Keep a first aid kit handy

[8Ball]

Some years ago I was into knife making. Decided to stab myself one day while sharpening a new blade. Was bleeding good and felt woozy. Thoughts of passing out and bleeding out on the garage floor went through my head. Made it into the kitchen and nothing was in the medicine cabinet except Flintstones band aids and peroxide. Managed to get some clean rags together and stopped the bleeding. Swore that I wouldn’t be without a good first aid kit again. Went and got a bright orange grab bag and filled it with all kinds of gauze pads, bleed stop, butter fly bandages, tape, etc. This was 10 years ago. Fast forward to last week when I busted a 1 gallon empty jug on my big toe. Put a nasty gash in it. Sprayed it with StarSan and made it to the kitchen and grabbed that orange bag. WoundStop powder worked and I was wrapped up in minutes for the ride to urgent care where I got stitches.

[Salt Must Flow]

Oh that sucks. Could happen to anyone any time. Not a bad idea. I haven't considered it, but will probably put together one of those bags soon. I initially thought that WoundStop was that powder you put on wounds to coagulate and stop bleeding. I didn't realize it was a bandage/wrap for applying pressure.

[zach]

If one is on blood thinners the hemostatic powder is critical for first aid kits. I have it in my car, garage, and hiking pack along with trauma bandages.

I was stilling in the garage last week with flip flops on. Maybe steel toe work boots are the proper PPE this hobby?

[8Ball]

If one is on blood thinners the hemostatic powder is critical for first aid kits. I have it in my car, garage, and hiking pack along with trauma bandages.

I was stilling in the garage last week with flip flops on. Maybe steel toe work boots are the proper PPE this hobby?

I had flips on. Was cleaning jugs while doing a strip run. Antibiotics for a week, a tetanus shot, and change the dressing twice a day until it heals. Not a bad idea to wear proper footwear …

[8Ball]

Oh that sucks. Could happen to anyone any time. Not a bad idea. I haven't considered it, but will probably put together one of those bags soon. I initially thought that WoundStop was that powder you put on wounds to coagulate and stop bleeding. I didn't realize it was a bandage/wrap for applying pressure.

It is a powder that instantly creates a scab. Must have blood present for it to work. I had no problem filling a flip flop quickly.

[jonnys_spirit]

I cut the tip of my left hand pointer finger almost all the way off a couple months ago breaking up panela with a sharp damascus steel 8" blade - bad idea.... I didn't have anything special so I wrapped it tight with gauze and rock and roll tape until it stopped bleeding. After that I just changed and dressed with antibiotic ointment for a couple weeks until it healed.

That's my guitar fretting finger so it was a little rough going initially but it's healed back with almost no feeling in the tip which is a plus not doing it to the rest of my fingers though.. Not on purpose anyway..

Cheers!
-j

[NormandieStill]

I hit my left index finger with a hammer a few years back. Not a gentle tap. A full overhead swing with a 900g headed carpenter's hammer. I swore lots. Took off my glove. A went to find the first aider. He was about 3 years overdue for the refresher course but managed to find enough bits in our pillaged first aid kit to put a bandage over the pulpy mess. The lack of trained staff and first aid supplies was just one of the factors that made the decision to quit pretty easy... our first aid box at home is pretty well equipped although I should get more steristrips.

[Twisted Brick]

What rotten luck, 8Ball! Good to hear you got that WoundStop powder on it right away. Gotta get me some of that.

[Deplorable]

Something to think about for those of you wanting/needing a FAK,
get you a wound stapler, saline solution, some Quick-Clot, and a tourniquet. Hope you never have to use the T.
I added a wound stapler to mine for the Chocolate Lab that has no fear. I've seen dogs get torn open in the field and a wound stapler is a handy peice of kit for closing that up for the 6 hour ride to the vet.

[cob]

I still have the kit I built 50 years ago. It has been added to, subtracted from, modified, and rethought/ restocked

an unknown number of times. Antivenin, and morphine were returned to the source as soon as they were on longer

relevant. Today there is a cashe of disney bandages included. sutures, and superglue, styptic pencil. Clot powder will

be added (thanks folks). It still remains a little larger than a 6pak. There is a larger kit tucked away with more supplies.

[8Ball]

What rotten luck, 8Ball! Good to hear you got that WoundStop powder on it right away. Gotta get me some of that.

Thanks, Twisted.

[Dougmatt]

Oh my gosh 8ball. Glad you had the kit handy! This is perhaps my greatest hobby fear. I had a friend almost lose a finger from a 6 gallon glass carboy blast in 2017. I was making wine mostly then, put all my glass in a closet and switched out to mostly (sorry for this next word) Plastic…. I still use only plastic in fermentation switching to glass for low wines+, but wish there was an alternative to glass. Seen too many of these posts on the wine / beer making sites. Even today, I occasionally use a 6 gallon glass carboy and they are heavy and very slippery when cleaning them. Ugh. I was carrying a hot, 1 gallon rum strip glass jug this morning thinking “I can’t drop this”. Your story gives me chills and glad it turned out ok for you.

