It's Just A Flesh Wound

Most average people keep general first aid thingies in their house for the random papercut, kitchen accident, animal bite, macrame crafting accident etc... but only on the off chance that one of these things happens. Many don't think to keep more first aid supplies on hand than what it would take to use in about a month if it was really needed because, lets face it, you can really only lose so many limbs before you eventually have to seek medical help, and you can only do so much for your family if you're nubbin' it.

For the past couple of weeks this topic has been on my mind, and what would happen in a SHTF type situation. (not that I'm one of those crazy survivalist types *cough cough*) Say something happened and all you had to rely on was a blow out kit for a wound. "oh I'll just rig this....nasal pharyngeal tube to....damn it".

So for the past couple of weeks, I have been heading to my weekly trips to the store and coming home with a few first aid things every time i go. Band-aids, Gauze, Antibiotic Ointment; the things most every household has a small supply of in times of need. But I plan on going further. Full on "I'm not going to show up for work, and when they come looking, my house looks like an episode of hoarders and I've been trapped under a box full of sanitary wipes and have been surviving off of cotton balls for days" extreme.

Anyways, there's really no excuse to not be prepared when a roll of gauze costs about $1.50, and a two pack of antibiotic ointment is about $3. It's the same idea of picking up spare cans of food each time you go to the store. If you can eat, but have an infection because a squirrel attacked you when you're hunting and didn't have anything to disinfect with, there is really no point. So for the past couple of trips, this is what I've come up with, along with a few other things that just needed to be included.

So basically (from left to right), i have gauze pads and two sizes of Gauze, a flashlight (because if you can't see in the dark, you might sew something to the wrong place), different sized band-aids and butterfly closures, multiple warmer pads, wrist and athletic wrap, a finger splint, alcohol, peroxide, medical gloves, epsom salt, antibacterial hand stuff, ointment, and a non-electric thermometer. Most of this stuff you can find at your local drugstore and for not that much. As long as you have somewhere cool and dry to store this kind of thing, i would do it. If you can't take care of your families medical needs, you really need to think about your priorities. On a side note, if you do have a multi lense flashlight, it is best to use blue. This is because blood shows up black in the light, instead of red, because red doesn't show blood. The reason I bring this up is if you are in a survival/concealment scenario when you can not use a regular white light. (unless you're color blind....then please disregard this message).

Other supplies, you can get from your local outdoor store (Gander Mountain, Cabela's, Dick's *tehehe*) Mr. Tactical picked up these supplies (minus the little powder bottle...that's for the dog. They need first aid too.....later post. Got it) at Gander Mountain. The snake bit kit, I picked up off of amazon, along with some medical face masks that I just ordered today. It isn't hard, it just takes some planning.

All of this is going to be organized in these awesome boxes i picked up for a dollar each at a flea market, and placed in the a foot locker. See? Priorities. Get Your Shit Together. I'm 26 and for all intents and purposes, I should be more worried about painting my nails, shoes, and selfies (or whatever normal girls my age worry about), and I still manage to worry about this. What's your excuse? (omg these boxes are totes the shiz).

Mr. Tactical and I both have our strong points and tackle different aspects of preparedness in our household. He handles the tactical and protection aspect, and I handle the medical and food storage aspect. This makes it easier and less stressful because everyone basically has their own duties to focus on, and you'll actually want to survive WITH eachother. Have a plan. Be prepared. Don't end up eating people because you didn't take the proper precautions....that shit gives you the shakes.....

Vix Out.