Welcome back to First Aid Part IV. This is the last part of the first aid survival tips. So make sure to pay attention. Remember that this tips are to be used only in an emergency situation and you should always call 911 first if you are near a hospital. Alright lets see what kind of tips I have in store for you tonight.
- Poisoning – Symptoms: Nausea, vomitting, diarrhea, sweating, breathing difficulties. You will experience chest or abdominal pain. You could also have seizures, headaches, dizziness, weakness, irregularpupil size. Your eyes might burn or tear up. You may experience burns on your lips, tongue, skin. You could have abnormal skin color, especially ashen or pale. Possible Condition: Poison ingested, inhaled, absorbed, or injected into your body. For example: snakes, spiders, jelly fish, etc. Course of Action: First you will want to remove the victim from the scene of the poisoning. Check the victim for life threatening conditions and treat the symptoms. If the victim has been poisoned from contact directly to the skin then wash the area with lots of water. Next you will want to apply baking soda or calamine lotion to dry up sores from poison on skin. If the victim ingested the poison then give them lots and lots of water. If the poison that was ingested is non-corosive then induce vomitting to expel from body then give them lots of water( do not induce vomitting if the poison is corrosive because it will damage the throat and stomach lining coming back up). If poison is corrosive (acid or alkaline) do not induce vomitting. Give victim water and then a mild acid or alkaline to neutralize the poison.
- Rashes – Symtoms: You will experience weeping, scaling, inflamed skin. Possible Condition: Skin will have rashes that are caused by infection or dirt clogging pores. Course of Action: You will want to treat the rash like you would an open wound-keep it clean and cover it with sterile bandages. If the rash is most it keep dry, if rash is dry then keep it moist. Make sure the apply antiseptics. Absolutely do not scratch the rash, it will only make it worse.
- Seizures – Symptoms: Seizures will cause you to have blank stare on yours/the victims face. It will cause disorientation. You will also experience convulsions(uncontrolled muscle movements). Possible Condition: Reaction to extreme heat. It could also be caused by a diabetic reaction. They can also be cause by a traumatic injury to the brain. Course of Action: Absolutely do not try to hold the victim down this may cause injury to you or the victim. Absolutely do not put anything in the victim mouth, the victim may bite down and injury you or himself/herself worse. One thing that you can do to assist the victim is to support the head by using a pillow or a folded up piece of cloth(such as sweatshirt, blanket). If the victims mouth fills with any kind of fluid such as blood, saliva, or vomit, roll the victim on to his/her side to let the liquid drain. Once the seizure has subsided check the victim for breathing and injuries cause by convulsions also assure them that everything is ok and that help is on the way. You might also want to tell them where they are and that they are safe and that you are there to help them.
- Shock – Symptoms: You will become irritably, experience restlessness, nausea, vomitting, and excessive thirst. You may also experience an altered state of consciousness. You will also have a rapid breathing and pulse. You may also have skin that is cool, moist, pale, and ashen. Possible Condition: The flow of your blood is inadequate for body’s major organs and tissue (shock). Course of Action: Have the victim lay flat on their back and make sure they are as comfortable as possible. It is also a good idea to elevate the victims feet about 12 inches. It is important to keep the victims skin from getting too warm or cold. You will want to monitors the victims breathing and pulse. Do not give food or water if immediate hospitalization is an option. If hospitalization is not an option make sure to give the victim warm liquids to drink.
- Snakebite – Symptoms: You will have extreme pain around the bite marks in the victims skin. The victim will also experience swelling and strong pain around the bite(Pit Vipers). You may also have an allergic reaction. Some more reactions are blurring of vision, loss of reflexes, slurring of speech, nausea, and difficulty breathing(coral snakes). Condition: The venom of a snake bite has been injected into the bloodstream. Course of Action: To treat pit vipers, rattlesnakes, copperheads, or cottonmouths wash the wound; make sure to keep the bite site low and still and below your heart. For coral snakes, the treatment is similar as above but apply an elastic band starting farthest from the heart and rolling it around the wound. You will also want to keep the bite site still and lower then the heart. Make sure to keep the victim calm as possible to keep heart rate low. Absolutely do not apply ice to bite sites, you will want to cut the wound, and apply a tourniquet or apply suction.
- Sprains – Symptoms: The sprained body part will swell and start bruising. You will also experience severe pain in the ankle, knee, wrist, and fingers. You will not be able to use the injured area normally, and you will experience weakness in that body part. Possible Condition: Tearing of ligament at joint. Course of Action: For mild sprains you will want to apply ice and elevate. You will also want to get lots of rest. You can also take a Tylenol regiment if not allergic, this will help control the swelling and help with the pain. For severe sprains treat as you would for broken bones.You will want to immobilize the body part as it was found. Do not apply a splint unless you need to move the victim, if you need to move the victim then you can apply a splint by attaching two pieces of wood/board on either side of the area and then wrap with tape or ace bandage. You will want to elevate and apply ice, unless elevating increases the pain.
Thanks for reading the last blog post on First Aid, I hope that over the course of the last 4 posts you have learned something new. I had a great time researching and explaining how to treat injuries, it is something that I have been interested in since I was young. I always wanted to become a sports therapist/physical therapist or sports trainer. I did some volunteer hours with my schools sports trainer and I had a blast helping the athletes when they were injured or wrapping the wrists and ankles with sports tapes to prevent injury. I enjoyed running out on to the field and assessing the situation on the fly and coming to a conclusion and applying my knowledge on how to fix the injury. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below. Also don’t forget to click the button at the bottom of the screen to follow my blog so you don’t miss out on new posts. Thank You!!!!
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