Emergency first aid...

[Joker]

Many of us pack a small first aid kit in our packs just in case something happens. Last nite I made an important addition to my rather elaborate, yet compact kit. But first: a quick rundown of the type of stuff I keep, so you have an idea...

Rolled gauze
variety of bandaids (waterproof)
Dermabond (liquid bandage)
rubber gloves
antacids
pain meds (advil and tylenol)
antiseptic wipes
condoms
photocopies of my passport and driver's license, and other important IDs
burn cream
medical tape
moleskin

You get the idea. Pretty standard stuff, right?

Last night I made a key addition to my kit, and its something EVERYONE should have.

Cayenne powder. Yep. Cayenne powder. The hot stuff. Its use as a coagulant for heavy-duty bleeding is just as good as any store-bought tincture/coagulant, and easier to come by in the pinch. Something at work fell and gashed me in the back of the noggin last nite, and gave me a concussion and a serious laceration that wouldn't stop bleeding with bandages and dermabond. I pride myself on my first aid ability, since I'm the one at work everyone goes to when they cut/burn themselves.

But the cayenne, applied to a wound immediately causes coagulation without any sting/burn that would be associated with using a pepper-powder. Sure, if you taste it, its hot, but on an open wound it doesn't at all.

Later, as the concussion set in and I went to the hospital for a CT scan (apparently I do in fact have a brain, and it was okay), the nurses and docs had never heard of it, and frankly were shocked. The one nurse even asked me point-blank: Didn't it hurt like shit? :D

Anyway, I'm gonna keep a vial of it in my first aid kits from here on out, and I suggest you do, too. There's actually some pretty decent info out there using Google on the uses of Cayenne in various first aid situations...

[lauren313]

And then, when you have a meal later on and the food tastes a little bland, you can scrape some of the pepper off your wound and on to the food

Forgive me, that was yucky.

Sorry to hear about your concussion, that's really bad, but what a genius idea! I hope you feel better very soon!

[patchouli Lover]

So what made you think about using Cayenne powder? Where you desperate and figured what the heck?

It does sound like a great idea!

[Joker]

As a chef, I'm used to quick first aid tips. I've been known to smear vaseline on a burn (maintains moisture and protects it from heat), or worse use Krazy Glue to seal a cut and get back to work. I've also cauterized wounds by sticking a knife into a burner and searing the cut shut if need me. Sounds masochistic, but it works.

The cayenne was suggested to me by a coworker in the kitchen, and last nite at the bar when it reopened after the liquid bandage, another chef friend suggested it too.

FWIW: Do not use Krazy Glue if you can avoid it. It does close the wound but scars badly. You don't wanna use it across a joint, for instance. For superficial cuts it works, but it burns like hell. There are some glues out there supposedly designed to act like KG and Dermabond but for medical purposes, but I've never seen them, only read about them on the Interweb. I've used it for paper cuts, so I know it works.

FYI: I am not a doctor. I cook for a living. Take it FWIW.

[patchouli Lover]

Wow pretty cool hobby. Chef meets doctor...lol... jk.

So I have a question. I've worked as a server/cook since I was 15. And when I or others are burned I've heard an assortment of different things to use. You suggested Vaseline, whcih I will try! But I've also heard mustard helps a burn as well as potatoes!
What's your intake on that?

I usually just run cool water on it, not cold, but not luke warm. I also like aleo vera!! It saved my hand as a two year old.

[Joker]

Since its the next day I'm repacking the First Aid Kit and reviewing some of the stuff I have in there. This is originally an older Atwater-Carey Backpacker Kit. I've got the standard equipment stuff there, as well as some other stuff I've added. Mine is a bit older, so I've replaced and removed over time for practicality purposes. But the current model has mostly the same stuff.

A link, if you will: http://www.baproducts.com/1181.htm

Included:

10 1" x 3" fabric bandages
1 single edge razor blade
4 fabric knuckle bandages
2 safety pins
2 sterile wound closure strips
1 pr latex protective gloves
4 3" x 3" sterile gauze pads
2 acetaminophen (Tyenol) tablets
2 3" x 4" Telfa non-adherent dressings
2 ibuproen (Advil) tablets
1 1" x 10 yds cohesive gauze tape
1 pkt triple antibiotic ointment
1 5" x 9" combine dressing
1 pkt iodine ointment
2 2" x 3" moleskins
3 antiseptic towelettes
1 3-1/2" forceps
1 resealable plastic bag
1 Backcountry First Aid and Extended Care booklet

To it, I've added:

1 travel sewing kit
condoms
more ibuprofen
3 5/325 Percocet (in case its just that bad)
1 small tube neosporin
1 extra roll of medical tape
1 package moleskin (hiking blisters are the enemy!)
Assortment of Bandaid-brand water proof bandaids
Waterproof matches
roll of antacids
Vial of Cayenne pepper
Miniature flashlight (key-ring size, with battery removed.

photocopies of my passport, ISIC card, insurance cards, and driver's license

Everything packs into a bag thats roughly 6" long, 4" wide, and 3" deep and weighs about a pound.

This is just my first aid kit. I actually have a secondary shower kit that I keep soap, vitamins, contact solution, and stuff like that in, but that stays in the main pack. i've found when i go off-piste skiing, hiking, or mountain biking, this always stays in my bag/camelback M.U.L.E (its small enough) with me. Its not obtrusive, and since its got just about anything I need for anything short of an amputation. YMMV.

[Joker]

Originally posted by patchouli Lover@Jul 31 2006, 04:10 PM
Wow pretty cool hobby. Chef meets doctor...lol... jk.

So I have a question. I've worked as a server/cook since I was 15. And when I or others are burned I've heard an assortment of different things to use. You suggested Vaseline, whcih I will try! But I've also heard mustard helps a burn as well as potatoes!*
What's your intake on that?

I usually just run cool water on it, not cold, but not luke warm. I also like aleo vera!! It saved my hand as a two year old.

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Honestly, Vaseline works. There's this stuff I keep in my chef toolbox called "Water-Jel" that works the best IMO. Mayonnaise also works.

Vitamin A will prevent the scarring from being too bad.