Today we have a big subject and so important. I started working on a medical pantry a few years ago. I always had a first aid kit and a collection of over the counter medications but not much more. But when I started working on being better prepared I gradually improved this area.
Firstly I did a first aid and CPR course with the Red Cross. This was really good and I think if you can do a course then do it. I regularly go through the first aid manual and have a reminder session.
You can download various first aid apps free on your phone. If you do this then when you are waiting somewhere you can learn how to find information quickly and do some study. It is a good idea and quite interesting. Study and learn!
I always keep physical copies of first aid books. We have one in the house and one in each car. There is no guarantee your phone or app will be there in an emergency. I have found up to date first aid books in the op shops for about a dollar each and provided everyone with one.
Because we have snakes as a hazard here I purchased specialist snake bite kits. I also gave one to both son in laws. I am big on giving gifts that might make a difference one day.
Ok my cabinet isn't terribly tidy but here it is.
Top left are first aid manuals and medical books.
Below them are essential oils, Eucalyptus oil, castor oil, emu oil and various balms.
The drawers on the left go... antiseptic, swaps, alcohol wipes, wound cleaning.
Bandaids of all shapes and sizes. Also the special bandaids that are like stitches and close a wound.
Creams ie burn cream, rash, Neosporin, Betadine, Medi Pulv and so on.
Larger bandages, slings, pads, fasteners. Pure wool for castor oil packs.
The small cupboard door... there are a coupe hundred face masks, next shelf I have about sixty very soft flannel hankies. Some are torn up and meant to be disposable.
Next shelf is more sophisticated face masks ie for smoke (with filters), dust, chemicals.
Top right is containers of all kinds of over the counter mediations.
Anti inflammatoires,
Allergy, (It is vital to keep something that will stop or slow a severe allergic reaction.)
Pain relief.
Asprin.
Cold and Flu.
The drawers are back ups of some prescribed meds Andy takes.
Children's Panadol.
Measuring cups.
To the right... sanitisers, alcohol, vodka, cough medicine, lozenges.
Bottom. Homeopathics. Oscillococcinum.
Blood pressure machine. INR machine. (Measures blood thickness)
Thermometers.
Oximeter. (Bought recently due to covid)
Tweezers. Magnifying glass.
That is about it.
We live on a farm. We need to be prepared. Mum saved a mans life once by having things on hand. He was driving a tractor and he accidentally went through a swarm of bees. He got bitten all over. There are an hour from town. Mum administered allergy medication and they got him to the hospital. It was pretty dire but he made it and they said the anti histamines slowed the reaction. Vital!
The time and distance to town means a lot of time lost...
Even if we are close to help what if we are home due to a storm, flooding, fire? There can be many reasons we need to have supplies and know what to do. I am not meaning to encourage anyone to DIY what needs attention. I am encouraging knowing all you can and being able to do your best if needed.
Something I discovered more recently was how to make a Castor Oil pack. Oh my goodness they are wonderful if you have pain in the form of a strain, muscle injury. I will let you look into that but very simple and helpful.
I have given a lot of medical items and first aid kits to family as gifts. It is an area worth investing in.
In about 2017 I went into a chemist to buy masks. I saw they had about fifty. I asked the staff if they had any more "out the back" and the answer was no. So at that time I thought mmm if there was ever a bad flu or outbreak really the first ten people in the store would buy all they had. Leaving none.
So I began stocking masks. When covid hit you could not buy a mask for love or money! But I had about 300 in my cabinet and shared with family and friends. This depleted my supply so I began making them. Now I keep about thirty ready made ones on hand as well. I was able to post quite a few to people I knew needed them and we having trouble finding any.
Customise your first aid and medical supplies to your families needs. Try to be as far ahead as possible with prescription medications. Get ahead if you possibly can.
Ask your doctor and chemist what to do in the event you ran out of medication or it was unavailable?
Is there a substitute? Write that down.
Is there a plan B?
