. The stuff grows EVERYWHERE.
>>725666
After a horrible nasty accident involving an axe head that came flying off straight up in the air. And landing on the back of my neck and put a big gash in it over the top of my spine. It didn't bleed BUT it exposed all the muscle there. Didnt really hurt either. I biked like 3 miles home. Ever since then I carry some stitching kits and know how to tie em. Not that it would of helped me with the axe accident but it reminded me that other shit could go wrong snd i wouldn't be the slightest prepared.
>>725701
Letting a small wound bleed and flush out the microorganisms is something I was taught by really old time ranchers and farmers who worked before antibiotics became widely available. It used to be that even the tiniest cut used to be able to kill you, so they made sure to get good flow out of the wound to help flush it.
The salt in seawater was a traditional use by sailors for skin blisters and cuts. The problem now with modern day sewage effluent going into the ocean is the microorganisms that can be found in it. Certain species of the Vibrio bacteria can be found in seawater. It is a flesh eating bacteria, causing loss of limbs and death. It can be very complicated to treat with antibiotics, hence wer're back to one small cut causing death.
>>726311
Sugar for wounds? Really?
I heard salt most of my life.
>iodine
we spics call it 'metrolate', idk
>>726477
The reason that sugar works is off the same principle as salt. By using large amounts of sugar or salt in the wound, the ion concentration is changed. The altered ion concentration causes water to pass out of the bacteria through osmosis, which causes the bacteria to shrink (crenate) and die. Ionic disassociation principles mean that twice the amount of sugar as salt is needed (the same is true if you want to deice your sidewalk with sugar). The only probably using sugar is that if the concentration drops too low, your would is now full of bacteria food.
>>726201
Car insurance is not something that I need.
Mine only fixes other people's shit, and I have a flawless driving record for the last 5 years. I am legally mandated to bet a substantial amount of money every month that I suck at driving.
Same thing with health insurance. Being forced to bet that I will be weak enough to succumb to some sickness or dumb enough to injure myself... I haven't been to the hospital in 9 years of being an adult. Fucking insurance bullshit.
>>726473
The ocean has always been full of microorganisms dumb ass.
I would say, and this goes out especially to my fatty American friends reading this thread, if you are careful, move slowly and have the proper clothes you will almost never suffer injuries or have any problems outdoors.
Wear 2 layers of socks, make sure your shoes fit you and are appropriate, have clothing that keeps you want and wicks sweat away from your body.
When you walk, always look where you are about to step and never overload your pack to the point you would fall over awkwardly if you lost your balance.
There's no reason to carry anything beyond a sleep system and some food for day trips.
You can add some compression bandages, a sterilized blade and needle and thread for anything longer.
Being outdoors is about being in nature, and that is primarily about doing common sense things. You don't exhaust yourself chopping down wood if there is dry tinder just fallen on the ground. Wow suddenly I reduce the risk of cutting myself with an axe or knife, just by not using it when it's not appropriate.
>wash the cut
>dry the cut
>apply cotton ball dabbed in rubbing alcohol
>apply bandage
My grandma always said its important to let skin breathe, so bandages are only essential until the bleeding is stopped. You ideally want air to pass over it and dry the entire area.
>>726737
>carrying a sleep system for day trips
day trips are trips which do not extend into the night. carrying a sleep system is in that case is completely useless
>>725666
wtf you have girlish baby hands
>>726747
imo you should always be prepared to spend the night. If the weather turns and you are stuck somewhere, you want to be dry and be able to get a good nights sleep. A hammock, tarp and sleeping bag weigh next to nothing, 7lbs if that. No reason not to have it in your pack, and get yourself used to carrying the weight, practice setting up your kit etc.
>>725669
>>725669
Yes all the way this.
Bacitracin(can buy generically from any pharmacy) is very useful. It's like a antibacterial Vaseline. I have had some gnarly accidents in my day and this is one of the most amazing
If I get a cut, I let it bleed for a bit(we're talking a small cut right,) wash with warm water, apply rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide(yeah it will hurt like a motherfucker) then apply bacitracin and some sort of bandage/bandaid.
