First Aid
10-21-09 | 03:40 PM
#53
It's true, man.
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,726
Likes: 0
From: North Texas
Bikes: Cannondale T1000, Inbred SS 29er, Supercaliber 29er, Crescent Mark XX, Burley Rumba Tandem
closing wounds is what it was developed for, originally.
11-03-09 | 03:44 PM
#55
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 281
Likes: 0
two bad spills and 'no more'... assembled the kit i now carry whenever i know i'll be outside of 'civilization'... in both cases i lacked basic means of cleaning a scrape/gouge/tear and bandaging it so here's the entirety of the kit (very minimal but extremely effective):
1 small bottle iodine
1 roll cloth tape
1 roll gauze 1" wide
and that's it. whether i cut a finger or scrape an elbow i'll be able to stop infection and wrap it.
1 small bottle iodine
1 roll cloth tape
1 roll gauze 1" wide
and that's it. whether i cut a finger or scrape an elbow i'll be able to stop infection and wrap it.
11-03-09 | 09:03 PM
#56
Senior Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,798
Likes: 1
From: Highland Park, NJ, USA
Bikes: "Hildy", a Novara Randonee touring bike; a 16-speed Bike Friday Tikit; and a Specialized Stumpjumper frame-based built-up MTB, now serving as the kid-carrier, grocery-getter.
From The Straight Dope: Was Super Glue invented to seal battle wounds in Vietnam?
I'll be bringing some Dermabond on my next tour.
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Last edited by neilfein; 11-03-09 at 09:06 PM.
11-23-09 | 02:56 PM
#57
Gutter Bunny
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 955
Likes: 1
I had to patch up an old guy on a group ride recently, just the usual deep cuts to his knee and elbow, what I realized was that most of the portable small first aid kits are pretty weak when it comes to dressings, (they only have band aids or gauzes, fiddly using them on the road), that are going to cover a large lacerated area such as a knee or elbow. I'm looking at sourcing dressings such as Opsite or Tegaderm which offer a wider coverage with more "stickability".
04-07-10 | 05:13 PM
#59
Senior Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,798
Likes: 1
From: Highland Park, NJ, USA
Bikes: "Hildy", a Novara Randonee touring bike; a 16-speed Bike Friday Tikit; and a Specialized Stumpjumper frame-based built-up MTB, now serving as the kid-carrier, grocery-getter.
Any thoughts on how to deal with sun rash? My wife had to bow out of finishing a day's riding because of it.
__________________
Tour Journals, Blog, ride pix
My bands:
Tour Journals, Blog, ride pix
My bands:
- Uke On! - ukulele duo - Videos
- Ukulele Abyss - ukulele cover videos - Videos
- Baroque and Hungry's (Celtic fusion) full-length studio album Mended.
- Artistic Differences - 8-track EP Dreams of Bile and Blood.
04-08-10 | 06:09 AM
#60
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,039
Likes: 828
From: Tallahassee, FL
Bikes: Several
Sunburn...
Of course the best is to avoid it in the first place. Liberal use of sunscreen and/or protective clothing are the obvious precautions. After the fact a very hot (as hot as you can stand) shower followed by a very cold one seems to help. Tea (applied to the skin or bathed in) also helps take the burn out.
Heat rash...
A zinc oxide based diaper cream like Balmex.
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Pete in Tallahassee
Check out my profile, articles, and trip journals at:
https:/www.crazyguyonabike.com/staehpj1
Pete in Tallahassee
Check out my profile, articles, and trip journals at:
https:/www.crazyguyonabike.com/staehpj1
04-08-10 | 12:25 PM
#61
Senior Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,798
Likes: 1
From: Highland Park, NJ, USA
Bikes: "Hildy", a Novara Randonee touring bike; a 16-speed Bike Friday Tikit; and a Specialized Stumpjumper frame-based built-up MTB, now serving as the kid-carrier, grocery-getter.
Thanks for the info. I'm talking about heat rash. From what I can find, if it's a mild case, it usually goes away on its own if you get out of the sun and stay cool.
__________________
Tour Journals, Blog, ride pix
My bands:
Tour Journals, Blog, ride pix
My bands:
- Uke On! - ukulele duo - Videos
- Ukulele Abyss - ukulele cover videos - Videos
- Baroque and Hungry's (Celtic fusion) full-length studio album Mended.
