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

Types of Fractures

Hello again. I know I have been busy here these past few hours making posts, but knowledge is valuable to the people only when they have access to it! In this blog I want to discuss the two most common type of fractures, or broken bones, that you will find. These are known as the closed fracture, or simple fracture and the compound fracture, also known as an open fracture. There is a huge difference between the two, not only in the fracture, but in the dangers associated with them. An closed or simple fracture is not to complex. It involves any bone with in the body that becomes broken and the bone ends do not protrude thru the skin its self. The most common symptoms of this include, pain, lack of movement, swelling, and bruising. These fractures can be treated pretty easily, and is covered in the blog, on no, your friend fell and you heard a pop. A compound or open fracture however, is a totally different creature. This is a type of fracture where the bone end actually will exit the skin, creating an open wound. These types of fractures are a bit more complex in their management. They are also prone to more complications than a closed fracture. To show you the difference, below you will find Pic 1 of a simple fracture, and pic 2 of a compound fracture.

Pic 2

Pic 1

   

As you can see in Pic 1, there is a slight bend to the arm, where there should be no bend. But in comparison with Pic 2, you can clearly see the bone exits the skin. The management for both of these fractures, is different and we will get into that a bit more later in this blog.

Again, till next time, stay safe all.....

Country Boy

Oh No! Your friend has fallen, and you heard a pop.

Your walking along in the woods with a friend, and he trips and falls and  you hear a loud snap from his arm. Its clear what happened, he must have broken his arm, its deformed and he says it hurts a lot. Now the question is, what do you do? You are several miles in the woods, no where near a public road, and help would be hours away. Does this sound like a scary situation for any of you? I hope this post is able to ease some of that fear you may have.

Pic 2

Pic 1

When you are in a situation such as this, if you are in the wilderness, you have all kinds of resources at your disposal to help in this situation. First and foremost, you need to check for a pulse below the injury. This is a very important step, because if there is no pulse below the injury, the chances of loosing the limb very high. A lack of blood flow will lead to tissue and cell death. If there is a pulse you are in good shape. However, if there is no pulse, we will cover later in another post. Lets assume that there is a good strong pulse below the injury. Now you need to find a way to splint arm. You can use anything to splint with, from news papers, to sticks, to tent poles. The most important part of splinting, is you want to tie above and below the injury. You never want to tie a splint on top of an injury. Doing that can cause further damage to the limb. You also want to ensure that when you tie it, you don't cut off blood flow to the rest of the limb. Pic 1 is a basic picture of a lower arm with a board for a splint. As you can see the fingers are curled, and it is tied above and below the injury. In the second picture is an arm in a splint, sling and swath.. The reason behind the swing and swath, is to eliminate any play and bounce that the arm may experience which will cause additional pain. To make a sling, you need to take something that you can use to raise and hold the injury up, and in place. Usually a triangle bandage or cravat is used, but not everyone will have access to that item. As long as it supports the weight of the limb anything really can be used. A swath is just securing the arm tightly against the chest. This covers the basic first aid for a closed arm fracture, known as a simple fracture. It is important to seek medical assistance as soon as possible to ensure its properly set to allow proper healing.

Now  lets talk about some materials you can use to make this splint. If you are in the woods, saplings, limbs, and branches make a great splint. But you still need a way to tie it. You can use anything from duck tape, electrical tape, to clothing. If you use tape, you need to make sure to make a padding of some sort to ensure that it does not stick to the skin, as pulling of hair is very painful. I recommend that you use ace bandages or cravats type bandages to tie it. The main goal is to limit the movement of the broken bone. You can give the person some ibuprofen to help with swelling and pain, but they may not help immediately. 

I hope you found this helpful, if you have any questions feel free to comment and I will try to answer them as quickly as I can. This blog is for reference only and not intended to make you a trained medical professional. Until later, stay safe out there...

Country Boy

What is in your bag?

We all have a bag or some of us even have several bags that we have coined to be our bug out bags. The question is, what do we keep in our bags? For example and to give advise, I am blogging about the contents of one of my bags, to get you guys an idea what I carry and the reason behind it.

In my bag, there are 5 pairs of socks. We all have experienced wet feet at some point I'm sure. Wet feet are not good in a survival situation, as it can lead to fungal infections such as athletes foot, and general discomfort. Dry socks are important. Now along with socks, there is a need for clean underwear as well. These two go hand in hand, for almost the same reasons, fungal infections are not fun. Athletes foot and jock itch are no fun when you are in a survival situation so the need to have dry and clean socks and underwear are very important. T shirts are also in my bag, and again, I have 5. Wet clothing can lead to hypothermia, so being able to put on dry shirts and pants are important, as well as it can help with adding layers in cooler or cold weather. So following the previous reason, I also carry a spare pair of pants and outer shirt. To assist in cold weather, there is a pair of thermal underwear, two watch caps and a pair of gloves. That covers the basic of clothing that I carry in the bag, so now lets move on to health and hygiene products. I have a rather large zip lock bag that contains first aid items. For first aid I pack 3 ace bandages, a handful of band aids, a few gauze pads, 2 rolls of gauze, a small amount of tape, and a few over the counter pain medications. This is about all that one person will be able to do first aid wise by their self. For hygiene I carry a pack of unscented baby wipes to keep parts of the body clean and they can also serve as toilet paper where needed. I have a bottle of foot powder to try and keep the feet clean, dry and happy. Nail clippers are very important and serve many purposes other than the obvious.  To conserve water, I carry tooth paste and a tooth brush, but would only use them as needed, not on a regular basis. In an abundance of water, I would use them on a more regular basis. Now for survival products, there is a whole gambit of items we could carry, and it is a personal choice as to what we all carry. What works for me, might not work for you and the other way around. I carry 3 means of fire starting. I carry two bic lighters, 2 boxes of waterproof matches, and one magnesium fire starter. Along with them, I have a small container of tinder that is easy to start. In a survival situation fire is one of the most important factors. Not only does it provide heat, a source of cooking and purifying water, but it can be a signal. With out fire, there is no heat when it is cold, so to me, I want to have at least two back ups to making fire. I carry two means of purifying water as well. I have two bottles of water purification tablets in the bag, and a home made set up for distilling water. For food I carry some trail mix, and a few granola bars for protein and calories. For lights I pack a few flashlights with spare batteries, a few tea sized candles, and light sticks. I prefer the light sticks, because of their ease to use, lack of batteries, and no chance of fire if used in a tent. For those near water, they know about bugs such as gnats and mosquitoes, which are two reasons that I carry a mosquito net. Bug bites are not fun, they itch and can become infected. I carry a small fishing kit, which contains a backpacking style pole, sinkers, hooks, leaders, and a few types of artificial bait. The ability to find your own food is very important when you have no store that you can buy food from. I also carry a sleeping back and 2 person tent attached to the bag. One never knows where they may end up having to stop to sleep, and having a tent and sleeping bag can be very important. A smaller tent is easier to put up in tight spaces, and easier to heat. I am sure that a lot of you carry more than what I have, or less than what I carry. I would enjoy hearing your feed back as to what you have in your pack. Feel free to comment on this blog. Until next time, stay safe....

Country Boy