Wednesday 2 June 2010
Eeeek!
A months time and I'll be sitting on the roof of Kindoroko in Moshi!! Eeeeeek! Best get on with that project report for work...
Sunday 30 May 2010
Looks like im coming to Tanzania....
First stage of visa process completed in passport arrival to UK. Extremely boring update etc but just in case any of you are worrying about a lack of Maddie on the trip. Ciao xxxxx
PS Matt, that first aid kit is frighteningly efficient. Congrats!
PS Matt, that first aid kit is frighteningly efficient. Congrats!
Stocking up
Now comes the time before every trip in which I re-inventory all my First Aid equipment. It's also a time to reflect on previous trips and note what is needed more than others and what's that one THING I wish I had had. However whilst order kit, its also a time to splash around a little money and get some cool new toys :-D.
I've also decided for the first time that instead of just taking my first aid kit, a military webtex medical pouch, I'll also use the +15l mini day pack that attaches to my 70l backpack. Over the past 2 years my first aid kit has grown out a bit to include things that aren't normally found in a urban Red Cross first aid kit, and it's now bulging at the seams.
On top of the usually Tough Cuts (scissors for removing clothing), Sharp Scissors (distinguished from tough cuts which are blunt), fine tipped tweezers, various dressings, wound pads, gauze, tapes, gloves, instant ice pack, asprin, plasters, penlight, saline solution. It contains an emergency military dressing with pressure bar, sterile pre-threaded sutures, a kelly clamp, disinfectant, anti-histamines, steristrips. tubigrip (now i know some of you might give me a lot of stick for carrying this, BUT last time when I was treating the daughter of a neighbour who had stepped on a farm implement whilst barefooted, tubigrip was a lifesaver in keeping the dressing on her foot and relatively clean!), a permanent marker (like one of the OHP ones, reason for it being permanent is you can write not only on paper for monitoring info, but also on your gloves, and the casualty!)
By using the 15l bag, I can carry a more comprehensive kit including quikclot sponges, large zetuvit, and loads of different size crepe bandages and dressing. As well as a couple of SAM splints. So now my 'small' webtex pouch is always in my bag, where as the 15l bag will be grabbed if going somewhere where the stuff might be needed. Oh, I'll also have my proper size CPR mask in there and a selection of OP airways.
On order in addition to a general restock of my kit (including a bunch of steristrips, after I cut my thumb open yesterday and a stray piece of metal, I realized just how valuable they are for wounds!), a BVM (because ive wanted one for a while), a couple of differently sized sutures (just because, though they are still all of roughly a similar size and can be used any where I'd dare suture someone), a finger sized SAM splint (not because im expecting broken fingers, but it just sounds like a useful size), some finger gauzetube (because its near impossible to keep dressing on fingers when your fingers are slightly sweaty, so tubigrip for fingers is a good idea...i think).
Now its a well known fact amongst those that I travel with that I carry a pretty comprehensive 'travel pharmacy' with me. School trips saw the teachers coming to me for medication...not quite how the "students should hand over all medicine to teachers at the beginning of the trip" is meant to work but hey...So normally I have the usual collection of painkillers: paracetamol, asprin, ibuprofen. To which this year we'll add some co-codamol for good measure (thats codeine with paracetamol, OTC versions available as well as prescription versions. Travel Sickness tablets (i hardly ever get travel sick these days, but I figure better to have them and not need them than the other way around!), some general Antibiotics! (great addition to have to the kit!), Immodium (well generic there of and lots of it, I usually don't need it, but lots of others appreciate it!), multivitamins (now I'd never thought of this before, but as a suggestion from a friend, I think its a great idea), throat lozenges, flu medication (you know the type you mix with hot water and drink to make you feel human again).
We'll see what else I can come up with over the next few weeks and I'll keep you posted. One things for sure everybody is going to be well looked after :-)
I've also decided for the first time that instead of just taking my first aid kit, a military webtex medical pouch, I'll also use the +15l mini day pack that attaches to my 70l backpack. Over the past 2 years my first aid kit has grown out a bit to include things that aren't normally found in a urban Red Cross first aid kit, and it's now bulging at the seams.
On top of the usually Tough Cuts (scissors for removing clothing), Sharp Scissors (distinguished from tough cuts which are blunt), fine tipped tweezers, various dressings, wound pads, gauze, tapes, gloves, instant ice pack, asprin, plasters, penlight, saline solution. It contains an emergency military dressing with pressure bar, sterile pre-threaded sutures, a kelly clamp, disinfectant, anti-histamines, steristrips. tubigrip (now i know some of you might give me a lot of stick for carrying this, BUT last time when I was treating the daughter of a neighbour who had stepped on a farm implement whilst barefooted, tubigrip was a lifesaver in keeping the dressing on her foot and relatively clean!), a permanent marker (like one of the OHP ones, reason for it being permanent is you can write not only on paper for monitoring info, but also on your gloves, and the casualty!)
By using the 15l bag, I can carry a more comprehensive kit including quikclot sponges, large zetuvit, and loads of different size crepe bandages and dressing. As well as a couple of SAM splints. So now my 'small' webtex pouch is always in my bag, where as the 15l bag will be grabbed if going somewhere where the stuff might be needed. Oh, I'll also have my proper size CPR mask in there and a selection of OP airways.
On order in addition to a general restock of my kit (including a bunch of steristrips, after I cut my thumb open yesterday and a stray piece of metal, I realized just how valuable they are for wounds!), a BVM (because ive wanted one for a while), a couple of differently sized sutures (just because, though they are still all of roughly a similar size and can be used any where I'd dare suture someone), a finger sized SAM splint (not because im expecting broken fingers, but it just sounds like a useful size), some finger gauzetube (because its near impossible to keep dressing on fingers when your fingers are slightly sweaty, so tubigrip for fingers is a good idea...i think).
Now its a well known fact amongst those that I travel with that I carry a pretty comprehensive 'travel pharmacy' with me. School trips saw the teachers coming to me for medication...not quite how the "students should hand over all medicine to teachers at the beginning of the trip" is meant to work but hey...So normally I have the usual collection of painkillers: paracetamol, asprin, ibuprofen. To which this year we'll add some co-codamol for good measure (thats codeine with paracetamol, OTC versions available as well as prescription versions. Travel Sickness tablets (i hardly ever get travel sick these days, but I figure better to have them and not need them than the other way around!), some general Antibiotics! (great addition to have to the kit!), Immodium (well generic there of and lots of it, I usually don't need it, but lots of others appreciate it!), multivitamins (now I'd never thought of this before, but as a suggestion from a friend, I think its a great idea), throat lozenges, flu medication (you know the type you mix with hot water and drink to make you feel human again).
We'll see what else I can come up with over the next few weeks and I'll keep you posted. One things for sure everybody is going to be well looked after :-)
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