If you are on medication assess if it is something you could get away from? I know many things are necessary but more are not. Andy is on one medication that is due to a stainless steel heart valve. There is nothing he can do to get away from that reality. He was on other medications he could get away from with diet and exercise. Through the pandemic it became apparent most medicines are made in China or India. Australia is very dependant on overseas supplies. There have been shortages on many important medications. Not good at all!!
Finally I will add in eye glasses. Be ahead. Have some spares.
My emergency numbers are in my phone and inside my cupboard door.
So this is where I am with my medical preparedness so far.
Please work on this area, maybe make a list of what you feel you need to add. Make an action plan. xxx
Dear Annabel, Your cupboard is wonderful. I have written a list from your list of five things to look into. This is an area I need to improve. Thankyou, Clare
ReplyDeleteAnnabel I have a few of these items you have suggested. Just one concern - these items go out of date, and if they haven't been used, it can be expensive to replace them. Any suggestions please? Robyn S.A
ReplyDeleteRobyn,
DeleteMost things with the exception of nitroglycerin are good for around 5 years after their expiration date. The efficacy may degrade some, but they can still be used so won't necessarily have to toss your items. For example I had some expired cold and flu pills and they were around 4 years past the date and I found that instead of the 2 pill dose that 3 was needed. They worked and I didn't have to toss them. There was a program on TV about it, but please do research if you feel uncomfortable about it and go with what information feels best for you.
XOXO
Vicky
Dear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteSuch an important area of preparedness. We need to be able to handle the whatever that comes our way.
Our area, of the country, is experiencing a big rise in Covid hospitalizations of vaccinated people. Most of the inpatients have been fully vaccinated and have the Covid variant. Consequently, our physicians are tied up with those patients and unavailable for the rest of us. The wait is two months for an appointment with either of our personal physician's.
Herbs, essential oils and homeopathies are crucial in times like we are experiencing. Having a closet for medical supplies, as you have Annabel, is wise and wonderful. Thank you for these daily posts and encouragement.
With much love,
Glenda
Hi Annabel,
ReplyDeleteThis is so timely and helpful as this is the area I struggle in the most. I would add that we keep a stethoscope and manual blood pressure cuff (and both learned how to take blood pressure manually) as a backup, and I also keep nitrile gloves on hand (I'm allergic to latex). Vaseline & aquaphor are also good for skin protectants and other things if you need them.
Hope you have a good day
<3
Kathy
Not sure what happened, but I lost the message. In case it is gone forever, I was responding to Robyn. You won't have to replace expired items if you always use the oldest first. A few years ago, I decided I wanted to get ahead on prescription drugs. This is difficult in the US because only the amount that is needed is dispensed and they can't sell you more. For drugs that are taken daily, you would normally get a 30-day supply every 30 days or a 90-day supply every 90 days. However, I discovered the refills can normally be dispensed 5-7 days before the refill date. I started doing this every month, thereby getting ahead a little each month. Eventually, this will catch up with you, but generally you will have a new written prescription by then and can keep it going. I built on this by zeroing out each prescription every month, meaning that when I got the refill, I emptied out all of the leftovers (sometimes doses get missed, etc.) and starting over. Once in awhile, I get physicians samples, and I hoard those, too. My dearest friend was going off a drug my daughter has taken for over 20 years and gave me nearly a month's supply. Gradually, I have built up at least a 30-day supply of everything we regularly take. When I get a new Rx, I put it on the shelf and use older stock.
ReplyDeleteI made and labeled a little bottle of 6 tablets each of antihistamine (you are right on that one, Annabel), NSAID pain reliever and what I take for gastric distress (I have severe issues). I carry this in my purse. I've always had some pill or another in my purse, but not necessarily all of the ones I might need. We also have small amounts of the same drugs in each car. I only keep small amounts in the car because they don't get used often and I want to keep them fresh.
One of my jobs this week will be to clean and organize my medical supplies. Also, thank you for your suggestion of a few weeks ago to have a printed first aid book. Duh! Don't know why I didn't think of that one on my own. Also have a first aid book for dogs!
Forgot to mention--antidiarrheal meds in the car! I can think of at least one time when I would have killed for some! (and I was alone and 50 miles from home!)
