Been awhile

Well. I must admit that It has been awhile since my last post. Unfortunately my jobs have been keeping me pretty busy and I havent had much time to sit down and think about a new post. Hopefully this will change here in the next few days.

Dude... what kind of spider is that???

Given the recent fact that my computer decided it had enough for a few days, 

I spent some more time out in nature, and just exploring and having fun. That is where

I got the idea for this blog. This is just a general introduction into some creepy crawly

spiders than can be found though out the US, and are known to be venomous in some 

shape or form to humans. Now I don't know about you guys, but I can say for

myself, I am not a huge fan of spiders at all. So let us dive into the world of arachnids

Lets start with the Brown Recluse Spider which can be aggressive and deadly..This spider

is all over the US, but is more common in the southern states. It enjoys dark, cool places 

such as wood piles. There is some good news here tho, because according to my

research, this spider can not bite a human with out counter pressure. The most common

bites from this spider are because of it being in a bed, in clothing, or someone pressing on it. 

A bite might cause a stinging sensation, however, you may not even know you have

been bit. You will then notice a white blister over the area of the bite. If you suspect

that this little bugger did bite you, you need to seek medical attention. The venom

that this spider has, is one that will destroy tissue. It is brown in color

 with a characteristic dark violin-shaped (or fiddle-shaped) marking on its head 

and has six equal-sized eyes (most spiders have eight eyes). Again, if bitten seek

medical attention as quick as you can.

The next spider is the Black Widow. Again, this little bugger is all over the US,

but is more common in the southern and western states. This spider is a black

spider with red markings, usually in the form of a hour glass on the underside.

A bite from this spider can be deadly, however, usually it is not. This 

spider prefers woodpiles, rubble piles, under stones, in hollow stumps,

 sheds and garages. Indoors it can be found in undisturbed, cluttered areas

 in basements and crawl spaces.A bite from this spider is dangerous especially

to the young and elderly. There is an anti venom, so if bitten seek medical attention.

A hobo spider can be found anywhere in Washington, Oregon,

 Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. They rarely climb vertical 

surfaces and are uncommon above basements or ground level. A bite from one

of these spiders, does not hurt at first in most cases, however, this 

changes quickly. These are serious bites, and end up causing problems.

After 24 to 36 hours the bite will blister and break open, leaving a large

oozing wound. They can cause a few problems, such as vision, muscle weakness,

memory problems. If bitten seek medical attention.

 These are some of the more common you will run into, however there are

more out there, that are considered to be low risk to humans. Now I will

leave you with a very interesting fact on spiders, that will shock you.

The story about the grand daddy long legs, is not true. They have the same

fang structure as the brown recluse, so they can indeed bite a human.

They are venomous, but not so much that they are the most

venomous spider out there. I have been unable to find a single

human bite from one of them, so there is no need to worry.

Until next time..

Country Boy

 

Good News.

I have some good news. I have found and fixed the issue with the computer.

It seems that starting tomorrow I should be back on track with a new

blog or two every day. Also, additional good news. I have now have

another blogger who will be contributing to the blog once in a while. 

As I am sure you can tell already, the site has changed a great deal

since your last visit, and hopefully this trend will continue.

I must say, I am pleased to be surrounded by the people who do visit 

and read often. I hope you continue to do so, and please, I love to read comments.

Feel free to comment :)

To my faithful readers, I am sorry for not posting today. My intent was to follow up with 

 a blog on another infection, but this morning due to a computer malfunction I was

 unable to blog. I am working as hard as I can to resolve the issue, and to continue to blog.  

Country Boy

Supplies, Were can you get em at

I am sure we are all familiar with all the of stores out there today, from 

Wal Mart, to Sam's Club, Gander Mountain, Family Dollar, Dollar General and
 Dollar Tree. How many of you shop at any of these stores for your preps? Sure,
 we all do, I am not immune from saying that I do. I find the Dollar Trees to be a
 good place to get a lot of my medical gear, because its only a dollar. I have
 gone in to that store before, and filled a basket with medical supplies, because
of the price. You can find anything in there really, from antibiotic ointments,
 medications, bandages, tape to food and candles. If you have a dollar store in your
 area, go check them out, you might be shocked at some of the items you can

 find. Light sticks for example, are sold in the toy aisle at most dollar general stores.
 Duck tape is also found in the automotive section in Dollar General in black, along with
plastic being near by the same section usually. They can also be a great place to get
shoves, rakes, hoes, garden tools, seeds, sprayers, and top soil. They sell bleach at
 a very decent price as well! Just thought I would pass this along, since I
 know someone of us are on a very tight budget when it comes to prepping...

