Whether you are working or playing a sport or maybe even walking down the street you run the risk of getting hurt. Let’s say you were exercising and you start jogging and you fall over a rock left in the street. You take a nasty tumble and you fall and you cut your knee and it is bleeding. The first things you want think to do is keep going or just pack it in and go home. When you get home it is very import that you take care of the wound properly.
Here are some steps in taking care of a wound that should be followed. The first thing you should do is examine the wound, see what you will need to clean it up. If it is a deep cut and you cannot control the bleeding then you may require stitches in that case you may to go to the hospital. If you can’t drive and there is no one to take care, don’t hesitate to call an ambulance.
If the would is what they call superficial then it is something that you can take care of yourself. Use a washcloth and some warm water, do not use soap, it will only make the injury sting. Then carefully wash around the wounded area. You can use some antiseptic cream or maybe some rubbing alcohol pads if you have some. It may sting but you have to clean the wound.
After the wound is cleaned if you have an antiseptic spray like Bactine, you can use that. Take antiseptic cream and put some of the bandage and then place the bandage, not to tightly on the wound. Using surgical tape to secure the bandage. If you are using a big adhesive bandage then the tape is not needed. If the wound hurts try taking Tylenol or Motrin.
If you received stitches then it is very important to follow the doctor’s orders about keep it clean. The worst thing that could happen when you receive an opened wound is that is it gets infected. Then you may need some antibiotics. Cleaning a wound right away is very important. If you do get an infection, if the wound looks like there is some puss from it, it may be infected, go to the doctor or the nearest hospital right away. That is something you don’t want to mess around with.
It is always very important that you keep a first aid kit on hand, in the home or in the car because you never know when you are going to need it. The purpose of the first aid kit is to help with minor injuries such as Burns, Cuts, Abrasions and Scrapes, Stings, Splinters, Sprains and Strains.
The first aid travel kit that police and firemen recommend you carry with you is great for, fever, nasal congestion, coughs, sore throats as well as cuts, mild pain, gastrointestinal problems, skin rashes, allergies.
You should include in your home kit, a box of band aids, some gauze and surgical tape. A bottle of peroxide, anti septic spray, ace bandages, Adhesive tape, larger adhesive bandages, oral antihistamines which is another name for Benadryl or Ioraradine. These are great for hives, if you have a child you should have Children’s Benadryl it is good for allergies. Children’s Tylenol or Motrin for pain. Keep a pair of exam gloves they are used for protection from infections. See if you can find those ice packs that get colds when broken those would be perfect. Keep a pair of scissors, Polysporin Cream for simple wounds. A reseal able bag to discard your bandages or contaminated articles. Cotton balls to apply the antiseptic to the wound. Keep a pair of Tweezers in case of splinters.
In your travel kit you should have Tylenol or Motrin, 4 x 4 sterile gauze, antacid for stomach aches, and anti diarrhea medication like Pepto- Bismol. Antihistamine cream, aspirin in case of heart attack. A cigarette lighter for sterilization, cough medicine, a dental kit, thermometer, small flashlight and a book on first aid. Taking a first aid class you do you a great service. Knowing how to temporarily treat a cut or wound when you can’t get to the doctor right away. Check with your local hospital or the local YMCA for first aid classes that may be forming in your area.
Some of these things may be an extreme measure, but when it comes to care of an injury you can never be too careful. Cleaning a wound for yourself or if you see some one else is hurt ( that is where the gloves come in ) is very important, getting an infection in an open wound will cause you problems later on if they are not taken care of properly.
Always clean the wound; make sure you use the antiseptic to clean it out, use a clean bandage only. That is why it is important to have a first aid kit because if you don’t have a clean and sterile bandage then what ever you decide to use may be dirty and then you run the risk of transferring the dirt from whatever you are using to the wound, thereby increasing the risk for infection.
Always make sure that the wound is something you can handle, if the wound is too deep and you cannot control the bleeding, and then you need to call an ambulance right away or have someone take you or the injured party to the emergency room. If the wound is something that you aren’t comfortable taking care of, that is ok too, again the doctor or the emergency room is best. You don’t want to do any damage to the wound.
Apply pressure to the wound until help arrives. Do what you can with what you have. No one expects you to be a doctor so do the best you can and then get your self or the injured person to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible.