Stitching innawoods: How to and experiences? What are the best techniques and material to carry in your first aid kit?
>>774724
Duct tape.
But honestly don't attempt to suture anything if you're not experienced in the matter. You'd just be trapping in bacteria and fucking shit up.
>>774754
this
betadine and duck tape
>>774724
>first aid kit
In my 40 years of /out/ I have never needed my FAK. I still carry it but it is a waste of weight and space.
Don't be fucking stupid and you won't need it either.
>>774724
Friend stabbed me in the leg once and he sewed me together with dental floss. Was totally fine.
Carry either Saline or iodine. Clean that shit up nice and good. If there is shit like wood bits or dirt you need to scrape the shit out with something sterile.
To be honest most things don't need stitches unless you carve yourself a floppy chunk that's clean cut you can just let it heal up on its own and the wound will.benefit from being open. Carry shit ton of bandages and iodine. Don't ever put cream or or gel based antiseptic in a deep wound.
>>774724
If you really have to close a wound, and that is not likely to happen, Steristrips and tissue glue are a much better solution than a shitty suture job. Even the ER will now use wound closure strips whenever possible, as sutures are both more painful and less convenient.
>>774759
>I am a statistical anomaly so that means everybody else is too.
This kind of thinking is incredibly stupid. A very basic first aid kit only weighs a few ounces, if you make your own instead of buying one filled with crap you don't need.
>>774754
uh huh.... Odds are you'll fuck it up without any experience(like, the actual stitching) and the odds of it being sterile arnt good, so you'll probably make things worse.
Duct tape really IS the appropriate answer, with the expectation that when you get back to civilization the dr. will slice it open if its already healed, clean it out, and THEN suture it up properly in a way that leaves the least amount of scarring.
>>776020
Would anyone attempt stitches without cleaning the wound first? Like no one is that retarded right?
>>774795
Does it say I still carry it? Are you so fucking stupid you can't read?
I bet you're the type that shit just happens to, aren't you? Never your fault either I bet.
90+% of accidents/need for a FAK happen to the same 20% of the population. The other 80% of us share the last 10% of accidents/need of FAK.
>>776020
>Duct tape really IS the appropriate answer
Yes, always if it's bad enough to need stitches.
>>776031
Even if you *think* its cleaned out(with alcohol and bandages to remove excess blood), unless youre in a sterile environment the odds are pretty good there'll still be some shit in there. and even if there isnt, unless you stitch it up properly it can still have debris and bacteria get in.
Unless you're an actual nurse or doctor and you came in to the outing with the intention of doing this(read:have all the appropriate supplies) you shouldnt try. If you're just some asshole who bought some surplus military first aid kit, and watched a youtube video, you definitely shouldnt try.
>>774775
you do sound like the kind of person that doesnt actually know what 'fine' is.
>leg doubles in size
>aw shucks its fine
i mean, having a friend that stabbed you in the leg, and the same friend playing surgeon with dental floss and all. i mean, what kind of fucked situation were you in where you couldnt get proper care, but at the same time had dental floss available
>>776033
accidents are unintentional by default. you cannot just say "nah, im not fucking stupid so i cant have an accident". also if you dont carry even a rudimentary fak, you actually are fucking stupid mr dunning
Sutured myself twice in the field. First time at 16, doing a 4 day hike with my father. I fell about 15 feet down a rock face and ripped my upper shin apart. Man made me put 8 stitches in my leg. We were about 20km from our vehicle and about 60km to the nearest hospital. Second occasion I had tripped and smashed my opposite shin. I did 4 stitches to show off to some friends, went back to the hospital to get it fixed the next day (similar situation). Doc said "is this the first time you've done this". Then explain the first time I did it. He said it's not a good idea to do but I handled it properly. I carry dental floss and a curved suture needle with iodine, alcohol, and medical disinfectant wipes in my emergency kit. It's not smart to do if you don't have to. But it can help you in some circumstances.
Duct tape is also really fucking good. Crazy glue is great too.
>>776038
The point about debris is true. And almost inevitable. If you don't have to suture. Don't.
Should see the scar on my shin from the hack job I did, and the resuture from the doc. It's gnarly. I tried taking a photo but it's not coming out well.
>>776048
>km
>maine
WTF???
>>776043
seriously, comprehension please dexter.
I understand accidents are unintentional.
Again, do I carry a FAK even though I've never needed. Yes, I'm responsible and have assisted others. Most of them, (re-read that please, MOST) were idiots that were responsible or their injury. A few were not and fell under the
"shit happens" heading.
How are you people so fucking stupid, wait, I know, you're the idiot that always needs their FAK.
I seriously don't think I've ever met a bunch of people consistently dumber than mud than I have since I started browsing this page.
>>776038
i don't usually clean my wounds
i got forest dirt in them and all kinds of shit
i let the blood coagulate and dry heals faster that way
don't let water to touch the wound, it can be hard to shower if it's on your leg pretty challenging but on an arm it's easy enough
cleaning the wound really just makes it easier to get it infected.
>>776087
most important thing is let it breathe never cover a wound up!
>>776042
We were just hangin out, why go to the hospital for some easy shit
>>776064
Sorry. But metric is superior. Although I was raised in New England I was always taught by my father to use the metric system.