- Artistic Differences - 8-track EP Dreams of Bile and Blood.
09-21-13 | 06:51 PM
#63
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
I recommend taking condoms in your first-aid kit!
Ride a bike,...wear a helmet!!
07-02-17 | 02:03 PM
#64
Senior Member
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 1,909
Likes: 394
From: Northampton, MA
Bikes: 36" Unicycle, winter knock-around hybrid bike
Does there by any chance exist a type of tape that could be used to secure a gauze pad bandage, wrap an injured joint, and strap random odds and ends temporarily back onto a frame?
I keep thinking something like sports tape might be more useful to carry than narrow adhesive first aid tape, but not sure if it really sticks?
I keep thinking something like sports tape might be more useful to carry than narrow adhesive first aid tape, but not sure if it really sticks?
07-03-17 | 06:41 PM
#66
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 6,638
Likes: 1,070
From: Oregon
Does there by any chance exist a type of tape that could be used to secure a gauze pad bandage, wrap an injured joint, and strap random odds and ends temporarily back onto a frame?
I keep thinking something like sports tape might be more useful to carry than narrow adhesive first aid tape, but not sure if it really sticks?
I keep thinking something like sports tape might be more useful to carry than narrow adhesive first aid tape, but not sure if it really sticks?
07-03-17 | 06:47 PM
#67
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 6,638
Likes: 1,070
From: Oregon
Think about what you will commonly need, and what you hope you won't need - but will really need if you need it!
I take a slightly larger kit - fits in a lunch-sized ziploc - but then again I'm a doctor and usually am a designated first aider in groups.
My aim is to be able to treat the common stuff, and to stay alive until help arrives if the problem is a big one.
Common problems:
- Saddle rash
- Knee/ankle/back/neck/wrist/elbow pain
- Sunburn
- Hypothermia
- Hyperthermia
- Cuts, scrapes, road rash, splinters
- Diarrhoea/gastroenteritis after not washing your hands at that greasy-spoon
- Dehydration
- Blisters - eg. riding in the rain, your usually comfortable gloves soak through and start rubbing away at your rain-softened palms
- Dust/other foreign bodies in the eye
- Allergic rhinitis / hay fever
- Insect bites
Important stuff, less common:
- Snake or spider bites
- Sprained ankle
- Major trauma
- Infections from any of the above
- Anaphylactic reaction to bites or other allergens
- Asthma, heart problems, diabetes may play up with physical exercise - but sounds like you don't have any of these.
My list: (sometimes supplemented with a few emergency drugs)
- Paracetamol (acetaminofen): General painkiller.
- Ibuprofen: Painkiller/antiinflammatory. Nb. not safe if you are dehydrated.
- Gastrostop: Emergency antidiarrhoeal. Nb. for temporary use only, it only treats symptoms and can be dangerous in some cases.
- Cephalexin: maybe not for your kit unless you have medical training. One of the safer antibiotics and useful for skin/soft tissue infections.
- Antihistamine: I take zyrtec 'cause the tablets are tiny and easy to swallow. Expensive. Lots of alternatives.
- Strapping tape: a non-elastic tape used by physiotherapists for strapping knees/ankles etc. Also good for blisters, for immobilizing sprained ankles and for holding dressings in place. Nb. skin reactions to this are not uncommon.
- Band aids / self adherent dressings: cuts/scrapes etc.
- Hypafix/mefix/fixamul: a non-woven broad tape that is used to hold other dressings in place. Also very good for blisters, road rash, severe sunburn (or superficial blistering burns in general), etc. etc. This stuff is great.
- Non-adherent sterile dressings - to cover large wounds
- Antiseptic - I take chlorhexidine/cetrimide aqueous solution; iodine (Betadine) is also good
- Sterile saline for washing wounds and eyes
- 2 ACE elastic bandages for snake bites and immobilizing fractured limbs
- Needle for removing splinters
- Super glue (I use a medical grade called Dermabond) for emergency "sutures" for wounds or cracked heels
- Aluminised mylar emergency blanket
- Sunscreen
- Lots of water
- Sugar sweets
- Zinc oxide cream - for sun or wind protection, emergency saddle cream (it works but there are better options).