[Uncle Jesse]

Nice reminder why my motto here has always been "Safety First!"

This hobby isn't tiddlywinks. You can really get hurt or cause serious damage to person and property. Always pays to go the extra mile for safety.

Glad you were prepared and are OK!

[bcook608]

While you're restocking your kits, grab some silver nitrate sticks. They're used to cauterize skin which will also help stop bleeding.
As well as the obvious burn cream, wound irrigation bottles, and non-stick gauze. We're around really hot shit, you know

[Wyododge]

Heard an old wives tale about keeping a bag of flour in the freezer for burns. Made a pizza on a pizza stone and when pulling it out if the oven the hot pad slipped and I burned the crap out of two fingers. Into the flour they went. I couldn’t believe it, but my skin didn’t even blister and the burn want even that painful. Now I keep all out flour in the freezer, keep the critters out, and have the best burn remedy I’ve found.

[NZChris]

Years ago, I had been reading that cayenne clotted wounds quickly when I slashed my leg and just happened to have powdered cayenne on hand, tried it and the bleeding stopped immediately. The wound healed quickly. I've only used it once since then and it worked again.

[Renhoekk]

Amen....I've got a nasty habit of using my left hand as a vise, because....well....the vise was in the shed and the thing that needed drilling or cutting wasn't. One day I peeled back a knuckle and decided I should have more than band-aids in the house. Hot tip: it' was a lot cheaper for me to buy a small plastic toolbox and go on a shopping spree at a pharmacy than to buy one of those readymade first aid kits.

[Old Dog New Tricks]

Great Advice, I've had one for years, "ARMY TRAINING" Keeping full is a habit, Not using black tape and rags...Different story...lol...

[8Ball]

Nice reminder why my motto here has always been "Safety First!"

This hobby isn't tiddlywinks. You can really get hurt or cause serious damage to person and property. Always pays to go the extra mile for safety.

Glad you were prepared and are OK!

Thanks UJ.

[8Ball]

Oh my gosh 8ball. Glad you had the kit handy! This is perhaps my greatest hobby fear. I had a friend almost lose a finger from a 6 gallon glass carboy blast in 2017. I was making wine mostly then, put all my glass in a closet and switched out to mostly (sorry for this next word) Plastic…. I still use only plastic in fermentation switching to glass for low wines+, but wish there was an alternative to glass. Seen too many of these posts on the wine / beer making sites. Even today, I occasionally use a 6 gallon glass carboy and they are heavy and very slippery when cleaning them. Ugh. I was carrying a hot, 1 gallon rum strip glass jug this morning thinking “I can’t drop this”. Your story gives me chills and glad it turned out ok for you.

Thanks DM

[zach]

but wish there was an alternative to glass.

I've heard enough stories about carboys.

I use stainless corny kegs for wine , beer & brandy. I purge the keg with co2 prior to filling with wine for aging.

I have 3 & 5 gallon sizes. Each was less than $50 used.

[Chauncey]

Be it shed, shop, or kitchen, wear socks and shoes. Preferably non slip ones.

Ever drop a hot pot of buttery grits on yer bare feet? Nothing like snipping all the skin off yer own feet.

[juana_b]

Hope you heal up quickly 8ball.
Every time I'm wearing slippers(flip-flops, whatever), and catch myself carrying a carboy, I give myself a good talking to about injuries past.

[Dancing4dan]

Great Advice, I've had one for years, "ARMY TRAINING" Keeping full is a habit, Not using black tape and rags...Different story...lol...

Electrical tape and paper towel. I have fixed a lot of hand wounds that way!

[squigglefunk]

i was unloading my van, shaved about two inches of skin off my kneecap when I slipped on the step of the side door... was just getting ready to play a gig for a few hours... I used a dirty sock as a bandage, tied it around my leg to stop the blood streaming down my leg... left it in place for a few days. It did not feel good to pull that sock off the wound, it had kind of fused with my skin at that point lol. I need one of these emergency kit bags in the band van too!

[8Ball]

i was unloading my van, shaved about two inches of skin off my kneecap when I slipped on the step of the side door... was just getting ready to play a gig for a few hours... I used a dirty sock as a bandage, tied it around my leg to stop the blood streaming down my leg... left it in place for a few days. It did not feel good to pull that sock off the wound, it had kind of fused with my skin at that point lol. I need one of these emergency kit bags in the band van too!

Regular cotton gauze pads will stick too at times. They make non-adherent foam pads now that work well. Its nice to not re-open a wound that is trying to heal when changing a dressing.

[8Ball]

Hope you heal up quickly 8ball.
Every time I'm wearing slippers(flip-flops, whatever), and catch myself carrying a carboy, I give myself a good talking to about injuries past.

Thanks jb