Until next time... Feel free to comment, I want to here where you get your prep supplies at!

Country Boy

Staph, A nasty little bug, not just a hot girl...

OK, Here we go for our in depth talk about Staph infections. This little bug, can cause a number of problems for people, from mild to fatal infections of all sorts. There are 30 different types of staph bacteria that can affect us, but the most common is know in medical terms as Staphylococcus aureus. This creature can cause any number of infections in or on the body. The bacteria can be found on the skin and nose, on people, and cause no infection at all. This bug can be seen under a microscope and resembles grapes or berries that are clustered together after being stained.

While anyone can have a staph infection, there are a few groups of us who are more prone to an infection than others. These groups are, newborn infants, breast feeding women, people with some chronic conditions such as cancer, vascular problems and diabetes. Also those people with immune system disorders, skin disorders and lung disease are also prone to a higher chance of infection. Once a person is infected with a staph infection, they are contagious until the infection is gone. Any direct contact with an open wound or sore, or any infected part of the body, along with razors and bandages can transmit the infection between people. Generally speaking, close contact such as kissing, hugging or hand shaking is not a good transmission route if the infected areas are avoided.

The mots common area affected by Staph is the skin of the body. This can be in several forms such as, abscess or boil which are the most common two forms. It can progress to an infection known as impetigo, which is a crusting of skin cells, or cellulitis where the skin and connective layers underneath become inflamed and swollen. In rare cases it can lead to what is called scalded skin syndrome, where the infection produces a protein that looses the glue that holds the layers of the skin together. It causes blisters to form, and the top most layer of skin to fall off, which looks like a large burn. When this happens, over a large area of the body, it can be fatal just like a large burn injury.

Women who breast feed can develop mastitis, or inflammation in the breast tissue from staph along with abscesses. The problem with an abscess in the breast tissue is that it can cause the bacteria to enter into the milk that is produced. When a staph infection goes untreated, it can enter into the blood stream and cause infections in other parts of the body, such as the heart, or lungs. Staph can cause pneumonia in people with a prior lung disease, and can cause abscesses to form with in the lungs. The heart is also at risk of becoming infected which is known as endocarditis, where the lining of the heart valves are infected and can lead to heart failure.

When the staph bacteria enter the blood, it is known as sepsis which can be a fatal infection of the blood stream. It is the leading cause of shock in people with an severe burn on their body. It leads not only to shock, but collapse of the veins and arteries with in the body. When this is not treated 80 % of all people with sepsis will not survive. Another serious condition, known as Toxic Shock Syndrome is a result of the bacteria growing in a low oxygen environment. The bacteria releases a toxin which causes the syndrome. This is a common problem among female tampon users. It is characterized by a the sudden onset of a high fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and muscle aches. It will also cause a drop in blood pressure which will lead to shock and death if left untreated.

Staph infections of the skin, can usually be diagnosed with just looking at the area, which other staph infections require lab tests. Minor skin infections can be treated with simple over the counter antibiotic ointments such as neosporin, or bacatracin. Oral antibiotics may be given also for skin infections, however I suggest that ointments be attempted first for a few days. This prevents the ability for the infection to become immune, and saves medications.

There is a form of staph infection, known a MRSA, which is resistant to most antibiotics used to treat staph infections. This from requires that antibiotics be given directly into a vein, and usually two highly potent antibiotics together. We will not cover this into to much depth, because of the treatment is highly unlikely to happen during a survival or disaster situation where help may be days or even weeks away.

The best way to minimize your risk of getting a staph infection, is to simply wash your hands often, do not touch any material such as a razor, or dressings from anyone that may be infected with staph. Use gloves when you have to handle such items, or if you assist a person with their wounds. Carry some alcohol based hand sanitizer with you, it is great in a pinch.

Until next time...

Country Boy

Yucky, Crusty, Sickly Infections....

Hello again guys, today I am going to spend time talking about those wounds that get yucky, crusty and just generally nasty looking along with other types of infections. We are going to take a look at the different types of infections, what causes them, how to get rid of them, and what we can do to prevent them from coming back. This is a pretty serious issue, as I am sure we all are aware they are many types of infections out there, some that effect the outside of the body such as open wounds and sores, to the ones that effect the inside of the body such as the sinus's, heart and brain. While a lot of these infections need a lab to diagnose this is just a general guide to types of infections, their signs and symptoms, and causes. So why dont we dive into this one and head into it. We know that most infections are caused by a bacteria of some sort, however, some virus's can also lead to an infection as well. We will cover all of these infection more in depth in future blogs, this is just a basic introduction to them.