And keep it clean. And change out the bandage everyday and watch it.
You can carry an ultralight aid pack for just a few ounces, so I don't see why not. Antibacterial ointment, a few gauze, medical tape, ibuprofen and some pepto pills. One step away from weightless and can be put in a zip lock bag.
>>726737
modern science says that the best healing outcomes are obtained with a very slightly moist environment. This is the reason that most modern wound coverings are occlusive. Thats not to say that it won't heal if left uncovered to air out.
>>726625
>9 years of being an adult
Congrats on being a twentysomething. Come back and talk about how insurance is a waste of your precious shekels in another twenty years. Faggot.
>>725666
Superglue that's designed for wounds.
I used to just use krazy glue in high school when I'd get an eyebrow cut open in rugby or any other sports cut but after growing up and learning about MSDS sheets and thinking about long term I decided it was smart to get stuff designed for medical use. I'll get it to stop bleeding clean it to and glue it. I've had a few worse things happen which is why I have a small first aid kit including blood clot. Hurts like a cunt but it's probably saved my life. Definitely has when I was working and had a saw kickback at me. Really made me realize I should have a first aid kit with me when /out/
Alum, opium, ethenol and a bandana is enough for rudimentary treatment of nearly everything you could find yourself succumbing to.
Bleeding uncontrollably? Dump some alum on there to clot it, wrap it in a bandana to prevent infection. Break your wrist? Ingest some opium for the pain, tie a sling to immobilize your arm. Dehydrated? Filter some stagnant water through the bandana and add some ethanol to sterilize it. Rattlesnake bite? Dump some alum on it to reduce the venom and smoke some opium to slow your heart rate. Giardia? Opium stops vomiting and diarrhea as well.
And that was the day all of /out/ went to pick flowers...
>>725790
Super glue is amazing when you cut yourself really good. It's like liquid stitches
>>726044
>homeopath
>doctor
Those terms are mutually exclusive, you charlatan fuck
>>725679
Some people smoke for years without getting cancer. But when you do...
>>726640
Reading skills are essential, I said that seawater has traditionally been used, but MODERN sewage effluent makes this dangerous. More nutrients = More bacteria, like Vibrio vulnificus. Ever heard of cholera? It's an enteric disease (lives in the gut) caused by bacteria in the Vibrio genus that spread through contaminated water. I never suggested that bacteria magically appeared. Which would you rather you use on a cut, seawater from a 1,000 years ago, or something sourced from within 50 feet of a sewage lagoon outflow? But hey, who cares, bacteria have always been around.
BTW, you can feel free to call me a dumbass when you get your own degree in microbiology, moron.
>>726625
>an adult
>insurance is a waste
Pick one
>>726044
Are you sure you want to use them raw? It's too strong mate. Dilute them first in 10 L of water
>>727260
Some insurances are waste. You insure you house and everything you have, get hit by a truck and you die. IMO you need to face the fact that bad things can happen and there's no insurance against that fact.
You pay insurances almost your entire life and yet the tragedy can strike in a way that your insurance doesn't cover. If you choose not to pay in the first place the amount of money saved is substantial when you die. It's a risk, I know, but life is dangerous. The choice you make has nothing to do with being an adult.
>>727260
If having insurance was such a good idea for the consumer, insurance companies wouldn't be bloated corporations with of loads of money. Statistically, all you're doing is paying someone else's bills.
>>727211
I took a WFR class and the instructor said that if you're in the backcountry the dressing is really only there to keep more dirt from getting in, not to "help it heal" as a lot of people seem to think. He said if you get the chance and are taking a break during your time /out/ you should uncover it and let the sun get at it.
I don't have anything to back this up but he was a pretty good instructor so I've always thought that was believable advice.
>>726625
>You slip up and hit somebody
>You now owe over 200,000 in medical expenses
ay lmaos
I ALWAYS have a first aid kit with me. wherever I go. I leave it in the car. If I go hiking/camping/wherever or don't bring my car, I put the kit in my backpack.