>>776087
what? is that legit? sounds disgusting
>>776068
nobody ever uses their fak you projecting dipfuck. nobody neglects to carry them because of that though, unless you are some cowboy reenacter macho man. even carrying around alchohol, duct tape, and linen yardage will satisfy a FAK under colloquial means. when people see first aid as bundles of gauze and shit, i know they know exactly nothing of what the fuck they are talking about, as anyone thats tried to build one has first amassed the household materials that would suffice, before shopping for iodine and epipens. liquor itself having a number of uses in the bush, not least of which getting your rocks off
>>776187
also, there is never a stage in your life where you are too manly to use bandaids
>>776129
your blood it the best bandaid it not only cleans the wound dragging debris away from your flesh as it coagulates but also forms an important layer of immune cells. if you wash it out you ruin this wonderful process and the wound will take longer to heal more likely to get infected.
>>774724
SMN
>>774724
Doing this shit is just dumb. Bandage and get to a hospital if you need stitches.
Being /out/ I didn't think I had to clarify this, but the scenario would be being innawoods without any close hospital. +20 km with increased heart rate from hiking, bleeding, and minimum an hour drive from a hospital wouldn't be as easy as some people around here put it. I do have training in first aid and I work in a lab so I know how to sterilize and practice properly, but I think I'll leave it to ductape and the doctor if I found myself in the situation as you suggested, thanks for the answers.
>>776087
don't ever listen to medical advice on 4chan. ever. If you do you deserve the septic shock and impending amputation.
>>776860
frankly the only time my wound got infected is when i covered it up for a day.
last time i was wiser huge nasty wound on my elbow healed in a week when i left it alone and was careful that water didn't touch it. no bandage no nothing just nature doing it's work.
>>774795
So you're suggesting that not needing stitches is a statistical anomaly...
You fucking idiot.
>>774788
Indeed. I had a major operation a few years ago and they only used stitches internally. The skin was closed with glue. Freaked me out a little when they changed the dressing as it was a fairly large opening and I was certain that they'd use stitches heh
>>777306
anecdotal evidence is, paradoxically, not evidence of any kind and should not be used to form a basis of rational decision making. Follow medical best practices and established field wound care as outlined by by various military handbooks and medic guidelines.
You can do what you want. But I wouldn't recommend anybody else do it, nor would I ignore a serious wound when I had the ability to properly disinfect and treat it.
>>777463
i can post pics pre and post bandaging if you want. it just a lot of hassle to get it off my phone and resize it.
you will clearly see how it got worse and that wound i also cleaned and disinfected. i wanted to do things by the book but damn i was wrong to do so.
the other similar wound which was in fact deeper too i did neither healed without a hitch way faster. less pain when sleeping too.
>>776034
I'll use steri-strips since i don't like pulling all my hair out when taking tape off
>>776048
I don't agree with the super glue part since, unlike sutures, it's damn near impossible to open the injury up again properly whereas you can just cut stitches
>>777463
>not evidence of any kind and should not be used to form a basis
because as a society we already know the absolute best way to do everything, right? Nobody has made any type of discovery in centuries.
>>777591
there hasnt been a society on earth that condones what you claimed. man is not isolated from his environment, and his immune system assumes so
>>777599
that guy is not me tho...
damn i sometimes miss having ids
>>774724
Betadine, Derma-bond (crazy glue), Alcohol , Heavy Curved Leather Working Needle, heavy black thread, also carry two small medical clamps like a hemostat but without the long handle, they can help clamp a large wound shut while you suture it
Before I carried a medical kit with me I had a fall and really split my shit open, bled like hell, I ended up heating my knife and burning the hole closed, worked OK until I could get to a hospital about 6 days later, always carry some animal antibiotics also, don't need a prescription to buy them
>>777576
Superglue is quick, clean, painless and holds well. Stitches are painful, easy to fuck up and unlikely to hold well if done by an amateur.
Emergency rooms have glue solvents they can use if necessary to re-open the wound. Personally I would still use duct tape though.
>>777735
Funnily enough I thought the same thing when I first came to /out. Maybe it's because here we have more cogent and long-lasting arguments.
>>777363
I am claiming that not needing to use even a single item from a FAK in a lifetime of outdoor events is an anomaly. And it is. You can tell me with a straight face that you haven't used a single bandaid, plucked a single splinter, or used even an inch of tape in all your years of going outdoors?
>>776033
I am well aware that it says you carry one. What I take issue with is that you imply that only stupid people need them and should carry them.
And seriously, how fucking heavy of a kit do you carry that you even notice the weight?
>>774788
>Use steristrips
The only sensible post in this entire thread.
>>779130
you would know right? wounds that require such closure need more attention than a strong bandaid. you cant apply adhesive to a bleeding wound. duct tape allows surface area
>>779130
Agree.
>>776129
Look at all those quikclot products. The main component in all of them is one: KAOLIN.
Kaolin is used to make pottery, it's potter's clay. And guess what, it works as a perfect blood clotter. If you get something like clotting powder, you can bet your ass kaolinite is in there.
When I told this to my grandma, her response was: "Oh, yeah, so that's why my grandma always rubbed my wounds with dirt when I skinned my knee!"
So yeah, it sounds disgusting, but it works really well. Just buy a kilo bag of the stuff (white powder, yay!) pour out a small amount on a tray (dry, no water) and bake it in the oven over 100°C to make it sterile. After that, put it in some sterile test tubes and you're good to go.
>>779153
Yeah, you should get serious wounds checked no matter how they're closed, but steristrips are more appropriate than duct tape. Of course bleeding should be stopped first, but that goes for both steristrips and duct tape so I don't see your point.
>>774724
i'd take tippet (fishing leader material) for sewing up an open wound or else super glue. small diameter mono or fluorocarbon comes in really handy little rolls in the fly fishing section of most fishing shops. I think like 4x is sufficient strength for general use.
I also carry iodine because it doubles for water purification and instead of bandages I carry gauze and hockey tape and just make a custom bandage. The hockey tape really hold well.
