How old is your first aid kit?

Technically it's a Tuesday, but it's my Monday and it sure felt like one.  I slept really well.  So much so that I wanted to keep doing it.  I finally pried myself out of bed at least half an hour after I first hit the snooze button.

First, to the dermatologist, to explain why I quit using almost all the medications she recommended.  She tried to convince me I should use them, then gave up and thanked me for at least coming back to talk to her about it.  So that was nice.

Then, to physical therapy.  I went through my routine, then got a re-evaluation.  They cut me loose!  I'm to keep up the exercises at my own gym, of course.  Hopefully I keep getting stronger and avoid reinjury.

Then, I drove over to another doctor's office to pick up blood test results.  As usual, I have no cholesterol to speak of, and high triglycerides.  One of these days I'll actually know in advance so I can fast before they take my blood.  Ah well.  My hemoglobin and bilirubin are little out of whack too.  I have no idea what that implies.  Nothing, I'm pretty sure.

After that I finally arrived at work and spent the rest of the day frantically reading email and trying to rectify all the problems that cropped up in my ONE DAY of leave.  And then my tummy went all wacky and I decided I was not going to try to put in 8 hours of work after all.

And then I came home and practiced my speech for tomorrow.  As you might imagine, I'm having anxiety.  Luckily it's a topic (first aid) with which I'm very comfortable.  It's supposed to be 5-7 minutes long.  On my first run-through I looked down at my timer and found I had gone over 11 minutes, and I hadn't covered everything yet.  So I'm cutting it down significantly.  At this point I'm basically saying "Og has headache?  Og take aspirin."

Speaking of which?  Don't buy commercial first aid kits.  Man do they overcharge.  I checked at REI and kits that do less than my ziplock bag full of goodies pulled from my kitchen and bathroom cost $20 or more.  In fact, here is the gist of my speech.  Make yourself a first aid kit.  Make several.  Leave them where you're likely to need them - the office and the barn, for instance.  If you don't know how old your kit is anymore, it's time to replenish anything that ages.

Keep in mind that first aid has its use right in the name.  It's not meant to be a doctor's bag.  It's just meant to fix tiny problems (a splinter, a paper cut, a mild headache) or keep you stable until you can see a doctor.

Get a quart size freezer ziplock.  Write the date on it so you know how old the contents are.  The bag is the container for all your first aid goods, but can be used to hold ice, to reduce swelling from injury.

Put a roll of vetwrap / self adhering elastic bandage in the bag.  Use it to immobilize sprains or breaks.  Make sure you wrap it loosely enough that you can still get two fingers under it, because otherwise you have just created a tourniquet.

Get some cheapo scissors, a roll of non-latex athletic tape, and some sterile gauze pads.  Bandaids degrade over time and are liable not to be sticky anymore when you try to use them.  The tape and gauze pads can be cut to any shape you want.  If you're hairy, maybe stick a disposable razor in too - often pulling hair out when you remove a bandage feels worse than the original injury.

Toss in cheap tweezers or a plastic tick spoon.  I don't care what kind of tick it is, they all carry nasty diseases.  Check yourself, your kids, and your pets after outdoor fun.  If you find a tick, grasp it with the tweezers at the base of its head and firmly pull it straight out.  Don't yank, as you don't want it to leave its head behind.  Also?  If you're in a high risk area (DC/MD friends:  we're high risk) go to the doc within a day for a prophylactic dose of doxycycline.

A small bottle of purell will do the same job as those little packets of alcohol-impregnated wipes for much less cost, and you can refill your bottles from a larger (and probably even cheaper) kitchen size bottle.

Get yourself some smaller ziplocks for medicines.  I like mine to have a white stripe to write on - label each bag with what's in it, and the dosage if you're carrying unusual sizes.  Here's what I carry and why:

aspirin for fever, headache, stroke
benadryl for allergies, nausea, coughing, insomnia
ibuprofen for inflammation or pain
imitrex (prescription) for migraines
the aforementioned prescription doxycycline
imodium for oh my god don't get between me and the plumbing
activated charcoal, for bloating from gas or ingestion of toxins

Some other handy little items might include a tiny tube of superglue, pre-threaded surgical needle or regular needle and floss or thread, and a tube of antibiotic ointment.  It depends on your skill level and what you're comfortable with.  Also, if you have special needs?  Put the appropriate items in there.  An Epipen, glucose tablets, shelf stable insulin (and syringes!), nitroglycerine - whatever special thing you need for your particular self, have it available when you need it.

The most important item in the first aid kit is your brain, followed by training.  You can improvise A LOT if you have to.  And given that the internet is in most people's pockets, you can look up a lot of things.  Generally, you're probably in civilization and you can just put an ice pack on and get a ride to the ER, but if you're in the middle of nowhere you may have to fend for yourself.  If you're in the middle of nowhere often, consider taking a course in wilderness first aid.  You could save a life.