There's More To My Pantry Than Food: What's In Your First Aid Kit?

On several occasions over the last year I have been prompted to refresh my first aid kit and to add a few items that I know would make a difference in taking care of injuries and wounds.  I took care of my Mom for 8 years and I learned a lot about wound care and about some remarkable products for healing.  I also learned that I don't have to go to the ER every time I cut myself.  Some of my dear friends will laugh as they remember when I just about cut my thumb off at Girls Camp while using my machete and trying to show off in front of the girls with my culinary skills!

I put off the first aid kit despite the earthquake, despite the hurricane, despite  . . .   well, we seem to lull ourselves back into that state of "normal" and feel so comfortable that we forget what it was we said we should have gotten before the storm.  What I really wanted to have in my first aid kit was a product called "Silverlon."  It has different names and it is quite expensive, but it is one of those miracle products that would make a difference if you can't get help right away or decide like I did today that you don't want to go to the ER.

It all came back to me this morning when I went out to cut the lawn at 9:30 a.m.  But the ground was so wet, I could not cut it.  I decided I would make good use of my outdoor time and do some weeding and pruning and got out my handy limb cutters to whack out some thick brush that had taken over.  When I just about finished, I put the long handle of the cutter up under my arm to hold it, not realizing that the pressure from my arm pushing on it would also close the cutter end . . . which at the time had my thumb right there in the blade.  Argh . . .  it was the same feeling when I ran the blade of the machete across my thumb as I pulled it out of the sheath.  Can you feel it?  I cringe.  Enough detail, you get the picture.

As I moaned disgust at myself for being again so stupid (but I was not showing off this time), the thought came to me "What do you have in your first aid kit."  I went to the kitchen sink and ran the cold water over my thumb to see the damage.  Stitches???  Hmmm. . .  Stitches . . .  four (4) hours in the Emergency Room for them to ask me if I've had a tetanus shot within the last 10 years . . . is it worth it?  No, I decided.  I could handle this myself IF I had what I needed.  No Silverlon.  Argh again (or Ugh if you prefer).  But I had steri-strips and prep-wipes.  I had to go looking for the scissors to cut things to size.  I also had alcohol swabs (that burned) and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.  I cleaned it out really well, ran cold water for awhile, cleaned it again with soap and water, examined, cleaned some more. . . you get the idea.  And finally I used the alcohol swab, the wound prep swab to make the adhesive strips  stick really well, and then a variety of bandages to hold my thumb straight so not to open everything back up.  Okay, no more detail. . .  Suffice it to say I felt good about what I had done.  I might have used a bit of salve, but I decided against it for now.

Once I finished, I got in my car and drove to a very good pharmacy over in Vienna where I picked up those items I've delayed getting for over a year now.  Hooray!  I'm making my list now of what else I can't go without in case of an emergency accident.  What would you add to your list?