ReplyDelete--Maxine
That is a great closet! I have all my supplies in a roll around cart with drawers. I like being able to just grab a drawer and take it to where it is needed. We have an old US Army Feild hospital first aid book from WWII that actually has pictures and details of how to do things like minor surgeries. Yikes, I could never do most of those things but it is interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteWe started working on this after reading gDonna's post last week She mentioned a friend having to wait ten hours at an ER but the need could have been taken care of at home if the supplies had been on hand. We were already very well supplied but had some gaps that I am working on filling. With my over 250 bottles of essential oils I can treat most anything and make my own blends for specific needs. EO if stored properly do not go out of date. Butterfly bandages are always on hand here! I don't know how many times I have had need of them over the years but if you need them you need them now. In the USA if you have a Medicare Advantage plan you may be able to stock many items free with your quarterly allowance. I am going to bulk up my supplies when I can order in October.
I replaced my thermometer with one that did not need a battery. The battery operated one always seem to read low battery just when I needed it!
ReplyDeleteYour medical cupboard is very impressive!! We have a couple of first aid kits as well as extra bandaids, gauze, etc. and over the counter pain relievers and cold meds, etc. Our main issue is prescription meds as they only allow you to get so much here in the U.S. Thank-you for sharing what you have and your suggestions! It’s got me thinking about what more we can do! Also, for extra for family members!
ReplyDeleteDear Annabel
ReplyDeletereally good post and I assessed my first aid supplies last weekend. May I add to the list? For people who live near the coast, tick removing tweezers and meds to help dislodge them. I keep a cream for scabies which makes the tick eventually fall off and a burn off treatment as well. And the telephone number for the vet if a dog gets a tick and gets sick.
Loving your preparedness series
Virginia
Thank you Annabel and yes first aid is very important to be prepared for particularly if you are in the country and a long way away from medical help as we are.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking on medication shortages there was a shortage of my thyroid medication during the pandemic and it could not be sourced anywhere. Fortunately I had prepared ahead with R24 scripts and stocked up by getting all of the medication I had plus repeats which got me through. Our pharmacy was most helpful in topping up my supplies when I was low too so it pays to have a good relationship with staff at your pharmacy.
We set up our first aid kits with the help of a friend who is a doctor so have a fairly extensive equivalent to first responder kit.
Sewingcreations15 (Lorna)
I don't know if you have this in Aus. but I always keep a bottle of Pedialyte in the refrigerator along with some of the powder form on the shelf. If someone is sick and throwing up or has lost too much fluid on a hot day it helps a lot to replenish their electrolytes and rehydrate them. I'm sure there are other remedies, but I have been using it for abut 30 years so it is a staple in my emergency supply. It is equally effective in both children and adults.
ReplyDeleteWe try and keep ahead with our meds here. Mine are for my asthma with one being over the counter and the other requiring a Drs Script. My Dr gave me a script with four repeats I have picked up three and have kept one repeat. Bluey cant get ahead on one of his tablets, but can, and has on another.
ReplyDeleteI have gone through all our supplies. Another kit I like to get and keep in both cars is a wound wash kit. Having a sterile kit to clean out wounds has been a benefit on a couple of occasions. I am gradually adding homemade herbal syrups, teas and balms to my medical kit. Knowing I can make something, and not have to leave the house and go to a busy chemist, gives me a sense of calm and safety.
You really have been working hard at getting us all prepared with you Annabel. A very big and heartfelt thankyou.
My son was taking First Aid as school credit last semester. So as part of the course, he and I restocked the bathroom and the car first aid kits. I bought many of the supplies from Dollar Tree. Nice!
ReplyDeleteI am ready for nearly anything. But my husband cannot stock up his meds. There is a limit to how many he can get at a time, before a Dr. must approve a refill.
Blessings to all!
This one of my concerns, Farmer's Rx for his heart afib. We get a 90-day supply but I would like to have a 6 month supply. I need to pray on this and ask the pharmacist if we could get a larger dose, since we live in the country. Or I'll start doing what MikeMax does. :)
ReplyDelete