Most of the above is very compact, but the wound dressings and the ACE bandages are bulky, and the strapping tape is somewhat bulky. You can get very compact synthetic gauze bandages that are almost as good but perhaps 1/3 the bulk, I would recommend these for most people (not cotton crepe bandages).
Some of the above overlaps with the rest of my kit eg. super glue, sunscreen, zinc cream, emergency blanket, water, gatorade powder, sweets.
If going light you can get by with duct tape, super glue, a few bandaids and thin dressings, savlon cream as both antiseptic and chamois cream (or ditch the heavy cream and use chlorine or iodine water tablets in water to wash wounds), 2 ultralight bandages, emergency blanket and some ibuprofen.
I take a slightly larger kit - fits in a lunch-sized ziploc - but then again I'm a doctor and usually am a designated first aider in groups.
My aim is to be able to treat the common stuff, and to stay alive until help arrives if the problem is a big one.
Common problems:
- Saddle rash
- Knee/ankle/back/neck/wrist/elbow pain
- Sunburn
- Hypothermia
- Hyperthermia
- Cuts, scrapes, road rash, splinters
- Diarrhoea/gastroenteritis after not washing your hands at that greasy-spoon
- Dehydration
- Blisters - eg. riding in the rain, your usually comfortable gloves soak through and start rubbing away at your rain-softened palms
- Dust/other foreign bodies in the eye
- Allergic rhinitis / hay fever
- Insect bites
Important stuff, less common:
- Snake or spider bites
- Sprained ankle
- Major trauma
- Infections from any of the above
- Anaphylactic reaction to bites or other allergens
- Asthma, heart problems, diabetes may play up with physical exercise - but sounds like you don't have any of these.
My list: (sometimes supplemented with a few emergency drugs)
- Paracetamol (acetaminofen): General painkiller.
- Ibuprofen: Painkiller/antiinflammatory. Nb. not safe if you are dehydrated.
- Gastrostop: Emergency antidiarrhoeal. Nb. for temporary use only, it only treats symptoms and can be dangerous in some cases.
- Cephalexin: maybe not for your kit unless you have medical training. One of the safer antibiotics and useful for skin/soft tissue infections.
- Antihistamine: I take zyrtec 'cause the tablets are tiny and easy to swallow. Expensive. Lots of alternatives.
- Strapping tape: a non-elastic tape used by physiotherapists for strapping knees/ankles etc. Also good for blisters, for immobilizing sprained ankles and for holding dressings in place. Nb. skin reactions to this are not uncommon.
- Band aids / self adherent dressings: cuts/scrapes etc.
- Hypafix/mefix/fixamul: a non-woven broad tape that is used to hold other dressings in place. Also very good for blisters, road rash, severe sunburn (or superficial blistering burns in general), etc. etc. This stuff is great.
- Non-adherent sterile dressings - to cover large wounds
- Antiseptic - I take chlorhexidine/cetrimide aqueous solution; iodine (Betadine) is also good
- Sterile saline for washing wounds and eyes
- 2 ACE elastic bandages for snake bites and immobilizing fractured limbs
- Needle for removing splinters
- Super glue (I use a medical grade called Dermabond) for emergency "sutures" for wounds or cracked heels
- Aluminised mylar emergency blanket
- Sunscreen
- Lots of water
- Sugar sweets
- Zinc oxide cream - for sun or wind protection, emergency saddle cream (it works but there are better options).
Most of the above is very compact, but the wound dressings and the ACE bandages are bulky, and the strapping tape is somewhat bulky. You can get very compact synthetic gauze bandages that are almost as good but perhaps 1/3 the bulk, I would recommend these for most people (not cotton crepe bandages).
Some of the above overlaps with the rest of my kit eg. super glue, sunscreen, zinc cream, emergency blanket, water, gatorade powder, sweets.
If going light you can get by with duct tape, super glue, a few bandaids and thin dressings, savlon cream as both antiseptic and chamois cream (or ditch the heavy cream and use chlorine or iodine water tablets in water to wash wounds), 2 ultralight bandages, emergency blanket and some ibuprofen.
Last edited by Doug64; 07-03-17 at 06:51 PM.
