Conventional Medicine--Advanced Medical Kit

Previous posts covered boo-boo kits, IFAKs, and family medical kits.  Today's post will cover the items suggested for an advanced medical kit.  Even if you do not have the training to use these items, they're still a good idea to have available for someone who can use them to help your family.  You never know--there were a few doctors who lived in Paradise, California, who escaped the fire with only their families and their lives. They still had their skills, but no medical kits to work with.

In addition to needing a larger bag for an advanced medical kit, you'll want to include the following items:

stethoscope*
blood pressure cuff
headlamp
more light sticks
N-99 mask, the RZ Mask, 2.5
oxygen tank wrench and gasket
chest seal
cricothoracotomy kit (remember, this is for trained personnel to use)
chest tube kit (same, for trained personnel to use)
pressurized water bladder (to irrigate wounds)
goggles
iodoform gauze (to treat infections of the skin or drain fluid out of the body)
SOAP notes
folding clipboard
triage tape
triage cards
administrative satchel

medications (again, for advanced kit, for use by licensed medical personnel, and beyond what is stocked in a family medical kit)
lidocaine 1%, 1 vial
lidocaine 2% with epinephrine, 1 vial
rocephine 1 gm, 2 vials
normal saline for injection, 25 ml, 2 vials
tranexamic acid, 100 mg, 2 vials
epinephrine 1:1000, 1 ml, 2 vials
triamcinolone, 10 ml, 1 vial
nubain, 10 mg/ml, 10 ml, 1 vial
narcan, 4 mg/ml, 10 ml, 1 vial
toradol, 30 mg/ml, 10 ml, 1 vial
valium, 5 mg/ml, 10 ml, 1 vial
augmentin, 875 mg, 60 doses, 1 bottle
zithromax, 500 mg, 20 doses, 1 bottle
bactrim DS, 30 doses, 1 bottle
levaquin, 750 mg, 30 doses, 1 bottle
clindamycin, 300 mg, 14 doses, 1 bottle
doxycycline, 100 mg, 30 doses, 1 bottle
diflucan, 150 mg, 10 doses, 1 bottle
albuterol MDI, 1 MDI
assorted syringes and needles
sharps container
envelops, small, dispensing, 12

minor surgery kit  (all quantities are one, unless otherwise indicated)
folding pouch
scalpel handle, #3
needle driver, smooth carbide tips
scissors, 1 point sharp
scissors, Metzenbaum, curved, fine, 5.5"
forceps, splinter, fine point
forceps, dressing
forceps, tissue, adson 1x2
forceps, Debakey, 6"
forceps, curved mosquito (four)
forceps, kelly, straight (two)
probe, straight
retractors, simm's retract, sm (two)
retractors, gelpi, 5"
forceps, allis 2x3
towel clamps, small (three)
skin stapler, #10, (two)
staple remover
medicine cup
blue towels, sterile (four)
scalpel blades #11 (six)
scalpel blades #10 (two)
scalpel blades #15 (two)
scalpel blades #12 (two)
suture, assorted, armed (six)
suture, silk, 4-0, 4', sterile (three)
suture needles, assortment of six
syringe, glass 5ml, sterile (two)
hypodermic needles, assortment of 12
gloves, sterile, operating (two pairs)

*Dr. Steve, who taught two of my classes, recommended the Littman Lite.  Unfortunately, as I look at Amazon right now, I don't see anything for Littman "Lite."  There are loads of options for a Littman stethoscope, however, and they are very, very good.  Obviously, I can't review them all here.  I can say that my daughter and I bought the same very low-end stethoscopes before our first class.  She still uses hers, but I have difficulty hearing anything with mine.  After my husband took the class, he went all-out and got a very nice, about $300, Littman stethoscope.  It included software for learning to listen to heart and chest tones and had a longer tube.  One reason for getting this particular stethoscope was so that it could be used for speaking to hearing-impaired individuals--they put the stethoscope on and you speak into the diaphragm (the piece that is placed on the chest for listening).  That might not be a consideration for some, but my mother-in-law is hearing-impaired, and my husband wants to be able to better care for her.

