G'Day, Just came back from a kayak trip and was sorting all my gear when I decided to review my First Aid kit. It struck me that I'ld never seen a first aid kit that specifically addressed the needs of kayakers. Then I wondered what exactly are those needs, so thought I'ld ask Paddlewise. Below, roughly in order of frequency of occurence, are the first aid problems that groups I'm aware of have experienced, note some of these require treatment while in the boat at sea. Also the list does include ailments that are preventable but I'ld like to consider them anyway: - - Muscle cramps and muscle problems - Stomach disorders - Seasickness - Head aches - Cuts and bruises - Dislocated shoulders - Jelly fish, poisonous fish and insect stings - Burns from camp stoves - Broken limbs Wondered if anyone could add to this list and/or suggest first aid remedies that are widely accepted. Or even better has anyone designed a First Aid kit for kayakers, what does it contain and why? All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
One of the more common ways to get injured paddling that I've seen is moving your boat before/after you're in it, usually ankles. I always carry a SAM splint and duck tape just for that reason. Wayne > > - Muscle cramps and muscle problems > - Stomach disorders > - Seasickness > - Head aches > - Cuts and bruises > - Dislocated shoulders > - Jelly fish, poisonous fish and insect stings > - Burns from camp stoves > - Broken limbs > > Wondered if anyone could add to this list and/or suggest first aid remedies > that are widely accepted. Or even better has anyone designed a First Aid kit > for kayakers, what does it contain and why? *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On 28 Mar 2004 at 20:49, PeterO wrote: > Below, roughly in order of frequency of occurence, are the first aid > problems that groups I'm aware of have experienced, note some of these > require treatment while in the boat at sea. Also the list does include > ailments that are preventable but I'ld like to consider them anyway: - > > - Muscle cramps and muscle problems I'd bet that dehydration is a problem wrt cramps and some other muscle problems. Rehydration with an electrolyte solutions (ie. gatorade-type sports drinks) can help. If not available, boiling some meat in water to make a broth is a wilderness survival technique taught in Canada's north (you do have a feral cat problem in Oz, now don't you Peter?). > - Stomach disorders I always make sure I have some Imodium on board. No longer prescription-only where I live and there are cheaper generics available too. Handy if someone eats something that isn't quite healthy after being stored not quite right. Or drinks the water. Antacids and such are handy as well. Useful if the group chef is one of those that figures dinner is ready when the smoke detector goes off. > - Head aches I carry an assortment of pain killers - usually acetaminophen (eg. Tylenol) and ibuprofin (eg. Advil). Never offered, but available if asked (liability advice from the local first aid instructors). I carry both, since they are different - one is better for fevers, the other for aches and pains. > - Jelly fish, poisonous fish None of them in the Great Lakes :-) > and insect stings Oooh, lots of them. I find Afterbite (mostly ammonia) works well most of the time on mosquito bites if applied just in time. > - Burns from camp stoves Second SKin has a burn bandage that's great. If you want to protect it from water, cover with a biggish piece of 3M Tegaderm (aka, the GoreTex of bandages) > - Broken limbs Ditto Wayne - I often carry a Sam splint. It's bulky relative to nothing and I always feel that I should be able to make a splint from bits of wood found around the campsite. It's nice to have a Sam splint to make an instant solution, though - no need to scrounge for padding. My first aid kit is modular. I put stuff into big, wide-mouth Nalgene jars (not the bottles). Each jar has a pair or two of latex gloves on top of the other stuff, so that I can "suit up" as soon as I open the jar. One is my cuts, scrapes and blister kit (CS&B). It contains several types of small bandages, liquid bandage, burn kit, Tegaderm, blister bandages etc. The blister bandages I've come to like are from Bandaid: <http://www.bandaid.com/footcare.shtml> - the one on the left. Another one is my big cut and nasty stuff kit. Bandages for something serious. Includes some basic (i.e no wings etc), light, sanitary napkins - these make good blood-stopping compress bandages. Cheaper than the equivalent "real" first aid stuff. This kit includes rolls of tape as well as elastic bandages for sprains. A third one is the tool kit - small scissors, tweezers, safety pins, triangle bandage, space blanket, finger cots etc. Finally, a small dry bag with all the big stuff - Sam splint, big EMT scissors, notebook (waterproof), CPR mask, etc. Sounds like a huge mess, but it used to fit conveniently in back of my seat in the Solstice - I put straps in to hold everything in place and liked the fact I could grab the stuff without opening a hatch. Now it's a bit big altogether for my Ellesmere, so I'm going to reorganize things a bit. The nice thing about the modular nature of the kit is that I can grap the CS&B kit and that satisfies my first aid needs most of the time. It's in the car right now and is the one for day trips, skiing, hiking etc. Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Peter, I would add to this list: - Blisters - Wrist problems - Sunburn (eyes too) Dave -----Original Message----- From: PeterO <list of things that commonly happen do sea kayakers requiring first aid> - Muscle cramps and muscle problems - Stomach disorders - Seasickness - Head aches - Cuts and bruises - Dislocated shoulders - Jelly fish, poisonous fish and insect stings - Burns from camp stoves - Broken limbs *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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