Happy Holidays, and a very Happy New Year to all! Santa left one of his reindeer at a relative’s house this year. Guess I’ll have to invest in some reindeer feed and a sleigh.
Chaos and the holidays can go hand in hand: burning yourself on a hot stove, a cut on the hand from prepping food…it got me thinking.
I’ve had to “doctor” myself a number of times over the years-not necessarily from the holiday chaos, but from a number of other occasions. Here’s a list of some of the more memorable incidents where I’ve had to self-administer first aid:
– I once walked straight into the sharp trailing-edge of a wing on a Cessna 182 I’d been working on. Gashed my forehead wide open.
– My son threw a baseball, which hit (and subsequently tore open) my eyebrow.
– After losing my balance on one occasion, I fell backwards and thankfully caught myself before hitting the ground…unfortunately, though, my knife blade was between my hand and the ground, cutting my flesh to the bone. (Yes, I was indeed able to look in there before the blood started to gush.)
– A six-foot ladder slipped out from under me on a slick warehouse floor. I reflexively grabbed for a sheet of metal to try to stop my fall. It cut my hand like a knife as I fell.
– Attacked by dogs four times in my life. Three of those times were when I was a boy, and I bitten all three of those times. One of the three required stitches.
-Tripped over a conduit pipe sticking out of the floor in a new business construction site, gashing my leg open.
– I was seated on the ground once, legs folded Indian-style (or is it “yoga-style” these days?), while I was drilling through something. My elbows were propped up on my knees, and I was careful to apply very light pressure in the drilling process. I assumed I had this baby under control, no problem. Suddenly the drill popped through the other side, the drill bit got snagged on my pants, and I drilled a hole right through them! Luckily I was wearing military-grade insulated pants underneath, but I just about drilled into my calf! The drill bit literally stopped as it touched my skin. Talk about a close call, and probably a lesson for next time: don’t use your lap as a workbench!
– I’ve had numerous little injuries requiring washing, peroxide, polysporin and a Band-Aid. If a first-aid kit wasn’t accessible, duct tape or electrical tape worked until I could properly patch myself up. (Hey, sometimes you have to make due with what you have – I’ll be discussing this more in one of my upcoming books).
– One last story—this one about a friend. He and I had gone camping on the lake one weekend. I could only stay one night, but he decided to stay longer. While he was out there (by himself, mind you), he ended up needing to chop some wood for the campfire. As he did so, the axe glanced off and cut his leg pretty badly. He had to tie up the injury himself, pack up all of his belongings as quickly as possible (I wasn’t there to help him, obvioiusly), and then hobble back to civilization for medical treatment.
I decided to list some of these – not to brag nor to gross you out, but to remind you that the unexpected happens. You can get hurt anywhere, at any time. You don’t even have to leave your house!
When you spend as much time in the wilderness as I have, you soon realize the dire need for first aid and proper first-aid kits. At the very least, you need to know enough (and have enough in the kits) to get you by until you can get out of the woods and go get treatment.
Most of the time, even when I am able to get access to medical care, I like to treat myself so as to practice my skill. I just like being self-sufficient that way, so I have two well-equipped first aid kits.
Next week I will be discussing my Home Kit. After that, the kit I keep in my backpack (known as the Savage Ready Kit), which is always in my vehicle.
Stay tuned….
Your friend in self-sufficiency,
Andy Savage
“The Mountain Man”
This blog post is an account of the author. Situations differ and are contingent on the abilities of each individual person involved, as well as unforeseen circumstances. The author and/or his associates are not liable for any injuries, loss, or damages incurred due to the use of such information. Such content is for general, informational and entertainment purposes only.
Keep Alive - A Blog by Andy Savage 