>>727582
With all due respect to your instructor, what I am talking about are reproducible, peer-reviewed medical studies. Here is one, for example. Many more have been done since this was first published. Unfortunately, you have to pay for the full article. The downside of instructors that come from a pre-hospital background is that other than some rather uncommon specialists in isolated/austere conditions (not ski patrol or SAR, I'm talking about oil fields and stuff like that), very few EMT's/Paramedics have any training on long term wound care, mostly because it isn't their job. You are much better off getting info from nurses and doctors when it comes to this, as long term wound care is their main job.
As a disclaimer here, I am not talking about minor cuts. I am talking about serious lacerations, ulcers, avulsions or burns, IE things that tend to get actual, life-threatening infections.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8109679
>>727618
fag
>>727658
The guy did backcountry work where he was out for 2~ months at a time (wilderness retreats with troubled kids? or something like that) but I see your point.
>>727881
Ah, well he is in the minority. Wilderness medicine is weird, because as far as I am aware, there is no official legal definition of a WEMT etc like there is with state licensing levels. As such, their skill level varies enormously. There was a scope of practice document signed by a number of the larger training groups, but there is no legal basis for the different levels of practice. Luckily, it still counts towards my EMT continuing education hours.
On a side note, the kind of dressings I am talking about are unlikely to be available to most wilderness practitioners, due to cost, so it is really not surprising to me that he is unaware of them. But like I said, its not that what he says wont work, its that the other way simply works better.
>>726473
Wait it causes loss of limbs AND death?! Loss of Death?!1<Questionmark/>! where can I buy this like my local grocery store or what come on bro.
-fellow sheepdog out
>>727834
It's allowed me to treat a lot of injuries and many people have thanked me for it. Who's the fag?
>>725666
superglue or athletic tape. Actual dressings and bandages aren't bad either.
99% of the time just put tape on it.
>>725666
Bleach, or if I don't have bleach I bring one of those bleach pens. They work on everything from dirt/infections to disentary. I laugh at people with their 5 pound FAK.
>>725666
there are shit tons of flowers, etc. that have antibacterial properties. make a poultice out of those plants, wrap up the wound with clean cloth. change wrap a few times a day. do some homework to see what grows in your area.
>>725666
>How do you treat small injuries like cuts when you don't have with yourself any pharmaceutical product nor bandaids? What are the options?
clean it out, cover it up, and keep it clean by any means necessary.
>>7279640
Splash in infected water or handle seafood (mussels and oysters) that are contaminated with Vibrio Vulnificus, a flesh eating bacteria that causes people to lose limbs and is quite fatal.
>>726437
I laughed. I understand this doesnt add anything but if people arent encouraged for good jokes then they might stop happening
>>725669
This is it. Keep it clean.
>>725669
How about using cyanoacrylate glue?
>>725666
Nice satanic trips
ShooGoo
Only first aid, shoe repair, pack repair, tent repair, camelbak bladder repair item you'll ever need.
>>727259
Cholera is a myth perpetuated by NWO
>Which would you rather you use on a cut, seawater from a 1,000 years ago, or something sourced from within 50 feet of a sewage lagoon outflow?
1000 year old water would be much more dangerous because it could contain now-extinct sea cow
>>725677
topkek
All I take is
>wound dressing tape stuff (like a bit roll of bandaid material)
>inhaler for 6yo son
>prednisone for 6yo son just in case
>PLB
A lot of what people have suggested is just fucking around when you should be getting help ASAP. The point of first aid is to prevent further harm so that medical professionals can take over, not play back country surgeon. Big cuts can be dressed with a shirt (don't try and suture it numbnuts, get to help) breaks shouldn't be moved unless you absolutely have to (unless you like causing internal bleeding), in which case use a stick, walking pole, tent pole etc and a shirt or cordage.
Infection is the least of your worries for a serious injury outdoors. For anything small, stick it in your mouth then stick a plaster on it. Anything big, keep yourself warm and dry and make contact with someone who can help you.