Links to related posts:
Boo-boo kits  
IFAKs  
Hanging Travel Cosmetic Bag for Organizing Medical Kit 
Family Medical Kit checklist only   

Preparing for Peritonsillar Abscess (Quinsy)

Peritonsillar abscess, also known as quinsy, is a serious disease associated with a sore throat.  It is the most common deep throat and neck infection in the US, with about 30 cases per 100,000 people per year.[1]   It develops when strep throat or bacterial tonsillitis is not treated, which might well be the case when antibiotic supplies are limited and we don’t want to waste antibiotics on what is very likely a viral infection, or even a bacterial infection that will usually resolve on its own anyway. Peritonsillar abscess has become a rare disease due to the use of antibiotics to treat strep throat and tonsillitis. 

When antibiotic use becomes much more conservative, peritonsillar abscess will become more common.  Peritonsillar abscess is usually a result of a group-A strep bacterial infection that forms a collection of pus near or around the tonsils.[2]  An untreated peritonsillar abscess can result in an obstructed airway and death.  And it can be treated in austere situations relatively easily.

As peritonsillar abscesses can progress very quickly, any patient suspected of having a peritonsillar abscess must be monitored every two hours around the clock. It can progress from peritonsillar cellulitis so quickly that lymph nodes don’t even have time to swell.

Signs and Symptoms

The first symptom of a peritonsillar abscess is usually a sore throat (tonsillitis).  However, this tonsillitis is bacterial in origin, not viral (which is more common).  There may be no fever or any other symptoms as the abscess develops, for a period of two to five days. 

• The mouth and throat may become swollen, usually on just one side.
• This may cause the uvula (the little finger of tissue that hangs down at the back of the throat) to be pushed away from the swollen side. 
• Lymph glands in the neck may be enlarged and tender. 

Subsequent signs and symptoms include:

• A severe sore throat on the affected side of the throat
• Pain and difficulty in swallowing
• Fever and chills
• Muscle spasms in the muscles of the jaw and neck
• Ear pain on the same side as the abscess
• Difficulty swallowing saliva
• A muffled “hot potato” voice (sounds as if patient is talking with a mouthful of hot potato

Treatment
The peritonsillar abscess must be drained.  There are two options.  The utmost caution must be exercised because the carotid artery is very close.

• Wrap tape around the base of a #11 scalpel blade, leaving only 3 mm of the tip protruding for cutting.  Make a nice slice. 
• Another option is to use a large bore needle, with the needle cap still on.  Cut the cap so that only 5 mm of the needle protrudes.  This ensures that the needle will only penetrate a short distance to reduce the risk of puncturing the carotid artery.[3]

Penicillin is the antibiotic most commonly prescribed following the drainage procedure.  Erythromycin and clindamycin are other options.[4]

Risk factors

Peritonsillar abscess is relatively common in adults, especially in the 20-40 year age range, but rare in infants and young children.[5]

Other risk factors include:

• Dental infections, including gingivitis
• Chronic tonsillitis
• Infectious mononucleosis
• Smoking

Links to related posts:

Penicillin Primer for Preppers

References:

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000986.htm

---

[1] Nicholas J. Galioto, “Peritonsillar Abscess,” American Family Physician, 15 April 2017, https://www.aafp.org/afp/2017/0415/p501.html (accessed 5 January 2021).

[2] “Peritonsillar Abscess,” https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000986.htm (accessed 5 January 2021).

[3] Survival and Austere Medicine, 3^rd Edition, 187.

[4] Jeffrey S. Rubin, et al., “Facts You Should Know about Peritonsillar Abscess,” eMedicineHealth.com, 12 November 2020, https://www.emedicinehealth.com/peritonsillar_abscess/article_em.htm (accessed 5 January 2021). 

[5] Jeffrey S. Rubin, et al., “Facts You Should Know about Peritonsillar Abscess,” eMedicineHealth.com, 12 November 2020, https://www.emedicinehealth.com/peritonsillar_abscess/article_em.htm (accessed 5 January 2021). 

