Yesterday, I wrote about some of the big first aid basics everyone should know. Whether you are a mom or a single person, these lifesaving tips are important to learn. These tips will save you for all those times when mom is not answering her phone, and you don’t want to rack up your personal health insurance bills.
- Burns. Rug burn, road burn and fire burns. Burns hurt, badly. And they have varying degrees of pain and seriousness. With rowdy kids, rug and road burns are becoming increasingly popular. And if you kids (or you) like to skateboard or ride bikes, these types of burns are important to treat. First, clean it the best you can. This will be painful, but it is important to get it clean to avoid bacteria and infection. Run the burn under cold water to help counteract the heat, and depending on the intensity of the burn, use a cold compress every 20 minutes. The burn will heal when they heat removes. If the burn is over most of the body, you need professional help. A little aspirin can also help ease the pain.
- Cuts and scrapes. A minor cut or scrape requires cleaning with water first and foremost. This might be painful, but it is very important to get rid of the bacteria. Neosporin is great to help heal your wound faster. A bandage should be applied during the day to keep out dirt, but taken off at night while you sleep. Your wound needs to breathe to help heal. If you cut is very deep, it might require stitches. Visit your doctor immediately. If they cut is not too bad, some doctors will use medical glue to seal the wound instead which does not require you to come back to the doctor to remove the stitches later.
- Removing bee stings. It is a rite of passage for any child to get stung by a bee. (I still remember exactly where I was when my first bee sting happened.) But did you know there is a good and a bad way to take out the stinger? The first reaction to to grab the stinger and pull it out. But by pulling it out it will release the bee’s venom, causing the sting location to become inflamed. The best way to get out a bee sting is to use something to scrape across your skin. If you hold a credit card or business card parallel to the affect skin, the stinger should come right out without injecting the venom. This will shorten your healing time.
- First aid for pets. Sure we learned about first aid for you and your family, but pet first aid is also important. One common first aid problem with pets is chocolate ingestion. Dogs are deathly allergic to chocolate. And one misplaced box of chocolates can be lethal. The first thing to do is be vigilant about keeping chocolate out of your pet’s reach. But if your pooch does ingest some chocolate, run it to the vet. It might have to have its stomach pumped.