Staphylococcus, also known as Staph, is actually a bacteria that can be found normally on the outside of the body, but can be quite a problem just the same. This is a common source of infection in wounds, and the skin, but can also be the cause of many infections. It has the ability to affect any organ in the human body, there are different strains of staph. We will go more into depth on the different strains and types on later blogs, where this is just a general overview. Typically, Staph first infects the skin, and structures in the skin, such as cuts, scrapes and abrasions. Now keep in mind, you don't need a wound for a Staph infection, because it can also infect hair follicles, and sweat glands. Signs and symptoms vary greatly depending on the location of the infection, and we will cover them more in depth in a later blog, simply because of this being a general introduction. Some common signs and symptoms are red, swollen and tender at the area of infection for cuts and abrasions. Boils for hair follicles and sweat glands. There are two forms of treatment for a staph infection, surgical and antibiotic treatments. There are any number of antibiotics that will treat this type of infection as well, so we will get more in depth in a later blog for this. Also, MRSA is a type of staph infection, known as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It is immune to most antibiotics used to treat a staph infection.

Now we are going to talk about a rare, but serious infection known as Nectrotizing Fasciitis. This is more commonly known as the Flesh Eating Bacteria. This is a very serious infection and 1 out of 4 patients who become infected with it, usually do not survive. People at a higher risk of this infection are those with any cuts on their body, liver disease, cancer, diabetes, kidney problems, a weak immune system or those on steroids. This infection is caused by several bacteria as well, including the same bacteria that cause strep throat, which cause a mild infection usually, but can be more severe. While you normally obtain this infection from open wounds it is important to note that you can also get it from wounds that come in contact with ocean water, raw salt water fish and raw oyster. Even a wound from handling an water based animal such as a crab can cause this infection. Any intestinal trauma can lead to this infection as well, such as surgery, or a gun shot wound. A muscle strain or bruise as well can lead to a case of this infection, even if there is no damage to the skin. It can be passed person to person by close contact. The symptoms often start suddenly after an injury, and may get better with in 24 to 36 hours and get worse again. If that happens you need immediate medical attention. The pain may also be worse than you would normally expect for the size of the wound. You may have red, swollen skin that is hot to the touch, a fever with chills, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea. This infection spreads rapidly after onset and will destroy skin, muscle and fat. Early treatment is very important with this infection. It usually requires both surgery and antibiotic treatment. We will cover this more in depth in a later blog as well.

Norovirus, is an infection that can cause many problems in a disaster or survival situation. This infection is know by many other names as well. It is usually a short lived infection, lasting only around 2 days normally. The cause of the norovirus infection, is well, the Norovirus. It is a stomach infection for a lack of better words and is ususally known as the Stomach Flu. Most infections come from places where people are grouped close together such as ships, hospitals, and shelters. It is transmitted by person to person contact along with contaminated food and water supplies. The signs and symptoms include, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and stomach discomfort or cramping that develop rapidly. You may expierence a low grade fever, below 101.0, headache, weakness and loss of taste. This is known as a self limiting infection, lasting normally 2 to three days. However in a survival or disaster situation, those two to three days can lead to dehydration.

Tetanus, or Lock Jaw, is infection we all get a shot for every 10 years. This infection mainly effects the muscles of the body causing severe and uncontrollable spasms of the muscles. The bacteria that causes this is found easily in the environment in soil, dust and animal wastes. Something simple as getting a splinter or stepping on a rusted nail can introduce the bacteria into the body. However, other open wounds and burns can also allow the bacteria into the body. There are four types of this infection, which are based on the problems that are found in the infected person. The most common signs and symptoms are the muscle spasms and rigidity, however the list is rather extensive and we will cover it more in depth later. Since the mid 1990's there have only been 40 to 50 cases due to the vaccine and wound care. By ensuring that you keep your tetanus shot up to date, you can greatly limit your chances of this infection.

Well, this has been a rather long blog, so I think we will wrap it up with these four infections for now. Again, stay tuned as we cover these and more infections in depth later in the blog. Remember, stay stay and until next time..

Country Boy