 6.22.23

Eating the Trash--Banana Peel Bacon

I swear, this blog is not coming from the insane asylum. 

 

All right, there’s just no way around this one.  The whole idea of trying to pass off banana peels as bacon is deeply disturbing.  I think it’s safe to say that the nut jobs have taken this whole vegan thing to an unhealthy level.  Psychiatric intervention is long overdue. 

But I’m like that dang moth drawn to the flame.  What if…?  The bacon gets mostly rave reviews on the It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken blog. (You can go look at the pictures and the rave reviews, if you're interested.)  The most common complaint is that the “facon” is too salty, for which everyone then recommends using low sodium soy sauce.  I’ve got a boatload of that. 

I was really itching to try this out, so I picked up some organic bananas ("they" say that a lot of pesticides are used on bananas, and that the organic ones are far cleaner).  I dutifully washed them and then proceeded with the recipe below.

Banana Peel Bacon "Facon"

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon maple syrup

½ teaspoon smoked paprika or liquid smoke

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Peels from 2 very ripe bananas

1 tablespoon coconut or peanut oil 

Make the marinade by combining the marinade ingredients in a container long enough to accommodate the peels. 

Prepare the banana peels (which must be very ripe—yellow with lots and lots of brown spots) by removing them from the bananas and then tearing them into 4 strips each.  Use a spoon to lightly scrape off the creamy white interior of the banana peel, leaving just the peel.  Add the peels to the marinade and toss to coat.  Let marinate for 10 minutes to a few hours. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat.  When hot, add the peels and fry for a couple of minutes per side, until golden and just starting to blister.  As the sugars in the peel carmelize and burn, the air may become a little smoky.  When cooked, remove from pan and drain on paper towels.  The facon will become crispier as it cools. 

Family reviews: Hah!  All the credibility the vegans gained with using aquafaba (the liquid from canned garbanzo beans) to make chocolate mousse and cool whip has just been obliterated.  

There was no way I could serve this stuff to my family--and believe me, they will say that I've been known to serve some sketchy stuff.  (Not true, but whatever.)  

The texture wasn't actually too bad, but it wasn't really all that flavorful.  And there was no way a BLT was going to somehow hide that this stuff wasn't real.  Bacon has a substantial amount of fat in it.  One of my favorite sayings is "No fat, no flavor."  The only fat in this recipe comes from the oil it's fried in.  

But there are a couple of things to be learned here, other than the fact that vegans can't be trusted.  The first is that you probably don't want to make facon for yourself.  The second is that banana peels can be eaten.  So if you happen to have fresh bananas (not likely when the just-in-time delivery system collapses, but you never know), you can offer the banana peels to those who didn't store food.  You can even pass along the recipe for this facon.  They won't die by eating it--see, I'm still alive!--and they can fill their tummies, albeit somewhat reluctantly.  

Links to related posts:

Aquafaba

Chocolate Mousse

DIY Cool Whip

References:

https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/banana-peel-bacon/

23 june 2024

Family Emergency Medical Kit

We've previously covered the supplies one should have in boo-boo kits and IFAKs, so the logical next step is taking a look at the recommended items for a family emergency medical kit.  It contains a wide variety of supplies for addressing everyday medical conditions a family is most likely to encounter in a major disaster like a hurricane, earthquake, cleaning out the fridge, etc.  This is not a comprehensive list of items and quantities to see you to the other side of our societal collapse.  (We'll get to that, eventually.)

First off, you'll want a place for your supplies, something that you'll be able to organize nicely.  There are probably hundreds or thousands of options.  Tackle boxes, tool kits, actual medical bags in all shapes, sizes, colors, and price ranges.  I spent a lot of time pondering what would be best for my situation and my family.  I looked at military medic bags and regular EMT bags, and I looked at the one pictured below as well.

Swedish military medical bag, $19.99 as of today at MilitaryClothing.com.

I thought I really wanted the bag pictured below.  I might still want it.  It had some nice features, especially the removable bags and loads of storage pockets.