>>725679
this is bullshit, as a 'first aid' kit is just a mentality. handkerchiefs, alchohol, aspirin are staples in any kit, and can easily be called even the most basic of a first aid kit. so while im not literally lugging around a red bad with a cross on it, id never straight say "im a man, i dont need a first aid kit" as i know that most of the things i carry naturally double as first aid
>>735211
although, one of the frivolous items id like to carry at any time is an epi-pen
>>725666
Hello. I'm an emergency nurse practitioner (not trolling, I actually am), and my hobbies include climbing, ocean kayaking, kayak fishing and deepwater solo ascents (off my anchored kayak). Needless to say, I pick up a LOT of cuts, particularly to my hands, in situations where I need to close those wounds quickly and not impair my hands in the process.
There is only one answer to this: Superglue.
I'm not even shitting you. It was actually INVENTED as a wound closure (in Vietnam), which is why it bonds skin instantly. I usually pack a whole bunch of little 3g tubes, I don't even bother with the medical stuff because it's literally identical to what you'd buy in Home Depot.
Superglue, motherfucker. All the first aid you need.
Tits always related.
Wash it off
Tape it up
You do have duct tape with you, right?
Superglue can sometimes be shit, as it'll generally burn your skin and blood + glue = mess on you.
Duct tape is the best I've found.
>>725666
Burn it closed, sew it shut or glue it
Only first aid I ever bring is Dermabond, Needle (curved) heavy black thread and my knife
Used them all on various wounds and never looked back
>>725666
duct tape or cauterize
>>735558
Not sure if cauterization is a good idea on a palm because you might run the risk of damaging nerves.
>>735443
It's true that they used superglue in Vietnam, but it's never been used in civilian medicine because it burns the skin and release formaldehyde. Superglue from a hardware store is generally methy-2-cyanoacrylate or ethyl-2-cyanoacrylat.
What you want is 2-octyl cyanoacrylate or n-butyl cyanoacrylate. These are available for stupid amounts of money from a pharmacy, or you can get them cheap from a vet.
>2-octyl medical glues
Derma+flex® QS™, SurgiSeal, FloraSeal, Dermabond
>2-octyl vet glues
Surgi-Lock, and Nexaband
>n-butyl medical glues
LiquiBand®, Histoacryl, Indermil, GluStitch, GluShield, Periacryl
>n-butyl vet glues
VetGlu, Vetbond, and LiquiVet
>>726042
Using superglue on wounds can lead to some bad times, it's best just let the blood do its thing and coagulate.
>>725679
>I've never fucked up, therefore noone anywhere will
Most recent additions to my emergency kit:
Tick remover to keep from squishing tick juices under the skin (never had a tick)
40ml saline eye wash in sterile squeeze bottle, will also wash wounds
IR pocket thermometer
Only thing I ever needed: povidone-iodine and bandages
Worst injury: kid stepped on a tent peg while running barefoot, just a cut
I've cracked my skull, broken my arm, gotten stitches more times than I remember, but I never had to take care of that because I called an ambulance or went to the hospital.
>>726242
Only /out/ reply.
I swear, guys, this needs to stop.
>>725666
Tip: pinch it shut, take sterile cause in the worlds thinnest sheet and superglue the wound shut. It burns like hell, but I've learned this trick and it saves me stitches.
>>725666
Assuming you are male or traveling with male companions you can use sperm. That will both seal the wound and act as an antiseptic.
>>725666
If you have iodine in your water purifying gear, you can make a solution about the color of iced tea, let it sit for 30 minutes, (40 if cold weather) and irrigate the wound. Then apply an occlusion dressing made from sterilized fabric (either boiled or bleached in the sun using UV radiation to kill bacteria). Cover that shit up and change it every 12 hours. Seek evacuation if respiratory rate, heart rate, or blood pressure increase. This means you're headed towards septic shock.
-Wilderness First Responder
>>735206
This pretty much. You sound like you've had WFR or WEMT training.
>>727333
>diluting in 10L of water
Do you want to OD? Check out this madman!
>10hL Master race reporting in bread.