Lightning X Large intermediate EMT medic modular trauma bag.  As of today, $89.99 on Amazon. 

Money actually being an issue, and not being entirely sure of what I wanted, already gave the Swedish bag the advantage.  However, it also had two other features that I liked.  The first was that it is a backpack--the straps are in the outside pocket and already attached to the bag.  The second is that it does not really look like a medical kit.  Being super bright green, it looks more like a child's suitcase.  So it has the advantage of being really easy to find in an emergency situation, as well as not looking like a medical kit at all.  I don't want to attract any attention or look like medical personnel.  And it doesn't look like military issue, either, or like I might have prepared better than others.

Below is one doctor's list of recommended items for your kit.  You probably won't be able to purchase all your supplies at once.  It can get a little pricey.  We're still building our kit here.  I'm not going to discuss specific items in this post.  That would take forever, and there's no way I can write this blog on a daily basis if each post takes me a week.  Preparedness is a way of life, done in small bits, every day.  And we have short attention spans.  So begin with your bag and then gather items as you come across them at home or find deals at the store, or put them on your Christmas list.  (Oh, wow, honey!  I've always wanted a tourniquet!  This is the best gift EVER!)

Where quantities have a range, the number you want will vary depending on the size of your family.  Or how many children like to believe they are Superman.

tongue depressor
SaO2 monitor
thermometer, glass (non-battery--can't get EMP'd, more accurate)
penlight, LED
headlamp, LED
flashlight
extra batteries
chemical light/light sticks, 4
plastic sheet magnifier
N-95 masks, 1-6
trauma shears, small and large
nail clippers
tourniquet, SWAT, 1, and SOF-T wide, 1-2
T needle
nasopharyngeal airway
CPR mask
collapsible bag valve mask
multi-tool and case
irrigation syringe, 30 ml w/tip
Betadine, 1 oz
tincture of benzoin, 1 oz
isopropyl alcohol, 2 oz
benzalkonium chloride wipes, 2-12
Hibiclens, 4 oz
exam gloves, 2-10 pairs
hand sanitizer, 2 oz
sterile Q tips, 10
pressure dressing, small, 1-6
pressure dressing, 4",  1-2
Z gauze, 1-2
Celox or Quikclot,  1-2
burn dressing, 4x8 2
burn dressing, 4x4 2
triangle bandage, 4
alcohol pads, 4-24
gauze, sterile, 2x2 4-24
Band aids, cloth, assorted, 1-3 packs
safety pins, medium, 4-12
splinter forceps, uncle bill's
non-adherent dressing, 4x4, 6
iodoform gauze, 1/4" packing, 1 bottle
Sharpie, double point fine, 1-2
Write in rain note pad
mechanical pencil
lighter
4x4 8 ply gauze, 10 pack, 4
roller gauze, 4.5" kerlix compressed, 4
duct tape, 2" small roll
cloth tape, 2 " roll
cloth tape, 1" roll
athletic tape, 1.5 " roll
Coban, 3 " roll, 2
Ace wrap, 3" roll, compressed, 2
Ace wrap, velcro closure 4" 2
SAM splint, large, 1
SAM splint, assortment pack, 1
moleskin, sheet, Dr Scholl's, 3
rehydration salts, packet, 4 per person
garbage bag, 4 mil, medium, 4
Blizzard hypothermia blanket
chemical heat pads, 4
nano silver, liquid 4 oz, sovereign silver, 1 bottle
eye shield
skin stapler and staple remover
emesis basin
activated charcoal
permethrin
antibiotic guide
hydrocortisone packets
bacitracin packet
miconazole cream
mupirocin ointment
nitroglycerin tablets
aspirin
zofran

Oh, and just in case you do decide to get everything at once, or as much as possible, ShopMedVet.com has much better prices than Amazon or Walmart on most items.

Related posts:
Boo-boo kits  
IFAKs  
Hanging Travel Cosmetic Bag for Organizing Medical Kit 
Advanced Medical Kit
Family Medical Kit checklist only   

 11.06.18